Hi, everyone in Tom's Hardware Community, how are you.
I'm planning on buying a new computer sometime in the future (not in a big hurry at the moment but at least by spring, which is when I might have enough money lol)
To begin with, I am upgrading from a 400MHz P2 w/130 MB RAM...I'm planning on upgrading from scratch the CPU + motherboard, HD, and RAM - and maybe reusing some old components from the other. I've done a lot of video editing for practice but on that machine - I never got very far when it comes to exporting it to finished product. Audio editing has come as a pain, too, as there is a lot of latency with the system. Gaming has been flawless in reference to FPS and strategy sims.
Right now, my budget is between 700 and 1,200 dollars.
The things I want to do with the new computer are capture video from VHS, edit video on the computer, convert the video to DVD, make music (nothing serious - I just have a MIDI keyboard with sequencing software such as Logic Audio and Cubase), play games (UnReal, DOOM3, NFL, etc.), do some work with 3D graphics and do multi-tasking (such as web design plus programming).
This may sound out of the budget range - but I'm hoping to build my computer instead of buying a whole one, to keep the cost down (if building a computer to keep the cost down sounds ridiculous, please correct me if possible! ).
Anyway, the only thing I'm worried about with this plan is -
1. Just like everyone else when it comes to buying a new computer - If I buy parts online they will go down in price a month later..So I would like to know what is going to be outdated (Pentium 3, 256 MB of RAM/DDR?) and what is going to be hot in the future that will fit my budget.
2. I'm afraid that I might end up buying the wrong parts for the computer or that maybe buying a computer that is already built would be better. That's why I'm here on the forums.
I know that it's going to get outdated someday - but the computer I want is going to have to be able to do some heavy video and audio editing, and be able to capture video excellently (maybe not flawlessly) without buying a 1,000 dollar video capture card (*drool*)..
I'm aiming for:
Pentium 4 2.0GHz with cpu, fan ($190 on pricewatch atm..)
PC3000 DDR 512MB ($121 on pricewatch, right now..)
EIDE 7200 RPM 120GB ($119 on pricewatch, right now)
that's about it..I'm not really planning on going overboard and buying accessories that I already have. Of course I would like to upgrade my CD-Burner from 6x to higher such as a 48x Cd rom or from a SoundBlaster 128 PCI to a better card that will do the job..and not a 400 dollar sound card that is only worth having if you're a studio guy that has lots of equipment. I already have a monitor (15" but I guess it wouldn't hurt to get a bigger one)
the main questions I have regarding this system:
1. does a 2,000 MHz CPU and 533 MHz bus speed really matter when it comes to video editing or can I just get a 1.0 to 1.8 and be settled? I know RAM plays an important factor and I could go as high as a GIG of RAM if that is what it takes.
2. Also, what kind of power supply do I need? I've heard stories when people use too high of a watage even on a super-fast system and frying the mobo - I have a brand new 250 watt with my 400 MHz would that work with the specs I listed?
3. I also want two hard drives - can anyone recommend a brand? The one I have now is a Maxtor and it works fine..
4. When it comes to video capture what kind of card do I need that won't break the bank but doesn't have to be professional to do a good job (no framerate skipping, excellent quality, etc.) I don't need DV at the moment. I'm thinking of a Radeon 9700.
5. Is the Sony DRU-500 worth buying as a DVD burner? I hope for most compatible with DVD players, not necessarily the fastest.
5. Since I'm making music, I need a soundcard that will be able to minimize latency as much as possible - and nothing more. I'm not really interested in getting a card that will handle ten guitars and 20 mixing boards. I can't make music right now on my computer it is so slow, but even so I was thinking about reusing my SoundBlaster PCI 128 with the new computer. Sounds crazy but would that work?
Sorry if there are too many details I will summarize in the next post if needed. Good luck with all of your computing activites.
I'm planning on buying a new computer sometime in the future (not in a big hurry at the moment but at least by spring, which is when I might have enough money lol)
To begin with, I am upgrading from a 400MHz P2 w/130 MB RAM...I'm planning on upgrading from scratch the CPU + motherboard, HD, and RAM - and maybe reusing some old components from the other. I've done a lot of video editing for practice but on that machine - I never got very far when it comes to exporting it to finished product. Audio editing has come as a pain, too, as there is a lot of latency with the system. Gaming has been flawless in reference to FPS and strategy sims.
Right now, my budget is between 700 and 1,200 dollars.
The things I want to do with the new computer are capture video from VHS, edit video on the computer, convert the video to DVD, make music (nothing serious - I just have a MIDI keyboard with sequencing software such as Logic Audio and Cubase), play games (UnReal, DOOM3, NFL, etc.), do some work with 3D graphics and do multi-tasking (such as web design plus programming).
This may sound out of the budget range - but I'm hoping to build my computer instead of buying a whole one, to keep the cost down (if building a computer to keep the cost down sounds ridiculous, please correct me if possible! ).
Anyway, the only thing I'm worried about with this plan is -
1. Just like everyone else when it comes to buying a new computer - If I buy parts online they will go down in price a month later..So I would like to know what is going to be outdated (Pentium 3, 256 MB of RAM/DDR?) and what is going to be hot in the future that will fit my budget.
2. I'm afraid that I might end up buying the wrong parts for the computer or that maybe buying a computer that is already built would be better. That's why I'm here on the forums.
I know that it's going to get outdated someday - but the computer I want is going to have to be able to do some heavy video and audio editing, and be able to capture video excellently (maybe not flawlessly) without buying a 1,000 dollar video capture card (*drool*)..
I'm aiming for:
Pentium 4 2.0GHz with cpu, fan ($190 on pricewatch atm..)
PC3000 DDR 512MB ($121 on pricewatch, right now..)
EIDE 7200 RPM 120GB ($119 on pricewatch, right now)
that's about it..I'm not really planning on going overboard and buying accessories that I already have. Of course I would like to upgrade my CD-Burner from 6x to higher such as a 48x Cd rom or from a SoundBlaster 128 PCI to a better card that will do the job..and not a 400 dollar sound card that is only worth having if you're a studio guy that has lots of equipment. I already have a monitor (15" but I guess it wouldn't hurt to get a bigger one)
the main questions I have regarding this system:
1. does a 2,000 MHz CPU and 533 MHz bus speed really matter when it comes to video editing or can I just get a 1.0 to 1.8 and be settled? I know RAM plays an important factor and I could go as high as a GIG of RAM if that is what it takes.
2. Also, what kind of power supply do I need? I've heard stories when people use too high of a watage even on a super-fast system and frying the mobo - I have a brand new 250 watt with my 400 MHz would that work with the specs I listed?
3. I also want two hard drives - can anyone recommend a brand? The one I have now is a Maxtor and it works fine..
4. When it comes to video capture what kind of card do I need that won't break the bank but doesn't have to be professional to do a good job (no framerate skipping, excellent quality, etc.) I don't need DV at the moment. I'm thinking of a Radeon 9700.
5. Is the Sony DRU-500 worth buying as a DVD burner? I hope for most compatible with DVD players, not necessarily the fastest.
5. Since I'm making music, I need a soundcard that will be able to minimize latency as much as possible - and nothing more. I'm not really interested in getting a card that will handle ten guitars and 20 mixing boards. I can't make music right now on my computer it is so slow, but even so I was thinking about reusing my SoundBlaster PCI 128 with the new computer. Sounds crazy but would that work?
Sorry if there are too many details I will summarize in the next post if needed. Good luck with all of your computing activites.