Video editing on a budget.

[beanflying]

Even video scrubbing with an I3 on 1080P sucked which made editing suck. So even if you are splicing and adding a few bits in you need some processing and speed behind it. While the SSD it maybe optional at 1080P it still makes sense IMO.

[Someone]

Even video scrubbing with an I3 on 1080P sucked which made editing suck. So even if you are splicing and adding a few bits in you need some processing and speed behind it. While the SSD it maybe optional at 1080P it still makes sense IMO.

What is your source codec config? Proxies/intermediaries/cache/scratch?

Editing multiple 1080p streams in realtime has been practical for over 10 years, people got by ok with dual core processors under 2GHz (and much less). It takes very little skill to do something inefficiently/poorly, and throwing more hardware at the problem hides the real performance available if you'd just take some time to learn about the tools available.

I would like to get him to build the pc with guidance. I dont want to sped a fortune until i know his serious about it. Workstations crossed my mind, but i have no idea if they are suitable or not

If you're going second hand, old ex-lease workstations often have an unreasonable premium/markup over similar performance "consumer" PCs. If there will be gaming involved just build the computer to those required specifications and video editing won't be a problem.

[beanflying]

Even video scrubbing with an I3 on 1080P sucked which made editing suck. So even if you are splicing and adding a few bits in you need some processing and speed behind it. While the SSD it maybe optional at 1080P it still makes sense IMO.

What is your source codec config? Proxies/intermediaries/cache/scratch?

Editing multiple 1080p streams in realtime has been practical for over 10 years, people got by ok with dual core processors under 2GHz (and much less). It takes very little skill to do something inefficiently/poorly, and throwing more hardware at the problem hides the real performance available if you'd just take some time to learn about the tools available.

That system has been relegated to driving my Laser Cutter and CNC so I stripped Davinci off it so  on the last settings. Also it didn't have an SSD which won't have been helping. I had tried some tweaks done some looking at optimizing it but as my drones and Cameras shoot 4K it wasn't going to remain viable and keeping the resolution down to 1080P because of a PC limitation is less than ideal.

[Someone]

Even video scrubbing with an I3 on 1080P sucked which made editing suck. So even if you are splicing and adding a few bits in you need some processing and speed behind it. While the SSD it maybe optional at 1080P it still makes sense IMO.

What is your source codec config? Proxies/intermediaries/cache/scratch?

Editing multiple 1080p streams in realtime has been practical for over 10 years, people got by ok with dual core processors under 2GHz (and much less). It takes very little skill to do something inefficiently/poorly, and throwing more hardware at the problem hides the real performance available if you'd just take some time to learn about the tools available.

That system has been relegated to driving my Laser Cutter and CNC so I stripped Davinci off it so  on the last settings. Also it didn't have an SSD which won't have been helping. I had tried some tweaks done some looking at optimizing it but as my drones and Cameras shoot 4K it wasn't going to remain viable and keeping the resolution down to 1080P because of a PC limitation is less than ideal.

If you can't remember what you were doing, and don't understand why that might have been a bad choice, perhaps your advice might be equally misinformed? The codecs used are a fundamental part of a video workflow and have enormous impact on the processor load, disk bandwidth, and storage requirements. 1080 in a suitable intermediate codec is not a challenge for any recent computer.

[Mr. Scram]

A lot to be going on there in reply's, i did think a server would be noisy but didn't realise the cores where low clock speeds. i
I would like to get him to build the pc with guidance. I dont want to sped a fortune until i know his serious about it. Workstations crossed my mind, but i have no idea if they are suitable or not

Can you give an indication of what you want to spend? That's going to largely dictate your options. You could go for a gaming oriented build as you should be able to video edit fairly decently if you take that into account and little is lost if only the gaming sticks. I doubt a boy would get fed up with gaming too quickly. 

[Halcyon]

Do you have a "reference" PC you can use for comparison? i.e.: Load some software on it, get him to do some editing, see where it struggles. At least that will give you a "baseline" of where to go from there?

In a nutshell, take a look at CPU benchmarks and determine "bang for buck" based on your budget. PassMark's Low-to-Mid tier chart is a good place to start. It will include both old and new CPUs so you can compare them against each other. All decent video editors (including OpenShot) support multi-threading and will take advantage of multiple cores.

The other is RAM, as I mentioned earlier, the more the better.

Another thing you'll want to consider is the hard disk, definitely use an SSD, if not for the operating system itself, definitely for the scratch disk (although both is preferred). 512GB SSDs are relatively cheap these days.

Without knowing your budget and what kind of video he is editing, it's hard to be more specific.

[beanflying]

Even video scrubbing with an I3 on 1080P sucked which made editing suck. So even if you are splicing and adding a few bits in you need some processing and speed behind it. While the SSD it maybe optional at 1080P it still makes sense IMO.

What is your source codec config? Proxies/intermediaries/cache/scratch?

Editing multiple 1080p streams in realtime has been practical for over 10 years, people got by ok with dual core processors under 2GHz (and much less). It takes very little skill to do something inefficiently/poorly, and throwing more hardware at the problem hides the real performance available if you'd just take some time to learn about the tools available.

That system has been relegated to driving my Laser Cutter and CNC so I stripped Davinci off it so  on the last settings. Also it didn't have an SSD which won't have been helping. I had tried some tweaks done some looking at optimizing it but as my drones and Cameras shoot 4K it wasn't going to remain viable and keeping the resolution down to 1080P because of a PC limitation is less than ideal.

If you can't remember what you were doing, and don't understand why that might have been a bad choice, perhaps your advice might be equally misinformed? The codecs used are a fundamental part of a video workflow and have enormous impact on the processor load, disk bandwidth, and storage requirements. 1080 in a suitable intermediate codec is not a challenge for any recent computer.

Seriously take your superiority complex and place is somewhere else ! Perhaps you would like to make some CONSTRUCTIVE and helpful comments as to settings for limited hardware for us mere mortals. 

My current 3700X and associated bits chew up and spit out 4K so I am not having an issue of any sort that needs resolving.

[beanflying]

This is one of the videos I watched prior to building my latest box. I was building to CAD/Rendering with 'some' video so the mix is a bit different. He and Justin Brown are worth a watch among others https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO4Nw0vUpxgb0zsziJ1SaMg

[davelectronic]

I've got not a lot of experience in video editing, from what my Son shows me, he puts clips of super heroes together. It loks reasonably seamless with some fast action content. He also adds music tracks to the length of the video. I'm of little help with video editing, he has mentioned starting a YouTube channel in the near future.

From what i can glean from the internet is the cpu does a lot of the work, and a reasonable amount of memory is also a must. I have read a gpu can be less critical, although i wouldn't get a useless card for this system he wants. What sellers want for old hardware in some cases is just daft. For now i have crossed out AMD as pointed out it can be pedantic at times. I'm looking at the fastest 775T core 2 quad Q9650 or 1155 socket and an earlier I7 second or third generation processor. As for Ram, 16Gb in 4 slots. The memory can be a bit tricky to find second hand. Brand new hardware is out of the question for now.
Thanks for all the tips and replys.

[Halcyon]

Keep us updated on what you decide to get.

[jack-daniels]

I know this thread is mainly about the hardware, but have a quick look at this video, it might help. It does give some basic specs for each editor.

[Ed.Kloonk]

I know this thread is mainly about the hardware, but have a quick look at this video, it might help. It does give some basic specs for each editor.

I think I've mentioned it on here before but Chris Barrett (the video's host) is somewhat of a crusader of squeezing the best out of the hardware and software of these SBC's. You only have to watch a select few of his videos to have a good shopping list for a great set-up.

[peter-h]

I've been doing video editing for years and it is not a big deal unless you want to shoot in and render to 4K. Then you need a top spec machine.

For shooting in HD (1920x1080) you just need a quad core i7, or even a recent i5. I use a quad core i7 machine I built 5 years ago, for 4K in and HD out.

Re software, I now use Vegas Pro 16 but one of the cheap old Sony Movie Studio 13 Platinum ones will be fine. Much less buggy than the low end junk I used from say Pinnacle or Adobe. You can still buy cheap old stock online. Well under $100.

There is a significant learning curve on video editing but basic operations are easy.

[Mr. Scram]

I've got not a lot of experience in video editing, from what my Son shows me, he puts clips of super heroes together. It loks reasonably seamless with some fast action content. He also adds music tracks to the length of the video. I'm of little help with video editing, he has mentioned starting a YouTube channel in the near future.

From what i can glean from the internet is the cpu does a lot of the work, and a reasonable amount of memory is also a must. I have read a gpu can be less critical, although i wouldn't get a useless card for this system he wants. What sellers want for old hardware in some cases is just daft. For now i have crossed out AMD as pointed out it can be pedantic at times. I'm looking at the fastest 775T core 2 quad Q9650 or 1155 socket and an earlier I7 second or third generation processor. As for Ram, 16Gb in 4 slots. The memory can be a bit tricky to find second hand. Brand new hardware is out of the question for now.
Thanks for all the tips and replys.

If you're looking at that generation I'd avoid AMD as they weren't producing the fastest hardware around back then. Avoid the Core 2 models too. It's fairly old hat you're looking at either way though. If you can find a decent 2700K or 3700K you have something not too terrible. Sandy Bridge tends to overclock better if you want to go that route. Be sure not to spend too much on old hardware when a comparatively modest increase in budget could get you a new system. For gaming you'll need a more modern video card.

[Electro Detective]

Give those old Intels a miss unless they are dirt cheap, heaps of older well priced used multicore AMD rigs out there,
gamers would not touch them if they were no good.

I think our EEVblog host uses AMD, and one or two of the Moderators = ?

I can vouch an old x4 or x6 with 4 gigs of ram and stock onboard graphics will do video editing and fast conversions without a problem

Up the ram to 8 gigs and a 1 or 2 gig graphics card for more oomph,
parts which I still haven't gotten around to fitting, as the system working fine as is, and I'm forgetful/slack.. 

[Mr. Scram]

Give those old Intels a miss unless they are dirt cheap, heaps of older well priced used multicore AMD rigs out there,
gamers would not touch them if they were no good.

I think our EEVblog host uses AMD, and one or two of the Moderators = ?

I can vouch an old x4 or x6 with 4 gigs of ram and stock onboard graphics will do video editing and fast conversions without a problem

Up the ram to 8 gigs and a 1 or 2 gig graphics card for more oomph,
parts which I still haven't gotten around to fitting, as the system working fine as is, and I'm forgetful/slack.. 

The new AMD chips are excellent and are used in demanding situations like supercomputing. The older architecture models were slow and hot although it obviously depends what's compared with what.

[Wimberleytech]

Tagging on to this kinda old thread.

I recently bought a gopro 8 to take on a 10-day canoe trip in Sep.  My buddy is bring one too.  We will generate tons of video that will need editing.  I have noticed that my current system just does not cut it.
Current system:
i5 2400 processor @ 3.1GHz
AMD Radeon HD 6800
Samsung 860 EVO

I am in the process of configuring a new system:
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
Gigabyte X570 Aorus
GTX 1660 graphics card
Intel Optane SSD 905P Series - M.2 22110 380GB PCI-Express 3.0 x4 3D XPoint SSD - SSDPEL1D380GAX1
Either 32G or 64G of memory.

So the BIG NUT here is that Intel Optane NVMe...like 500 bucks or so.  My son recommended it.  He has built my last three or four computers. 
Is this overkill?  Until a couple of days ago, I was not aware of NVMe stuff, but the concept seems compelling.

To some degree...I suppose...money is not the issue...just would like all of the components in the system to be balanced (not pay for performance of any one item that will never use its potential).

Thoughts?

--This will be my first build.  I was smart enough to raise a son that learned this stuff before puberty and went on to get a degree in computer science.  I am trying to do this myself this time 

[engrguy42]

I strongly recommend you first look at DaVinci Resolve. It's free. It's a professional-level editor with an insane amount of features. It recently came out with a whole new compositing and visual effects suite ("Fusion") that's amazing. There's also a ton of video how-to's out there.

Just be aware that, while it would be nice if you could buy a fancy GPU and get lots of benefit by speeding up renders, that's rarely the case. Often they will use the GPU for some specific features, but rarely the ones you want. Usually for some special effects it taps the GPU, but regular rendering not so much. I think many editors still rely on multi-core CPU's for rendering.

I think it's best to first decide on the software, and then decide what hardware you'll need. 

[Mr. Scram]

I strongly recommend you first look at DaVinci Resolve. It's free. It's a professional-level editor with an insane amount of features. It recently came out with a whole new compositing and visual effects suite ("Fusion") that's amazing. There's also a ton of video how-to's out there.

Just be aware that, while it would be nice if you could buy a fancy GPU and get lots of benefit by speeding up renders, that's rarely the case. Often they will use the GPU for some specific features, but rarely the ones you want. Usually for some special effects it taps the GPU, but regular rendering not so much. I think many editors still rely on multi-core CPU's for rendering.

I think it's best to first decide on the software, and then decide what hardware you'll need.

Some applications benefit from GPU acceleration a lot, also during regular editing.

[EEVblog]

For <$500 you can get an AMD Ryzen 3400G build, which has a very decent integrated GPU (more than enough for casual gaming, video encoding and video playback) and 4 modern cores.
It's $150 on Amazon with cooler, $80 for the motherboard, $80 for 16GB of DDR4 3200 RAM, and $80 for an 500GB/512GB NVMe SSD. Add in a cheap power+case combo for $60, you are all set for $450.

Yep, something like this would be fine.
There is a huge variability in "video editing" requirements. My videos for example (and the 4K ones) can be done on practically any system, even a 10 year old dumpster PC will work just fine, because there is little to no special effects etc, it's mostly just re-rendering existing footage. My current  i7 7820X is actually way overkill for what I need for both the editing part and the rendering part, but I like to be able to render 4K video in at least "real time". Sound like your son is just doing basic splicing and re-rendering, and literally any machine can do that, as evidenced by him currently doing it on a tablet.

If you are you making some hollywood production with green screen, colour grading, and all sorts of fancy visual effects processing, that's where you start to need the serious hardware.

[cdev]

Thats changed, the Ryzen CPUs are quite good.  They have some models with integrated GPU which does not add much to the cost. An entry level ryzen would be super cost efective. You can buy a used case but get a new CPU/ram/gpu. These is a chart at PCPartsPicker that lets you figure out the best deal for the money. You could also get a cheap but newer NVIdia GPU as well. That may be better for encoding. Ask Dave what he thinks is best.

[EEVblog]

Thats changed, the Ryzen CPUs are quite good.  They have some models with integrated GPU which does not add much to the cost. An entry level ryzen would be super cost efective. You can buy a used case but get a new CPU/ram/gpu. These is a chart at PCPartsPicker that lets you figure out the best deal for the money. You could also get a cheap but newer NVIdia GPU as well. That may be better for encoding. Ask Dave what he thinks is best.

I don't know about the Ryzen GPU. Depends entirely upon what package you use and what GPU's it supports, and what kind of videos you produce. Videos like mine are actually mostly CPU intensive instead of GPU intensive because of the lack of video effects. So often things like a memory and drive bottlenecks matter more than GPU.
When actually editing for example I have GPU acceleration turned off.

[andre_teprom]

It's really cool that your son is getting into video editing – it’s a fun and creative hobby! I've been through a similar situation, setting up a budget-friendly PC for my cousin who started with gaming and then got into video editing. Based on that experience, I'd say starting with used hardware is a smart move, especially since he's just exploring this interest.

For video editing, a good balance between CPU, RAM, and GPU is key. An AMD FX or earlier i7 processor would work just fine for starters. They have enough power to handle video editing tasks without breaking the bank. 

And if he's looking for software that isn’t too demanding for beginners, video editor Movavi is a user-friendly option that should run smoothly on moderate specs. It’s great for beginners and has enough features to get his creativity rolling without overwhelming him. Hope this helps, and all the best with the PC build!

[armandine2]

I had to do some video editing the other day - I have next to no experience and haven't used one for years.

Anyhow, I used clipchamp and it did what I had to do relatively quickly.

I see though that it doesn't make the recommended lists of free video editing software ?

[SiliconWizard]

This is what happens when you get a new video editing rig 

You seem to have a knack for toilets, but that's again not too surprising.