I am building a new rig and need a graphics card. I currently have a radeon 3800 series I could transfer if needed but I believe it is time for an upgrade. I will be doing high definition video editing, website design, graphic design and the general things like word, internet, some video games etc. I have been reading and was going to get a sapphire radeon 5770 (or was it 4770..) until I just found out that there are cards specifically designed for workstations. I guess my budget is something like $300. What would be the best choice for me?
If you can stretch an extra $25 you should look at the ATI FirePro 5700 for 324.99 off of the egg http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814195074 Although this may be overkill for what you need. You might also want to look at the ATI Firepro 3750 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814195077 Hope this helps.
$325 is no problem, I was just getting a range i guess. Will the card be ok with dvd movies (blu-ray) and games (command & conquer, WOW, etc) ? I am just hesitant since I have always had a "gaming" graphics card. I will be using the full adobe CS4 suite (premiere, after effects, dreamweaver, photoshop, flash, etc).
you wont need a specialised card like the firepro unless you are doing some serious 3D Modelling/CAD work, for 2D photoshop you can use a normal gaming card like the 5770 like you said.
I am a bit more concerned with the High Definition (1080p) video editing. This will involve importing/capture video from the camcorder, setting up/clipping/modifying scenes, adding effects using after effects, and then exporting/authoring. It will be mainly commercials and product demo's probably no more than 5 minutes in length. There will be the occasional sporting event that will require a dvd made that is over 60 minutes. Just want to make sure I will be doing this stuff at full speed. As of now I cannot even preview my HD footage as my computer is not strong enough...I kind of got tossed this new line of work and wasn't prepared. I also read that for this kind of stuff, one powerful card performs better than 2 cross-fire cards.
correct me if im wrong, but isnt the majority of the processing essentially encode/decode? why not get a decent capture card that does hardware encode/decode? also, from what i understand, more RAM is better, ie this is one of the few times when more than 4GB RAM is needed.
Like i said I just got thrown into the HD world haha, so I have nooooooo clue what stuff I need. What does a capture card do (links to good ones)? I am planning on getting a 5700 series if I can find one, then I can add this capture card if there is a decent one out there.
I'd spend the money on a decent capture/editing card if I were you. Graphics cards will have little-to-no bearing on video editing - yes, they'll decode HD video, but they won't encode it and probably won't even decode in an editing application. Real Time Editing/Capture cards are what you need really, but ideally a decent CPU to take the brunt of the rendering. When it's time to upgrade, look into Core i7 processors or Xeons (which power Mac Pros, pretty much the most powerful video editing mac you can get). Look at the Matrox RTX range, they can edit and process HD video on the fly, taking the stress from your CPU and making rendering a lot faster. They're a crapload of money, but you'll wonder how you coped without one. Simple transitions will no longer need to be rendered, colour corrections will be instantly visible etc. To be honest, in an ideal world I'd say ditch the PC and get a Mac Pro/Core i7 iMac and a copy of Final Cut Studio - it's all you'll need!
argh not a mac! but yeah, something like this would help you alot more than a gfx card: http://www.matrox.com/video/en/products/rtx2/ but as M3G4 said its alot of cash. Maybe look on ebay for a 2nd hand one, or the model before? http://cgi.ebay.com/Matrox-RT-X10-V...emQQptZPCC_Video_TV_Cards?hash=item414b196b78
The previous generation would be of little use - it can't process or capture HD footage, so you'll hit a stumbling block whenever you do anything but Standard Definition work. And as for "not a mac", that's a load of crap! If this is about choosing the correct machine for the purpose specified, the mac hits the spot perfectly. Compared to the price of a dedicated AVID suite, or a gutsy PC with HD capture capabilities, an entry level Mac with FCS is more suited to this. Leave your grudges at the door.
Im sorry i didnt include /sarcasm tags to make it obvious And anyway, if its about having a gutsy PC/Mac to do editing on (ie the CPU doing the work) then you can get much more for your money by getting a PC. And being as the Matrox RTX2 is 700 quid (which is twice the OPs budget) then a Mac is CERTAINLY going to be outside of the budget. Oh and btw, I use a Mac for 8 hours everyday at work. Its a struggle, and getting home to my PCs is so relaxing in that they just work.
