So I have a client that wants a quote on a rig for editing HD video on. I've got some of the basics down for what I want for ram etc, but what about hardware that is optimized for HD content? RAID 0 or SCSI? I really havnt a clue on what HD content takes for space, but I am guessing that 1080p uncompressed video has got to be huge. Im thinking of doing a RAID 0 in 1TB drives and then have 1-3 more drives for storage. Total of about 4-5 TB. I havnt messed with SCSI really at all, but I know those would be faster then a RAID 0, but would it be worth the extra costs? Thanks guys for any and all help!
HDD: 4X 1.5TB HDD's (RAID 5?) GPU: 4870X2 CPU: Core2 Quad Extreme PSU: Ultra 800W And a really nice monitor
You'll want... Lots of RAM Nvidia Quadro or GTX280's for real time editing - if cost isn't an issue go Quadro and GTX280 (or even SLi 280's) A massive HDD array (I usea a 10TBnas, and it's constantly in need of "room making") and dual CPUs would be best. Depending on what software he's using a Matrox RTE card is highly recommended, I have one and it BLAZES though content. Also a decent audio card is necessary if he's doing audio workflow as well, I have an RME card and I'd recomend it - the M.Audio Audiophile isn't a bad card either. Depending on how hardcore he is, be prepared to doll out another $1000 for a dedicated playback monitor. Also if he's editing raw HDV (.m2t) he'll need another add-on card to output and encode real-time for playback on the dedicated display. A "workstation" class motherboard with on-board SAS ports might not be a bad idea if you wanted to go that route with drives. A board like the Z7S WS or the P6T WS Revolution wouldn't be a bad choice for a starting ground. I think the Z7S WS would be a better choice because you can offset some of the costs of DDR3 to get more DD2 and a second CPU.
Don't get RAID0, it doesn't speed up too much and it'll just break and all data is lost. RAID5 or RAID6 is what you want.
+1 I was about to write something along those lines, then relised you beat me to it! May i add, use a seperate HDD for boot and apps. I one point i had photoshop installed on its own 160Gb HDD so it could use the drive as it wished when processing large amount of images. RAID 5 for these setups is a general rule, possible be daring and add a blue-ray burner for backups...
I think I recall reading about how great the core i7 chips are for video editing and rendering... You might want to look into that.
True. But it depends on what the software uses - if it can edit in CUDA then fantastic - buy a 9800 GT, or Quaddro for professional parts. If it needs a Matrox video editing card (do people still use these??), then get that instead. You can only really build hardware choices around software imo - does it use a scratch disk? does it use CUDA or CPU? what file sizes are you playing with and storing?
