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mikeyindaburg
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Advice needed - graphics card for After Effects & Premiere Pro

Aug 10, 2011 6:47 AM

Hello all,

 

I've been researching PC's hoping to make an investment in the most powerful PC I can afford without breaking the bank, and I need some opinions.  From my research online it would appear that the best setup for video editing would include an Intel i7 processor and an nVidia GeForce GTX 590 graphics card.

 

The problem is that every computer I see that has this combo is significantly more expensive than other computers that have an Intel i7 and GeForce GTX 570.  The best bang for my buck I found was from HP--it had an Intel i7 processor but only a GeForce GTX 550 graphics card.

 

My question to you all is this: how much of a difference do these graphic cards make in terms of actual speed and cutting down work time & rendering time in After Effects & Premiere Pro CS5/CS5.5?  Is it worth the extra $300-$400 to get the GTX 590?  Or would that only serve to knock off a miniscule few minutes off of rendering times/software performance?  Furthermore, could I get away with fast speeds and rendering times with a GTX 550?

 

To give you an idea of what I'm using this software for: I work on HD DSLR wedding videos, occasionally with several layers of effects going on, and lots of transitions; I'll be working on videos ranging from a few minutes in length to upwards of 45 minutes in length.

 

I appreciate any input anyone has.  Thank you in advance, and kindest regards!

 

-Michael

11480 Views   15 Replies   Latest reply: klfi, Aug 19, 2011 10:37 PM
 
Replies
  • Harm Millaard
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    1. Harm Millaard,
    Aug 10, 2011 7:05 AM   in reply to mikeyindaburg
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    The 590 is OUT. It is a dual GPU and Adobe only uses one GPU. So it would be an utter waste of money. Your best bet is a single GPU like the 560 Ti/570 or 580. BFTB-wise (Bang-for-the-buck) the 560 Ti or 570 is probably your best bet. In AE you will not note any difference, in PR the difference is almost negligible.

     

    Check out PPBM5 Benchmark

     
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  • mikeyindaburg
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    2. mikeyindaburg,
    Aug 10, 2011 7:15 AM   in reply to Harm Millaard
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    Thank you very much!

     

    One additional question--am I correct in assuming that I'll get the same results with the GTX 580?  If so, then I'm definitely going with HP--they seem to have the best bang for my buck.

     
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  • Islanders66
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    3. Islanders66,
    Aug 10, 2011 7:16 AM   in reply to mikeyindaburg
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    I found this site more useful than some of the other websites peeople are self promoting.

     

    http://www.studio1productions.com/Articles/PremiereCS5.htm

     
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  • mikeyindaburg
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    4. mikeyindaburg,
    Aug 10, 2011 7:27 AM   in reply to Islanders66
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    That's a very helpful link, thank you!

    I think I'll go with the GTX 580 then. Your link mentioned how it was a very powerful card, but advised against buying it if the cost is too high or if the power supply isn't sufficient--I'm looking at an HP H8XT system that is actually decently priced and has an option for a good-enough power supply.  Here are the specs:

    Operating systemSAVE $21 on Genuine Windows 7 Professional [64-bit]
    ProcessorIntel(R) Core(TM) i7-2600 quad-core processor with Turbo-Boost [up to 3.8GHz, 8MB cache]
    Memory12GB DDR3-1333MHz SDRAM [3 DIMMs]
    Hard drive2TB 7200 rpm SATA 3Gb/s hard drive
    Secondary Hard Drive1TB 7200 rpm SATA 3Gb/s hard drive
    Security softwareSAVE $30 on Norton Internet Security(TM) 2011 - 15 month
    Graphics card1.5GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 [2 DVI, HDMI, VGA adpt]
    Power Supply600W Power supply
    Primary optical driveSuperMulti DVD Burner
    NetworkingIntegrated Ethernet port, No wireless LAN
    Productivity ports15-in-1 memory card reader, 2 USB 2.0 (front), audio, 2 USB (top rear-facing)
    Sound CardBeats Audio (tm) -- integrated studio quality sound

     
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  • Harm Millaard
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    5. Harm Millaard,
    Aug 10, 2011 8:19 AM   in reply to mikeyindaburg
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    Beware of HP systems. In general they are unperpowered from a PSU point of view, they use custom PSU's that can not be exchanged for anything but HP, they use custom dimensions for the PSU so it is impossible to replace one yourself and they are anything but attractive from a BFTB point of view. They are very difficult to overclock if at all and are no more than mediocre performers.

     

    The specs you gave show that this is an ill-configured system. An i7-2600 system should have 8 or 16 GB memory, not 12 GB. It should use 4 DIMM sockets, not 3. The PSU is underpowered for that video card. The primary disk is way too big for OS & programs and a complete waste of space. On a well tuned system 150 GB is more than enough. 2 TB is inappropriate. You miss the 3-rd and 4-th hard disk, that you really will appreciate to gain performance.

     

    In short, these specs look like a waste of money.

     
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  • Islanders66
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    6. Islanders66,
    Aug 10, 2011 9:06 AM   in reply to mikeyindaburg
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    Glad the site was helpful. I'm a bit of noob myself and just completed my first build. I went with a 570 with two fans in an open design. If you notice there was very little difference between the 570 and 580 although I was tempted to go with the 580 as well but had a significant price jump and there are better ways to improve my system with the savings.

     

    Configuring a computer for video editing takes a lot of research. And even then you will just get general advice on your questions. So it's best to do some extra reseach instead of just relying on one website or reccomendation. Even the Adobe minimum reccomendations are insufficent.

     

    Start with the FAQ list at the top.

     

    I built my own with lots of info from here but be prepared for some frustration and plenty of research. However it should be very easy to build a much better computer than the HP list for less. 

     

    http://forums.adobe.com/thread/810750

     

    http://forums.adobe.com/thread/662972

     

     

    Check out some recent computer builds and you will see that you need more harddrives, more RAM, bigger PS, etc.

     

    Then configure your own list and start a new thread.

     
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  • Luc van Vliet
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    7. Luc van Vliet,
    Aug 10, 2011 10:04 AM   in reply to mikeyindaburg
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    GTX 470, no ''crack'' needed and $ 200,- (i think same power for PrePro & AE like the GTX 560/570 series

    ( i'm ordering a Gigabyte Geforce GTX470 1280mb GV-N470 SOC, with 3 fans for € 229,-)

     
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  • mikeyindaburg
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    8. mikeyindaburg,
    Aug 10, 2011 11:15 AM   in reply to Harm Millaard
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    *Whew* well that completely burst my bubble, haha!  I've been doing constant research for the past week and thought I had finally come up with the best video editing desktop for my dollar.

     

    On the bright side, thank you for pointing out my mistake before I went and spent all that money! :-)

     

    Like I said, I've been trying to do so much research on finding the best PC I can afford for video editing in After Effects and Premiere Pro--can you or anyone else in here point me to a computer I can purchase that will fit the job? Or perhaps a link to another forum that can help me out?  Thus far I have not been able to find a company that can build such a computer for around $2,000-$2,500, and I won't even begin to try and build one myself.  I don't know a whole lot about pairing the right memory with the right number of sockets and hard drive or any of that.

     

    In the meantime, I'll continue browsing through other forum topics in here to maybe help find what I'm looking for.  Again, thank you very much for your helpful advice!

     
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  • Harm Millaard
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    9. Harm Millaard,
    Aug 10, 2011 12:00 PM   in reply to mikeyindaburg
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    The most affordable solution is to build it yourself, but the drawback is that you have to be able to give your own support. If you want to buy, look at http://adkvideoediting.com/

     

    They build very good machines within your budget and deliver top-notch support.

     
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  • mikeyindaburg
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    10. mikeyindaburg,
    Aug 10, 2011 12:10 PM   in reply to Harm Millaard
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    It just so happens that I stumbled across their website not even a few seconds before you posted--perfect timing!

    This website seems to be perfect for what I'm looking for, and the price is very reasonable.

     

    Would you mind sharing your thoughts one more time on the following specs?:

    CaseCooler Master - Sileo with 500w Power. Acoustical noise treatment included.
    Power SupplyCoolermaster - 700W Silent Pro M Pro 16DB (quiet) 5 yr warranty.
    MotherboardCore i7: 4 PCIex16, 2PCIe, 1PCI, up to 24Gig DDR3 1600, TI Firewire, Sata 6
    ProcessorIntel - Core i7 960 3.2 GHz Quad Core with HT 8meg cache
    Processor 2None
    CPU CoolingADK - ADK Extreme silence CPU cooling. 17DB (sorry no pics)
    Quieting/Xtra Cooling ADK - ADK Quiet Case fans (2) 8DB Noctua
    MemoryMushkin - 6gig (3x2GB) DDR3 1600 1.65v 7-9-7-24
    Operating SystemMicrosoft - Windows 7 Pro 64 bit OEM
    RecoveryParagon Backup & Recovery 10 Suite with ADK recovery DVD.
    OS/Programs Drive Western Digital - Caviar Black Hard Drive: 1 TB - 7200 rpm - Serial ATA 6.0Gb/s - 64 Meg Cac
    Source Drive Western Digital - Caviar Black Hard Drive: 1 TB - 7200 rpm - Serial ATA 6.0Gb/s - 64 Meg Cac
    Render DriveWestern Digital - Caviar Black Hard Drive: 1 TB - 7200 rpm - Serial ATA 6.0Gb/s - 64 Meg Cac
    StorageNone
    RemovableNone
    External Storagenone
    FW or Raid ControllerNone
    FW/USB/E-Sata CntlrsNone
    DVD-RWLG Electronics - Blu-ray disc rewriter. BD-R 10X with lightscribe.
    Dual Head VideoGeForce GTX570 1280MB: 1280MB GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 HDMI - DisplayPort - DV
    2nd Video None
    LCD Monitornone
    NICIncluded wired not wireless
    KeyboardsMicrosoft - Cordless Desktop Optical: Cordless Internet KB and Cordless Optical Mouse.
    Warranty2 year parts and labor, onsite pickup, Lifetime tech support.
    Pro Audio InterfaceNone
    Studio MonitorsNone
    NLE EditorNONE
    Plug-ins/AudioNONE
    Video Editing Workstation
    ADK 3800 Core I7     		$2,507.00

     
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  • Harm Millaard
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    11. Harm Millaard,
    Aug 10, 2011 12:29 PM   in reply to mikeyindaburg
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    Your initial configuration looks a bit out of date (the i7-960, while very affordable is a rather old architecture). I suggest you contact Eric or Scott to help you out, but I would be more inclined towards an i7-2600K with 16 GB RAM or preferably an i7-970 with 24 GB memory. If you want to build it yourself, invest time to read about different configurations here on this forum. There is much to learn and digest, I think.

     
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  • mikeyindaburg
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    12. mikeyindaburg,
    Aug 10, 2011 12:38 PM   in reply to Harm Millaard
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    I can't thank you enough--you've been an amazing help!

     
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  • klfi
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    13. klfi,
    Aug 19, 2011 8:46 AM   in reply to Harm Millaard
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    Thanks Harm and Mike for this posts.

    Yes indeed a lot can be learnd.

     

    (System Win7 64, 25GB Ram, I-7 960)

    Im using an older Nvidia CX and want to upgrage to Geforce  570 or 580.

     

    In my workflow i use 3 Displays. 2x flat TV (now connexion diplay port to HDMI) an 1x Panasonic 1760 for preview (connected via Blackmagic multibride SDI).

    As is understood 570 or 580 have 3 ports out (2x DVI, 1x HDMI). I am not sure if they can be used at the same time simulanuesly.

     

    My questions:

    1.) can the 3 output-ports of 570/580 be used at the same time

    2.) is it possible to use simultanusly 570/580 out-HDMI in connection with for example Blackmagic mini-converter (HDMI to SDI) to connect SDI (preview-monitor Panasonic 1760)

    3.) where are mistaces in my thoughts

     

    thanks for your help

    klfi

     
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  • ECBowen
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    14. ECBowen,
    Aug 19, 2011 8:57 AM   in reply to klfi
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    Only the 590 gives you more than 2 channels output at any one time. So no you would still need the Blackmagic for the 3rd output or another video card. I would use the Blackmagic rather than one of the convertors with a 2nd video card.

     

    Eric

    ADK

     
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  • klfi
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    15. klfi,
    Aug 19, 2011 10:37 PM   in reply to ECBowen
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    Thanks Eric.

    klfi

     
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