Solved Soliciting advice on processor selection for video editing rig

[TVeblen]

I've been asked to come up with the specs for a new build that will be used primarily for video editing. The target program is Avid.

The buyer and I are going Intel for this build.

I am torn by the selection of the top tier processors at this point in time for a high horsepower rig.
The candidates:

• LGA2011 w/i7 4820 4-core, 4 channel (Ivy Bridge)
• LGA2011 w/i7 4930 6-core, 4 channel (but there is a budget, and $580 is a bit too much)
• LGA1150 w/i7 4770K 4-core, dual channel (Haswell)

The i7-4960X is out of the question, budget wise.


The Haswell 4-core seems to have better bench performance in video rendering than the Ivy Bridge 4 core. But about equal performance with the 4930 6-core.


What say you all as to the best bang for the buck here?

 

[Layback Bear]

4 Cores with 4 channels and hype-thread would seem to make sense. i7 4820k.
I have never done video editing so that my opinion is very limited.

If need be it does over clock well with proper cooling.
For video editing I'm thinking over clocking isn't wanted but who knows.

 

[GeneO]

If you can wait a ~ month (last week in June), the 4790K will be in stores. It has a base clock of 4GHz and boost of 4.4 GHz and better thermal properties.

 

[Boozad]

Out of the ones listed I'd definitely recomend the 4770k, but Geneo's advice is good if you can wait for the 4790k. Of course, if no overclocking is intended then the standard 4790 is already available. I'm seriously considering upgrading to the 4790k myself.

 

[TVeblen]

4 Cores with 4 channels and hype-thread would seem to make sense. i7 4820k.
I have never done video editing so that my opinion is very limited.

If need be it does over clock well with proper cooling.
For video editing I'm thinking over clocking isn't wanted but who knows.

I'm not sure either, but you would think that tasks that clearly run faster on more processor cores would benefit from those cores running faster.
It would be fun to experiment with it, but I will not get that opportunity in this case.

 

[TVeblen]

If you can wait a ~ month (last week in June), the 4790K will be in stores. It has a base clock of 4GHz and boost of 4.4 GHz and better thermal properties.

Has there been any indication of the price on that processor?

 

[TVeblen]

Out of the ones listed I'd definitely recomend the 4770k, but Geneo's advice is good if you can wait for the 4790k. Of course, if no overclocking is intended then the standard 4790 is already available. I'm seriously considering upgrading to the 4790k myself.

The thing I'm struggling with is whether the processor micro-architecture or memory bandwidth plays a bigger role in these tasks. I don't know enough to make a strong recommendation either way.

 

[GeneO]

If you can wait a ~ month (last week in June), the 4790K will be in stores. It has a base clock of 4GHz and boost of 4.4 GHz and better thermal properties.

Has there been any indication of the price on that processor?

$340 unless you have a microcenter nearby. Microcenter will sell it in-store for $290.


Micro Center - Computers, Electronics, Computer Parts, Networking, Gaming, Software, and more!

INTEL Core I7 4790K CPU w/ free gaming Tshirt **CPU will ship separately when available** at TigerDirect.com

Intel Core i7-4790K Haswell 4.0GHz LGA 1150 Desktop Processor BX80646I74790K - Newegg.com

 

[Layback Bear]

I do believe this subject could be discussed for ages.
Because Wolfgang does a lot of video Tutorials maybe be he could be of some help on video editing and it's demands on a system.

To me sticking with 4 core, 8 threads , quad channel and hyper-thread running stock just makes sense in the price range.

 

[TVeblen]

Maybe I will ping him.

 

[whs]

I would go for the Haswell. It will also depend on the programs you are using because not all programs make use of all cores. For that reason alone a 6 core is questionable.

 

[TVeblen]

I understand that Avid Media Composer will use all the cores you give it.

 

[whs]

I do most of my video work with an i7-2600 of 3.4GHz. I am quite happy with it. A good test is the encoding phase of the Microsoft Expression Encoder 4. That is heavy duty work. This is a paid program but you can use it for free if your recordings are not longer than 10 minutes. That suits me for my tutorials. If I need more time, I paste the pieces together.

Here is a little tutorial I once made in case you want to try it.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/149154-screen-capture-video-editing-high-quality.html

 

[TVeblen]

Excellent. It would be nice to test it out before i turn it over. And installing Avid MC, even temporarily, is not an option due to licensing restrictions and activation.

 

[TVeblen]

The reason I posted this here is because, like you Jack, I went into this thinking that The LGA2011 platform was the obvious choice for maximum power.

However, given what I have learned on other forums and the tests I've looked at, the Haswell seemed worthy. That is why I posted here. Given the data and the opinions stated here I believe I must change my mind.

Here are some of the tests I looked at:

 

[TVeblen]

And just today Newegg sent a promo for 4790K pre-order. $295 with promo code.

Intel Core i7-4790 Haswell 3.6GHz LGA 1150 84W Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4600 BX80646I74790 - Newegg.com

Ah, crap. That is a 4790 - not a 4790K.

 

[Britton30]

The i7-4790 is available now and would be a good choice since there will be no overclocking. Note that is the so-called "Haswell Refresh" and you'd need a Z97 board.

 

[TVeblen]

Why "Haswell Refresh"? What does refresh mean?

 

[Britton30]

the first Haswells have the Voltage Regulator Module (VRM) on the CPU die, this led to lots of heat if OCing. The refresh moves the VRM back on the motherboard.

 

[Layback Bear]

The Haswell refresh is try to solve the temp problem the old Haswell had. All of them didn't have the problem but enough did for a Intel update (refresh).