Solved Video Editing: Graphics card advice

[TVeblen]

I've been asked to put together a PC to be used for video editing. I've just started looking at a parts list to balance the budget/performance issues before making initial recommendations (budget is going to trump performance on this one).

I'm wondering if anyone here is running a video editing package like Avid Media Composer 5, or Adobe Premier CS5+, and are using a 3D gaming card like a GTX570/580 instead of a Quadro card and what you think you are missing, if anything.

If money were no object the decisions would be easy, but for a graduating student to do freelance work there is a limit. We will look at the workstation/desktop route obviously, but she may even decide on a gaming laptop instead for convenience. I have heard the nVidia 560M graphics chip has just enough oomph to not be aggravating.

Opinions/advice? TIA!

 

[whs]

I do a lot of video encoding with the Microsoft Expression Encoder 4. My findings are that the power of the CPU is much more important than the graphics card. On my laptop which has an i7 740QM (the mobile 1.73 GHz mobile i7) the encoding runs 4 times faster than on my 2.5GHz duo core desktop.

I am really curious how that will be on my new full blown new desktop i7. But that box is still sitting under the Christmas tree and will only be installed next week.

Btw: the nVidia 560M seems to be a lame duck. A better Radeon is probably preferable. But that may be neither here nor there for the task at hand.

 

[TVeblen]

Don't shake that box!

Thanks for that info Wolfgang. It helps. I've been 'cramming for finals' here and reading up on video processing. And yes these video editing programs are one of the few out today that will actually use all the cores the processor can hand out. So we will be looking for the best i7 and lots of RAM to start.

Curious about the 560M being a lame duck. I thought that was the top of the nVidia line that is currently available. Is a 600 series on the doorstep?

I've no problem with AMD graphics and we will be looking at those too. A lot of comments on the Avid forums suggest using nVidia graphics because the software was designed to run on Quadro cards. Seems specious. Your thoughts?

 

[whs]

As I said, for the task at hand I would not worry too much about the graphics card. The 560M is an excellent card for a laptop, but for desktops there are better options - I think.