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Budget SFF (MicroATX) Basic Video Editing?

T

TechieJustin

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Joined
Aug 20, 2009
Messages
55
I'm looking to build a MicroATX system that will be used for rudimentary video editing and capture. This is not going to be for broadcast or anything professional.
So it needs Firewire, a decent CPU and possible RAID 1.
Then I'll do accounting student stuff - using OpenOffice should be sufficient.
I'm debating on going with Ubuntu, and using one of the open source various video editors, LiVes, Kino, Cinelerra etc.
I have a monitor, two Seagate Barracuda 7200 SATAs.
I'm open to AMD or Intel. Here are two options I tossed together using the bare bones options.

Cheap Build (AMD)

Qty. Image Product Description Unit Price Savings Total Price 1 G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-4GBNT

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-4GBNT - Retail
Model #:F2-6400CL5D-4GBNT
Item #:N82E16820231207
Return Policy:Memory Standard Return Policy
In Stock

$73.99 $73.99
1 SYBA PCI Low Profile 2 x port 1394B + 1 port x 1394A Firewire Card Model SD-LP-TIFWB

SYBA PCI Low Profile 2 x port 1394B + 1 port x 1394A Firewire Card Model SD-LP-TIFWB - Retail
Model #:SD-LP-TIFWB
Item #:N82E16815124060
Return Policy:Standard Return Policy
In Stock

$27.99 $27.99
1 AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition Callisto 3.1GHz Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core Processor Model HDZ550WFGIBOX

AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition Callisto 3.1GHz Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core Processor Model HDZ550WFGIBOX - Retail
Model #:HDZ550WFGIBOX
Item #:N82E16819103680
Return Policy:CPU Replacement Only Return Policy
In Stock

$102.00 $102.00
1 Shuttle SA76G2 AMD Socket AM2+ / AM3 AMD 760G Barebone

Shuttle SA76G2 AMD Socket AM2+ / AM3 AMD 760G Barebone - Retail
Model #:SA76G2
Item #:N82E16856101083
Return Policy:Limited Replacement Only Return Policy
In Stock

$199.99 $199.99
Subtotal: $403.97




Cheap Build (Intel)

Qty. Image Product Description Unit Price Savings Total Price 1 CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X4096-6400C5

CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X4096-6400C5 - Retail
Model #:TWIN2X4096-6400C5
Item #:N82E16820145184
Return Policy:Memory Standard Return Policy
In Stock

$74.99 $74.99
1 ASUS EN9400GT/DI/512M(LP) GeForce 9400 GT 512MB 64-bit GDDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Low Profile Ready Video Card

ASUS EN9400GT/DI/512M(LP) GeForce 9400 GT 512MB 64-bit GDDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Low Profile Ready Video Card - Retail
Model #:EN9400GT/DI/512M(LP)
Item #:N82E16814121292
Return Policy:VGA Standard Return Policy
In Stock
Mail in Rebate Card14-121-292

$46.99 -$2.00 Instant $44.99
1 Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8500

Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8500 - Retail
Model #:BX80570E8500
Item #:N82E16819115036
Return Policy:CPU Replacement Only Return Policy
In Stock

$189.99 $189.99
1 Shuttle SX38P2-Pro Intel Socket T(LGA775) Intel X38 Barebone

Shuttle SX38P2-Pro Intel Socket T(LGA775) Intel X38 Barebone - Retail
Model #:SX38P2-Pro
Item #:N82E16856101058
Return Policy:Limited Replacement Only Return Policy
In Stock

$249.99 $249.99
Subtotal: $559.96



I'm wondering if we can get this price down a bit more? I have a small work area so SFF is imperative.
I'm also hoping to keep the video from being built into the board if thats possible.
My situation is this, I'm starting a new job; I have a little apartment to start out and as I build up some funds, I'll move into a bigger place.
 
You can alway add your choice of graphics card. Nearly all SFF have OBG.
 
ATi has much better performance/dollar ratio. Especially on windows systems. For linux, depends on which distro you use. I know most Debian-based (ubuntu, mint, etc.) systems do alright with ATi drivers.
 
xanvincent said:
ATi has much better performance/dollar ratio. Especially on windows systems. For linux, depends on which distro you use. I know most Debian-based (ubuntu, mint, etc.) systems do alright with ATi drivers.
Click to expand...

I understand.
However on the Windows side I always had problems with ATI drivers, going as far back as 2003.
I'm considering just using my Macbook for everything until I can replenish my funds - not exactly sure what I'm going to do. I have rendered video with iMovie and it is fairly slow on this 2.4 Core 2 Duo. I am however going to upgrade the RAM to 4gigs.
 
What about this?
Is there anything wrong with this type of build? It has firewire.


Cheap Build from scratch (AMD)

Qty. Image Product Description Unit Price Savings Total Price 1 ECS Black Series A785GM-M AM3 AMD 785G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard

ECS Black Series A785GM-M AM3 AMD 785G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Model #:A785GM-M
Item #:N82E16813135241
Return Policy:Standard Return Policy
In Stock
Mail in Rebate13-135-241

$99.99 -$10.00 Instant $89.99
1 AMD Phenom II X3 710 2.6GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Processor Model HDX710WFGIBOX

AMD Phenom II X3 710 2.6GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Processor Model HDX710WFGIBOX - Retail
Model #:HDX710WFGIBOX
Item #:N82E16819103648
Return Policy:CPU Replacement Only Return Policy
In Stock

$99.99 $99.99
1 Crucial Ballistix Tracer 3GB (3 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory (with LEDs) Model BL3KIT12864TR1337

Crucial Ballistix Tracer 3GB (3 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory (with LEDs) Model BL3KIT12864TR1337 - Retail
Model #:BL3KIT12864TR1337
Item #:N82E16820148265
Return Policy:Memory Standard Return Policy
In Stock

$72.99 $72.99
1 Thermaltake LANBOX Lite VF6000BNS Black SECC Gaming Cube Computer Case

Thermaltake LANBOX Lite VF6000BNS Black SECC Gaming Cube Computer Case - Retail
Model #:VF6000BNS
Item #:N82E16811133045
Return Policy:Standard Return Policy
In Stock
Mail in Rebate Card11-133-045

$84.99 $84.99
1 Western Digital Caviar Blue WD2500AAKS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5

Western Digital Caviar Blue WD2500AAKS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Model #:WD2500AAKS
Item #:N82E16822136161
Return Policy:Standard Return Policy
In Stock

$47.99 $47.99
Subtotal: $395.95
 
TechieJustin said:
What about this?
Is there anything wrong with this type of build? It has firewire.
Click to expand...

Quite a few problems:
- For only $2 more than the 3GB set, you can get this 4GB set:
$75 - G.Skill F3-10600CL9D-4GBNT 2 x 2GB DDR3 1333 RAM

- The Silverstone SG-02 case is a bit better when it comes to cooling and quality IMO

- For $8 more, you can get twice the speed and twice the storage:
$55 - Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB 7200RPm SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

- You can get a better quality motherboard and a quad-core CPU for not that much more
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.272133

The quad-core CPU will be more beneficial to video editing than the tri-core 710.
 
A few thoughts:

- I tend to agree with It_shiro on the Athlon 2 X4 620. I'd pick it over the Phenom X3 if it were me (It_shiro is always trying to plug AMD hardware but I can't really argue with him this time)

- Shuttle seem a tad overpriced but hey it's pretty convenient so I get it if you choose one.

- For an Intel build: Take the Shuttle G45 (save $25 and you get integrated graphics - pretty crappy compared to 785G but at least you got integrated graphics, whereas X38 hasn't got any). And for the CPU: the E8500 is not good value for money. Don't worry about the nominal frequency compared to a Phenom X2 550 BE. They are different beasts. If you were to pick a E8xxx CPU, it would have to be a E8400. You save another $22. Now it probably still is not good value compared to the AMD system, but that's much better than your original list.
 
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