Need a new computer, but very confused!

[jyunte9]

I built my last computer, about 8 years ago. It's now slow and doesn't run Premiere Pro CC very well - Lumetri effects cause PP CC to crash on rendering. The GPU is ancient, with 1GB RAM. It has 24GB of system RAM and lots of  spinning hard drives. The C: drive is an SSD.

Time to get a new machine, but the more I read, the more confused I'm getting! Surely it should not be so hard to get a system that'll give me real time previews in PP CC of 4K H.264 video, with some effects applied, and give me decent fresher times? I do just a little in AE, but not much, so rendering times in AE are not a priority for me.

I'm looking at getting a good video card, probably the GTX 1080TI. I'll use this computer for flight simulation also.

Assume I have a good storage setup, with a 1TB SSD for the system and program drive, and other drives for media and cache files.

I'll have 64GB of RAM.

What processor should I be looking at?

What type of motherboard?

I'm not sure I want to build my own system again, but if I can give a builder my specs, or buy a complete system from a reputable supplier, that would be preferable.

Can anyone help me out? Please tell me why you recommend what you do, and keep it as simple as possible! I'm not a tech newbie, but I haven't followed the CPU trends for a few years and have been left behind.

As an aside, it seems to me that Editing Systems seem to be quite a bit more expensive than Gaming Systems with similar hardware specs (ignore all the drives that Editing Systems generally come with). In fact, Gaming Systems frequently use faster RAM, and may even be overclocked and water cooled. Why not go for a gaming system? Is the higher price of the Editing System just because it's for "professional" use?

Thanks for your help.

[Peru Bob]

I've purchased two systems from here:

ADK Video Editing | 859-635-5762 | Professional Video NLE Workstations, Pro Video Gear and Video Sof...

[jyunte9]

Thanks for your recommendation of WHERE to purchase. That would be an answer to a follow-up question... But first I need to know WHAT to purchase!

[Peru Bob]

jyunte9  wrote

But first I need to know WHAT to purchase!

Give them a call.  They are expert at specifying systems.

[jyunte9]

Good idea, though their recommended systems don't seem to use the CPUs that most in this forum seen to recommend, or have them as options. I've also been looking at Puget Systems.

However, I'm looking for answers to my questions, before I go shopping.

[ECBowen]

This will depend on what budget you are looking to build in. Over all the starting specs ideally would be the following or better:

I9 7900X or higher

64GB ram DDR 4 3000+

1080 GTX or higher

512GB NVMe drive

The disk configuration will depend on whether you want SSD drives for media or not. The CPU option can change based on your budget though I wouldn't bother with this platform if you intend to get less than the 8 Core CPU. Keep in mind H264 does not handle 4K media efficiently so playback will suffer some just from 4K media in that codec. If you convert that media to something like Cineform or DNxHR then you wont have that performance loss from 4K H264. I would also suggest a board that supports TB3 as well for archive and future hardware or workflow changes.

Eric

ADK

[jyunte9]

Hi Eric,

Looking at the ADK website, where can I find out more about the ADK motherboard used in the ADK systems? Does it support all the features of the I-9 7900X CPU?

What brand of RAM is used on ADK systems?

As far as Premiere Pro CC is concerned, is it better to get the Nvidia version of the GTX 1080Ti, or, say the EVGA or ASUS version?

I find front panel USB ports extremely useful, but I see none on the ADK cases. It's that correct?

Many thanks.

[ECBowen]

The motherboard is listed as ADK only because we do not list the model of the boards we use since we test them for compatibility primarily for Audio hardware, software, and gear since compatibility is often an issue. The boards we use support all the current features of the i9 7900 CPU's. The Ram we use is DDR4 3200 Gskill. Nvidia designs and manufactures the GPU chips only. Partners such as Asus or EVGA manufacturer the video cards. We use both Asus and EVGA often. Yes the cases have front port USB. Feel free to contact me directly if you want to discuss your questions or configuration requirements.

Eric

ADK

[Bill Gehrke]

Call them and ask to talk to Eric Bowen.  He can ask you a series of questions about your media and workflow to properly design an jdeal computer at a reasonable cost to meet your requirements.  Thank goodness he is back with ADK!

He beat me to the answer

[ECBowen]

I am glad to be back at ADK as well. The technology industry pace is ramping up so easier to stay up to date with what is new and good at ADK

Eric

ADK