logo Sign In

Build or Buy a new PC to eventually upgrade parts for video editing/work

Author
Time

I'm looking to get a new PC for a job but would like to have something so that I can eventually do video capturing/processing/editing. My budget now is $250-300 so I realize that I can't jump straight into higher end components yet. Is it possible to build a base machine in my budget to get me through things now, and add a new component piece by piece?
(video card/Sound card/capture cards/extra HDs/etc.)

I've never built a PC before. I've had friends who built theirs and gave me some recommendations but I feel like I'm kinda jumping off the deep end a bit.

Should I simply buy a new desktop? If so, what would be the most important thing to get in a new machine so that I can do editing later?

Any suggestions would be very welcome.

VADER!? WHERE THE HELL IS MY MOCHA LATTE? -Palpy on a very bad day.
“George didn’t think there was any future in dead Han toys.”-Harrison Ford
YT channel:
https://www.youtube.com/c/DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader

Author
Time

At this point again. I hope to use my tax refund to start building something that I can actually do work on, and use as an HTPC. Looks like I'll be able to start with around $400 or so and just wanted to ask around since this is all still really new to me.
Plus you guys understand more or the ins and outs of having to work with outdated formats.

VADER!? WHERE THE HELL IS MY MOCHA LATTE? -Palpy on a very bad day.
“George didn’t think there was any future in dead Han toys.”-Harrison Ford
YT channel:
https://www.youtube.com/c/DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader

Author
Time

I'm still using a Sony VGX htpc (http://www.vgx-xl.com) after 9 years, and I made all my projects with it... surely, now it's a bit tired, but if you can find one cheap, you can upgrade hardware parts in steps - in order of importance, GPU, RAM, HDD, CPU - when you can afford them.

Sadly my projects are lost due to an HDD crash… 😦 | [Fundamental Collection] thread | blog.spoRv.com | fan preservation forum: fanres.com

Author
Time
 (Edited)

If it were me, I would get something newer. Those Sony systems are obsolete and are surely out of warranty by now (unless you've got a very good deal!). You cannot upgrade the motherboards in them either, so you would be locked into slow and pre-owned hardware. The slowest Haswell CPU's (Intel's current gen. processors) are faster than anything the Sonys can take. If building systems is new to you then I only recommending hardware with a warranty, because components, old and new (especially old ones bought on the internet) can arrive D.O.A. from time to time. I would also suggest that the GPU is actually a much lower priority than CPU/RAM/HDD and even power supply because most modern CPU's have decent graphics processors built in. A quality power supply can be crucial for stability, plus the more components you add then the higher the power it will need to provide. Do some research on features such as RAID, memory speeds, CPU benchmarks and GPU benchmarks if you plan to play 3D games or use GPU supported* video applications. If the budget is tight, take a look at AMD components. If you can afford Intel components, then they are very robust and usually use less power for faster processing speeds. Its all about preference, really, and what you aim to do. Google is your friend in this case, you just need to ensure that you get a motherboard that will take your CPU, get RAM that is of a compatible speed and that you get a case that it all fits in. The other components should be pretty universal.

* GPU really isn't that important for video processing unless you're using commercial tools with a supported graphics chip to do real-time video effects rendering using certain plugins. In other words, if you just want to capture and process video with AviSynth, a fast GPU will actually make no difference.

Author
Time

I agree with you CapableMetal for each word... but Sony VGX XLs are really cool... and, if we still use laserdisc player, these are pretty "fresh" hardware, don't you think? (^^,)

Sadly my projects are lost due to an HDD crash… 😦 | [Fundamental Collection] thread | blog.spoRv.com | fan preservation forum: fanres.com

Author
Time

I still maintain a Pentium 133MHz and a Pentium II 333MHz for gaming purposes, and I do think the VGX XL's are cool. I just don't think they're a good idea for someone who will probably want to do video editing. That said, I completely forgot the biggest cash drainer when building a PC: a Windows licence. I was configuring a system within your budget and as doing fairly well with an mATX AMD-based setup until I remembered Windows.

You can get an OEM version that will be cheaper than a retail version, but it gets tied to your hardware so you may find difficulty with activation if you upgrade your core hardware. I haven't used an OEM version since I had XP, because it only allowed 10 activations, and over 5 years I used them all up and it wanted me to buy a new licence. I then went with the more expensive retail package of Windows 7 Pro, and I can activate as much as I want and change my hardware as much as I want, I just need to call Microsoft's automated activation line and type in a code after I've reinstalled.

Of course, if you're a linux user, all I just said is redundant. ;)

Author
Time

Thanks for the input guys. As I said this is all still pretty new to me and will likely be a work in progress for some time. Ideally this would be something I could use for capturing and processing, and as a good HTPC. Gaming would be nice but is much less important.

Plus I'm dying to try my hand at audio cleanup since getting a pair of Sennheiser wide range HD-380 pro monitors....they reveal quite a bit of distortion  even on so-called "restored" tracks!

VADER!? WHERE THE HELL IS MY MOCHA LATTE? -Palpy on a very bad day.
“George didn’t think there was any future in dead Han toys.”-Harrison Ford
YT channel:
https://www.youtube.com/c/DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader

Author
Time

Tell me if I'm crazy, but would it be possible to buy an old Mac Power G5 with higher end specs (8gb ram and so on, optical in and out) for around $300 and then either work in Mac programs or go with XP for an editing machine?

VADER!? WHERE THE HELL IS MY MOCHA LATTE? -Palpy on a very bad day.
“George didn’t think there was any future in dead Han toys.”-Harrison Ford
YT channel:
https://www.youtube.com/c/DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader

Author
Time

Build your own.  If you shop wisely you can probably put something very cool together for that $300.00