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Are these good computer specs for video editing?

CPU: AMD Phenom X4 II 620 AM3 CPU Cooler: Standard CPU HEATSINK & Fan Included Motherboard: Foxconn 6100M61-PMV (6x USB2.0, Onboard GeForce video) Included Memory: 4GB DDR2 800MHz (2x 2GB) Included Hard Disk: 500GB S-ATAII 3.0 Gb / s Included Optical Drive: 22x DVD ± RW DL S-ATA Included Graphics: Onboard Video Included Sound Card: Onboard 5.1 Audio Operating System Included: No Operating System - I will install my own Included PSU: 400W Included Case: EZCool H601 is this good for editing HD and non HD video in Sony Vegas, ae and 3ds max? I could also upgrade the processor to an AMD Phenom X4 II-955 Black Edition, if I must. oh and you need a good graphics card for video editing, makes it even make a diference?. Any help would be greatly appreciated!:) I want to edit video from my Sony DCR HC51E camcorder and capture card from my sick either install win 7 or XP

No Joe-I just built a PC for video editing (HD) and I researched it a lot. CPU does most of the heavy lifting, so the CPU you want is the I7 860 or higher in the 8XX series. I also linked this with 8 GB 1333 DDR3 memory and the Corsair HX650W Modular PSU @ 80%. I went higher end GPU, which may or may not be entirely necessary. I bought the EVGA GTX275. All I can say is my system screams speed. It is quiet and runs great. At least get the same CPU as I have. Also, get double 640WD, Black Edition, 32MB SATA hard drives. It is what video professionals use and recommend-specifically, the size and model. Good luck!

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Consumer Reports - Desktop Computers

The desktop computer has become just another appliance you use every day. Replacement sales - not for the first time purchase - Now drive the computer market. Fully loaded desktops selling for less than $ 800 are common, even among the established brands.

What exists

There are dozens of companies vying to bring a new desktop in your home. Dell, eMachines, Gateway, Hewlett-Packard (which merged with Compaq in 2002), IBM, Sony and all do machines that use Microsoft's dominant Windows operating system. eMachines, recently merged with Gateway, specializes in budget-priced Windows models. Apple is the only manufacturer Macintosh models. Small mail order and big brands take into account the budget-minded buyers.

Price Range: $ 400 to $ 3,000.

Key Features

The processor houses the "brains" of a computer. Its clock speed, measured in gigahertz (GHz), determines how fast the chip can process information. Generally, the higher clock frequency, the faster the computer. But not always, since different chip families attain different efficiencies. Producers of Windows machines generally use 1.6 to 3.8 GHz processors with one of the following names: Intel Pentium or Celeron or AMD's Athlon or Sempron. Celeron and Sempron processors are cheaper, which means higher prices for many chips respects. Intel now assigns "processor numbers" to its chips, downplaying clock frequency. Apple's Macintosh machines using 1.25-to 2.5-GHz PowerPC G4 or G5 processors, which manufactured by IBM. Apple has announced that they will begin a transition to Intel processors in 2006.The system architecture, some families of chips allows them to be so fast as or faster than others with higher clock speeds, so the speed comparison of the figures can be misleading.

All brand computers sold today have at least 256 megabytes (MB) of RAM or random access memory, the memory that the computer uses while in operation. Video RAM, also measured in megabytes, is secondary RAM crucial for smooth video imaging and gaming.
The hard drive is your computer's long-term data storage system. In view of the disk space requirements of today's multimedia games, digital photos, and video files, bigger is better. You can find hard drives ranging in size from 40 to 300 gigabytes (GB).

A CD-ROM drive has been standard on most desktops for many years. Usually comes now is a CD-RW (CD-rewriteable) drives, also known as a "burner" which lets you create backup copies of files, or make music compilations on a compact disc. A DVD-ROM offers full length movies or action-packed multimedia games with full-motion video to desktop. It complements the CD-RW drives midline and higher-end systems, so you can copy CDs directly between the two drives. A DVD burner will also play CDs and CD-ROMs. Combo Drive Combining CD writing and DVD player in a single drive, which saves space. The latest in this family, quickly becoming a common choice is a DVD burner, which lets you transfer home-video to a DVD disc, or store as much data as six CDs. There are three competing, incompatible DVD formats - DVD-RW, DVD + RW and DVD-RAM - as well as drives that can create dual-layer DVDs that store twice as much. Some drives can write in more than one format, but anyone can create a disc that will play on standalone DVD players.

Fast disappearing are the floppy drive where the 3.5-inch floppy disk is inserted. Apple Macintosh and a growing number of PCs without a floppy drive built in, because it only gives you opportunity to read or store relatively small amounts of data. Many people use a CD-RW as a large "floppy" drive to carry files. Many PCs now come with a digital camera memory card reader that can also serve as a file transfer. You can also get external drives or use a USB memory module that contains much more than a floppy.

Computer cathode ray tube (CRT) or flat panel liquid crystal display (LCD) screen contains the screen and displays the images sent from the graphics board - internal circuitry which processes images. Monitors come in sizes (measured diagonally) ranging from 15 to 21 inches and larger. Seventeen-inch monitors is the most common. Apple eMac and iMac comes with built-in screens. Its Mac Mini comes without a monitor. LCDs are now the most popular, takes less space and consume less power than CRTs. Better LCD displays can use a Digital Video Interface (DVI) connectors, found on many newer PCs.

The critical components of a desktop computer are usually housed in a case called a tower. A mini-tower is the typical configuration. More expensive machines have a midtower who have extra room for upgrades. A microtower is a space-saving alternative, which is usually cheaper. All-in-one computers, which Apple iMac, have no tower; anything other than keyboard and mouse is built into a small case which supports monitor. Apple's Power Mac line of computers has a tower. Apple's latest model, the Mac Mini, has a space-saving design that puts everything except monitor, keyboard and mouse in one case the size of a hardcover book. An "Entertainment PC" - the one with a TV tuner built in - come in a case which is more like an audio or video component, to fit in with other home-entertainment devices.

A mouse, a small device that fits in your hand and has a "tail" of wire that connects to your computer moves the cursor (the cursor on the screen) via a rolling ball or a light sensor on its underside. Alternatives include a trackball is rolled with the fingers or palm in the direction you want the cursor to move, a cushion, which allows you to move the cursor by sliding a finger, a tablet that uses a penlike stylus for inputs, and a joystick used to play computer games.

Most computers come with a standard keyboard, although you can buy one separately. Many keyboards have CD (or DVD) controls to pause playback, change tracks, and so on. Many also have keys to make it easier to get online to start a search, launch programs or download e-mail. There are also wireless keyboards so you can move as you type.

Multimedia computers for home use feature a high-fidelity sound system, which enhances music from CDs or downloaded music files, synthesized music, games, audio and DVD movie soundtracks. Speaker Systems with a subwoofer have deeper, more powerful bass. Surround sound systems can make a PC into a home. Some computers come with a microphone for recording, or they can be added.

PCs come with a modem to allow dial-up Internet connection. Parallel and serial ports are the traditional connections to printers and scanners. Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports found on all new computers are designed to replace parallel and serial ports. FireWire or IEEE 1394 ports are used to capture video from digital camcorders and other electronic equipment. An Ethernet port or wireless network card you can link several computers in your household to share files, a printer, or a broadband connection. A S-video output jack allows you to run a video cable from your computer to a TV that lets you use your computer's DVD drive to watch a movie on a TV instead of on the computer screen.

HOW TO SELECT

First, decide whether to upgrade your current computer. Upgrading rather than replacing it may make sense if your additional needs are modest - a second hard drive, say because you run out of space for digital images. Adding memory or a CD burner is generally more cost effective than buy a brand new machine. If your PC has become unreliable, you want the list are more demanding, or if there is software you run, your system is not up to a new PC is the logical answer.

Consider a laptop computer. A desktop computer typically costs hundreds less and is easier to upgrade, expand and repair. It usually provides better ergonomics, such as a more comfortable keyboard, bigger screen and better sound. But a laptop deserves consideration, if portability and compactness are priorities.

Choosing the right type of desktop. Most manufacturers offer several lines at different price ranges. Budget computers are the cheapest, but they are suitable for routine work. Work Horse computers cost a few hundred dollars more but is faster, more versatile, and can be upgraded. All-in-one models, most of the components in one case. And entertainment or media PCs includes TV tuner and software that gives them the features that a DVR. They usually provide a remote control for easy operation.

Choose by brand. Our studies have consistently shown large differences in reliability and technical support among computer brands. And some brands are generally more expensive than others. These factors could help you decide which of two similarly equipped computers is the better buy.

Choose between preconfigured and custom built. You can buy a PC off the shelf in a store or via the Internet, configured with features and options the manufacturer sites for average consumers. Or consider buying a desktop that you configure to order, either online or in a store. When you configure a computer to order online, onscreen menus typically show you all the options and let you see how a change in a setting affects the overall price.

Copyright © 2002-2006 Consumers Union of U.S., Inc.

For the latest information on this and many other products and services visit www.ConsumerReports.org.

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