Idea 2019 - recommendations for building an editing PC for 4k with Vegas Pro?

Howdy all.... I see there are some other topics along these lines, however, time has passed since those, and tech is always changing. Dr. Zen, wondering what you would recommend these days? I've watched a lot of how-to vids on YT, wondering what I will find here. The last build video is from 2012 I think...

I am not sure of my budget just yet, but we all love to save money.... I am upgrading my drone so I can do 4k, so thinking my budget will be a little tighter due to that.

I may just work in 2.7k as it is more manageable and looks almost as good....

Thoughts?

Best regards - Robin

Hi Robin

If you plan to edit 4K video and want a good experience, you need to buy an 8x Core CPU.
The hottest ticket on Earth is the new AMD Ryzen CPUs.
The 3rd generation was recently released and they are absolute beasts.
You can still buy the 2nd generation of AMD Ryzen CPUs at a very large discount.

Here are my recommendations
Budget to mid-ranged priced CPUs that are all excellent for 4K editing
AMD Ryzen 7 2700
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
Intel Core i7 9700 Processor
Intel Core i7 9700K Processor

Best CPUs that are all excellent for 4K editing
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
AMD Ryzen 7 3800X
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
Intel Core i7 9700K
Intel Core i9 9900K

Graphics Cards
You may find a good deal on these older Nvidia models
Nvidia GTX1060
Nvidia GTX1070
Nvidia GTX1080

Best value AMD Radeon GPU for 4K editing
AMD Radeon RX590

New AMD Radeon GPU has just been released -these are very powerful at a good price
This is only a brand new product and many more versions are about to be released in the next couple of weeks
AMD Radeon RX 5700
AMD Radeon RX 5700XT

If you have the budget, the best Nvidia GPUs are:
GeForce RTX 2060
GeForce RTX 2060 Super
GeForce RTX 2070
GeForce RTX 2070 Super
GeForce RTX 2080
GeForce RTX 2080 Super

Storage Drives
Main C-Drive for your programs and Windows should be an SSD or M.2 SSD

Data storage
High capacity HDD

Obviously there is much more to all of this.
You will also need a matching Motherboard that suites the CPU you choose to buy
Your CPU should also use water cooling with a radiator.

I'm sure if the MSZ Forum member called @mmcswnavy24 "The Chief" sees this post, he will have some good advice to share with you!

Regards
Derek

Hi Robin!

Well, I am that "guy" the Doc mentioned, saw the post, and well...

...actually, the Doc has made some great recommendations. And, as he mentioned, knowing the type of "budget" you are talking about, definitely determines what people "should" recommend, instead of personal tastes or "non-factual 'hog-wash' as I like to say". It is a shame so many YouTube videos recommend stuff which amounts how to get better FPS in games really, even though they "Sprout" the title with "4k", "Editing", "Video", etc. Be extremely leary of them.

If you look at my "signature", that is the pc I typically use for most of my editing, though I tend to do more family oriented Blu-Ray discs, and do not (so far, have not) done any for YouTube. This pc I use Magix Vegas Pro 15 Suite and Movie Studio 15 Suite, along with HitFilm Express and DaVinci Resolve 16 Beta 7 (haven't done the upgrade to the recently released 16 final) of the Basic/Free version. I also use Magix Music Maker 2019 Premium, Magix Xara Graphics (cancelled my subscripton to the Adobe Photo Plan!), and since I own a Canon EOS 80D use the Digital Photo Professional from Canon for those RAW pictures. I also have a GoPro Hero 5+ Black, GoPro Hero 6 Black, GoPro Hero 7 Black, and a Sony FDR AX-53. Having the Sony camera, I use Catalyst Browse to transcode the XAVC-S file to XAVC-I, which I can then use effortlessly within Vegas Pro (bummer we can't use that to start a project in Movie Studio - difference between the Pro and Studio I guess?)

I also have another pc with an older Intel i7-6800K Broadwell-E, MSI X99A Gaming 7 Motherboard, 32GB Crucial Ballistix DDR4-2400 (4x8GB sticks), nVidia RTX 2070 Founder's Edition GPU, Intel 1TB 660p NVME for OS/Apps, and an Intel 2TB 660p NVME for Storage/Cache/Render/Media. I only have Magix Vegas Movie Studio 16 Suite on this guy, as this pc also is used for all my Documents, still using Microsoft Money (sunset edition as the now call it).

Which is faster? Well, I look at it this way. If I can create something entertaining to watch, once I hit render, I just go watch a movie, grab some coffee or water, do the laundry, wash dishes, or even read a book if I have one available. I prefer "Quality" over "Quantity/Speed", which unfortunately, is what many only look for.

Both machines have been great at editing. I have Windows 10 Pro 64-bit (1809 Build), and most problems that I run into using any of the NLE's, usually is because of "User Error" or a corrupt file. I don't have either pc over-clocked, and typically leave all the "supposed" speed enhancements in the settings for the NLE's at installed settings/levels. Do I get "crashes" or "freeze-ups"? Yeah, but also in other programs as well. Again, what I have found has been more of USER ERROR, USER improper settings, poor cooling for the components, and rarely due to the program(s) itself. The one thing I have noticed since Magix has taken over the Vegas line, is the support of the programs. Yes, Versions 14, 15, 16, and now 17 (Pro so far) have had their initial issues upon release, but a lot of it is corrected, or some workaround found, by both the Support Team, and a lot of the members on the Vegas Forum (Count the Doc in for his awesome input!). I would say the reason Vegas versions on new releases have problems is because of the vast mulititude of varying components people use in their builds, and Vegas tries to support all this variance. Sometimes a blessing, and sometimes a curse. Yeah, people like MACs for their "simplicity" and it just works - can't fault that. But you are tied to what components that are actually utilized and supported by Apple - so no real differentiation. DaVinci Resolve has great Hardware Acceleration and such - if you use the Studio version and the recommended parts. Same with HitFilm Pro. So each program has its own Pros and Cons. Again, this comes down to each person's preference, needs, and expectations.

So, with all the mumbo-jumbo I listed above, Derek (Dr. Zen) has provided a great list of components. As an ex-IT guy (hardware based), I keep up with all the releases going on, but also tend to utilize the High End Desktop (HEDT) platforms for my own use. Of course, that requires more "savings time" to acquire the "typically" higher price for that (HEDT) platform, which would be:

Intel - X58, X79 (both old and expensive due to the CPU/Mobo's not being produced), X99 (now getting old as well since it was released in 2013), and now the X299 versions.

AMD - X399, or more commonly referred to as "ThreadRipper".

The CPU's for these boards are specific, and their main benefit over the more "Consumer" variants (Ones Doc listed), is that they have a higher PCI-e lane count (for extra peripherals, add-in cards, storage, etc.), are basically "cut-down" server parts so usually designed for sustained periods of work - like overnight video renders, or being able to perform multiple jobs at one time - such as having a few instances of Vegas open at one time editing along with transcoding files in the background and running OBS for a tutorial, etc. This is why those platforms are higher priced. Which platform do I prefer? Both of mine do what I want. Again, I prefer my Quality over Speed/Quantity and have no problem with that. Others, prefer the Speed. Both? Well, you can get into Days of Discussions about this!

Here's a link to a thread from the Vegas Pro Forum (which the Doc is also a contributor of!) concerning a recent build: Help Grazie spend His DOSH!

Additonally at the Vegas Forum you can find other threads about PC/CPU/GPU recommendations. As I mentioned earlier, the recommendations are quite spread out, and sometimes, quite "Opinionated". But, you can "glean" from all those various posts, what would suite you.

Some things to remember that will help others recommend meaningful parts:
1. The OS you plan to run (Windows 10, Windows 7, Windows 8/8.1, etc.)
2. Your Budget - if you don't provide an amount, you will get very extensive recommendations!
3. What Applications will you be running? Vegas Pro (version?), Movie Studio (version?), HitFilm or HF Express? (version?), DaVinci Resolve (version?), CAD/CAM/CAE
programs (version?). See a pattern here?
4. For the NLE - are you more interested in speed, quantity, quality? Timeline performance or Rendering? Typical source media (Drone, GoPro, DSLR, Cinema Camera,
Video Camera, etc.). Type of Source Media (mp4, mov, avi, raw, etc.)
5. Will this be a pre-built PC, or one you are building (or a shop but you can select the parts)?
Naturally, the questions can continue, but this should help to get you started.

For the parts, I am not a big fan of "re-furbished" or "used" components. Yes, many of them can perform just like a "new" part, but if you are "investing" the time and money into this PC, and plan to keep it for a couple to few years, why not just wait long enough to purchase the parts new from scratch (if you, or shop, are building it) and know you have the full manufacturers' warranty. Again, this comes down to personal choice.

The one thing I noticed that Dr. Zen did not mention is the Memory. Again, what are you building this PC for? A lot of the reviews on this topic match the ones concerning which CPU or GPU. Though, for more "Non-Gaming" ideas, stick what the "Supported" memory from the Manufacturer lists. Though, like pretty much most things in life, there is always the "exception". The AMD platforms (especially the CPUs' Doc listed), really do work better with higher speed memory, compared to Intel. Especially their HEDT (ThreadRipper) platform. I initially had DDR4-2400 MHz in my 'signature' rig, and did notice a slight speed, but more importantly, stability increase when I put in the same amount of RAM but at DDR4-2667 MHz. And yes, their is a compatibility sheet from each Manufacturer that you can check to ensure the correct/type and amount. Which means, you do have to do your "Due Diligence" of homework on ensuring the compatibility of parts (though, if pre-built, that has been done for you).

And yes, I did see that you mentioned getting a Drone for 4K work, though may only go 2.7K due to "constraints of currency". Though from my research of wanting to get a drone like the Mavic Pro 2, they are listed for 4K, yet have the settings for 2.7K - have not seen any specifically that do the 2.7K. But to be Honest, I was specifically looking for 4K versions. My suggestion, just wait the time to get the 4K version you want. Buyer's Remorse Sucks! (Experience!)

Sorry to not be as 'concise' as Doc's posts, but hope this helps some. If you can provide some of the information I mentioned, I am sure the Doc, and others here in the forum can help in your purchasing "escapades"!

Hope this helped some, or cured your Insomnia!:silly:

Happy Editing!

Mike "The Chief" O'Sullivan

I agree with the recommended from Doc, so the one thing I have noticed since Magix has taken over the Vegas line, is the support of the programs equal 8rental.com to use great machine for to use Magix. Yes, Versions 14, 15, 16, and now 17 (Pro so far) have had their initial issues upon release, but a lot of it is corrected, or some workaround found, by both the Support Team, and a lot of the members on the Vegas Forum (Count the Doc in for his awesome input!). I would say the reason Vegas versions on new releases have problems is because of the vast mulititude of varying components people use in their builds, and Vegas tries to support all this variance. Sometimes a blessing, and sometimes a curse.

Hey all, thanks for the great feedback. Its been a crazy year and I have not looked in here for quite some time. I have been using FinalCutPro for a little while as I have a Mac laptop, but I do also use Vegas, but that machine has been packed away in boxes after a move in January. Long story.

Anyway, best wishes to all, going to get back into this PC side of things eventually, will check in again. I am flying my new drone, so the 4k footage is beginning to materialize. You can see some of that here!

Stay healthy,
R