$1,000 Build or Buy? Video Editing

[MarkAm_i]

Hello, I am in desperate need of some help. I have been wavering between buying a pc off-the-shelf and building. It's been 2 yrs since I have been at all familiar with the market place and would like to ask:

Whether my not having any old parts to use in a new build makes buying a pre-made system a better idea....??

Whether Intel or AMD for video editing as the main purpose (with some gaming on the side)?

I have a $1,000 max budget and would like a 22-24" widescreen monitor, to start with.

My interests lie in home video editing, cutting up movies and arranging them as I want...some games. I want to make the right decisions because I am on a very low income and want to get the most that I can out of the money. However, I am unfamiliar with the current market place and the latest technologies.

While I have read a book on how to build a pc, and am familiar with what the process looks like and have explored newegg.com, I have no experience with upgrading or building. Though I do have online support from a couple buddies.

The main thing is, I wonder if there aren't off-the-shelf pc deals that will be better than building after weighing all the factors. I am told that the marketplace has changed since I last explored it 2 years ago (when I almost built a pc off of newegg).

A fast processor, big memory, TV tuner capable w/remote....Basicly the best bang for the buck. Please help! Thanks in advance for any that you can offer.


Mark

[mairving]

It might be hard to get one for that price. It will be impossible if you need to buy software for editing. A 24" monitor would be out of your price range but a 22" would fit.

One configured from Dell's Vostro Line is listed below that came in at $949:

Vostro 400 Mini Tower Base: Intel® Core™2 Duo Proc E6550 (2.33GHz,4MB L2Cache,1333FSB) V46550 [223-1769] 1 Operating System: Genuine Windows® XP Home Edition WHXP [310-9440][313-5798][420-7180][420-7186][420-7243][420-7286][420-7369] 11 Monitor: Dell 22 inch Widescreen E228WFP Analog Flat Panel Display E228WFP [320-5667] 5 Memory: 2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz - 2DIMMs 2GB800 [311-7366] 3 Primary Hard Drive: 320GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™ 320G72K [341-4991] 8 Optical Drives: Single Drive: 16X (DVD+/-RW) Burner Drive 16XDVDR [313-5456][420-7241] 16 Video Card: 256MB NVIDIA® GeForce 8600GTS, 2DVI 8600GTS [320-5887] 6 Floppy Drive and Media Reader: No Floppy Drive NOFD [341-4742] 10 Modem and Wireless: No Modem Option NOMODEM [313-5469] 14 Sound: Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio INAUDIO [313-5672] 17 Labels: Windows® XP VCD [310-8591] 750 Speakers: Dell AS501PA Speakers for Attachment to Analog Panels AS501PA [313-4344] 18 Keyboard: Dell USB Keyboard USBKYBD [310-9322] 4 Mouse: Dell Optical USB Mouse 2BTNUSB [310-9327] 12 Office Productivity Software: No Pre-installed Productivity Software NOSFW [420-7281] 22 Security Software: No Pre-installed Anti-Virus/Security Software NOPRTCT [420-7262] 25 Adobe Software: Adobe Acrobat Reader ADOBEAC [420-7275] 15 Warranty & Service: 2 Year On-Site Service, Parts + Labor, 24x7 Phone Support Q2YOS [412-0359][960-7871][970-0141][983-4250][983-8540][988-0387][988-0388] 29 Optional Support Services: Gold Technical Support, Vostro, 2 Years GTS2YR [461-3749][960-7861][983-4240] 31 Dell DataSafe Online Data Backup: 10GB for 1yr Online Backup by Dell Datasafe DASF10G [420-7368][987-7479] 34 Standard Vostro Services Tools: 1 Year Dell Automated PC Tuneup PCTUNE [420-7367][960-8851] 35 Standard Vostro Services Tools: Dell Network Assistant NTASIST [420-7189] 21 Internet Access Service: No ISP requested NOISP [420-7280] 37 Purchase Intent: Purchase is not intended for resale. NOT4SEL [462-4506] 138 Network Interface: Integrated 10/100 Ethernet INT [430-2501] 13

[MarkAm_i]

Thanks for the advice on the tower. I have open questions that I am still unsure about, but if it turns out to be best to buy, I will keep the Dell in mind.

Mark

[TwoRails]

Don't forget that if you can find / build your dream system, all is not lost: it'll just take longer. I had no trouble editing movies with my old 1800+... it just took a long time. The editing it self, depending on the specifics, is not the time consuming part: it's the "rendering" part where your edits are turned into the "movie." Again using the 1800+ as an example, I would edit in the evening and then let the movie "crunch" while I went to bed.

[MarkAm_i]

I've found an offer on a Dell Inspiron 531 that seems good to me, but I don't know a lot about the marketplace or exactly what is going to be the best for a video editing system.
I talked with a Dell Cust. Rep. and they helped me come up with a build.
However, if I am not committed to off-the-shelf. I want to do the best I can with what I've got.

TwoRails (and others) I would be interested in hearing what you think about this:




My Components:

AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 Dual-Core 5600+

Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium

22 inch Samsung 2220WM Widescreen Analog/Digital Black LCD Monitor

2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz- 2DIMMs

320GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™

16x DVD+/-RW Drive

256MB Radeon ATI HD 2600 XT

Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio

Dell USB Keyboard and Dell Optical USB Mouse

No Floppy Drive Included

56K PCI Data Fax Modem

My Software & Accessories

No speakers (Speakers are required to hear audio from your system)

Trend Micro Internet Security 15-months

Microsoft Works 8. DOES NOT INCLUDE MS WORD

My Service

2Yr In-Home Service, Parts + Labor, 24x7 Phone Support

Dell On Call, 30 Day Unlimited, Back to School Support! Setup and More

Free 3GB DataSafe Online Backup for 1 Year

1 Year Automated PC Tune Up

6 Months of America Online Membership Included

Also Includes

Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 8.1

Integrated 10/100 Ethernet

Windows Vista™ Premium

Mouse included with Keyboard purchase

No Entertainment software pre-installed



All for a grand total of $1,036 before shipping
This is after a $350 Discount.
Also, by going over$999 I would gain a $100 gift card.


My question is whether this is the best way to go for getting the most out of my money and time, within these limits of my budget.



Thanks,

Mark

[mwhaha]

Normally it is cheaper to build a pc, and people like to make their pcs with the parts that they want. It is usually the programs which cost the money.
For cost cutting; I would suggest; cutting down the screen to a 18" or so. I would go on a site and add up what parts you want, and see whether it is cheaper to buy the dell or build.

[glc]

With the discounts from Dell, that one is hard to beat with a build.

[MarkAm_i]

Ok, thanks all for the advice. It looks like from what I've heard and since no one's spoke against the config, I will buy the Dell. I am trying to decide between the 1 yr warranty and the 2 yr for an added cost of $90. Can I get some advice? Thanks.

Mark

[mairving]

Originally Posted by MarkAm_i Ok, thanks all for the advice. It looks like from what I've heard and since no one's spoke against the config, I will buy the Dell. I am trying to decide between the 1 yr warranty and the 2 yr for an added cost of $90. Can I get some advice? Thanks. Mark

A longer warranty IMO is only really worth it for a laptop since components like the screen and motherboard are expensive to replace. It's not the same for a desktop since components depending on the model are not as proprietary nor as expensive. I would probably cut it down to 1yr particularly if you were on a tight budget. You might also wait until this Friday to order. I am sure that Dell will be throwing some super deals out about then.

[piasabird]

Might want to watch Dell's website for about a week or so to see if they put any more specials up. sometimes they put up some short term deals.

I kind of wonder if Dell starts selling the newer ATI video cards if they discount some of the older ones. ATI released a couple new video cards on Nov 15th so some deals may pop up. There might actually be shortages of certain models right now.