Buying a new Desktop to edit film.

Can someone tell me if the computer Im interested in is strong enough? I have Pinnacle Studio 20 Ultimate. The following is the software requirements. And the desktop specs below that.

Internet connection required for installation, registration and updates. Registration required for product use.

Windows 10 recommended, Windows 8.x, Windows 7, 64-bit OS highly recommended.

Intel Core Duo 1.8 GHz, Core i3 or AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ 2.0 GHz or higher.

Intel Core i5 or i7 1.06 GHz or higher required for AVCHD and Intel Quick Sync Video support.

Intel Core i7 or AMD Athlon X4 or higher for UHD, Multi-Camera or 360 video.

2 GB of RAM or higher, min. 4 GB for Windows 64-bit, 8+GB highly recommended for UHD, Multi-Camera, or 360 video.

DirectX 9 (or higher) graphics device with Pixel Shader 3.0 support like:

NVIDIA GeForce 6 series or higher (CUDA enabled required for CUDA support).

ATI X1000 series or higher.

Intel GMA X3000 series or higher.

HEVC (H.265) support requires supporting PC hardware or graphics card.

128 MB VGA VRAM.

Display resolution: 1024 x 768 or higher.

Windows-compatible sound card (multi-channel output required for surround preview).

8 GB HDD space for full installation.

Accessories:

DVD burner for creating DVD and AVCHD discs.

Input Options:

Capture from DV, HDV and Digital8 camcorders or VCRs (requires a FireWire port).

Capture from analog camcorders, 8mm, HI 8, VHS, SVHS, VHS-C, SVHS-C, or VCRs (NTSC/PAL/SECAM) (requires Dazzle video hardware – sold separately).

Import from AVCHD and other file based camcorders, digital still cameras, mobile devices and webcams.

Import Formats:

Video: MVC, AVCHD, DV, HDV, AVI, MPEG-1/-2/-4, DivX, Flash, 3GP (MPEG-4, H.263), WMV, Non-encrypted DVD titles (incl. DVD-VR/+VR), MOV (DV, MPEG-4, H.264), HEVC (H.265), DivX Plus MKV, XAVC, MXF, DVCPRO HD, XAVC S.

Audio: MP3, MPA, M4A, WAV, AMR, AC3, AAC, Vorbis, WMA.

Graphic: JPS, BMP, GIF, JPG, PCX, PSD, TGA, TIF, WMF, PNG, J2K.

Export Formats:

AVCHD, DVD (DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R or DVD+RW, dual layer).

Apple iPod/iPhone/iPad/TV, Sony PSP/PS3/PS4, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox compatible formats.

DV, HDV, AVI, DivX, WMV, MPEG-1/-2/-4, Flash, 3GP, WAV, MP2, MP3, MP4, HEVC (H.265, H.264), DivX Plus MKV, JPEG, TIF, TGA, BMP, XAVC S.

Dolby Digital 5.1-channel.

Blu-ray Support:

Requires purchase of a separate plug-in from within the product.

Requires Blu-ray Disc reader and/or burner.

Supported Languages:

Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Russian, Spanish and Swedish.

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This is the desktop specs:

windows 10, Intel core i5. HD 250gb. Ram 8gb
Graphics Processing Type: Integrated/On-Board Graphics Form Factor: Small Form Factor (SFF)
Processor Speed: 3.10GHz Hardware Connectivity: DisplayPort, VGA, USB 2.0
Features: VGA, DisplayPort, 10 USB 2.0 Ports, Windows 10


I am also concerned about the integrated gaphics card, should I be?
 
the most intensive program people generally use is davinci resolve, so just make sure your computer can run that and you'll be okay.
 
Just curious. Have you actually used Pinnacle?

I’ve played with it on several different machines (all well above the minimum system requirements) and have had nothing but problems... the same problems on every machine. Their customer support was unable to rectify the issue at all.

You might want to look at a different NLE while you’re upgrading your computer.

As for the computer, with PCs it’s generally a good idea to look at a gaming computer. That’ll ensure you have plenty of graphics processing and a fast enough chip. Get at least 16GB RAM and you should be in a decent starting place.
 
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What about graphics card for rendering? Integrated is not going to cut it. Especially 4k.

yes to run resolve you need a GPU and your monitor must be hooked up to the output of the GPU.
It will crash if you try to run resolve with your monitor plugged into a motherboard.
 
yes to run resolve you need a GPU and your monitor must be hooked up to the output of the GPU.
It will crash if you try to run resolve with your monitor plugged into a motherboard.

So the GPU card hooks up to the motherboard and the monitor hooks up to the GPU card? Why? What's the purpose for the GPU?
 
What kind of footage are you editing? Size, codec etc... If you're not sure why you'd need a GPU, you probably don't at the moment - which isn't bad. It'll save some money in the meantime while you experiment, play and grow. Try editing on the computer. If it works, great, if not, you can look at upgrading components.
 
So the GPU card hooks up to the motherboard and the monitor hooks up to the GPU card? Why? What's the purpose for the GPU?

gpu is like a cpu except it specializes in certain kinds of calculations... it's specialty is rendering stuff.


For you the purpose of a gpu is to run resolve. can't run it with a cpu alone.
You dont NEED resolve to edit film. But it's a cool program and for me personally i like being able to run it.

the color correction and color grading tools are way better than what I've accessed in other programs.
 
Can someone tell me if the computer Im interested in is strong enough?

This is what happens when you ask a "How long is a piece of string question"

Without knowing what you're going to edit, it's impossible to say with any accuracy. On top of that, Pinacle isn't widely used, so it may be difficult to find someone with experience knowing what the minimum you need to achieve the result you're after.

I am also concerned about the integrated gaphics card, should I be?
Yes and no. It really depends on how the software uses your hardware. In some programs and codecs (media you're editing) it isn't close to enough and in others, it'll be fine.
 
Also, Im going to buy a tv monitor. Im looking at a 19" RCA Class HD (720p) LED TV. How important is the monitor? Are there things(minimal requirements) that I really need to edit short films?
 
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