Video edit Build Haswell or Xeon?

mattpitts74 · January 11, 2015, 10:49pm

H i Guys,

I'm planning a PC build which will mainly be used for editing in adobe Premier HD footage from my Canon 5D3 and gopro.

I'm currently using a 2013 Macbook Air, so I'm after something with a bit more horsepower to speed up my workflow, I generally find transcoding and rendering pretty slow on the Mac. I had originally planned to build a PC with a similar spec to an iMac with the latest haswell, but then found lots of info online about haswell-e.

I have put together a build based around x99

I've arrived at the following build list:

PCPartPicker part list: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/CT7rP6
Price breakdown by merchant: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/CT7rP6/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor (£293.94 @ Aria PC)

CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (£85.31 @ Aria PC)

Motherboard: Asus X99-PRO ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard (£234.82 @ More Computers)

Memory: Crucial 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory (£308.70 @ More Computers)

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 4GB Superclocked ACX Video Card (£214.63 @ Amazon UK)

Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Arctic White) ATX Mid Tower Case (£70.83 @ Ebuyer)

Power Supply: Corsair RM 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£89.59 @ Aria PC)
Total: £1297.82

I already have an SSD for boot drive and other 1TD storage from another computer so the above list is all i need to purchase.

Its also been suggested that Xeon would be a good option for such a build, but the cost would be nearer £1500 for a similar build with Xeon.

I have a couple of questions.

1. What do people think about the above build?

2. Would using Xeon be more appropriate?

3. Will the cooler I have chosen be suitable for the i7-5820K?

4. I was also wondering about the best way to setup to storage? RAID options etc.

5. Is there anything else I have missed and ought to consider as part of the build?

Any advice and suggestions very welcome

Izam · January 12, 2015, 1:27am

1. What do people think about the above build?

I think its solid, you've got components balanced right for a video workstation and not those work/gaming hybrid shenanigans.

2. Would using Xeon be more appropriate?

Xeon would make sense only in two ways. One: if you're rendering hardcore and need to be pumping something out on the regular and cannot bare to suffer the possibility (not a certainty) of a i7 dropping out. Two: if it has more cores and roughly the same clock/turbo.

3. Will the cooler I have chosen be suitable for the i7-5820K?

You're rendering, not overclocking, that H100i is walking easy street.

4. I was also wondering about the best way to setup to storage? RAID options etc.

OS SDD, only mirror raid if desired. Media could go RAID 5 or a 0+1, 5 would be better for protection wereas 0 writes better. Would still lean towards a 5 if given the option.

5. Is there anything else I have missed and ought to consider as part of the build?

Unless you need a wide gamut display you're good to go.

feralshad0w · January 12, 2015, 2:12am

I mostly agree with above, but a little more input.

1. What do people think about the above build?

The build looks very good. I would probably go with a noctua NH-d14/d15 since the solid coolers last longer than you would want them to, and they are dead silent. I would also wait for the GTX 960 to come out because it is also a lower cost solution, but more up to date with power and features.

2. Would using Xeon be more appropriate?

This all comes down to overclocking. If you want to overclock, get the i7, if you aren't going to, then go with a Xeon. There are some lower cost Xeon's that will also suit your needs. If you choose the xeon, Then just get the noctua NH-D14.. its cheaper and will still be more than necessary.

3. Will the cooler I have chosen be suitable for the i7-5820K?

Yes, but as stated, I would go for a noctua NH-D14/D15 for the longevity and quietness. Performance is virtually identical.

4. I was also wondering about the best way to setup to storage? RAID options etc.

I would strongly recommend a second SSD as a project drive for active projects. It will increase the read/write times of your projects as the SSD will have only that task to dedicate its bandwidth. It also provides more stability. Lastly, I would recommend a second HDD to run in raid 1 (mirroring) for all your finished files so if the drive did fail, you have a backup of everything that you just need to plug in and you are good to go... If these are work related projects.. a secondary projects SSD in raid 1 would probably be a good idea as well... just to give you the maximum level of reliability and data security.

5. Is there anything else I have missed and ought to consider as part of the build?

If you aren't overclocking, I would go for something like this: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/RZpGwP

If you did want to overclock, then I would for the i7 you selected and keep everything else the same.

**The new samsung 850 pro series has a 10 year warranty and it is very fast. But it is more expensive than other offerings that are also good.

Any advice and suggestions very welcome

mattpitts74 · January 12, 2015, 9:41am

Thanks guys for all your input, its much appreciated, I'm glad that I wasn't too far out with the build choices, I will definitely go with a noctua cooler, I was thinking the NH-U12S because its narrower and will not restrict the RAM, but i want to make sure its going to allow alittle over clocking if needed.

I was thinking about running two samsung 850 pro in raid 0 for working media drive and a couple of 1TB for backup. ideally want the fastest speed but with redundancy. I also have a synology NAS for backup, so that's taken care of already.