Computer to edit 4K
- Thread starter stuartbp
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I was faced with the same delima and honestly don't care which platform I use. As long as it can get the job done.
I tried to save a few bucks and went with the latest Dell 9550 i7, 512gig SSD, 16gigs of Ram, 4k UHD DIsplay, Nvidia 960m, etc. Running windows 10 Pro. It was pitiful!. I think windows 10 might have been the issue or the dell drivers just weren't optimized yet for it. Lag, Lag Lag. I dumped the Dell and got a Macbook Pro 15 and it runs circles around the Dell. Even ran both on Novabench and the Macbook Pro came out on top which surprised me because the Dell had a faster CPU.
Also the Dell had to scale the display on that nice 4k panel but here is something else windows is still catching up on. Not ALL apps support scaling so I had some apps that were super tiny and others that were scaled perfect. None of that applies on the MBP though.
Best of luck!
I tried to save a few bucks and went with the latest Dell 9550 i7, 512gig SSD, 16gigs of Ram, 4k UHD DIsplay, Nvidia 960m, etc. Running windows 10 Pro. It was pitiful!. I think windows 10 might have been the issue or the dell drivers just weren't optimized yet for it. Lag, Lag Lag. I dumped the Dell and got a Macbook Pro 15 and it runs circles around the Dell. Even ran both on Novabench and the Macbook Pro came out on top which surprised me because the Dell had a faster CPU.
Also the Dell had to scale the display on that nice 4k panel but here is something else windows is still catching up on. Not ALL apps support scaling so I had some apps that were super tiny and others that were scaled perfect. None of that applies on the MBP though.
Best of luck!
So you're saying the MBP will drive a 4k display with any Mac application? No scaling, all apps run native 4k?
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Lot's of great info here! I just want to chime in on the above:
I was so certain that more RAM was going to resolve my 4K issues, so I got my machine up to 32GB, but still had issues. So I then moved to SSD drives and that really fixed me up. I think both are helpful — I'm sure the extra memory helped to some degree — but don't forget the SSD drives.
Chris
For personal use I will NEVER buy a windows PC again. The only time I MIGHT do so is if I buy a cheap desktop with a few hard drives for easy access mass storage. But even that is a long shot..
End of the day - it's all hardware. This is also why I feel Android sucks too (Had both Note 3 then 4 over two years at the time). Windows/Android/iOS are operating systems. They are what make a computer do what it needs to do. But it needs the right hardware to make it work.. So yes - you can get all premium hardware and boosted hardware to make a windows (or android) system perform better over the cheaper options on the market. I consider this like covering up the issues vs addressing the issues.
Windows/Android are built to supports millions of different manufacture hardware configurations. Mac/iOS are built around a specific hardware platform. This means it's more of a software issue than a hardware/software combo issue, should one run into issues on a mac.
I'll admit the learning curve from Windows to Mac is pretty steep. The function is the same for both but knowing where/how/why things are where they are and why they do what they do on a Mac is at times a struggle when used to Windows.
I almost returned my macbook after a couple weeks using it. But I stuck with it and after about a year or two.. I hate windows. I use a windows PC daily for work but it's so refreshing when I use my mac at home.
Another thought for a pic for editing. Check out theserverstore.com and check out the refurbished dual processor workstations . I have 3 different one now from them and all three have been excellent machines! May have small scratches dents etc but where else can you get a dual processor Xeon workstation with 64gb ram for under 1200 and some even cheaper than that! Worth a look been amazing for me and I edit 4K and do 3D modeling and mapping.
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https://www.theserverstore.com/content/lenovo-thinkstation-d20-0
This is a decent system. Even fully loaded its only 1100 plus tax and shipping. Definite worth the look.
I like the Lenovo d30 over the d20 (have one of each)
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This is a decent system. Even fully loaded its only 1100 plus tax and shipping. Definite worth the look.
I like the Lenovo d30 over the d20 (have one of each)
Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots mobile app
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Here's one I've had my eye on. Dell XPS8900, I7 quad core, 2TB HDD, 16GB RAM, 4GB Nvidia video card, Windows 7. Great price for a computer with these specs. I agree with you @dysan911 that the crapware they load on these is terrible, but it can be removed. A computer with the specs that you had, especially with a SSD shouldn't lag or have any problems running any software available today. You either got a lemon, or as you said, there were driver issues, or both.
Micro Center - Computers and Electronics
Micro Center - Computers and Electronics
Dell or hp... Recent i7 and Gtx 960 or 980. Graphics.. 16 gb ram and an SSD will blow any Mac out of the water.
With all due respect. I am a videographer of 20 years and also work in TV editing. Windows provides far better options and freedom and in general Mac hardware in the same price ranges is inferior. And only top spec hardware appears in the very top models with massively unrealistic price tags.. I can kit out a windows editing machine that destroys a top end Mac for half the price.. But don't tell apple fans eh....
Yep! Nothing like a fancy toilet
Again - it's the software more than the hardware!!!!! But not many people tend to know that. They just think that hardware can make shitty software work better
what the hell are you talking about? A windows computer with adobe premiere pro will edit/render video just as fast as a mac computer with adobe premiere pro, spec for spec. Whether or not you like the OS more does not make it a better machine in any way relating to editing. The only exception is that iMovie works well with low end hardware.
Uhhhh....
What don't you seem to understand by my posts so I can better help answer your question?
Sure I can place two like apples side by side. Doesn't mean both taste the same.
And windows is easy to use. Just bogs down and has too many stupid little issues that pop up. Not to mention the boost in hardware just to compete with a mac.. shows how inefficient a windows computer operates, wouldn't you say? I use an upgraded windows computer (no bloatware) far more than my mac as my mac is for personal use. So it's not like I'm talking crap about a platform that I lack experience with!
Windows based computers are far easier to build up hardware wise. But again.. (as shallow as windows folk are) - It's the SOFTWARE that uses that hardware. Lets use an example. You have a new Bently car. As we all know - vehicles these days use electronics/computers for nearly everything. Lets take out its central computer system and toss in an android tablet to make this vehicle function. How well do you think THAT will turn out?? Great hardware/build quality - but the software using that hardware.......ehhhhhhhhhhhh
Apples are expensive. I hate it. But the build quality and how much more fluid the overall system operates - lets just say I'm glad I can afford such (doesn't mean I like paying for it!)
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Check out the Asus zenbook pro ux501vw. It is designed to handle 4k. It even has the new combo port for Thunderbolt 3 and Super speed usb 3.1. Check the specs, it is the biggest bang for your buck on the market today. I got mine in February from www.bhphotovideo.com That is B&H Photo Video in NY. I couldn't be more pleased.
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What software are you looking at? If Premiere Pro is in your range, I'd recommend getting something with an NVIDIA graphics chipset; they've done good work getting highly compressed formats (like AVC) to run smoothly without having to convert it all to a more edit-friendly codec, using the CUDA driver system.
You won't really need an SSD since the data rates are not real high for this stuff (unless you wanna convert to uncompressed and go to town with grading), but processing power and a healthy GPU will be your friends.
You won't really need an SSD since the data rates are not real high for this stuff (unless you wanna convert to uncompressed and go to town with grading), but processing power and a healthy GPU will be your friends.
Home built systems excluded but keep in mind that even Window Laptops with comparable hardware to the Macbook Pro isn't that much cheaper. The claim seems to always be made that you can have the equivalent of a MBP for half the price if you go windows. Not exactly. Has anyone priced the Dell XPS 9550 which is their top of the line UHD 4k i7 system? $2,279.00 That's MBP territory and personally for me the MBP still has a few things going for it like the construction is premium & rock solid, the optimization between hardware and software i.e. display scaling, etc are far superior. Just google "Dell XPS 9550 wake" or "Windows 10 scaling" just to name a few and see the lovely pages of issues that come up. Not that MBP's don't come with their issues as well but for me, honestly I don't care which platform it is. I just want to get the job done and having used both platforms back to back, for me the MBP delivers. Just my 2 cents.
Each person just has to go with what they prefer, budget wise, experience and feel is best suited for them.
Each person just has to go with what they prefer, budget wise, experience and feel is best suited for them.
