Best Computers and/or Graphic Cards for Filming

[Lexie Linden]

What is your popinion andersonal  experience on this topic?

[Steve Beck]

Graphics Card Hierarchy Chart, according to Tom Hardware.

  GeForce                                                                          Radeon

Discrete: GTX 580	Discrete: HD 5970
Discrete: GTX 295, GTX 480, GTX 570	Discrete: HD 4870 X2, HD 6970
	Discrete: HD 4850 X2, HD 5870, HD 6950
Discrete: GTX 470, GTX 560 Ti	Discrete: HD 5850, 6870
Discrete: 9800 GX2, GTX 285, GTX 460 1GB, GTX 465	Discrete: 6850
Discrete: GTX 260, GTX 275, GTX 280, GTX 460 768 MB, GTX 460 SE	Discrete: HD 4870, HD 5770, HD 4890, HD 5830 Mobility: HD 5870
Discrete: 8800 Ultra, 9800 GTX, 9800 GTX+, GTS 250, GTS 450	Discrete: HD 3870 X2, HD 4850, HD 5750 Mobility: HD 4850, HD 5850
Discrete: 8800 GTX, 8800 GTS 512 MB Go (mobile): GTX 280M, GTX 285M	Discrete: HD 4770 Mobility: HD 4860
Discrete: 8800 GT 512 MB, 9800 GT Go (mobile): 9800M GTX, GTX 260M (112), GTS 360M (GDDR5)	Discrete: HD 4830, HD 5670 Mobility: HD 5770, HD 5750
Discrete: 8800 GTS 640 MB, 9600 GT, GT 240 (GDDR5) Go (mobile): 9800M GTS, GTX 160M	Discrete: HD 2900 XT, HD 3870, HD 5570 (GDDR5)
Discrete: 8800 GS, 9600 GSO, GT 240 (DDR3) Go (mobile): GTX 260M (96), GTS 150M, GTS 360M (DDR3)	Discrete: HD 3850 512 MB, HD 4670, HD 5570 (DDR3) Mobility: HD 3870, HD 5730, HD 5650
Discrete: 8800 GT 256 MB, 8800 GTS 320 MB Go (mobile): 8800M	Discrete: HD 2900 PRO, HD 3850 256 MB, 5550 (GDDR5) Mobility: HD 3850
Discrete: 7950 GX2	Discrete: X1950 XTX, HD 4650 (DDR3), 5550 (DDR3)
Discrete: 7800 GTX 512, 7900 GTO, 7900 GTX, GT 430	Discrete: X1900 XT, X1950 XT, X1900 XTX
Discrete: 7800 GTX, 7900 GT, 7950 G, GT 220 (DDR3)	Discrete: X1800 XT, X1900 AIW, X1900 GT, X1950 PRO, HD 2900 GT, HD 5550 (DDR2)
Discrete: 7800 GT, 7900 GS, 8600 GTS, 9500 GT (GDDR3), GT 220 (DDR2) Go (mobile): 7950 GTX	Discrete: X1800 XL, X1950 GT, HD 4650 (DDR2) Mobility X1800 XT, HD 4650, HD 5165
Discrete: 6800 Ultra, 7600 GT, 7800 GS, 8600 GS, 8600 GT (GDDR3), 9500 GT (DDR2) Go (mobile): 7800 GTX, 7900 GTX	Discrete: X800 XT (& PE), X850 XT (& PE), X1650 XT, X1800 GTO, HD 2600 XT, HD 3650 (DDR3), HD 3670 Mobility: X1900, 3670
Discrete: 6800 GT, 6800 GS (PCIe), 8600 GT (DDR2) Go (mobile): 7800, Go 7900 GS	Discrete: X800 XL, X800 GTO2/GTO16, HD 2600 PRO, HD 3650 (DDR2), Mobility: X800 XT, HD 2600 XT, 3650
Discrete: 6800 GS (AGP) Go (mobile): 6800 Ultra, 7600 GT, 8600M GT, 8700M GT	Discrete: X800 GTO 256 MB, X800 PRO, X850 PRO, X1650 GT Mobility: HD 2600
Discrete: 6800, 7300 GT GDDR3, 7600 GS, 8600M GS Go (mobile): 6800, 7700	Discrete: X800, X800 GTO 128 MB, X1600 XT, X1650 PRO Mobility: X1800, HD 5145, HD 5470 (GDDR5), HD 5450

[Steve Beck]

Gaming CPU Hierarchy Chart, according to Tom Hardware.

   Intel                                                                                                         AMD

Core i7-2600, -2600K Core i7-965, -975 Extreme, -980X Extreme, -990X Extreme Core i7-970, -960 Core i5-2500, -2500K
Core i7-860, -870, -875K, -920, -930, -940, -950, Core i5-750, -760 Core 2 Extreme QX9775, QX9770, QX9650 Core 2 Quad Q9650 Core i3-2100	Phenom II X4 Black Edition 975
Core 2 Extreme QX6850, QX6800 Core 2 Quad Q9550, Q9450, Q9400 Core i5-650, -655K, -660, -661, -670, -680	Phenom II X6 1100T BE, 1090T BE, 1075T Phenom II X4 Black Edition 970, 965, 955
Core 2 Extreme QX6700 Core 2 Quad Q6700, Q9300, Q8400, Q6600, Q8300 Core 2 Duo E8600, E8500, E8400, E7600 Core i3 -530, -540, -550	Phenom II X6 1055T Phenom II X4 945, 940, 920, 910, 910e, 810 Phenom II X3 Black Edition 720, 740 Athlon II X4 645, 640, 635, 630 Athlon II X3 455, 450, 445, 440, 435
Core 2 Extreme X6800 Core 2 Quad Q8200 Core 2 Duo E8300, E8200, E8190, E7500, E7400, E6850, E6750	Phenom II X4 905e, 805 Phenom II X3 710, 705e Phenom II X2 565 BE, 560 BE, 555 BE, 550 BE, 545 Phenom X4 9950 Athlon II X4 620 Athlon II X3 425
Core 2 Duo E7200, E6550, E7300, E6540, E6700 Pentium Dual-Core E5700, E5800, E6300, E6500, E6600, E6700 Pentium G9650	Phenom X4 9850, 9750, 9650, 9600 Phenom X3 8850, 8750 Athlon II X2 265, 260, 255 Athlon 64 X2 6400+
Core 2 Duo E4700, E4600, E6600, E4500, E6420 Pentium Dual-Core E5400, E5300, E5200	Phenom X4 9500, 9550, 9450e, 9350e Phenom X3 8650, 8600, 8550, 8450e, 8450, 8400, 8250e Athlon II X2 240, 245, 250 Athlon X2 7850, 7750 Athlon 64 X2 6000+, 5600+
Core 2 Duo E4400, E4300, E6400, E6320 Celeron E3300	Phenom X4 9150e, 9100e Athlon X2 7550, 7450, 5050e, 4850e/b Athlon 64 X2 5400+, 5200+, 5000+, 4800+
Core 2 Duo E5500, E6300 Pentium Dual-Core E2220, E2200, E2210 Celeron E3200	Athlon X2 6550, 6500, 4450e/b, Athlon X2 4600+, 4400+, 4200+, BE-2400
Pentium Dual-Core E2180 Celeron E1600	Athlon 64 X2 4000+, 3800+ Athlon X2 4050e, BE-2300
Pentium Dual-Core E2160, E2140 Celeron E1500, E1400, E1200

 

[TriloByte Zanzibar]

My partner and I have done tests on a number of Mac systems, and have had great results on a lot of machines.

Since early 2009, everything Apple makes has come with a pretty solid GPU under the hood.  Entry level machines came with an nVidia 9400m at the very least, which got respectable frame rates in SL and could be used to film machinima.  Better machines will of course deliver better performance, so keep your eyes open for options that include a better GPU, more video memory, and more system RAM.

[TriloByte Zanzibar]

Whoops, I forgot to add that OS-wise, ideally you want to be running OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard).  Previous versions will still work, but won't have the most up-to-date graphics drivers, and won't have the overall speed that Snow Leopard offers on Intel Macs.

[Steve Beck]

I have posted above an hierarchy chart for CPU, and Graphic Cards for Filming. Obviously it is for reference only, as difference set ups may behave differently.

On the Graphic Cards chart, a twin HD 4850 may performance in terms of FPS like a HD 5870 or a HD 6950, and a twin HD 4870 is compared with a HD 5970. However both HD 4850 and HD 4870 support DirectX 10.1, and Shader Model 4.1, while both HD 5870 and HD 6950 support DirectX 11, and Shader Model 5.0, which may make some difference while filming. I am not really sure what DirectX Second Life supports.

I use a single HD 5870 for machinima, and I am quite happy with the results. As a sample I leave this vid I made some ago while playing with some SL shadows. For a HD version of it click

.

 

[AndreX86]

Sorry but the 9400m is crap IMO. The 320m that the new 2010 MBP 13" is ALOT better. The NEW NEW 2011 has an intel HD 3000 which is said to be comparible to the 320m.

Apple would be my number one choice if money were no option because I strongly feel that OSX is the best OS out there right now.

With that being said, For $1000 dollars, you get a MBP with a class 3 video card (320m, intel HD 3000). These will diffetely produce some good frame rate but for $1000 you can get a PC with a class 1 video card which will give you AMAZING frame rates and you will future proof yourself as well. For $500-$800 or so  you can get a laptop with a class 2 video card in it.

Like I said I would go with apple if you can afford it. Though I would recommend there 15" line up which comes with a dedicated graphics card. Though for $1500 for a 15" mbp, you get a Class 2 graphics card. If you spent that on a laptop PC, you could get a class 1 graphics card, these cards are comparible to many high end desktop graphics cards.

Last but not least. DONT BE FOOLED BY NUMBERS.

for example a 5850 would beat the pants of a 6450. Though the 6450 is a "newer" series, after the 6 is a 4, which indicates this is the lower end of that series which means even though its newer, it will not compete speed wise with its older but faster counter part. This number scheming works pretty good still with NVIDIA and ATI cards.

[AndreX86]

Dude this chart is awesome! Thanks for posting it. Here is another list i refer to from notebookcheck.com which lists pretty much every mobile GPU in order, devided further by class.

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Comparison-of-Laptop-Graphics-Cards.130.0.html

[Vladi Hazelnut]

macs rock for video editing in my opinion, at least they used to anyway.

Personally I have a gts 250 by pny the xlr8 series with 1 gig of ddr3, a amd 945 quad core, 4 gigs of ram and an intel solid state drive. its more than enough for sl. On windows 7 64 bit.

Cool vid Steve, but if you have epilepsy DO NOT watch that video lol.

[Steve Beck]

 

---

Vladi Hazelnut wrote:

Cool vid Steve, but if you have epilepsy DO NOT watch that video lol.

---

Yes, I should have mentioned it :smileywink:

 

[TriloByte Zanzibar]

A lot of folks are more than willing to spend more money on the better machine and better computing experience.  Computers are like tools.  And as with tools, there are a lot of brands offering a wide range of quality.  For every pro out there swearing by the good stuff, there are a few out there convinced of the value of the low end stuff.  However, I don't want to get into any platform debates, use whatever tool you like.

As for the 9400m, it's not a bad entry level integrated GPU (and certainly better than the plague of Intel GMA graphics that a lot of entry level machines come with.  On the MacBooks that came with it, SL can manage 15-20fps on an average build at ground level.  You can get better frame rates at altitude, or if you turn down the graphics settings, but that's not bad (and certainly better than what most SL residents are logging in with).  It also supports shadows, though expect single-digit frame rates with them enabled (still worthwhile for shooting still pictures).  It's a moot point, though, since anyone out there shopping for a new system today isn't going to see it in a Mac, the GT320m and Intel HD 3000 are the bottom end GPU's.

Neither would be my personal choice (I prefer the higher end machines), but objectively speaking they're not bad.

[Torley Linden]

Some people have asked what my own configuration is. After all, if I pick it, it must be awesome, right? More like... through much tinkering and experimentation over the years, I've gained a lot of experience figuring out how to get a powerful system at a reasonable price. I'm thrifty like that!

So, without further ado, HERE'S EXACTLY WHAT'S IN TORLEY'S MAIN WINDOWS RIG... that was assembled by Digital Storm Online. (I also have a Mac but I don't really use it for machinima, since Second Life runs a lot slower.) Usual disclaimer applies that this is not a universal Linden Lab recommendation, it's merely what I have chosen for my own multimedia-centric needs both working and playing inworld.

[Elite Runner]

My dream computer would be an Intel i7 processor, 1 GB HD video card with HD 1080p support, 8-16 GB of RAM, 1TB HDD, 2x512 GB SSD, Surround sound, 750W power supply, Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit, and Gigabit ethernet router

Programs will include: Sony Vegas Pro 10, Camtasia Studio, and Adobe Aftereffects/Flash/Premiere Pro CS5. Of course it won't be complete with Norton 360 and Second Life Viewer 2 with graphics on ultra and draw distance up to 512m for racing, HD 1080p machimia and taking large high-resolution photos. Other programs will include garry's mod, IMVU and Minecraft.

[Steve Beck]

Yes, it wasn´t in the list, but there is an update to include your graphic card. Have a look at it HERE.

Actually there are 6 new graphic card on the market since I posted that chart. Learn more about them HERE.

[Up4 Dawes]

Seems you a the optimal computer for windows machinima, the things I see that may affect the performance since you were not happy with the results. Well keeep in mind many textures are not high resolution themselves,and second life it's self will not give you pixar like images no matter what you use. Also you choose a laggy situation as I see the jerkiness of the video and also I didn't see a logitech 3D space navigator mouse listed so I assume you are panning using the mouse, and with panning or zooming comes distortion. Also I saw no reference to the light settings you were using I assume defauly mid-day and avatars to me look best in windlight, although it does cause some increased glow effects for backgrounds.

The best viewer I have seen for graphics is the old 1.23.5  has the best balance,lowest noise, and very important depth perception. I will not use ANY of the new viewers or phoniex all are problems for my filming.  

[devinelust]

Hi, ive read through this thread and i only wish i could understand half of what was said. I'm not very computer literate and have a hard time comparing one or the other, in my eyes newer means better which i understand isnt the case with computers. Right now i have a desktop, its an old dell dimension 3100 it still works fine but im thinking its time for a replacement, especially since everytime i log into sl it tells me i don't meet the minimum system requirements. Surpisingly sl runs pretty smoothly for me as long as im not in a very crowded area but then again i do have my graphics setting on low so i know im not experiencing the true visuals sl offers. Anyway i've been looking at laptops, i have enough for a Macbook Pro which is what i've been eyeing but im not sure thats the best choice. As far as desktops i've been looking at another dell but thats only cause its what im used to and im not sure if thats the best either. So if anyone could make some recommendations, u may have to dumb it down for me a bit lol, i'd really appreciate it

edit: sorry i should add i'm not willing to spend over $2000

[YT Upsilon]

It's well worth reading your review, if only to see the word "Newbie" next to your name.

Made my day!

 

:smileyvery-happy:

 

PS - Have you upgraded since then?