Specifications

retailers. In addition, the greatest benefit is that if you take the time to learn about the whole
process, you will gain valuable skills and experience with computer hardware and software.
In terms of the operating system (OS), I wanted to make the most use of open source
software but was constrained because of the particular video editing software I wanted to use for
initially working with the video footage (which is currently only available for Windows). When it
comes to operating systems, the suggested video capture cards mentioned below support Linux,
Windows and Mac OS. Linux-based OSs are increasingly desirable as they are approaching the
casual market and some distributions (such as Ubuntu) are developing audio-visual specific
versions (i.e. Ubuntu Studio, MythBuntu). Those who favour Windows could choose Windows 7 (or
an old copy of XP, I would not suggest using Vista). And for Apple fans, one can even build a
'hackintosh' since modern Macs now utilize common x86 processor-based hardware.
4
There are
guides available but the process is technically complex and the legality of doing it are in question
as it very likely goes against Apple's terms of use policies for its OS software. In reality then, the
choice is limited to buying hardware directly from Apple.
So, an off-the-shelf solution or a custom build are possibilities. No matter what kind of
configuration is used, Table 1 provides a price comparison and gives suggested specifications
(current as of Spring 2010). These specifications are not quite the bare minimum but represent
relatively inexpensive, mid-level systems that should be able to comfortably handle recording in
720p HD.
Table 1: Comparison between Leading Workstation Manufacturers and a Custom Build
Apple Mac Pro Dell T3500 Precision
Workstation
Sample Custom Build
- 2.66 GHz Quad Core Intel
Xeon 3500 series
- 3GB DDR3 (3x1GB) 1066
MHz memory
- 640 GB 7200-rpm SATA
hard drive
- 640 GB 7200-rpm SATA
hard drive (adds $240)
- ATI Radeon HD 4870
512MB (adds $240)
graphics card
-18x SuperDrive (CD/DVD)
- 2.66 GHz Quad Core
Intel Xeon W3520 (Adds
$280)
- 3GB DDR3 (3x1GB) 1333
MHz memory
- 500GB 7200-rpm SATA
hard drive
- 300 GB 10000-rpm SATA
hard drive (adds $460)
- 512 NVIDIA Quadro FX
580 (adds $90) graphics
card
- 16x DVD Rom
- Intel Core i7-920 Bloomfield 2.66GHz Quad
Core
- ASUS P7P55 WS SuperComputer ATX
motherboard
- G.SKILL Trident 3GB (3x1GB) DDR3 1600
MHz memory
- 640GB Western Digital Caviar Blue
WD6400AAKS 7200-rpm SATA
- 300GB Western Digital VelociRaptor
WD3000HLFS 10000-rpm SATA
- ASUS EAH4870/2DI/1GD5 Radeon HD 4870
1GB graphics card
- CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V /
EPS12V power supply
- LIAN LI Black Aluminum PC-C32B ATX Media
Center / HTPC Case
- Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit for
System Builders (OEM)
$3,379.00 Cdn.
(apple.ca, April 2010)
$2,425.00 Cdn.
(dell.ca, April 2010)
$1,466.00 Cdn.
(newegg.ca, May 2010)
These configurations provide a powerful (Intel) CPU, plenty of memory, and good video output.
4 This refers to the architecture for the processor. The x86 architecture was originally developed
by Intel (today, other processor manufacturers also produce x86 compatible processors) and
has become the most popular architecture for contemporary PCs. Many other processor
architectures (such as ARM, Power, MIPS, SPARC, Itanium) are used for a variety of applications
(in cell phones, in some netbooks/tablets, in high-end workstations, videogame consoles, or
embedded in a host of other electronic appliances).
5