Can somebody tell me whether today's on-board graphics chips can handle video editing ? My father is ordering a new machine and I know he wants to do this kind of thing (you know, the normal editing of family camcorder footage). Should I suggest he upgrades to a dedicated graphics card ? If so, how much memory should it have ?
On board graphics are ok for editing but, realising that your pc works quite hard when performing these tasks, a little more "grunt" wouldn't go astray. With this in mind, there are units available now with directX 10 capabilities. These are ready for the "next generation" of games. These will cost premium dollars, so go for a Directx9 card with 256mb of memory, at a fair price and worry about the DirectX 10 later. Another point that you need to consider is your RAM memory. If you read my sig, I've got 2gb (this brand is only "ok", so go for better.) Get the best you can afford, ask lotsa questions. So..a good CPU, a good amount of RAM and a half decent Vid card, and your ready to edit, rip, burn and play games with very little effort. Good luck and keep us posted on your new rig. Cheers.
Well, actually, most video editing programs don't use the graphics card of your machine at all.... A decent amount of RAM however is important and will significantly improve your working speed.
