ok now what which one would be better Sony vs Dell

I'm afraid I have only used a Dell for regular PC stuff, and not editing, so I really cant say. But I would think either system would do you just fine. I would say see what you can get a better deal on (package or otherwise) and go with it. I really dont think you'll be dissapointed either way.

If you do it yourself you can cut the price of your system by around half. If you aren't that computer literate then it isn't worth the time.

I have edited video on Macs and PCs (Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere), I like Final Cut a lot more but that's because I have used it more than Adobe Premiere. I don't find Adobe Premiere very intuitive- it doesn't paste when you hit crtl-V. The settings would not make any sense to me if I was not that experience with video. iMovie on the Mac is extremely easy to use although it gets buggy when your project gets too big. However, the macs in my school (with the exception of some antiques) can be used to edit video right away without installing a FW card or even installing software. In the past, Macs were much more reliable than PCs. However, PCs have become a lot more stable nowadays. I have experienced technical problems with both platforms, but I'd have to say that the Mac is more productive (easy to use, reliable, and fast/powerful). You can't get stupid adware or viruses on a Mac, but you also can't play many games and you don't have access to a wide range of programs like file sharing ones and encoding tools. Anyways, I'm just fanning the flames of the Mac/PC war here.

So... if you are comfortable with Adobe Premiere then you should stick with it. To get good deals on computer stuff, try newegg.com, pricewatch.com, googlegear.com, and local computer stores. If you are looking for a turnkey system, places like Promax would have them (extrabytes if you live in toronto). I'm sure Sony has a turnkey system too (actually I edited some video on a Sony VIAO laptop, which has a 4-pin FW port pre-installed- so I'm sure they have a desktop that can edit too). On the other hand, it is extremely easy to get a FW card and throw it into your computer. Power off, make sure you protect your computer against static, and you stick the FW card in. Windows detects it automatically and they are all the same. However, I bought a lemon at futureshop, it was an open box special and the thing was defective (maybe someone fried it).

Sorry farsider, you assume wrong, I use XP at work everyday and it is only slightly better than NT (which isn't saying much). The case was best made by PC Magazine in their positive review of XP where they state that they were impressed by the fact that they could go hours, or even days, without crashing (as they had with the prior OS). Now that is what I call damning with faint praise!! and from PC magazine no less. To livewire, you make my "all thumbs" point by admitting that the users having problems were students (not you) suggesting inexperience, and likely improper usage. The support guys couldn't fix them because they had no way of tracking down the problem.

cc what kind of job do you have?

Believe it or not, I am a Physician, working with medical data and information services regularly, including some very sophisticated software for archiving and accessing MRI/CAT scan/radiographic/and full motion arteriogram material on huge hospital networks.

how old are you cc

36, you are not a stalker randomock, are you?

no hahaha. you seem a lot younger you are very knowledgeable on the dv world

Curious, what makes me seem younger?

i dont no just the way it seems i guess

I do alot of video editing, word/powerpoint files, and gaming so I needed a new PC. I purchased a Pentium 4 2.66 Ghz, an ASUS P4 motherboard with 1 gig of PC-2700 ram, 200 gig HD (for video) and a 60 gig HD (for everything else), Lexar DVD-burner, 48x24x48x16 DVD combo brive by LG, a 52x LG CD-ROM drive (came for free), a 400watt powersupply with a nice case, SB audigy 2 sound card, Geforce 4 Ti4600 128mb card, Windows XP Pro, Pinnacle Studio 8 Pro DV kit, and 5.1 surround sound Altec Lancing speakers (150watts). I couldn't afford this, but luckly my friend works at a well-respected computer store and I got it for a really good price. It's Excellent! My editing is easy, and all my programs and software runs really well. The PC was a custom make (or clone), I those better than Pre-made PC's, because you can pick and choose on waht to get more freely, and the complete package came with a 2 year parts and labour warranty from Computer Depot. Great! I paid, in total, about $1600. I already had a 19'' HP monitor, so I didn't need one. I have a question though, are LCD's monitors could for video editing, or the is does the low resoultion (usually 1024x760 or 1280x1024) affect video editing? My HP goes up to 1600x1200.

Jim

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A couple more months, and I'll have the DSR-PD150! YAH!!

Not a bad set up you've got there (even if it is a PC). The high end LCD monitors can do a great job for video, but cost a lot (2K+) whereas you can get top of the line CRT for less than half the price.

Yeah! If video editing was my full time job, I'd get a MAC in a second! seeing as most software, like Adobe Premier and even Pinnacle Studio were designed for MACS. But, video editing is one of the things I do, for gaming, PC is the way to go! Yeah, my 19'' HP monitor is flat-screen, so it's nice, little glare, great res. Why are MACS better for video editing than a PC? and why do they cost so much more?

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A couple more months, and I'll have the DSR-PD150! YAH!!

it is not really a matter of the Macs being better for video editing per say, it is that they are better in general. Mostly attributable to the OS and its' stability. Secondary software also seems to be more reliable than on PCs (it seems that, for PCs, software and hardware are released in an unpolished state that is too often ill functioning). Pc's also don't get along so well with a lot of hardware and software, seemingly. Macs cost about twice as much, but become obsolete at least one half as frequently making it a wash (3000 once in 4 years, versus 1500 twice). Stability rules in video editing as there is nothing more frustrating then toiling for hours on a project, then...oops...glitch....start over please (as with PCs). I think this is why users and developers prefer Mac.