Memory allocation for HDV editing

[Kabera]

I use Sony Vegas 7 for HDV editing and would like to know what is the best method of memory allocation.

Question 1. I have 2 GB of dual DDR II memory- do I still need a swap file ?

Question 2. Main drive is partioned into 2 drives- one for system and one for swap file, what size should the swap file partition be if one has to use one ?

Question 3. Should swap file be on main drive or SATA Raid ?

Question 4. What else should I do to improve system efficiency apart from usual tips like ending all unnecessary background tasks ?

Many thanks

Berend


2x 1GB DDR II 4200
Athlon 64 X2 3800
Geforce 7600GT
2x 300 GB DiamondMAx SATA Raid 0
250 GB Samsung SpinPoint PATA drive
GA M55plus S3G

[Gavin Gration]

These are general answers for all NLE systems plus a personal niggle:-

Question 1. I have 2 GB of dual DDR II memory- do I still need a swap file ?
Yes.

Question 2. Main drive is partioned into 2 drives- one for system and one for swap file, what size should the swap file partition be if one has to use one ?
2GB min/max

Question 3. Should swap file be on main drive or SATA Raid ?
Main drive will do fine - dedicated partition is nice but not essential

Question 4. What else should I do to improve system efficiency apart from usual tips like ending all unnecessary background tasks ?
A well ventilated system works best, maximise airflow where possible, try to have an extra drive for exports - makes housekeeping easier. Turn off all the Windows eye-candy.

For single stream editing of native HDV I don't believe a 2 drive software RAID 0 set has any practical benefits. Another thing about RAID 0 is that the risk of data loss is increased, perhaps more than doubled. RAID 0 is "one go, we all go" (trade union speak).

Hope this helps.

[Alan Roberts]

Re RAID 0 : that's the argument Charles Lindberg used about his transatlantic plane. He was offered a twin engined plane that would do the trip faster than a single engined plane, he asked "will the twin fly on one engine?", was told "no", so picked the single because it had a lower probability of failing.

[harlequin]

If you must use raid , use raid1 .... 2x300 = a 300GB drive ( but a spare mirror copy )

I have found raid , in video , to be no help , except the mirror option , as failure rate is still too high to take a risk on raid0

[Gavin Gration]

RAID 1 can run like treacle - beware.

[Steamage]

Question 4. What else should I do to improve system efficiency apart from usual tips like ending all unnecessary background tasks ?
This is a general tip for all NLEs: You need at least 2, ideally three, physical hard drives:
- Drive 1: operating system, NLE program, general bits and pieces.
- Drive 2: video rendering and temporary files - defrag this drive regularly. Also, keep regularly used "template" projects and other assets such as intro-sequences, titles, etc. on this drive.
- Drive 3: source video, EDLs and other project-specific files;
If you only have 2 drives, combine 2 & 3. Keep your video data separate from your OS and programs.

A useful enhancement is to have a removable drive caddy for drive 3 so that you can store your projects on separate hard drives - useful if you have several projects on the go at once, though perhaps rather expensive for long-term archiving. If you are able to keep to one project = one disc, then when a project is finished and delivered/archived, you could just reformat the disc and start again.

RAID may be worth considering if you need high through-put (perhaps you are using an intermediate codec with large files) or extra fault-tollerance. However, the latter usually comes at the expense of the former, and involves RAID 3 or RAID 5 configurations (I think - it's been a while) which don't seem to be available off-the-shelf from your local PC shop on the corner.

[Kabera]

Thanks for all your replies. I think I stick to Raid 0 for the time being (I will keep a copy of the original file and the project file on the main drive). Yes it can fail but it should also be much faster and will only be used for rendering purposes.

I am surprised that one still needs a HD based swap file if RAM can be increased to 2 GB plus.

Cheers Berend

[harlequin]

no swap file means all files get held in ram
that would include the un-needed dll's that can be offloaded to disk.

therefore : actually slower

[Unicorn]

no swap file means all files get held in ram
that would include the un-needed dll's that can be offloaded to disk.
therefore : actually slower

Not true. XP is significantly faster with no swap file, because it can't swap out the applications you're running just to make the bloody disk cache bigger.

Unfortunately some programs simply won't run without one.