Some computer technology explained

Processors explained

There are a huge number of different types of processor available for Windows based PCs. They are available from either Intel or AMD.  We only supply systems with Intel processors these days - we have supplied AMD systems current the Intel ones are better supported and more powerful.  The processor is referred to as the CPU (central processor unit) and is the "brains" of the computer.  Most PCs normally just have one processor, although you can get PCs with 2.  Dual processor machines use processors called Xeons.

Because Intel are continually making new innovations there are hundreds of different types of processors.  We started many years ago with 286 and 386 processors and the current processors are "i5" and "i7" machines.  The processor got faster and faster until they got to a stage where they were running so fast that they were getting extremely hot.  This meant that the fans made a lot more noise and they used a lot of power.  The speed "peaked" at around 3.8Ghz for an old Pentium D.  Because they could not improve the performance by just increasing speed manufacturers turned to different solutions, and added more cores (so we had dual core and quad core processors) and other technology like "HyperThreading".  They also improved other parts of the machine like the RAM and how the processors talk to the RAM.  The RAM is the computers working memory and the fast the CPU can talk to the RAM the faster the computer works.  They also improved the internal workings of the processor, making the connections smaller and various other enhancements.  The net upshot of this is that a modern i7 processor which is running at, for example, 2.6Ghz is hugely faster than an old 3.8Ghz processor.

Older types of processor (no longer available but it may help to identify a processor in your own system to know this information)

Intel Core2Duo processors - Dual core processors - one processor with 2 cores (brains, effectively).  These days we mainly only supply these in laptops. Fine for SD editing, not so good for HD, although it depends on the format in which the footage is stored.

Intel Core2Quad processors - Quad core processors - one processor, with 4 cores. Good at HD and SD editing.  Because programs do not take advantage of all available cores all the time a quad core processor is not twice as good as a dual core, but definitely better.

Because there were so many types of processor (Quad core, dual core, Pentiums etc..) Intel decided to try and simplify the names in the future, so a couple of years ago they decide to call the new ranges are going to be called "i5", "i7" and "i9".  Then they messed it up completley by making several variations of i7 processors and changing the names of the i9s to i7s as well.  D'oh!

Intel i7 8 series processors - If Intel introduced the idea of the i5 and i7 processors to make life easier they then decided it would not be good to make it too easy.  So they invented a type of i7 processor which was really very much like an i5 processor, so the same size and using the same motherboard as an i5, but call it an i7 processor and give it a number that starts with 8.  There are currently two - the 860 (2.8Ghz) and the 870 (2.93Ghz).  Like the 9 series i7 they have "HyperThreading", so they have 4 real cores and 4 pretend cores and are seen as having 8 cores.  This is really why they are called i7s because Intel refer to them as "Core i5" or "Core i7".  Core i5 means quad core but a better type of quad core than the old Core2Quad.  Core i7 means Quad Core with HyperThreading.  The 8 series i7s only need two RAM chips per processor.

Intel i7 processors - One processor, with what is seen by the computer as 8 cores - though the processor actually has 4 'real' cores, with the rest are produced by a process known as "HyperThreading".  More recent than the quad cores, the i7s are more advanced, and communicate with the computer's memory more effectively than quad cores.  You need a minimum of 3 RAM chips for the best performance, so computers will have 3GB , or more typically, 6GB of RAM.

Current processors

There are two main types of processors currently available - single processors - where you have just one processor in a computer and dual processor - where you have two processors in a computer.  The dual processor computers are called Xeons.  Intel are changing their processors all the time and tend to update their single processors faster than their dual processors.  This means that sometimes you end up with a single processor which is almost as fast as the dual processor!

The single processors are called i3, i5s and i7s.

Intel i3s & i5 processors

The i3 is now the entry level processor and the i5 the next step up.  Bother are actually very good and would beat an old-fashioned Pentium or Pentium D hands down in a speed test. If you want a simple system for browsing the internet and writing letters, and i3 is fine.  We actually use i3 processors in most of our network machines (the ones we use to write emails and make the website) at DVC.  The i3s are dual core processors - so have 2 brains.

The i5s are a bit faster and fast enough for editing video, even HD video (the latter does depend a bit on which program you are using).  If you have the budget buy an i7 processor as it will be faster, however, the i5 is good enough if you are trying to minimise cost.  Some i5s are dual core, some are quad core.  We tend to use the quad core versions in the systems we make for video editing.

i7 SANDYBRIDGE CHIPS

We have been using Intel i7 chips, which are generally referred to as "Sandybridge" chips, to distinguish them from the older i7s listed above, for some time.  There are better than the older processors and have some unique features 

Fast Blu-ray encoding!

The Sandybridge processors have a special function called Intel QuickSync built in.  This is effectively an H264 encoding engine built-into the processor which does fast encoding into this format for either Blu-ray or MP4 files.  Without QuickSync and hour of video will take 4-5 hours to encode. With QuickSync an hour will take half an hour to encode!  This feature is only available if you use EDIUS 6 or above and the right configuration of motherboard and processor.  It does not work with Adobe Premiere Pro,Avid Media Composer or Sony Vegas currently.  We also do not know if they will support it in the future.  This does not mean that the Sandybridge is a bad processor for use with Premiere Pro or the other programs - on the contrary it is very fast.  It just means that EDIUS takes advantage of a special feature it has to make Blu-ray discs faster than anyone else.

There are now faster i7 processors, the ENTHUSIASTS as described below, and it makes sense if not using EDIUS to consider spending the extra for the power these afford.  The i7 Enthusiast will speed up the effects and other parts of EDIUS as well but the Blu-ray encoding with EDIUS will still be faster on the i7 Sandybridge processors, because of the QuickSync feature.

i7 ENTHUSIAST PROCESSORS

We have a new type of processor called an "i7 Enthusiast",  released in December 2011, which is different from the SANDYBRIDGE processor listed in the system above.  It has 6 "cores" as opposed to 4, and needs RAM chips in multiples of 4 chips.  It is considerably faster than the normal SANDYBRIDGE processor as long as the program you are using can use multiple cores in processors properly.  64 bit Adobe Premiere Pro CS5.5 does this and on some operations we noticed a speed increase of up to 50% over the SANDYBRIDGE.  Not every part of Premiere takes advantage of multi-core processors so on the whole we think it is about 30% faster.

An i7 Enthusiast system costs more than the Sandybridge so you need to decide whether that cost is justified when deciding whether to buy the processor or not.

Just to be difficult the real name for the i7 Enthusiast is an i7 Sandybridge Enthusiast - both the i7s we sell are Sandybridge ones but to try explain the differences we are calling the Quick-sync i7 a Sandybridge and the newer processer the Enthusiast.

Intel Xeons

Some of the fastest processors, we often refer to these as "i7 Xeons".  They have all the clever jiggery pokery of the i7s, only with two processors instead of one.  They are available in various speeds, up to 3.2GHz at present and some have 4 cores, some have 6 cores.  These processors have been around for a year or so the single processors, like the i7 Enthusiast processor are catching up to their speed.  If looking for a system which is better than the i7 we would recommend the more expensive 6 core processors as you will find the quad core ones are not better than the single processor computers, although cost more.