Q8400 vs Q6600 for HDV video capture

acusman · Feb 15, 2011, 12:40 AM

I'm about to enter the "8mm film-to-DVD" arena to transfer about 5 miles of family archive film. I'm going to utilize a MovieStuff Workprinter-HD along with a Canon XHA1 HD camera, a Black Magic Intensity Pro card and a VERY specific PC that has been speced by the company. They are recommending a minimum Core 2 Quad Q8400 processor. However, I have many more options with a Q6600 processor. Does anyone have any data that would "rule out" the 6600 model? They are also calling for specific use of a Radeon HD4870 or HD5870 graphics card due to some callouts within the custom software program. The program allows each frame of the 8mm film to be captured and written to the RAID 0 hard disk configuration (RE3 drives), so speed is critical here. Sorry for rambling on my first post, but any help would be appreciated.

mkk · Feb 15, 2011, 12:59 AM

The Q6600 has excellent performance for its age, better than the Q8400 in some situations but they're close together overall. It runs a bit hotter, that's the one downside. Instinctively I'd doubt that their software is quite that demanding on the graphics side, but if they recommend a 5870 then it's safest to go for one. Shop around since prices can vary a lot with cards of this model today.

**synthesis204** · Feb 16, 2011, 06:32 PM

Assuming you are in the US, you can catch a 5870 for around $200 on NewEgg on some days (I'm seeing $210 today after rebate on the XFX 5870). That's probably the lowest you can catch it.

In terms of hardware, I don't know of any major changes between the Q6000 and Q8000 series other than just making it more efficient (aka cooler, less power hungry, etc.). So there should be no difference in performance (disregarding temps/power draw) assuming they are clocked the same.

Edit: the 4870 they mention is also no longer in production, but it is surpassed in speed by todays 5770, which is slower model than the 5870 (there is a noticable difference between the 4870 and the 5870). If they say a 4870 should work, a 5770 should also suffice (and they are quite a bit cheaper than 5870s).

acusman · Feb 16, 2011, 09:17 PM

Thank you all for input. I'm going to probably go for the Radeon HD4870 vgx. Any recommendations on manufacturers to avoid for this ATI-based chip? There's a WIDE range in prices for used cards.

**synthesis204** · Feb 16, 2011, 09:37 PM

XFX and Sapphire are the two most popular subvendors, and both have decent support (with XFX having the best). HIS has horrible support but generally stable cards, PowerColor and Sapphire tend to have the best cooling solutions, and VisionTek has the lifetime warranty.

acusman · Mar 4, 2011, 02:40 PM

You seem very knowledgeable, so perhaps you can suggest a higher-end solution that might work.
Minimum requirements are Core 2 Quad, LGA775 Mobo with P45 chipset; Radeon hd4870 or hd5870 graphics card; 4GB Kingston DDR2 RAM at 1066Mhz, 32-bit O/S (only).
320GB primary drive PLUS 2 500GB WE3 western digitial raid drives set up in Raid 0.
They've specified and tested this configuration for organizations that want the minimum investment. I'm looking for something that will have a long life than just this project for me. Any help appreciated.

Feb 15, 2011, 12:40 AM	#1
acusman HardwareHeaven Newbie Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: South Carolina Posts: 3 Rep Power: 0	Q8400 vs Q6600 for HDV video capture I'm about to enter the "8mm film-to-DVD" arena to transfer about 5 miles of family archive film. I'm going to utilize a MovieStuff Workprinter-HD along with a Canon XHA1 HD camera, a Black Magic Intensity Pro card and a VERY specific PC that has been speced by the company. They are recommending a minimum Core 2 Quad Q8400 processor. However, I have many more options with a Q6600 processor. Does anyone have any data that would "rule out" the 6600 model? They are also calling for specific use of a Radeon HD4870 or HD5870 graphics card due to some callouts within the custom software program. The program allows each frame of the 8mm film to be captured and written to the RAID 0 hard disk configuration (RE3 drives), so speed is critical here. Sorry for rambling on my first post, but any help would be appreciated.

Feb 15, 2011, 12:59 AM	#2
mkk Cthulhu/Dagon 2012 Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Gefle, Sweden Posts: 4,495 Rep Power: 132 System Specs	Re: Q8400 vs Q6600 for HDV video capture The Q6600 has excellent performance for its age, better than the Q8400 in some situations but they're close together overall. It runs a bit hotter, that's the one downside. Instinctively I'd doubt that their software is quite that demanding on the graphics side, but if they recommend a 5870 then it's safest to go for one. Shop around since prices can vary a lot with cards of this model today.

Feb 16, 2011, 06:32 PM	#3
synthesis204 Dragonborn Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: St. Louis, MO Posts: 1,176 Rep Power: 97 System Specs	Re: Q8400 vs Q6600 for HDV video capture Assuming you are in the US, you can catch a 5870 for around $200 on NewEgg on some days (I'm seeing $210 today after rebate on the XFX 5870). That's probably the lowest you can catch it. In terms of hardware, I don't know of any major changes between the Q6000 and Q8000 series other than just making it more efficient (aka cooler, less power hungry, etc.). So there should be no difference in performance (disregarding temps/power draw) assuming they are clocked the same. Edit: the 4870 they mention is also no longer in production, but it is surpassed in speed by todays 5770, which is slower model than the 5870 (there is a noticable difference between the 4870 and the 5870). If they say a 4870 should work, a 5770 should also suffice (and they are quite a bit cheaper than 5870s). __________________ Donate the spare computing power of your PC to help to cure alzheimers, ALS, huntington's, parkinson's disease and cancer: Fold for HH!

Feb 16, 2011, 09:17 PM	Thread Starter #4
acusman HardwareHeaven Newbie Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: South Carolina Posts: 3 Rep Power: 0	Re: Q8400 vs Q6600 for HDV video capture Thank you all for input. I'm going to probably go for the Radeon HD4870 vgx. Any recommendations on manufacturers to avoid for this ATI-based chip? There's a WIDE range in prices for used cards.

Feb 16, 2011, 09:37 PM	#5
synthesis204 Dragonborn Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: St. Louis, MO Posts: 1,176 Rep Power: 97 System Specs	Re: Q8400 vs Q6600 for HDV video capture XFX and Sapphire are the two most popular subvendors, and both have decent support (with XFX having the best). HIS has horrible support but generally stable cards, PowerColor and Sapphire tend to have the best cooling solutions, and VisionTek has the lifetime warranty. __________________ Donate the spare computing power of your PC to help to cure alzheimers, ALS, huntington's, parkinson's disease and cancer: Fold for HH!

Mar 4, 2011, 02:40 PM	Thread Starter #6
acusman HardwareHeaven Newbie Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: South Carolina Posts: 3 Rep Power: 0	Re: Q8400 vs Q6600 for HDV video capture You seem very knowledgeable, so perhaps you can suggest a higher-end solution that might work. Minimum requirements are Core 2 Quad, LGA775 Mobo with P45 chipset; Radeon hd4870 or hd5870 graphics card; 4GB Kingston DDR2 RAM at 1066Mhz, 32-bit O/S (only). 320GB primary drive PLUS 2 500GB WE3 western digitial raid drives set up in Raid 0. They've specified and tested this configuration for organizations that want the minimum investment. I'm looking for something that will have a long life than just this project for me. Any help appreciated.