What is the best hardware configuration for my workflow?

It’s the most asked question. From your application mix, application code, to CPU, GPU and different file types, successfully configuring professional media-­specific hardware is complex. Maybe you have already spent weeks online trying to get these answers. Or you’ve thought to call the leading manufacturers. If you call HP, Dell, Apple or other independent custom builders and say “My top applications are After Effects, Maya and ZBrush – what’s the best configuration for me?” you will likely get silence. Or perhaps “What’s ZBrush?” They simply won’t know what you’re talking about.

Does this sound familiar?

Many companies actually want to help, but just don’t have an in­-depth knowledge of pro media and can’t answer your questions. Many others, including the largest companies, direct you toward what they sell rather than what is best for the work you do.

How valuable is knowing which hardware optimizes your productivity and performance?

Often, the major hardware manufacturers will point you to “professional” grade hardware with significantly higher upfront costs. This is costly, but it pales in comparison to the costs associated with having the wrong hardware for the work you do. This cost can be thousands to potentially millions of dollars yearly, depending on your organization’s size and workload.

What should I do?

You can of course research online, but if you want to know what’s best for the applications you use and the exact work you do, we can help. From our own in-depth research, testing and dialogue with thousands of media pros since 2010, we understand how to optimize your professional media workflow cost­-effectively and can provide different levels of diagnostic hardware configuration support depending on your needs. Best of all, you can apply 100% of your consult cost toward the purchase of any mediaworkstation or server.

Here are the different diagnostic levels we offer:

Starter

  • Workflow Diagnostic
  • Best Mediaworkstation For Your Needs
  • Best CPU For Your Workflow
  • FREE

Studio

  • Detailed Workflow Diagnostic
  • Best Model For Your Needs
  • Ideal CPU, RAM, GPU, and drive configuration per workflow needs
  • Comprehensive Component-level Diagnostic of your current workflow (per machine): CPU, RAM GPU(s), SSD, Optical, PCIe Cards, Power Supply, Case, Airflow
  • Bottleneck identification of current hardware and applications, if any
  • Storage i/o required for needs including RAID
  • 4K, 8K Davinci Resolve / Premiere Pro / Avid / Sony Ultra Dense Compute Need
  • 60 minute phone call to cover all the above for 1-2 workflows
  • $197

Enterprise

  • Detailed Workflow Diagnostic
  • Best Model For Your Needs
  • Ideal CPU, RAM, GPU, and drive configuration per workflow needs
  • Comprehensive Component level Diagnostic of your current workflow (per machine): CPU, RAM GPU(s), SSD, Optical, PCIe Cards, Power Supply, Case, Airflow
  • Bottleneck identification of current hardware and applications, if any
  • Storage i/o required for needs including RAID
  • 4K8K/Davinci/Avid/Premiere Pro/Sony Vegas/Ultra Dense Compute Need
  • Realtime Performance Requirements
  • SAN/NAS Diagnosis and Recommendation
  • 90 minute call to cover all the above for 3-4 different workflows
  • $397

For organizations that would like to review optimum configurations for 5+ different workflows, or mixed workstation, server and mobile needs oranization-wide, we can provide a custom quote for a comprehensive diagnostic analyses to provide a clear picture of what will be support you best.

Is it just about determining the best hardware configuration?

The purpose is to root out any current issues in your workflow, and choose the best hardware for your needs. The consult provides you with a simple overview of how you can optimize what you do by understanding how your hardware works with your software, which can save you thousands or hundreds of thousands in productivity and hardware expense.

As mentioned, you can apply 100% of your diagnostic costs toward the purchase of any new mediaworkstation or server if you choose to buy with us. If you don’t, you can take your knowledge to another provider, or even build your hardware yourself.

If you choose us, we’ll build your new custom mediaworkworkstation from the ground up. This includes configuration, assembly, 24 hour stability testing and palletized freight shipment to your door. Every mediaworkstation also comes with our three year parts & labor warranty (upgradeable to five years for server-grade products) along with unlimited technical support.

If you’d like to schedule your diagnostic, please email us your top 3 applications, estimated percentage of use each, files types used, your current hardware and any workflow issues you’d like to resolve. We’ll then forward upcoming available consult times and get your consult scheduled at the time that works best for you.