Let's get this from the ground up.
If remember right "gopro" captures in MPEG4 (.mp4) files using h.264 compression.
This opens you up for almost any processor. (think brain of computer)
So get the fastest one you can afford. These are expressed in GHz (gigahertz) 2 or higher.
Multi-core processors are multiple chips on one board. So a 1.5 gig duel processor is the same as a 3
gig processor only if your editing program is capable of using the duel processor. Do the research on your program.
The program website will probably give info on what is best.
Next is storage. I use a smaller hard drive on the computer to store the
operating system and programs. 40 to 80 gigs.
Then for storage of footage, a larger hard drive. 100 times the size of your SD card
from your camera is minimum. (Sd card is 2 gig = 200 gig hard drive) Bigger is better here
as long as you don't go over 500 gig per hard drive. If you need more than 500G get multiple.
The reason for two hard drives is two fold.
First you don't want the computer accessing the same hard drive to both access the video
and access the editing program.
Second, the program hard drive will be constantly accessed while editing, hence heavy usage
and more potential for failure. If you have your footage on a separate drive, when (not if) the
program drive goes down, all your footage is recoverable.
All hard drives should be SATA drives.
Now for ram. Mo is better. Max out what your motherboard will handle.
Windows 7 uses 2 gig just for the operating system.
Everything above 2 gig will determine how fast you can access your data.
I would put 4 gig at minimum. 8 is great.
Most important is the video graphic card.
This is the interface between you and the video editing program. It is a small computer itself.
A good overall measurement of a card's performance is its frame rate, measured in frames per second (FPS). The frame rate describes how many complete images the card can display per second. The human eye can process about 25 frames every second, but fast-action games require a frame rate of at least 60 FPS to provide smooth animation and scrolling.
People who use their computers primarily for e-mail, word processing or Web surfing can find all the necessary graphics support on a motherboard with integrated graphics. A mid-range card is sufficient for most casual gamers. People who need the power of a high-end card include gaming enthusiasts and people who do lots of video work.
Again, buy the best possible.
Last is the tower, this machine will run HOT. A large tower will allow for additional cooling fans and further expansion of the hardware. Place the tower in an open area with lots of external air flow. Plan to clean it internally often.
An on board SD card reader will make it easier to dump video.
Two or more DVD burners are nice. One good one is mandatory. My software will allow for multiple burners so if I need multiple copies I don't have to sit and change every time one is burned.
Now for your old machine...
Keep it and use it for everything else. The only reason my video machine accesses the net is to upload to Vimeo. This reduces the chance of a virus and keeps it running clean. I use a KVM switch to access both computers from one set of monitor, keyboard and mouse. (OK actually have 5 towers on one set of monitor, keyboard and mouse) This explains the switch.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KVM_switch" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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