Peter Benson wrote:1) Which make model and cost for the RAID, and
2) What type RAID is it and what is that RAID configurations major benefit Brad -- (for example: RAID 0 for enhanced read/write speed?
3) Which calibrate-capable reference monitor did you snatch up?
Lastly4) How much system RAM and GPU RAM does that little puppy boast?
I got a Promise Pegasus 3 R4 (12 Terabyte) array, about $2,000 Canadian; it comes configured in RAID 5 which is typical for video work -- you want a combination of speed and redundancy, and RAID 5 provides both. I had to get a Thunderbolt 3 to 2 adapter to plug it into the Mac Pro 2013, which only has Thunderbolt 2 ports. Twelve terabytes isn't much, but it's enough for my needs for the foreseeable future. I only have time to work on a couple of video projects per year.
For the monitor, I got an Eizo CG 277. I looked into Flanders and was tempted but not for $6,000 Canadian, which is what it would have cost including taxes, duties, and shipping. The Eizo was about half that.
For the Mac Pro, I got 32 gigs of RAM and the D700 GPUs; it comes with two of them, 3 gigs each for a total of 6 gigs, and even the free version of Resolve uses both GPUs on the MacPro (normally you have to buy the Studio version to use multiple GPUs). I do plan to buy the Studio version once version 15 is officially released and no longer in Beta), but it's $400 Canadian and I'm saving up for it. I want the noise reduction and a few other features.
This is all adequate for my purposes, which is HD video editing only. I'm only working on my own projects, no clients, so I can set my own terms in terms of my system's capabilities. My day job is 100% client-based work; video is an opportunity to do what I want the way I want to, and to set my own limitations.
The other big expenses have of course been camera equipment and sound equipment. Lenses, filters (ND, IR-UV cut, etc.), fluid head for my tripod, and then sound equipment like a Sound Devices MixPre 6 for recording, and a couple of Rycote windjammer kits (with blimp and "dead cat"). Fortunately I already have good microphones as I've been doing live sound and music recording for about 20 years, although only a few of my mics are suitable for work with video. I'll probably have to get a shotgun mic eventually for recording interviews (I'm mostly working on documentary-style projects), but for now I'm using my cheap-but-amazingly good Line Audio CM-3 cardioids, which are not ideal for targetted sound and are super-sensitive to wind (hence the blimp), but they have been compared very favorably to Shoeps MK21 mics, which cost about 10 times as much.
I'm avoiding lighting equipment for now, and maybe forever...if I stick to shooting video outdoors in natural light or indoors with window lighting only (and maybe a few reflectors), I should be able to get by for quite a while without having to buy lighting. I haven't even started to learn about that end of it; video, sound, editing, and coloring are enough to keep me busy learning for the next decade!
Resolve 18 Studio, Mac Pro 3.0 GHz 8-core, 32 gigs RAM, dual AMD D700 GPU.
Audio I/O: Sound Devices USBPre-2