Advise for video editing: CPU + Motherboard + components

makemywish

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Jun 22, 2008
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Hi. I am looking at building a system for video editing (Adobe CS3). Actually this is the first time I am building a system. I have needs of:

a) transferring/capturing HD/SD from camera
b) video editing and rendering (using Premiere/After Effects)

I am planning to go with 4GB memory.

Based on my budget I am considering Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Energy Efficient 95W edition Socket 775 (2.40GHz) G0 Stepping L2 8MB Cache OEM

I am hoping this will provide me a much better processing than my current laptop (Dell Inspiron 6000/1.73ghz/2GB/ATI Mobility x300 w128MB dedicated memory).

Besides the usual components, I am not sure what kind of motherboard would be best suited for the processor (for video editing) and what video card I should go for (please bear in mind I cannot afford very expensive video cards at the moment. I may install a high end one sometime down the line).. Please find below what I have on my shopping list (I would be grateful if you could point out if I have missed something -- including cables, heatsink, screws etc).


■Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Energy Efficient 95W edition Socket 775 (2.40GHz) G0 Stepping L2 8MB Cache OEM Processor
■ASUS P5N-MX GeForce 7050 Socket 775 onboard VGA 6 channel audio mATX Motherboard
■Kingston 4gb (2x2gb) Ddr2 800mhz Memory Non-ecc Cl5
■Casecom KB-7760 Black ATX Midi Tower Case - No PSU, No Case Fans Included
■Casecom 500W 12cm Fan - 20+4pin, ATX12v, 4x Molex - Retail Box
■AKASA 80mm Amber series 3 pin Ultra quiet case fan
■Plexus PCI Combo Card 5 Port USB2.0 (4 External, 1 Internal) & 3 Port IEEE 1394 Firewire (2 External, 1 Internal)
■Digimate L2041W 20" TFT Monitor 1680x1050 8ms Multimedia VGA 3 years Warranty
■Logitech Cordless Desktop EX 110 - USB/PS2
■Plexus Wireless 54Mbps PCI Adapter
■Optiarc AD-7191S 20X DVD±RW/DL/RAM LightScribe Serial ATA Black Bare Drive - OEM
■Infiniti Lightscribe 16x DVD-R 4.7gb 10pk Spindle
■Plexus Kettle Type Power Lead 2m

Many Thanks
Kishore
 

akhilles

Splendid
The accessories are included in the mobo/case packages. You need a few basic hardware tools for the build.

Both the mobo & monitor have a d-sub. And you're capturing video through USB/Firewire? You're good to go.
 

makemywish

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Jun 22, 2008
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Thanks very much akhilles. That was reassuring. I worked out a cheaper config with an AMD AM2 CPU but the crunching for Adobe Premiere encoding (as per the processor comparison on this site) would apparently take double the time. The cost savings between an Intel and AMD system was about £80 (AMD £380. Intel £460). So I think I'll go for the Intel build. This is what the final system will look like:

For your criticism

■Zotac 8500GT 512MB DDR2 DVI VGA TV Out PCI-E Graphics Card. Suggestions for a graphics card is welcome as I am not sure what would be reasonable for video editing (HD/SD). I realise I don't need the Quadro types 3D rendering graphics card as I am not doing any animation. Am I right in my assumption? As of now I only use a bit of Adobe After Effects for titling and some other effects at the most.
■Belkin IDE Single Ribbon Cable 18"
■Belkin Serial ATA 2.0 7-pin Cable (Yellow) 18"
■Hitachi 250GB Hard Drive SATA II 7200RPM 8MB Cache - OEM
■Speeze (EE514B7) Speeze Intel P4 775 cooler - Ball bearing with push pins for easy motherboard mounting
■Extra Value Pst700-it1 Thermal Compound Silver Grease Injection Tube
■Extra Value 80mm Blue LED Case Fan
■Extra Value Gold 750W Silent PSU - 12cm Fan, 20+4pin, 2x SATA, 1x PCI-E
■Casecom 6630 Black Midi Tower Case With Front Panel USB2.0/Audio - No PSU
■Crucial 4GB Kit (2x2GB) DDR2 800MHz/PC2-6400 Memory Non-ECC Unbuffered CL6 Lifetime Warranty
■ASUS P5B-VM SE iG965 Socket 775 Socket onboard VGA 6 Channel Audio mATX motherboard
■Plexus Wireless 54Mbps PCI Adapter
■Digimate L2041W 20" TFT Monitor 1680x1050 8ms Multimedia VGA 3 years Warranty
■Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Energy Efficient 95W edition Socket 775 (2.40GHz) G0 Stepping L2 8MB Cache OEM Processor

Cheers
 

akhilles

Splendid
Go with the Intel build. I have used both AMD & Intel of various speeds & configs. The Intel build usually beats out AMD in terms of video/audio encoding/decoding.

The list still looks great.