Sub $1800 AVCHD editing PC

[djbauda]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: asap
BUDGET RANGE: under US $1800

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: editing AVCHD, converting AVCHD, converting flac, web surfing

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com

PARTS PREFERENCES: NONE

OVERCLOCKING: Yes

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:
I was hoping someone could help me with building a system for editing home AVCHD clips.

I have a Canon HF100 and don't play any games on the PC. I'm looking at overclocking an i7 920 but need some help picking out the other components.

1) I want to overclock, so which x58 motherboard should I get? I was looking at the Asus P6T based on reviews here.
2) I plan on getting 12GB ram, so 2 sets of 3x2GB ram. Any advice as to which memory to get?
3) Does the videocard matter for editing / rendering avchd? Can I get by with an integrated card or should I get a separate one? If so, which one would be good? As I said, I don't play games.
4) I plan on having a system drive, a raid 0 setup for video editing, and a separate backup drive. I was thinking about doing raid 5 instead of raid 0 but I'm concerned about the extra heat due to two extra drives.
5) How large of a power supply do I need?

I will probably run Windows 7 64bit RC on the box until the official version comes out. I'm not looking for high end video editing software like vegas pro so I will probably go with vegas movie studio platinum pro to edit raw avchd unless someone can recommend better software.

I appreciate any feedback. Thanks for any help!

 

[mdale13]

okay so first, getting 3 sticks of 4GB RAM will run you about $600+ AND itsnt even possible with a x58 mobo yet.

you are going to want to get either 1 6x2GB DDR3 kit, or 2 3x2GB kits. either of those options will run you about $200.

GPU matters, but not nearly as much as CPU/RAM. if you are doing literally no gaming, you may want to look into a cheap nvidia quadro FX card. i dont know about this one though, others will have a better idea

 

[djbauda]

I corrected the bad memory config in my original post. I'm surprised no one else has responded to help. Can someone please help? Thanks.

 

[djbauda]

Any other replies?

 

[Why_Me]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137 $79.99
COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005 $99.99 ($79.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate) Free Shipping*
CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.203722 Combo Discount: -$15.00 Combo Price: $524.98 $20.00 Mail-In Rebate
GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD4P LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920 - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233029 $39.98
XIGMATEK Dark Knight-S1283V 120mm Long Life Bearing CPU Cooler - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835154003 $4.99
Tuniq TX-2 Cooling Thermal Compound - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130468 $124.99 ($109.99 after $15.00 Mail-In Rebate)
EVGA 512-P3-1150-TR GeForce GTS 250 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227421 $174.99 Free Shipping*
OCZ Platinum 12GB (6 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Voltage Desktop Memory Model OCZ3P1600LV12GS - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319 $69.99 Free Shipping*
Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319 $69.99 Free Shipping*
Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284 $99.99 Free Shipping*
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drives - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151173 $27.99
SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 22X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe - OEM

 

[djbauda]

Instead of the GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD4P, what about this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131365
ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard

I'm looking to overclock the 920. The Asus board is the board of choice at tom's I believe. Actually, in their mobo roundup they didn't review the gigabyte. Thoughts on the gigabyte board vs the asus board?

For the case, I was also looking at:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129024
Antec Sonata III 500 Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply

This comes with a PSU as well. The only thing is, the PSU in this case is at the top vs at the bottom in the cooler master. If that's a big factor with heat, then I'll switch back to cooler master. I'm looking to keep the system quiet as well.


Lastly, I'll probably change the 640 GB WD caviar black HDD to the 1 TB.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drives - OEM

I plan on putting two of those 1 TB drives in a raid 0 array for maximum performance for video editing...as long as the mobo supports it.

Thoughts? Any other feedback?

Thanks!

 

[Why_Me]

Nice changes. With the mobo's...it's a toss up with the Asus and Gigabyte boards. It's like six one way, and half a dozen the other. Either board is a good choice imo.