:::Dedicated PC for RIPPING/Encoding to H.264:::

Hey guys,
I am ready to buy new components to put together small footprint dedicated machine for ripping and encoding Blu ray to H.264. Can someone advise me in the right direction? I am in IT business, but lack certain info.. So far I know:

::: Quad core best for Encode blu-ray material to H.264 format = Do you agree, and does it make a huge impact ?
::: Slimming Windows XP Pro with software like nlite = Anyone has best setting to slim down with nlite
for only ripping/encoding, you think it makes a difference?
any other/better software out there besides nlite?

What is the timeframe for ripping blu ray movie, and encoding? Is there a big factor that will cut the time? So far my thoughts are, processor is the key player in encoding time....

What's your budget on this? You're going in the right direction, though how much you're willing to spend to shave off a few more minutes will influence suggestions. An i7 860 would be a great choice, but that automatically puts you in the $1,000 range for parts.

also, fiddling with XP Pro will get you some performance gain from increasing available resources, but unless you have a 64-bit version of it, you're better off going with a newer OS.

Since you are from an IT background, how much exposure do you have to Linux? I haven't researched it specifically, but you could probably find some nice lean OS builds that will do what you want, and won't cost you a dime.

I would go with the AMD build mainly because you'll have more processor options down the road. Core 2 Quad and LGA 775 is currently a dead end. for an SSD recommendation, OCZ Vertex is the best balance of performance and cost right now. Intel G2 SSDs are better, but they cost nearly twice as much, and you can't find them anywhere.

yeah, you'll want at least DDR3 rated at 1333 Mhz. look for lower voltages and CAS latency of 9 or lower. Recognized brands are all pretty safe, Corsair, OCZ, G.Skill, Mushkin, Patriot, all have good reputations, and do realize that there always going to be dead sticks from any company, if they don't work, places like newegg make RAM exhcanges easy and relatively painless.

I've always had good luck with OCZ RAM, good mix of specs and pricing. G.Skill is also a popular choice for the same reason.

The i5 750 is only $10-25 more expensive and will greatly overpower both. I'm surprised nobody noticed this. Especially for your uses (and the bargain that it is) this CPU is a MUST.

Don't pass this up!

The Athlon x4 620 is supposed to be only $100, so the 750 is more then $25. The 750 would perform better, but its twice the cost. This is a CPU task so the 750 is a good idea if he can swing it. And looking at $180 CPUs I'd spend the extra $20 to get the 750 if buying DDR3 ram and a P55 motherboard isn't going to be to much.

I wouldn't bother with the AMD 965/955. To much $$$ compared to the 750. That new Athlon X4 however overclocked to 3.2GHz+ might be just thing. $100 for something that has a shot against the 9550? NICE.