CPU and Mobo comparisons for CS5/CS6 video editing

[Dave Bitton]

Hi!

I'm about to upgrade my current editing rig (Premiere & After Effects CS5 - will eventually upgrade to CS6) and am having difficulty choosing between two CPU options and two motherboard options. I was hoping someone out there could help out.

For the CPU, I'm trying to pick between the 3930k and the 3820. I know one is hex core and the other is quad core, but does that translate to a major difference in performance, or just a minor one? (Basically, is the 3930k worth the extra $250)

On the motherboard side, I'm picking between the ASUS P9X79 Deluxe and the WS. I don't intend to ever use either 3-way or 4-way SLI. I'm leaning towards the Deluxe because of the integrated wi-fi, e-SATA and additional SATA/USB2 & 3 ports over the WS. Is there something important that the WS does over the Deluxe that is relevant to video editing? Perhaps with regards to setting up a RAID?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
David.

 

[maestro0428]

Yes, those extra cores will really pay off. So will lots of memory. So will a good video card. So will a great storage setup. I would go with the Deluxe out of those two, but would buy an ASRock if I personally needed a board. All areas affect performance in that software. What are the specs for the rest of your system?

 

[Dave Bitton]

Thanks for the reply, Maestro.

Basically, my current setup is maxed out - RAM, CPU and PCI slots are all full, so I'm doing a base fundamental upgrade to allow for future upgrade.

My current system is:
Mobo: ASUS P5K-SE
CPU: Q8800 Core2Quad
RAM: 8GB
Video Card: Palit 450GTS 1024MB DDR5
Storage:
-128GB OCZ Vertex4 SSD for OS and programs
-2x2TB Hitachi Deskstar 7200rpm drives for media (non-RAIDed)
-1x1TB 7200rpm drive for Adobe Media Cache
Expansion cards:
-Blackmagic Intensity Pro
-USB 3 controller
-Firewire controller
-Wifi Networking card

My new system would look something like this:
Mobo: ASUS P9X79 Deluxe (or WS)
CPU: 3930k or 3820
RAM: 32GB of GSkill 1600 F3-12800CL10Q-32GBZL (with intention to upgrade to 64GB later)
Video card - same as above (it runs Mercury Playback Engine fine, so don't see the need to change at this point)
Storage - will eventually switch to some sort of RAID array, but can't afford it for the time being, so will stick with the current setup.

Expansion cards
-If I get the Deluxe mobo, I can ditch the USB 3 controller & the wifi card.
-If I get the WS, I can ditch the Firewire card and the USB 3 controller (although there are only 2 USB 3 ports on the WS, as opposed to 6 on the deluxe)

I like ASUS, and have heard good things with regards to their X79 boards, so I think I'll stick with them. Do you know if the WS offers anything more with regards to RAID performance/setup?

Let me know if you have any other thoughts.

 

[Dave Bitton]

By the way, the current project I'm working on is a feature-length documentary with 4TB of media and growing. Mostly DSLR h.264 and HDV footage. Easily over 6000 files.

I basically want it to load and run faster so that this behemoth project is easier to manage.