Specialised rig question

Hello everyone,

Now first all I thank you for your replies on my last post. I ended up upgrading my E8400 to a Q9300 and it did make a difference when video editing on Vegas, Premiere as well as Photoshop and AfterEffects.

However my rig is not purpose built for video editing, and I am hesitant to convert it because that would leave me with my backup machines for illustration and other work when the rig is encoding or processing effects on a scene.

Here are the systems I have as well as their respective use :

Main workstation
Q9300 @ 3.2 gHz
6 GB (2 x 2 gb + 2 x 1 gb DDR 6400)
500 gb 7200 RPM 16 mb cache OS HDD
1 tb 7200 RPM 32 mb cache (files/projects)
500 gb 7200 RPM 16 mb cache USB 2.0 (storage)
ATI HD3850 512 mb GDDR3
Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit

Software Used :
Photoshop CS4
Premiere CS4
AfterEffects CS4
Vegas Pro 11
Ableton Live 8.1
ArtRage Pro 3.5
Toon Boom Studio 4.5
TVPaint 9 Pro

Very light gaming, only free MMOs available on Steam (not a factor when building a system)
Illustrations, drawings @300DPI, up to A0 size
Video editing, live action up to 720p@25 fps
Video animation at 1080p@25 fps, animated digital paintings style (no simple coloring)
Music composition

Backup system
Athlon x2 4400 @stock speed (2.2 gHz I think)
4 gb DDR2 5300 ram (4 x 1gb)
250 gb 16 mb cache 7200 RPM HDD
Geforce 8300GS 256 mb
Windows Vista Business 64 bits

All the same software as main system

Almost no gaming, for use when main rig is encoding, but mostly relegated to viewing final output as the backup machine is connected to a TV

Other systems
Athlon 64 3000 /2 GB / 2 x 40 gb HDD/ 5200FX - old Adobe Premiere editing rig
P4 HT desktop replacement notebook - video preview (helps me optimise my streams for older systems)
Atom n270 netbook - for writing my scripts on the go (Celtx) as well as doing low res sketches
Atom n270 nettop - no idea why I bought it, but hey it was 50€ on eBay... I use it to do my writing as it has a higher resolution than the netbook and consumes less power than both the backup and main systems

_____________

So I have been doing some reading, and I realise I need to have a harddrive configuration for video editing : 3 HDDs, one for OS, one for the source files and one for the final output.

The thing is, the Athlon x2 just won't cut it for the work I am now doing, specially after effects. I can draw my animation frames and to the preliminary line animation sketches, but anything more than that just stresses it. I need something with the same power or greater as my main rig.

So I have two choices, given my budget :


Option 1 : Buy a G41 mobo (I know they don't overclock well, but it will overclock enough), 8 gb ddr3 ram, a simple case with a 550W PSU, 3 HDDS 1 tb 32 m cache 7200 RPM, a GT440 or GTS 450 card (GDDR5) and migrate my q9300 there, and OC it to 3 gHz. The old rig will then get the E8400 OC'ed @ 4gHz, which will allow me to do more more than the athlon while the Q9300 is encoding. The Q9300, when not encoding, will be the main work machine, with only work software installed. Cost of such upgrade : 320€ to 390€

Option 2 : Build a Phenom II X6 1045T system, with same number of HDDs, 16 gb DDR3 ram, same case and PSU, same gfx card and a 970 series mobo (don't remember the model, I'm not at home). In this case, the gfx is optional. Cost of such upgrade : 440€ to 540€ (which at max is 80€ overbudget).

In either scenario, the main rig will be the main work machine as well as the encoding machine, where the new backup system will be used to creating additional content only when the machine will be processing a scene. Granted, having a Q9300 as a secondary work system would be better over the E8400, but those extra 120€-150€ could be used to buy extra equipment (I need a midi keyboard for composing, as well as a printer)

So this is directed towards video editing pros and enthusiasts that work doing animations and/or use after effects a lot. Will the extra money I spend guarantee I get a much better system for my animation needs? Please understand, i5, i7, and FX (the 8 core rigs) are way beyond my budget, I am already stretching it thin as it is spending 300-540€ more. Also, keep in mind that this is my first production so think back to when you started out as well, I am making the best I can with what I have or can get. I can manage with my current builds, but I need to spend less time waiting for the scenes to process. Also, 1055T - 1100T are out of the question as they are way too expensive here in France, whereas the 1045T is 110€ and can be overclocked quite a bit.

I thank you in advance for your responses.