Best PC for Video editing

[edDV]

You can just buy a Q9400 for video encoding and a Gigabyte G31M-ES2L micro atx motherboard. The quad will keep her ahead of the game for about 2-3 years. Using the Gigabyte UD3P motherboard is basically for overclocking c2d or c2quad cpu's. IMHO a gaming video card would be a waste. Here's my suggestions:

Intel Q9400, $219.99 (FREE SHIPPING)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115131

Gigabyte G31M-ES2L motherboard, $52.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128357

GSkill 4gb (2x2gb) DDR2-800 Ram, $47.99 (FREE SHIPPING)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231122

Sapphire ATI HD 4650 Video card, $55.99, has HDMI via adapter
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102829

WD Black 500gb Sata hard drive, $69.99 (FREE SHIPPING)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136320

WD Black 80gb Sata hard drive, $35.99 (For operating system)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822135106

Antec Three Hundred Computer Case, $54.99 (FREE SHIPPING)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042

Corsair 450 watt power supply, (FREE SHIPPING)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139003

Subtotal = $612.38
UPS 3 day shipping = $13.77
Total = $626.15
Total after $15.00 mail in rebate = $611.15

Just my 2 cents!

I'd agree there are faster mobos but got the phaseout DDR2 version and the Quadcore chip and 4GB RAM for under $300. The UD3P also has more SATA ports, more USB2, more card slots, onboard AC3 and two IEEE-1394.

[budz]

^^^Sure the UD3P is a good motherboard but this is for a kid who's graduating from high school it's not necessary to buy the top of the line motherboard. By the time she grads from college there will be other faster cpu's and better motherboards. IMHO spending more money on a faster quad cpu now is better in the long run. That's just my opinion.

Do a search on the Gigabyte UD3P mobo and you'll see it's the most bought motherboard not because it has more SATA ports, two IEEE-1394 & USB ports, it's because it can overclock cpu's very well. I'm sure the OP isn't looking at overclocking a cpu for his niece. I own a UD3P as well and it was bought to overclock my Q9550 cpu!

[ted demen]

heres a system within budget (theres a newegg link on there as well)
http://techreport.com/articles.x/16721/2

[poisondeathray]

OP is from Argentina, not sure if Newegg ships there...

Also exchange rates are killer usually, most non-American countries (Canada included ) get shafted

Make sure you check out student pricing on software (and sometimes even hardware), it often <50%. As mentioned software is many times more expensive than the hardware

[edDV]

^^^Sure the UD3P is a good motherboard but this is for a kid who's graduating from high school it's not necessary to buy the top of the line motherboard. By the time she grads from college there will be other faster cpu's and better motherboards. IMHO spending more money on a faster quad cpu now is better in the long run. That's just my opinion.

Do a search on the Gigabyte UD3P mobo and you'll see it's the most bought motherboard not because it has more SATA ports, two IEEE-1394 & USB ports, it's because it can overclock cpu's very well. I'm sure the OP isn't looking at overclocking a cpu for his niece. I own a UD3P as well and it was bought to overclock my Q9550 cpu!

I agree we drifted upmarket but my point was I could do this for $300 buying closeouts not the latest chipset (case, OS and software excluded). A complete computer could be built for $600 including OS if you build your own.

[lordsmurf]

edDV, I can do even better -- I built a new system for far, far less ($150-200) buying "old" parts -- a mix of used, refurb and new -- from Microcenter (and Microcenter.com), Directron.com and Geeks.com. Right this minute, two boxes built this way are encoding some H.264 and filtering some videos. Slower than a quad-core or dual-core, of course, but still good enough speed-wise.

For already-built systems, I see some great deals at TigerDirect.com -- I did one myself last month, love the system, awesome pricing.

[edDV]

edDV, I can do even better -- I built a new system for far, far less ($150-200) buying "old" parts -- a mix of used, refurb and new -- from Microcenter (and Microcenter.com), Directron.com and Geeks.com. Right this minute, two boxes built this way are encoding some H.264 and filtering some videos. Slower than a quad-core or dual-core, of course, but still good enough speed-wise.

For already-built systems, I see some great deals at TigerDirect.com -- I did one myself last month, love the system, awesome pricing.

I find it amazing how cheap all computers are now. No need to chase high end glitter.

I'm spending most on software and hard drives.

[pg55555]

Yes, I'm from Argentina and harware is more expensive here. But I travel frequently to the States, and I have family living there. And I can enter up to $300 of goods without paying import taxes (good for the mother, graphics card and PSU. CPU and memory just get into the pocket)

Now the alternatives are becoming interesting:

At $190: what is better for the suggested purpose:
- E8500 (2 cores, 3.16 Mhz) or Q9400 (4 cores, 2.66 MHz)

At $330 for a combination of CPU+GPU, what is better:
- E8500+GTS250 or E8600 (2 cores, 3.33 Mhz)+9500GT

[budz]

Yes, I'm from Argentina and harware is more expensive here. But I travel frequently to the States, and I have family living there. And I can enter up to $300 of goods without paying import taxes (good for the mother, graphics card and PSU. CPU and memory just get into the pocket)

Now the alternatives are becoming interesting:

At $190: what is better for the suggested purpose:
- E8500 (2 cores, 3.16 Mhz) or Q9400 (4 cores, 2.66 MHz)

At $330 for a combination of CPU+GPU, what is better:
- E8500+GTS250 or E8600 (2 cores, 3.33 Mhz)+9500GT

If the main purpose is video encoding then the Q9400 is the one to buy. A CPU+GPU combo is only ideal if you're buying it as gaming rig. For a gaming rig the E8500 is what I see gamers using rather than a Quad cpu. There aren't games making use of a Quad cpu just yet. Just my 2 cents!

[edDV]

I agree. Pro video apps use the full potential of four or more cores and multi-cores are great for running multiple programs at the same time. The 9600GT has PureVideoHD playback hardware acceleration for HD formats. It also does well for games.


PS: Don't forget that these advanced display cards require at least a 500W power supply.

[Skith]

Do not let Technology terms mislead you, a "Workstation" does not have to be an expensive machine, self built or pre-configured. No where did I indicate that the OP should look for anything game oriented. Workstations come in many flavors, from the mundane, to high end CAD/CAM, to Specialized 3D Imagining machines used in hospitals.

A Workstation is what you make it, much like a desktop or home PC, the difference is that it is configured and used, in most cases, to perform a specific range of tasks.

I hope this wasn't to off topic,, I just wanted to clear up the misconception that a workstation had to be something "expensive" or "out of budget".

[edDV]

Do not let Technology terms mislead you, a "Workstation" does not have to be an expensive machine, self built or pre-configured. No where did I indicate that the OP should look for anything game oriented. Workstations come in many flavors, from the mundane, to high end CAD/CAM, to Specialized 3D Imagining machines used in hospitals.

A Workstation is what you make it, much like a desktop or home PC, the difference is that it is configured and used, in most cases, to perform a specific range of tasks.

I hope this wasn't to off topic,, I just wanted to clear up the misconception that a workstation had to be something "expensive" or "out of budget".

I agree. A workstation is designed to meet the needs of a narrow application. Usually the designer is paid by those that commissioned the project. Sometimes not.