Buying a video editing machine!

[MegaMan]

Okay, I've been trying to come up with a video editing/DVD authoring system (okay, mainly DVD authoring).

I will sum up my parts list:

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Intel Pentium 4 2.4BGHz 512K 533MHz CPU Northwood P478 Processor

ASUS P4PE/R/L/SATA Motherboard for Intel P4 478 Retail w/ Intel Hyper-Threading Technology, SATA, Onboard LAN, Firewire IEEE1394, Serial ATA SoundMAX Digital Audio System

Maxtor 120GB 7200RPM Hard Drive 8MB OEM

512 MB Crucial DDR C2700 • CL=2.5 • Unbuffered • Non-parity • 6ns • 2.5V • 64Meg x 64

WD WESTERN DIGITAL 40GB 7200RPM EIDE HARD DRIVE MODEL (for extra support)

ANTEC Performance PLUS Model PLUS1080AMG- with Antec Original TRUE 430W P4 Power Supply ATX12V (a good buy or no..?)

Cendyne or Sony dvd burner (lotta money :( )

M-Audio Audiophile 2496 sound card (for music editing)

Canopus ADVC-100 video capture card

Radeon 8500 video card (for not-so graphics-intensive games and such)

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1) I might post this question in cooling, but since I've got a bunch of other questions I'll take a chance - could I have a cooling solution recommendation for a system like this?

2) What would an identical AMD MB/CPU machine look like?

3) Is there another top-notch Intel motherboard (preferably ASUS, Epox or Abit) out there that doesn't have HT support but has firewire and doesn't cost a mint..?

4) Does this system look upgradeable to maybe a gig of ram and would I need to upgrade the power supply if I did?


Sorry for so many questions, researching computer parts is getting to be a pain!

[saphalline]

Processor looks good, so does the mobo, but if you have your heart set on something else then just take a look at Newegg's (www.newegg.com/) motherboard section.

You can never go wrong with Crucial RAM, and I like your secondary HD selection, but your primary Maxtor isn't the best. Granted it's worlds above most hard drives bought in 2001, but the WD JB series (8MB cache) still takes the cake for most duties despite being a year-old design.

Yep, that case & power supply is definitely a good buy. Those Antec True power supplies are some of the best in their price range.

Darn it all, but I can't remember the name of that Sony(?) DVD burner that works with both -RW and +RW standards. It's not the fastest at either one, but it's a heck of a lot cheaper than buying one for each standard! Just wish I could remember the model name... anyone else remember?

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1) Cooling - yes, all that hardware will require a bit of cooling, but nothing too extravagant. Stock CPU unit will work for the P4, and the Antec power supply will move quite a bit of air, so all that you'd need would be a case fan in back (blowing air out) and two in front (intake).

2) Hmmm... Probably an AthlonXP 2400+ on an NForce2 mobo. AthlonXP 2600+ if you want to take full advantage of the PC2700 RAM (even tho the NForce2 chipset is dual-DDR :D ).

3) Like I said, check out Newegg, Googlegear, Directron, etc. Also go to the manufacturers' sites, they have tons of informative pages bragging about their various mobo's!

4) Oh yeah, very upgradable! And if I were you (buying a new P4 system), I would definitely keep that HT support on the mobo! For the P4's over 3GHz, it's like getting an extra 15% performance for free (using HT-enhanced software)! And no overclocking required! :p As for the RAM, yeah, current mobo's support 2-3GB of RAM - but you'd have to get 1GB sticks of memory to max that out. 512MB sticks should easily get you to 1-1.5GB of RAM.