New system build advice .. CPU? Hard drives set up?

[ilbarbaro]

I'm planning to build a new home PC system and I'd like to build it with VideoStudio X3 in mind. Other than VS, I'll be using the system for standard apps like email/web, occasionally running virtual machines with VMware, DLNA connections for media sharing, and connecting to video sources including my Uverse HDTV box (ie. watching TV and capturing HD video), a VHS (for encoding old family movies), and likely a solution like SlingBox. I'd also like to future proof as much as possible (e.g. support for USB3.0, etc.) I'd probably not do much gaming if any.

My budget is no more than $1,500, but ideally I'd like to keep it around $1,000.

The function I'd like to get out of it most is FAST encoding when using VideoStudio.

I'm considering the Intel i7 870 for the CPU, but am wondering if VS has any special integration with other chipsets that I should consider instead (e.g. AMD model??).

Any mobo's that are ideal for VS?

Any video cards more ideal for VS than others.

Also, I'm wondering how I should set up the hard drives. Right now I'm thinking two drives with RAID 0 for my OS and applications and separate drives in RAID 5 or RAID 10 for the actual storage of most of my data. Is that the right approach or should I also be thinking of a "3rd" drive(s) for media caching?

[teknisyan]

Hello ilbarbaro,

A high end OEM computer is more than enough for your needs specially for the VideoStudio. But if you really want to build your own computer, here are something that you may want to consider.

Processor either Core i5 or i7, AMD (Phenom or Athlon), 6 GB RAM, CUDA GPU and you may want to consider the other peripherals like DVD or Bluray burner, firewire port and the USB 3 that you are referring. For the Mobo, as long as it can support the processor, RAM and GPU, then you should be all set.

But there are other things that you still need to consider, so we can wait for the other forum members to provide their suggestions.

[ilbarbaro]

Thanks, Abiel.

I wasn't sure if VS X3 can take advantage of certain features of certain processors, mobos, or GPUs better than others.

Since I'm contemplating moving to X3 for mp4 editing (HD), I want it to encode/render as fast as possible. Right now it seems to be taking 2 hours to render 2 hours of video for a DVD and my wife's laptop isn't bad in terms of specs.