First build. Would love some human feedback and suggestions.

Going a bit crazy trying to build the right computer for HD video editing. Never done this before.
I'm down to two versions of the same computer for essentially the same price, which is by necessity quite low.
Have I done anything stupid here?:-D
This is just for video editing with sony vegas pro, no gaming.

i5 build:
Intel Sandybridge i5-2500K Unlocked Core i5 Quad-Core Processor (3.30GHz, 6MB Cache, Socket 1155)
Asus P8Z68-V LX Motherboard (Socket 1155, DDR3, 2 x PCI Express 2.0 x16, ATX, LucidLogix Virtu)
Corsair CML8GX3M2A1600C9B LP Vengeance Memory 8GB 1600MHz CL9 DDR3 Two Module Kit - Corsair

AMD Build:
AMD Phenom II X6 1055T Six-core Processor - 2.80 GHz, 9MB Cache, Socket AM3, 125W, 45 nm
Asus M5A97 Motherboard (Socket AM3+, 4800MT/s, DDR3, ATX, True USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s Support)
Corsair CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9 8GB 1600MHz CL9 DDR3 Vengeance Memory Two Module Kit

Same components in both builds
Asus 512MB GeForce 210 HDMI Silent DDR2 with Low Profile Bracket
Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB SATAIII 6Gb/s 16MB Cache 3.5 inch Internal Hard Drive OEM
Sony AD-7261S-0B 24x Internal DVDRWRAM SATA Black Lightscribe
650 WATT Power supply Alpine Black 650 WATT Silent Quiet PC ATX PSU
Trust SC-5100 5.1 Surround Sound Card
Windows 7 home premium 64 bit

Whaddya think?

 

I wouldn't get the blue drives, there cache sizes are usually smaller.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136793 That cache size is 64 verus your 16, that will make a huge speed difference. Other then that, your build looks fine.

 

You may also want to consider a better graphics card. I've never done HD video editing but I figure anything related to graphics would be important here.

 

Surprisingly not, 90% of rendering is cpu/ram/hard drive bound. If the budget is tight your gonna see a better price/performance increase with the upgraded hard drive versus a better graphics card.

 

Understand for "serious" HD editing, you may be better off with a graphics card designed for that purpose. Gaming cards are not. You would need to go with a "workstation" card - and as can be seen here, they can bust a budget. But regardless, the end product is the typically better when you use the right tool for the job.

 

Thanks for the tip about the drive, it really will make a difference. I found a great deal on a WD black 1tb.
The video card price nearly gave me a heart attack! Sorted by highest price at $4000.
I do agree with the right tool for the job ethos, I'll have a look into these cards and see what I can match with my budget.

Thanks for your help guys.

 

I have never put a high end "workstation card in my editing rigs" always using a cheaper normal gaming card and never have issues, the work station cards make a huge different in 3d object modeling/rendering but not in the case of hd video. If your on a budget, that card will work fine for you. The only different a high end card would make is faster render times, and really becomes a time/price issue.

 

I second Colemanguy's advice on the Caviar Black hard drive. In addition to being faster, I've found them to be a bit more reliable than the blue series.

 

Hmmm, if you have never put a high-end workstation card in your editing rig, then how can you make such claims about HD video?

Certainly, even budget integrated graphics on most budget motherboards today can "play" HD video content. "Serious" HD video editing is a different story.

No doubt you can haul your family around and tow a boat with a sports car, but a pickup truck is the better tool for the job. Just as a sports car is the better tool for racing through a mountain pass, even though you can do that in a pickup truck as well.

You can certainly do editing and design work with a gaming graphics card, but if you are serious about your craft, use a workstation card. Yeah, $4000 is a bit extreme (though not for serious CAD/CAE engineering projects), but as seen in that list, you don't have to spend that much.

 

I like the car analogy, it's one I use often.
Can you tell me exactly why a video card is necessary for serious video editing. What differences does it actually make?

 

Because i know many people use off the shelf imacs/macbook pros with final cut pro for high end hd video projects, in fact thats what every tv station in town uses, and they have no issues? Workstation cards are more cad machines, and your super high end 3d modeling, not hd video editing which is more cpu/memory bound. Most hd editing the video card is only used for playing back what ever your working on. You mentioned designing in your last post, which the user didn't mention. Perhaps you should start with the lower card, and if you find its not meeting your needs, you can then upgrade down the road when you have more money, but for you use, i dont think its an issue.

 

No offense meant Digerati, but have you actually done video production? I have done live streaming and dvd creation for mma events all over kansas, i helped design and implement a mobile production truck for the local tv access center and in 2011 i was responsible for making sure the Njcaa Division I Women's Basketball National Championships games were all live streamed to the internet and had dvd production avaible for sale minutes after each game ended. This is not said as in bragging but merely to give a glimpse at my experience level.http://www.newtek.com/products/tricaster-850-series.html Here is a a link to the unit i use to do mobile shoots, and the heart of our production truck. My editing was either done on the Tricaster for quick and dirty, or my home editing rig, which is an amd x4 processor, with 8 gigs of ram, and a

 

I bet the video card i bought can do it just fine 1024MB GeForce GTX 550 Ti (EVGA)
I think the FPS counts the most in this part.My 3D REndering is about 30 to 50FPS in most 3D high end games

 

Rendering a video game fps, is not the same as rendering edited video.

 

None of your bench marks are applicable to video editing, in which the video card is not used to do anything but show the video on screen, rendering and most issues with hd video are cpu/memory affected way more, but any how im done, good luck with what ever you purchase. Oh and not sure why my post got cut off, but it should end with the card i use is an ATI Radeon HD 5750, and i have no troubles with hd editing.

 

This has nothing to do with photo editing first of all, second, i do this for a living and have posted some of my jobs that i have done to show my background. Your welcome to your opinions, but when a 500 dollar mac mini with final cut handles hd video editing fine, there's not reason a pc needs a 500+ video card to handle it. You can think what you like, how ever i have the experience to know whats needed.

 

I aplogize for anything i said that was offensive, how ever everything i said is correct, as i do this every day to make a living, and make do with the hardware i have recommended.