Newbie C2D e6600 Build, Video Editing, Sony Vegas - $1000-$1200

[Nuke Laloosh]

Thanks to this board, I’m finally building my first system. The system will mainly be used for video editing with Sony Vegas 7 – plus common all day usage (Internet, Word, Excel, etc.). The reason I specify Vegas is because it barely (if at all) uses the GPU. Therefore, I’d like to allocate more $$ to the CPU and less to the GPU.

The goal is a very stable, “quiet” system. No gaming and no over-clocking.

My budget (sans monitor): $1000 shipped.

The monitor I’ll be using is Dell’s 24” WideScreen LCD:
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=320-4335

My first pass:

CPU - Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 2.4GHz:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819115003

MoBo – ASUS P5B-E:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131070&ATT=13-131-070&CMP=OTC-PCMag (fanless)
Still a bit confused on which ASUS P5B to use.
Question: Will I be able to plug a Quad Core into this MoBu in the future?

GPU – GIGABYTE GV-NX76G256D-RH GeForce 7600GS 256MB PCI Express x16
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814125028&ATT=14-125-028&CMP=OTC-d3alt1me (fanless)
Or how about this $50 Buy.com special?
XFX GeForce 7600GS 256MB PCI Express x16 Video Card (Dual DVI S-Video)
http://www.buy.com/prod/PV_T73P_UDJ3/q/loc/61934/203000306.html?adid=17662&adid=17662

Memory – CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 800
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820145590

Hard Drive (x 2) – WD Caviar 250GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822144417
Still figuring out RAID. Does it really make a big difference?

Sound Card – Creative Sound Blaster Audigy2 ZS SB0350 7.1 Channels 24-bit
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16829102178
I think I need this for quality video mixing / sound tracks.

PSU – Fortron AX450-PN, 12cm FAN, 2 SATA, PCI Express, 450W
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16817104954
Want something quiet.

Case - LIAN LI PC-G50B Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811112104
Want a FireWire port upfront, on top even better. And quiet fans.
Here is a $35(plus $17.44 ship) Rosewill option:
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811147037

DVD Drive - LITE-ON DVD Burner W/ LightScribe - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16827106019

O/S – XP Pro SP2b (w/ upgrade to Vista Business)
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16832116175
XP Pro seems to be the recommended version for video editing.


Between prices inching down, hopefully, and some comparison sleuthing at reputable stores (NewEgg, ZipZoomFly, Amazon), I’m optimistic I can stay “near” my budget.

Last question, if I want to upgrade in 12-18 months to Quad Core and Vista will I have any problems? MoBo issues?

Any Recommendations, Concerns, Compatibility Issues, or Ways to Save $$ greatly appreciated.

Thanks in Advance,
Nuke (Dave)

[newbuilder14]

Are you doing any gaming? The 7600gs won't play the newer games coming out on full settings with high frame rates.

I would get the plain P5B.

I don't recommend RAID - RAID 0 brings a risk of loosing files while RAID 1 is just for very important files - I'd save money and stick with 1 drive.

I doubt you'll need a sound card - the P5B sound quality is very good in my opinion.

The P5B doesn't have a Firewire header on the motherboard, unfortunately. Maybe the P5B-E does?

That DVD burner probably doesn't come with any software - you are better off going with a retail one for a few extra bucks.

All in all, very good selections - you've been researching this. :) Welcome to the forums.

One last thing, the Antec Sonata II is a great, top quality case, and it is on sale at Newegg for $74.99 after rebate - it also comes with a good quality 450w power supply.

[Mr.Ferrari]

Hi!

1. Yes that is a decent motherboard choice. And yes all 965 chipsets do have support for Core 2 Quad. If your p5b-e already does not come natively with the support. It will be easily updated for it by a simple Bios Flash via Asus' Website.

2. I'd suggest neither. For video editing this would be my pick:
X1300 Fanless (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102630)

3. That memory is fine. BUT you can save some money.
2gb Corsair Valueselect DDR2 667 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145098)

4. I would spend 10 bucks more and get these hard drives instead-much faster and quieter:
Seagate 7200.10 250Gb (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822148144)

5. For your sound purposes I would suggest a card suited for just that:
Auzentech Xplosion (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829156001)
or
Auzentech Xmystique (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829127001)

6. You will have a really tough time working in that case. I would highly suggest this one instead:
Lian Li PC-7B Plus (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811112099)

7. Last but not least, the powersupply. You mentioned quiet. Well nobody does quiet better then these guys:
Seasonic 380W (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817151022)

Hope this helps and welcome to PCmech.

[chuck4456]

If you want stability, you'll want an i975x chipset. The ABIT AW9D or AW9D MAX is the best 975x chipset board available. They are QC upgradeable. I'd get a heftier PSU. Newegg's got the FSP 500 watter on sale for 89.00. Seasonics are good choices. I would use a Sapphire X1900Gt Video Card. Excellent for your needs. RAM-wise, CRUCIAL DDR2667 (PC5300) Standard System Memory (2GB) will more than fulfill your performance needs for those tasks. You're not gaming or overclocking, so you don't need DDR2800.We posted at the exact same time. He's right about the hard drive.

[andper10]

I don't know much about sound cards, but the X-Fi's are suppossed to be good: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?DEPA=0&type=&Description=Creative+Sound+Blaster+X-Fi&Submit=ENE&N=0&Ntk=all . I would second that video card for video editing. If you do get a X1900GT, they are currently on a great sale from newegg (they are now $160 and normally $200): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102022 . You want this Liteon: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827106013 . It is the retail version so it comes with power dvd and nero. I would just recommend getting a case that you like the look of, preferably with mainly 120mm fan slots, and then putting some yate loons or nexus fans. Just pick a P5B series that comes with firewire, or just buy a seperate firewire PCI card. I would recommend a single Seagate 7200.10 Hard Drive w/ 16MB cache: (http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?DEPA=0&type=&Description=Seagate+7200.10&Submit=ENE&N=0&Ntk=all ). Don't forget Windows XP home - 90 bucks from newegg: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16832116169 . Enjoy your build!

[Nuke Laloosh]

Thanks for all the great and speedy help. So, based on some of your recommendations:

My Second Pass:

CPU - Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 2.4GHz:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819115003

MoBo – ASUS P5B-E:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131070&ATT=13-131-070&CMP=OTC-PCMag
The P5B-E has a Firewire port.

GPU – Still uncertain here – my video editing software (Sony Vegas) doesn’t utilize the GPU, so I’m looking for a basic (less expensive), well rounded card.
SAPPHIRE Radeon X1300 512MB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 ($85.63)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102630
vs.
GIGABYTE GV-NX76G256D-RH GeForce 7600GS 256MB PCI Express x16 ($101.12)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814125028&ATT=14-125-028&CMP=OTC-d3alt1me

Memory – CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 800
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820145590
vs. the DDR2 667 – which is $40 less. Still considering.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145098

Hard Drive (x 2) – Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 (Perpendicular Recording) ST3250620AS 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822148144

Sound Card – AuzenTech XMYSTIQUE7.1 7.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI – Retail http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16829127001

PSU – Fortron AX450-PN, 12cm FAN, 2 SATA, PCI Express, 450W ($61.63)
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16817104954
vs.
SeaSonic S12-380 ATX12V 380W ($84.63)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817151022
Will 380W be sufficient? And want something quiet.

Case – Still undecided here. Definitely overanalyzing. I want a solid, un-flashy case, be able to add a superior PSU, have ports (Firewire) upfront, on top access even better, and relatively quiet fan(s). Some, but not all, options:
Rosewill R5604-BK ($52.43)
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811147037
CHENMING 501AWBU-F-0 ($65.98)
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811125486
Thermaltake Matrix VX VD3000BNA ($95.98)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811133018
LIAN LI PC-7B plus II ($105.98)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811112099
LIAN LI PC-G50B ($105.98)
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811112104

DVD Drive - LITE-ON DVD Burner W/ LightScribe - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16827106015

O/S – XP Pro SP2b (w/ upgrade to Vista Business)
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16832116175
XP Pro is the recommended version for video editing.

Any More Recommendations, Concerns, Compatibility Issues, or Ways to Save $$ still greatly appreciated.

Thanks Again,
Nuke (Dave)

[TimPoet]

Well, you did a great job picking your components, I can tell you did your research.

And yes, 380W will be fine....

[flanzig1]

Cases: The Rosewell is probably a little tinny, the other look solid. As for top side USB/Firewire ports, not too many cases that do that(my Thermaltake Xaser 3 has them, but it's a full tower)
PSU: With using a X1300 video card, the Seasonic is plenty.
Video card: the ATI will do fine/if you went with the 7600GS, would need to bump the PSU up to 400 to 450w.

[Mr.Ferrari]

PSU – Fortron AX450-PN, 12cm FAN, 2 SATA, PCI Express, 450W ($61.63)
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16817104954
vs.
SeaSonic S12-380 ATX12V 380W ($84.63)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817151022
Will 380W be sufficient? And want something quiet.


The 380w will be more then enough for your needs. What it lacks in pure power, it exceeds the FSP in quality and stability. Not saying the FSP is poor quality though.

Seasonic is definately the kingpin when quiet is put into consideration.

[glc]

We have a somewhat common issue here - a lot of our members tend to recommend video cards that are a lot stronger than necessary for NON-GAMING use. For your proposed use, even a $40 X300SE will do a FINE job. I have a customer doing video editing just fine with an old GF2 MX card with 32mb ram. In fact, as long as you add system ram to compensate, the latest generation Intel onboard graphics on the G965-based boards will work fine.

However, I do concur with the X1300 recommendation - the new AVIVO technology may be useful and it's still a reasonably inexpensive card. I'd get one with passive cooling to keep the noise down.

[Nuke Laloosh]

Okay. Thanks for all your help. After going back and forth, (even considered Apple and Final Cut Pro) I’m almost there. When the SAPPHIRE Radeon X1300 disappeared from NewEgg I did some more research and figured out a program I probably will be using (Red Giant’s Magic Bullet v.2) doesn’t work well with ATI. So I settled on a recommended GeForce 7300GT. I also considered going with three hard drives (second and third for RAID or second and third for capture and render), but settled on two for the time being. I also beefed up my SeaSonic PSU to 430w for the future. I filled out the build below. Any more advice/recommendations or compatibility issues are more than appreciated. Thanks Again. Dave.

BTW: Delivered Total =$1465 (all from NewEgg) – about $265 more than I wanted to spend, but I upgraded some parts (PSU, Case) and added some (sound card, speakers) and prices didn’t come down, in fact some went up (memory). Striving for a quiet system also increased cost.

So, My Third Pass:
(will be using a Dell 24” LCD)

CPU - C2D E6600 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819115003

MoBo – ASUS P5B-E: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131070&ATT=13-131-070&CMP=OTC-PCMag

GPU – Considering Red Giant’s Magic Bullet:
GIGABYTE GeForce 7300GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16814125036
Fanless.

Memory – CORSAIR ValueSelect 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300)
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820145098

Hard Drive (x 2) – Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 (Perpendicular Recording) 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822148144

Sound Card – AuzenTech XMYSTIQUE7.1 7.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI – Retail http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16829127001
NewEgg out of stock right now.

PSU – SeaSonic S12-430 ATX12V 430W
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16817151023
Quiet. Upgraded considering the new GPU and possible future additions.

Case – Sorry. Still debating. Want a solid case, add a superior PSU, ports upfront (Firewire) - on top even better, and relatively quiet fan(s). In order:
1. Thermaltake Matrix VX VD3000BNA ($95.98)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811133018
2. LIAN LI PC-A05B Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower (New - $103.21)
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811112130
Mr. Ferrari, you had reservations on an earlier Lian Li, this one is new and may be easier to use. (?)
3. CHENMING 501AWBU-F-0 ($65.98)
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811125486
4. COOLER MASTER Centurion ($55.98)
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811119106

DVD Drive - LITE-ON DVD Burner W/ LightScribe - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16827106015
NewEgg out of stock right now.

O/S – XP Pro SP2b (w/ upgrade to Vista Business)
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16832116175

Floppy and Card Reader:
MITSUMI 2.0MB 3.5" Internal USB 2.0 digital card reader and Floppy - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16821104108
NewEgg out of stock.

Keyboard:
Microsoft Curve 2000 B2L-00002 USB Wired Ergonomics – Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16823109149

Mouse:
Microsoft K80-00065 3 Buttons Tilt Wheel USB + PS/2 RF Optical Wireless - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16826105050

Speakers:
Logitech X-530 70 Watts 5.1 Speaker - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16836121118

[Mr.Ferrari]

These are some great silent cases:
Antec SLK3000B (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811129152)
Antec Solo (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811129018)

Antec uses chenming or hec for most of their Cases. They are pretty well known for being the most silence oriented.

[flanzig1]

The Cooler Master has 4 interal HD bays while the others only have 3, so that is something to consider if adding HDs in the future.
Also. don't connect the card reader until Windows is fully installed. Windows installs tends to assign drive letters to card readers before HDs.