Graphics Card vs Other components
 

In terms of video editing, which is more important, a high end graphics card or a decent processor and a lot of RAM. I'm getting a new PC soon and want to know which area to prioritise first. Thanks,

John

A decent processor and at least a gig of RAM is the higher priority. I wouldn't worry too much about your graphics card unless you plan on using After Effects a lot and need to be able to preview a lot of effects work on the fly. But even then, you'd still want to prioritize (money-wise) the CPU and RAM. Most video editing simply doesn't rely much on your graphics card.

For example, I have two PCs that I edit on. And the one with faster CPU and more memory always trumps the one with the better graphics card.

Thanks, that's what I was planning anyway. My plan is to buy an AMD64 Dual core 3800+ maybe 4000+ and to have 3-4GB RAM.

comparison
 

John,

I agree with Jon's post. I run two computers one pentium 4 with a higher end graphics card and the other with a lowish end gaming card but dual core athalon 64 processor. For ordinary tasks the pentium 4 is a bit faster, but for video editing the dual core runs far more flawlessly and more real time previes without rendering.