Another Mobo question...
 

Im bulding my first editing pc and I need a little help. I am planing to get the q6600 quad cpu, but I want to upgrade that to the qx6850 when the price drops. I was checking out this one: ASUS P5NT WS
http://www.pcconnection.com/ProductD...=08-29869197-2

Anyone recommend this or a better board? Also, I want lots of RAID options...

Looks fine. I have had good luck watching what the "silent PC" folks recommend for their high end machine so you might check this out

http://www.endpcnoise.com/cgi-bin/e/...p4_775pwrhouse

I liked their picks because there were two RAID controllers, the 4 port Intel ICH7 and a second. I can't tell how the six ports on the one you recommend can be configured. I actually have the very similar Abit AW8-Max from 20 months ago. I use the 4 porter for a fault tolerant RAID5 root and general use volume and the second Silicon Image 2 port for a RAID0 for video editing. Note that RAID5 is NOT quick for video work with all its sequential writes.

Whatever board you settle on, if you stick to the cases, coolers and noise isolation things they sell, your ears will appreciate the quiet. I use all the fans on the lowest setting (nearly inaudible) for all general work and video editing. The only times I have to kick them up a notch (still pretty quiet) is for Cineform HD capture, and output rendering - both 100% CPU utilization tasks. But those are unattended operations and I'm elsewhere!

Robert,

One thing to keep in mind is you should really match the board to the editing platform you use so your system works optimally and you are not making a costly mistake. Since the "qualified" boards from each NLE platform are somewhat dated on thier websites this may keep you from getting the latest and greatest MB. I noticed on the Edius site that most MBs are older and had a slower FSB. You also may want to take a look at Envision Computer http://www.ecspc.biz/ which has one of the highest customer satisfaction ratings of custom builders.

Regards

THat one looks good, but it doesnt support 1333mhz FSB, wich the QX6850 provides.

Its unfortunate that its so difficult to plan ahead, and buy something that is upgradeable. How can I find out if adobe and vegas would support this motherboard? Is there anyway to know for sure?

Check the Asus website - I believe that with the latest firmware the P5B does indeed support 1333mHz