Paul: I'm using the Intel Pentium D 830 running at the standard clock speed of 3.0 GHz, with 2 GB of DDR400 memory and large ATA hard drives with 8-16 MB caches.

FYI, Canopus recently announced a new "Speed Encoder" for rendering from an Edius HDV timeline to a finished HDV file in near real time on sufficiently powerful PCs.

As far as the new Macs are concerned, the dual dual-core model looks impressive...but I doubt it will change anyone's opinion about whether to use Macs or PCs for HDV editing. If you're not already hooked on Final Cut Pro you probably won't switch now, and if you are you'll be happy to have the option to buy some kick-a$$ hardware. I like what Apple's been doing lately, but not enough to give them several thousand dollars of my hard-earned money.

I ordered a Intel Pentium 4 3.2GHz processor. (Prescott core, 800MHz FSB, Socket 478) I should get it in a couple of days. Like I said in the first post, right now I have a Intel Celeron 2.6GHz processor with 128KB Level 2 Cache. The Pentium 4 has a 1MB cache, and is faster. So this should set me up for the next couple of years for my HDV editing. Next will be a new graphics card. I'm looking at the ATI Radeon X700 Pro AGP 8X and am hoping to buy next month.

If you had say 2600 dollars to play around with to buy the hardware before you got around to the software, what would you guys buy for HDV editing, where would youput your resources? Thanks:)

Right now, today?
I'd put my money on the AMD X2 system in the price range you have to work in. We just bought 4 of the X2 4400 systems, and love them for HDV work.

Yes... If you weren't an AMD fanboy, you could also look at any dual-core processor - but AMD gets the nod as far as Dual-core performance at the moment.

Lots of fast Hard disk space in a nice RAID array is another area worth investigating.

A decent (doesn't have to be 'state of the art') Graphics card...

And a really, really, really good large size monitor that will support HD resolutions - assuming; of course, that you already have a nice big HDTV!!

Try to consider the sorts of circumstances that your material will be viewed under... i.e. for WMV9 HD material, the most likely viewing device will be 4:3 computer monitor, with RGB colour space. MPEG2 for copying back to cam for review on HDTV, or conversion to DVD which can be viewed on computer monitor, 16:9 HDTV or 4:3 TV.

It is worth being able to see how your work looks on each sort of viewing device, that is the most likely device that your target audience will be using...

If you don't have the HDTV, then try to work out a monitor compromise... because at some point - the sooner the better - you're going to need the HDTV.

Don't go berserk on RAM, as it's not as pivotal in the HDV editing experience as CPU and hard disk performance. 1Gig usually does fine, 2Gig is nice... 4Gig is not gonna be noticed!!

Take a look at devices such as the Avel linkplayer 2, or even the X-Box 360 when it comes out as being viable 10/100Mbit networkable devices for allowing full resolution viewing of HD material stored on your computer on a large screen HDTV. As they are equiped with DVD drives, one can also write HD WMV9 files to standard DVD for playback. Down the track, this could be the best, cheapest and most accepted HD distribution method...

anywayz, that's my thoughts on extra hardware that might be worth thinkin' 'bout. Happy Hunting!!!

Umm....You don't know me very well, I guess. I've almost always been an Intel fanboy, until AMD came out with dual core. In the past, when AMD was starting to get into the vid market, I did buy 2 systems for a major studio I was helping outfit for Cakewalk, and they made some press on it, but otherwise, I've always been an Intel guy.
In this month's PC World, all their tests also show AMD kicking Intel's butt on every test for speed for the buck, and speed at any cost in identical classes.
Of the nearly 30 systems we own, only 6 of them contain AMD procs. Most of them are HT systems. The X2's are fairly evident as the best value currently. The 275's probably aren't the best value out there, but we enjoy the 2 systems we have. (Tyan 2895 mobos with 8 drive SATA RAID 0)

Sorry Douglas!! My 'fanboy' comment was not aimed at you... it was meant more as a generic sort of statement; so that whoever was reading would know that regardless of allegiances to a particular brand computing platform... that the dual-core processors beat hyperthreaded CPU's hands down.

I've actually never owned an AMD processored machine, and I've got four Intel CPU'd PCs at the moment - but; I'm never averse to switching platform or processor if it becomes viable!! Actually the main reason I wouldn't consider AMD powered machines before the advent of dual-core was the VIA chipset that was used on nearly all AMD based MOBO's... but I believe the dual-core AMD boards aren't using VIA any more - or at least you can get a board without VIA on it!!

Computer Specs
 

I have no problem with anything. I just built a new PC for editing HD. First, the camera. I have the Sony HVR-Z1U and I record everything in HD. As far as editing, I user Premiere Pro 1.5.1 as well as Sony Vegas 6. The Hardware: I'm running Intel's newest P4, the 840 D Extreme edition, you know, the $1000.00 one. I run 2 gig of dual channel DDR2 Corsair RAM, on Asus's latest MB. I have a PCIX 7800 GT Extereme video card with 256MB ddr2. My primary system drive is WD 74 GB SATA running at 10,000 RPM, my main data drive for editing and storing my work is two WD 250 GB SATA's running in a RAID 0 configuration, both drives are 7200 RPM. The system runs without a hitch.