[syadasti]

The 8600 and 8500 won't do anything for video editing but will help for video playback. Sounds like you should buy the 8500:

Although we haven't been terribly impressed with the gaming performance of the GeForce 8600, it is currently the best option for anyone looking to watch Blu-ray or HD-DVD on their PCs. The full H.264 offload onto the GPU makes HD movie playback not only painless but also possible on lower speed systems.

Even more interesting isn't the GeForce 8600, but the $100 GeForce 8500 that we'll be looking at in the coming weeks. According to NVIDIA, the GeForce 8500 will have the same H.264 decoding power as the 8600, so if you don't need the added 3D gaming performance then the 8500 will be an even better solution for HTPCs.

Honestly, the only downside to H.264 decoding with these cards isn't the cards themselves but rather the state of decoding software. WinDVD appears to be ahead in the fit and finish department, while hardware support is better with PowerDVD. WinDVD also performs better on the new 8600 GPUs for H.264 decoding, while PowerDVD is faster on other hardware configurations. Both applications also need serious work before they are useful in Vista 64-bit. We'd expect at least one or two more revisions of the software to go by before these problems really get taken care of.

Kudos to NVIDIA on being first to deliver full H.264 decode assist not only in any GPU but moreover in a mainstream GPU. Now it's a matter of how quickly NVIDIA can extend this functionality to the rest of its product line, and how quickly ATI can respond.

As for cases Antec's bundled PSU are average/middle of the road and I also wouldn't recommend the tacky looking P160 either. The P150 or Sonata III both look better. The Sonata III has a more modern PSU with 80plus efficiency plus the esata (motherboard dependent) front panel port which is great for backing up huge amounts of data to external drives - better than USB2 or firewire. Most HDD enclosures with eSATA also have USB2, so you can still share data with your friends if necessary and more and more PCs should eventually adopt this external interface.

 

[Transcend]

I know the P160 is pretty and all, but you know you could get a great case for $20 less that actually includes a nice power supply?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129155

Also, do you really, genuinely have a need for a terabyte of storage, let alone having that terabyte of storage actually being important enough to back up? I realize you're looking at growth especially for the camera, but I take a whole lot of pictures - I took nearly 2,000 in Costa Rica, and have well over 10,000 saved - and my entire collection of photos along with edited PSD files and everything is less than 50gb.

Video card is nice but is serious overkill unless you're doing lots of gaming.

Just thinking that you're really busting that original budget you set down - you actually spent your entire original budget on parts that may not be necessities (case + video card + 2tb of drives = $796).

well, I have about a terrabyte of photos full, on 3 external HDDs...but I shoot an awful lot of them...

 

[PatBranch]

The Sonata 3 looks good.

The 8500 sounds like just what I need.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=40000048&Description=nvidia+8500&name=Video+Cards
None of them have dual dvi's, so would I not be able to do a dual monitor setup?

Which mother board should I get? I was looking at Intels. It's lower now...just the motherboard and 2 encloures left. I'm looking at the enclosures. http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010090092+1053807123+1054107131+1053907126+1054207137&name=USB+&+eSATA
Can anyone recommend one?

It's now lower, thanks to the other video card and the smaller hdd's.
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pacRtSk9RHY33nFVvEw9pRg

I can go a little above $800..like around $1000.

 

[binary visions]

well, I have about a terrabyte of photos full, on 3 external HDDs...but I shoot an awful lot of them...

Yeah, and, uh, what size are those files from the Hassy back you rented anyway?

 

[PatBranch]

haha... I don't even want to know how big those files are.

I have a little under 100GB of photos, graphics, documents, and music.

 

[PatBranch]

To use the e-sata on the Sonata III, do I need to find a motherboard with e-sata, or is it something that plugs into the motherboard?

 

[syadasti]

To use the e-sata on the Sonata III, do I need to find a motherboard with e-sata, or is it something that plugs into the motherboard?

RTFM:

CONNECTING THE eSATA PORT
This case comes with an eSATA port in the front of the case to connect to your
external SATA devices. You will find a SATA connector on a cable attached to the
front eSATA ports. Connect it to a SATA connector on your motherboard.

 

[PatBranch]

Why didn't I think of R-ingTFM??? Thanks.

I think I found a good motherboard. http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pacRtSk9RHY33nFVvEw9pRg

Normaly, this post would have been at 3am for me, but it's 6am since I'm on the East Coast. We were in the DC and Baltimore area for a few days, then the NYC area for a few days. I'm in Teaneck, NJ now, and I'm going to Diablo for the day in a few hours.