Vegas Video is less risky than a Pinnacle card, etc., since VV is a software-only solution that may work fine in an "off-the-shelf" PC. But two harddrives are very desirable, and many other goodies (e.g., DVD burner) are available; so I decided to buy a turnkey PC with VV3 installed.

Video-editing PC integration is best left to the experts and hobbyists, IMHO. "Time is money" for the pro's, and is precious for busy amateurs. (I thought I had a general audio problem with my PC, because I had the speakers switched off! A real PC problem would keep me up nights, when I'd rather edit.)

I recently bought a custom-configured VV3 PC, which works perfectly, from Earl Foote who is a host at the CreativeCow.net forum. His company (pcnirvana.com) assembled it to order, at a very good price, after Earl and I sent notes back and forth for a few days (I really trust his advice). He seems to cover a wide range, from amateur-use equipment (like mine) on up -- not limited to the items shown at his website.

(I'm not connected in any way to Mr. Foote or his business -- but "I'm a big fan!")