I run it with a MSI KT4 Ultra motherboard with the onboard RAID and SATA, 1 GB of DDR Ram and a Athlon XP 2500+ 333mhz FSB and vegas runs great. Also add a Pioneer A-06 DVD Burner and a few 120GB Maxtor hard drives and you're all set.
Could probably build a similar system for around $1500

Oh and I have it all in a Thermaltake Xaser III to keep everything nice and cool :)

If money were of little object, I would get myself an ASUS 4800 /800FSB motherboard, 1gig of corsair memory, Intel 3.0ghz hyperthreaded (decent price point) bunch of 7200rpm drives 8mbcache--like Sata for a home builder because the cables are much easier, Matrox 550 Videocard--cause thats all you need to edit video, Revolution Audio card to get full use of Vegas's awesome sound ability---CDRW, DVD etc-----That system will rock.

The case is a matter of taste--but dont scrimp on the power supply--430 or higher---

One of the great things about Vegas is that its interface is fast. Even on my relatively slow 700 MHz laptop, I can move around and edit in a flash. I even ran Videofactory, the little brother to Vegas, on my old 450MHz desktop system, and I never had to wait for anything while editing.

So, you don't need anything special for the editing itself.

However, if you want real-time preview through an external monitor, and if you want your final renders to zip along, you'll want a fast computer. There have been many questions over the past year on this forum about special hardware to speed these renders and previews, Here's one you might find useful:

Vegas 4 Multi-Processor / Hyperthreading + MainConcept

Take a look at Antec new Sonata case. It's been getting good reviews. Stylish in a way that doesn't make you look like you play games all day and designed to be quiet without sacrificing low temperatures.

Wow, indeed!

Reading the list of features on these suggested systems makes me slobber (is that a word?).

Via what system has Vegas wowed you thus far?

Personally, I like Vegas because, of the NLE's that I've tried, it seems to care least what hardware you run it on. My system is only 900 Mhz, I have but 128 MB RAM. I do have five external HD's (video loves storage space) in addition to two internal HD's.

When I want to see an effect as it will look when printed, I just highlight it and selectively render (for most of what I do, this takes about 25 seconds), then, hit play, and view with no jitters at all.

I'd be curious to know how long some of the souped up systems take to render, say, a 60 minute video with three video tracks, four audio tracks, typical transitions.

I know results will vary with complexity, but, assuming minimal compositing of video, how long would that take some of you? Does the faster hardware really speed things up?

Thanks. Oh, and, of course, if your budget supports it, go for one of those mega systems.

Caruso

My suggestions:

At least 1 GIG of fast RAM
7200 RPM drives
Firewire support
Canopus ADVC-100

...just to name a few...

Awesome suggestions guys! I have since commisioned my cousing to design and build me a machine based on the factors posted as well as outside research.

My biggest goals were fast rendering (as I will be editing a 30 tv show every week)

An external monitor for actual previewing

reliability!

I will post the final build along with pics. I had him tweak the case as well to have a cool blue glowing interior with my company logo on the inside of the window glowing... (been wanting to do that forever)

thanks again!

I

It's been a while since I've seen it posted on here but there was a render test that everyone could test their systems against. (a downloadable .veg file with no additional media required).

Oh
here is a thread on it
http://mediasoftware.sonypictures.com/forums/ShowMessage.asp?MessageID=170788&Page=0

Be interesting to see if hardware changes have made much difference since those times were posted.

As I've suggested in several threads during the recent past, if you're willing to "gut" your present system you can build* a state of art computer for anound $700. All you really need to replace is the CPU, the motherboard and perhaps increase/replace RAM. If you need to replace anything else of course depends on how old and what type of system you're going to cannibalize.

* buiding a computer is frequently misunderstood. Even Dell, Gateway, Sony, don't build computers, (meaning they aren't really making any of the parts) they ASSEMBLE them! You can do too. All you need is screwdriver. In fact the parts you can buy on the open market are equal to and frequently BETTER than the typical OEM parts in a "name brand" box.

I would suggest getting one from a place called http://www.totallyawesome.com . Thier computers are guaranteed not to have any other computer with the same processor run faster, or they will pay you a $1000! I still use my 866mhz from them and it runs faster than my friends 2.2 hp computer. You also get a THREE year parts guarantee and LIFETIME service for free. No I don't work for them, but I am so impressed I would recommend them to anybody. My computer is two years old and they have already fixed for free my 512 ram stick and my HD.
Good luck,
Carson Calderwood

FUD.

Are retail components different than OEM components? they can be, but in most cases they're identical.

Here are the OEM components in a Dell Dimension 4600. Which equivalent retail components are better?

CPU: Intel P4
Chipset: Intel 865PE
Motherboard: Dell OEM manufactured by Intel
RAM: Micron
HD: Western Digital Caviar WD1200BB
Case: Dell OEM
Powersupply: Dell OEM
Video Card: 64 MB DDR Nvidia GeForce4 MX graphics card with TV out
DVD: Lite-On 16x DVD-ROM drive
CD-RW: Samsung 48x/24x/48x CD-RW drive

> In fact the parts you can buy on the open market are equal to and frequently BETTER than the typical OEM parts in a "name brand" box.