Video editing is almost 100% cpu-dependant, so don't skimp there. I'll probably take flak for this, but a HT p4 is probably your best option; p4s are faster for video encoding than the equivalent AMD (though the a64s are faster for gaming and less expensive) On top of encoding faster to begin with, HT adds another 10-20% to encoding speeds, from what I've read. The rest, you can go as cheap or expensive as you want.