SimRacing.org.uk

Since my racing PC is the most powerful PC i have, I have installed a video editing program on it, to edit videos I've recorded with my Canon HF10. I discovered though that my PC isn't powerful enough to cope with video editing, at least not when I film in AVCHD. Now, it seems like I need at least a 3 GHz CPU (socket AM2) to be able to do such work, but then it seems like the only option is dual core CPU's.

Now I wonder, GPL being such an "ancient" sim, can it fully take advantage of a dual core CPU, or will it only be able to use one of the two cores? I assume that a 3 GHz dual core contains of two processors of 1.5 GHz each, or am I wrong here? If I'm not wrong, installing a 3 GHz dual core CPU then would be a step down from my current 2 GHz CPU for GPL'ing, isn't that right?

It's not multi-core aware, but if you are going for AVCHD editing, anything Intel Core i5 (or i7 for quad-core) is considered great for GPL, great for video. Intel CPUs are very good on a single core, which is what GPL runs on, and scale well for more cores, which you need for video editing.

What program are you using for your editing BTW? It can make a huge difference just changing the software.

Regards the clock speed, depending how it's sold (I take 3GHz Intel CPUs as the example), it's sold as 3GHz *per core*, not *in total*.

My computer runs on AMD socket AM2. I guess I've misunderstood what dual core means. If it's 3 GHz "per core", a dual core CPU will be of great help. Thanks for the help, Jethro! :)

No problem. Yes I know your computer runs on an AM2 socket, however AMD have gone down the pan in recent years. ;)

so you up to buy a AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000 ?

( or is it AM2+ socket ? )

if its older AM2 socket :
could imagine the one with `Windsor `core is the better choice over the `Brisbane `core , if it comes to video editing. Even so the core speed is only 2 x 3.0 GHz  but it  have 2x 1MB Level 2 Cache.
( Brisbane got 2 x 3.1 GHZ  , and only 2x 512 KB Level 2 cache ).

maximum of fast RAM ( amount depends on OS e.c. XP can handle only up to 3GB including the Video RAM afaik  ) and fast HDD could be helpful too , for video editing.

 ::) my experiences so far : GPL dont benefit of dual ,tripple or quad core

For the last 3 years I have been using a Genuine Pentium 4 (R) at 3gHz + 1Meg RAM

Runs GPL great at full Hi Res and plays all my porno films without any probs  ;D

As long as it's not suffering under it, it's OK by me. ;)

It's plain AM2 socket, no plusses or minuses. :) Some fellow on another forum suggested going for AM3 socket, and "flash" the BIOS (That was the term he used. Don't know how you do it) to accept AM3. That cost money, he said, so perhaps it means upgrading/buying new BIOS.

what kind of motherboard and CPU you have ?
well , I am not an expert , but never heard off BIOS upgrades been charged  ..
if so it may be better invest money on a complete modern AM3 motherboard and for e.c. an Phenom X2 550.
( both together  off about 140€ ) serves you newer chipsets on MB like southbridge .
and off course sell the old stuff ...........

 :laugh:never ending story of ùpgrade now or not `  lol..

I've thought about that too, but that may require taking out all the hardware to get it done. Costwise changing CPU and BIOS seems to equal changing the whole thing, except it means less work, but then again, who knows if it will work.

I discovered last night that after the install of the video editing program (ImageMixer, comes with the camera) GPL freezes after a few seconds of driving. I don't know what could cause the problem, but it came to my mind after I shut down the 'puter that there was some monitoring program that ImageMixer ran that may interfere with other programs. The PC also froze when I visited Windows Update. I'll see tonight if the same happens when I turn off that monitoring thing. If so, I'll uninstall the whole ImageMixer program and build another PC to edit my videos on.

Would it not be easier just to remove the ImageMixer program from Windows Startup and then just fire it up when you need it?

If my test this evening goes well, that'll be the solution, but if the mere presence of the program on the disk makes my dear GPL go bananas, I feel the only solution now is to remove it.

It didn't work out as I hoped. :( The active program was ImageMixer Camera Monitor. Probably a program that checks if a camera is connected to the computer. I shut down that program, but the problems persisted, even after rebooting the computer, and now it's even worse. The computer blacks out after a few minutes, no matter what activity I perform on it. I can't understand why it happens, and I'm not sure if it's ImageMixer that is the cause of it. With the camera followed a whole packet of software that I installed, and it may be one (or more) of those programs that causes the problems, or it may be something else. It was quite a job to install all the software, so I'm reluctant to uninstall it, in case it won't solve the problem.

The worst thing is that I can't think of any way I can find out what is the cause of the problem. The computer blacks out completely, it won't even respond to the keyboard. That means I have to push the swedebutton (the reset button) to reboot, so I guess there won't be generated any log, or?

To me (but I'm no expert) that sounds more of a hardware issue.  Firstly I'd make sure everything is connected correctly internally and externally.  All cards and connections are seated properly.  Are the cooling fans working?

Can you boot to safe mode and the PC will stay on normally?

 8)
To check out if the probs have been caused by these Image Mixer software or by one of the software comes with that packages , you have to uninstall all of them proper.
Then check if your PC and especialy GPL do run fine again.
If yes ; install only one new software at a time and test again.
That way should figure out which software creating the probs.

well , if the PC still isnt working after uinstall of ImageMixer & co software , try to repair your OS via Windows CD.

good luck

Maybe system restore is worth a try? Use a restore point before you installed the batch of software.

I guess Nicky's suggestion is the only way I can find out if it is the software that causes the problems. I'm not sure if I have a restore point, so I probably won't be able to use that method. I'm 100 % sure that I haven't touched any of the internals in the computer since I (or my cousin) built it, so if it is some hardware issue, it must have developed slowly, or there must have been some other, more serious, factor that caused it, like a lightning or something. Then I'm afraid I need a new computer. :(

May be worth checking inside for dust then.  If its over heating the graphics/video card it will shut off.  Worth a look, and blow it out with an air duster, then try re-seating the card perhaps.

That might be a solution, Steve! I'll keep an eye on the temp meters next time I'm on the computer, and see how the temperature develops.

The temperature stayed pretty stable on 47-48 degrees Celsius on the GPU, and about 37 degrees Celsius on the CPU. No sign of overheating, then, but still it blacked out. Seems like I need to do some uninstall/reinstall to see if that helps. :(

Uninstalled some of the programs last night, and the computer seemed to behave normally. I then fired up GPL, and managed one and a half lap around Silverstone before another screenfreeze.  :( I might uninstall the rest tonight.

Are you able to monitor the Motherboard/Chipset temperature?
A few years ago the Chipset Fan on one of my old pc's died. It would run normal windows quite happily if nothing was happening within windows, but as soon as you started running stuff it overheated and the pc would either crash or reset.

Temps on restart would be about 60odd Degrees C when checked from within the BIOS, Once I managed to get the PC monitoring window up when it crashed and it had hit 110 degrees!  :o
Amazingly that machine now works perfectly after removing copious quantitys of dust and fitting a new heatsink  :)

May be worth a check for you  :thumbup1:

Ddin't check the motherboard, though, but I did open the cover on the PC to check the internals for dust. Didn't see any. Now the motherboard holds 30 degrees.

This sound like a nightmare. To me it sound like the software fucked up something. I ve never had any luck with sysrtem restore , but then again I only tried that once. Good old "format c:\" ,plenty of time , good mood and coffee...maybe movie in the background etc and by the end of the day the pc is good as new. Then it s fun to put in the shit so you find out what make the problem and again removing software doesn t help and you do the Format c:\ again. Remember to keep smiling. at least now you know what caused it ..I used two months once.. big ;D all the time ( some bundle that came with the MB fucked up something)

Yeah, I had the same experience last night, King. I uninstalled all the software bundled with the camera, in plain desperation, but that didn't help either, so I'm very afraid that the only solution is to reinstall the whole computer. I even tried to download new BIOS, but all I got was some bin-files and a program file that seemingly did nothing. :( I'll take a new look tonight and see if there was something about the download I misunderstood.

 ;)
at least a sort of flash-programm is needed to update BIOS......

 :o hope you do know  ; if the flashing of the BIOS chip does fail , you are in deep trouble.

Isnt there any auto/update routine for your BIOS at the motherboards factory webside ?

back to ya Windows trouble ; have you ever tried to start Windows via hitting F8 key while booting and select `last known working Windows `  ?


good luck

Thanks for the warning. Now I am in deep trouble. I found out what the point was with the bin-file I downloaded. :shy: Yes, there is a BIOS update program on my PC, and I used that to update it. All seemed to work out fine, until the verification of the flashing. Then it stopped. When I restarted the computer, it just stopped before loading the OS, so now I have a computer I can't start. What to do now? :(

doesnt sound that bad  :D
looks like you can still  open all the BIOS settings , right ?
To me that would simply mean , that there is a readable BIOS chip .

( if a BIOS chip is coruppted e.c. by wrong flashing , mostly it results in a black screen , no BIOS information no nothing .. ) .

- try to go into BIOS and choose something like default/save settings. hit F10 key and say yes.

- if that doesnt work  , have a look inside BIOS to see if your HDD is been recognized , as well ya CD/DVD drive . if not try to detect manualy .

if above loacal drives are detected correct , but still OS wont start : make sure inside BIOS the CD drive is set to first boot device , put in your Windows CD , restart and keep pushing F8 key while boot procedure ; chosse repair Windows option .


hope one of that will help , if not , post here  maybe I can dig out more outa my memory  ::)

When I start the computer it says: "Warning: System boot fail. Your system last boot fail or POST interrupted. Please enter setup to load default and reboot again. Hit Del to enter setup."

I hit Del, and then it says "Entering setup....." and nothing more happens.

 :o :(
so it stops starting to load BIOS information .( cause there arent anymore after flashing failed )
Thats too bad !

- there is a way to create a bootable CD including basic DOS stuff , CD driver stuff etc. and BIOS flash-programm and needed BIOS files .......

Via that kind of CD it should be possible to rewrite the BIOS chip on your motherboard.

I will have a look , if I saved something like that on my HDDs....
meanwhile you can google around : search for `BIOS flashing via Boot CD ` or equal ...

 8) another way is to buy a new BIOS chip for your motherboard or sent your whole motherboard to a company serving BIOS repair/update...
( mostly is sort of wasted money , as motherboards arent that expensive  , well depends )

will keep you updated
 ;)stay strong


EDIT :  Have you tried clear cmos ? or removing the battery for short  period of time ?

EDIT 2 : how did you flashed the BIOS , via Windows ? or via Floppy/CD  ?

EDIT 3 : what kind of motherboard is it ? does it have dual BIOS ? if so refer to the manual how to save reset BIOS

How do I clear CMOS? Haven't tried the battery trick.

I flashed it via Windows. The flashing went by seemingly OK, but the process stopped during verification.


Asus M2N-E. Don't think it has a dual BIOS. The manual doesn't mention it anyway, but I discovered another thing: It should be possible to recover the BIOS via the support CD. I will try that. :) Thanks for putting me on track of a solution, Nicky! :)

Edit: Ain't that just my luck! Looked through the stuff that corresponds with my PC. I've got all the CD's to the other hardware, and not for the motherboard! :censored: Can't understand were I've put it. Probably in the bin. :(

yeah , it have those ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 utility. ( I just downloaded that ASUS M2N-E manual , thats
why I do know , lol ) .

 ;) did you saved your old BIOS files to Floppy ,USB Stick or to your Hard disk ?

 ;) best would be , you will find the support CD

 :(to be honest ; I do not have any experiences with those Chrash free stuff . dont kow how it works .
as your PC has been shut down /reset ,/power off , I guess , after BIOS updated failed , it could mean recovery informations on he BIOS chip arent `reachable `anymore . dunno .
I will search the internet ....

Yes, I saved it on the HD. Can't remember exactly were I put it atm, but I believe I will be able to find it if I get as far as getting access to the HD. I've been looking through ASUS' home page to see if I can find any recovery related downloads, but I'm not sure what I should look for.

EDIT: Found a thread from someone with a similar problem as mine on the ASUS forum (http://vip.asus.com/forum/view.aspx?id=20091224014853140&board_id=1&model=M2N-E&page=1&SLanguage=en-us) that might help:

I guess that is about the same solution as you suggested, Nicky.

 ;D yes

thats what I worked out meanwhile , before reading your last post :


Well after searching the internet , I would suggest to do this in order :

1.   remove the power cord of the PC , if there is a switch on the PSU , turn it to off.
2.   remove all periphery from the rear end off the PC , except the monitor ,except mouse and keyboard as long they are PS2. If they are USB remove them and plug in PS2 ones instead .
3.   open the PC and remove the battery on the motherboard and make clear cmos via jumper . ( see manual http://support.asus.com/download/download.aspx?model=M2N-E&SLanguage=en-us ) .
4.   wait 10 min , then bring back the jumpers to default position , as well set in back the battery .
5.   plug in the power cord , switch on the PSU
6.    start the PC and try to enter BIOS setup ( choose default/save settings )


Note : sometimes it could be even necessary to remove any sort of RAID ( if installed  )
           As well it could be necessary to use most basic RAM , in your case PC 800. ( any faster could create probs after  the clear cmos procedure , cause sometimes  the restored default basic save BIOS settings did not know of the exist of faster RAM etc. )

Always good idea to use only 1 RAM while troubleshooting boot failures .
(size doesnt matter , only one unit is the point ).

Once your lucky and Windows is back to work , you can reinstall all RAM and RAID and whatever…


If still nothing helps:
Stop working on it . save time and nerves by buying an new BIOS chip .
Including shipping shouldn’t be more then 20€ . ( make sure you have the needed pincer tool , to remove the BIOS chip from your motherboard . should have been part of your ASUS package . )

Important :
try to keep in mind to never ever again  update BIOS via Windows !!!!!
( coz. its unstable and  placing that BIOS informations and backup on a HDD , which cant be acess after failing BIOS update is obviously a stupid idea ).


good luck

OK, finally got time to fix the BIOS, but the other problem still isn't solved. The computer still blacks out after a few minutes. :(

you say that you have checked that the PC isn't overheating and the fans are working (cpu/gpu).

does the PC lockup or switch off when it blacks out as you say ?

does it lock up under load (cpu/gpu being stressed) or after a similar time ?

john

It just blacks out, and I lose all contact with it - hitting ctrl-alt-del doesn't help, but it doesn't switch off. I need to push either the reset button to reset it or the power button to turn it off. It's not under any certain load either when it blacks out.

ok does it always happen after a length of time ?

have you tried a different psu ?

john

 :( :o
Hi Asbjeurn ,


1.   check out if its an hardware  related problem

start the PC with most less hardware connected like :
unplug all unnecessary fans from the motherboard ;
no floppy , no CD or DVD ,only 1 HDD , no expansion cards except Video card .
Only one unit of RAM .
Use only PS2  mouse and keyboard . no USB ones. ( none usb stuff at all ).
Inside BIOS choose save/default settings.

Note : as to the RAM
To figure out if a single RAM slot or RAM unit doesn’t work proper , you have to go through a number of combinations.
Best to mark each RAM and start with the slot closed to the CPU socket.


2. check out if its still a software related problem  :

A: start into windows save mode ( pressing F8 key while booting , I guess )

B.: make a fresh Windows install on another HDD , ( if you have one )

C.: start another PC with your HDD , ingnore all `found new hardware `information .
Just watch if PC starts into Windows  and if it stay there ..



Cant help , but I got the feeling the motherboard got damaged by the usb camera.
But that’s a shot in the dark………


Good luck

Edit :

Forgot to ask , you did fix the BIOS back to its original version , right ?
( is the CPU detected right by the BIOS , mean the name and version .
could be seen at boot sequence , written in white letters. ( hit pause key the moment cpu is listed , helps to study it proper ).

Yeah, bugger. I realised today that I was a bit too quick to reassemble the computer and start it up again. was tidying up and found the printout of you checklist, and saw all the points I should check after resetting the BIOS. Will have a look later. :)

That wasn't too far fetched, I guess. I disconnected the internals like you said, and turned on the computer. It worked fine, seemingly. Then I reconnected the internals one after the other, turning on the computer between each, and having it turned on for a while, and the computer seemed fine until I plugged in the USB connections in the front (where I connected the camera). Then it went five minutes or so, and it blacked out again.

So I guess it's got something to do with the USB's in the front. Perhaps the cable connecting them to the motherboard is damaged somehow. Actually there was a similar cable laying around in the cabinet, not connected to anything. Maybe I should try plugging that in and see what happens.

 :)
Hi Asbjeurn ,

Good to hear your PC is on the way back to work .

Studying the ASUS M2N-E manual , I found this on page 24 :
WARNUNG : never connect a 1394 cable to the USB connector.
Doing so will damage the motherboard.

As I havnt a clue what  1394 cable is  ,I did search Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_1394_interface 


Maybe a look into ya camera-manual will spot some light on it .

Keep it on
Nicky

The reason they say that is because 1394 (aka FireWire) and USB run at different voltages / amps and have slightly different pin connectors on the motherboard.

By the sounds of things Asbjeurn, the front USB ports are faulty and you'd be wise to disconnect them to solve the problems. It could be a faulty lead which is drawing more power than can handle and is causing issues, but actually, knowing ASUS and the problems those motherboards have, it's more likely a crap drivers issue.

Disconnect, move on. :)

 :)

maybe  worth to delete all USB drivers via device manager ,reboot and install them fresh from motherboard CD.


 ??? wonder how slightly... but must be a way to connect wrong cable, if there is a warning in the manual.
( I never have seen  a 1394 cable I guess )

Hm, I'm beginning to think. I had a friend of mine put the computer together. His knowledge on the field he's got from a fourteen days or so course, so he's not a rocket scientist to put it that way. Maybe he used a 1394 cable to connect the USB contacts without knowing what trouble it could (or would) cause? I don't believe that I used those contacts before I plugged in the camera, so maybe that triggered all the mayhem?

I don't know what that cable looks like. I took pictures of all the connections before I disconnected them, just to know where to reconnect them. The picture below shows the cables that connected the USB ports to the motherboard. The one connected on the left (marked HD AUDIO on the plug that's not connected) did nothing wrong to the function of the computer, I believe. The other one, though, the gray one, which is not connected on the picture, is the one that caused trouble. It was plugged into the blue contact behind it. Is that a 1394 cable?

(http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/1212/dscf2725b.th.jpg) (http://img189.imageshack.us/i/dscf2725b.jpg/)

The easiest way to find out is to try it in the identical port next to it in blue, probably marked USB_2. However, just trace the cable back to the ports and work out whether they are actually USB ports - square with a tongue. Firewire is an odd shaped port.

If that doesn't work, leave them disconnected, since it's obvious they're causing the problem. :)

 :-\
Hi Asbjeurn ,

Call me an idiot , but the black plug does have only 3 cables in a row ( cant clearly  see the other row on that Photo ) .
USB connector should come with 9 pin  , in  2 rows ( one 4 pin , one 5 pin )

Looking at the drawing in the ASUS M2N-E manual  ( page 24 ) I can not imagine how the NC pin could be supported  , neiter the Ground pin…..


Could you make a photo of the sockets the cable leads to ?

Regards
( confused ) Nicky

Asbjuern Doesn't have an IE1394/Firewire port in that section of the Motherboard.
Having just upgraded the gaming rig I have the old MoBo infront of me now which just happens to be a M2N-SLi Deluxe. Same board but I have all the connections and chips where nicky has blank solder connections - The Firewire would be a bright red port to the left of the USB2 port which is otherwise identical. You can see the label by the solder pattern :)

The other angle is to check that your camera actually is USB and your mate hasn't plugged a Firewire port into the USB hub thinking it'll work or just not realising. The cables to the motherboard are the same so it can be done.
Did the front panel USB's work before you used the camera?
Can you give us a pic of the front ports so we deffinatly know what they are  :)

I checked that when I disconnected stuff, just to keep track of what I was disconnecting (I didn't want to disconnect something that stopped the computer from working at all), and it was/is connected to the USB port at the front. The firewire port isn't connected at all, so my friend knew what he was doing, then. :) And the camera is USB. ;)

I said earlier that I wasn't sure if I ever did use the front USB's before I connected the camera, but after some rethinking, it comes to my mind that I have connected an external hard drive for backup, and I used a USB memory stick to transfer data from my old computer to this computer, so it has been in use earlier, and obviously it worked fine then.

 :)

so we can forgot all about 1394 stuff.

well ,
1.did you delete all USB driver proper , reboot and install them new via motherboard CD ?

2. did you tried the second blue USB slot ?

Now, I was going to connect the other cable, the one laying around in the cabinet, to see if it could make the computer work with the USB port connected. Fortunately I spotted that the leads didn't have the same colour as the ones in the USB cable, and after some more thorough study, I found out that it was actually a 1394 cable, so I shouldn't connect it anyway, so I might as well keep the USB port disconnected for now.

I will try your two suggestions later though, Nicky, but now all I want is to reassemble the computer with it's externals and get going with the practice for next season. :)

This is hopeless. :( I tried to uninstall the USB drivers, restarted the computer and the USB's seemingly reinstalled themselves. (Of course I had unplugged all USB equipment in the process) The computer seemed to work fine as long as no USB equipment was connected to it, but as soon as I connected anything to one of the USB's, it didn't take long before the computer blacked out again. The gear was connected to the USB's in the rear, so it seems like it's not only the front USB that's fucked up.

I'm starting wondering if I should just trash the motherboard and buy a new one, Intel based this time. :(

 ;)
Hi Asbjeurn ,
Have you unplugged the internal USB cable from the motherboard ( the one  leading to the front slot ) ? as well change the BIOS settings to `don’t use usb expansion `?

Try to install the USB drivers from the Asus CD ( or equal USB specified driver for this motherboard ) via device manager  by using the `make the driver become an actual one `
Sorry don’t know the English expression for it .lol.

If it turns out that the usb stuff to your motherboard is dead , your right , its time to buy a new motherboard . But this kinda trouble has nothing to do with AMD or Intel ,, and as Asus is a good company in PC stuff , I think you simply got bad luck .

OK, forget about that Intel/AMD discussion. I just misrecalled what I'd read earlier in the thread:
What I recalled, was that it was AMD that had problems, not Asus. :-\ If I can't make this motherboard work again, I'll look for one from someone els but Asus. :)

But first I'll give it another go. I will try disconnecting the front USB before anything else. If that doesn't work, I'll try your other suggestions. Although it will be difficult to reinstall from the Asus CD:

;)

 


;D
Hi Asbjeurn ,

All motherboard drivers for your Asus M2N-E ( for windows XP ) could be found here :
http://support.asus.com/download/download.aspx?SLanguage=en-us

on right hand choose:
Motherboard
Socket.Am2/AM2+/AM3
M2N-E


including  an USB2.0 driver as a single download.
But off course all other motherboard drivers had to be installed as well .

Good luck
Nicky

Huh! What a smartass I am. I sat on my laptop reading your post above. Downloaded the driver and was going to put it on a USB memory stick, and install it on the race computer from the memory stick. Cunning plan, eh?  ;D

By the way, I opened the computer and looked inside. It turned out that I'd already disconnected the front USB, so it's not that one that's causing the trouble. It seems like the motherboard has got a problem with USB's in general, and not specifically with the front USB. :(

That does it! I haven't had time for the last couple of months to even look at the computer, but this weekend the mother of my son is away, and the TV evening was messed up by that European song contest that everyone makes such hassle about, so I decided to make an effort on the computer.

I downloaded the latest BIOS update a couple of months ago, and installed it this evening, hoping that it would fix my problem. The 'puter rebooted and I had it running a couple of minutes before it blacked out again. Now I'm giving up on it, and will start the search for a new non-ASUS motherboard. If I'm right, I can save some money moving the RAM over from my this motherboard to the new one, or is that a smart move? The RAM might not fit the new one, when I think about it. After all, the computer's 4 or 5 years old, so the RAM may be outdated compared to new motherboards.

hi asbjeurn ,
sorry to hear your PC still dont work .

 ??? well wasnt you up to run for a faster CPU ...mean thats what the thread title is all about ..

if so , to me it wont make sence to buy a new motherboard and CPU , which both are sort of outdated , just to stick to your DDR2 RAM .


well , there are AM2+ boards out ( supporting your DDR2 RAM )  promissing to be able to support AM3 CPUs .
 :D but I dont know if that really do work .

btw. whats the specification of the RAM you have atm ? DDR2-800 ?

You're right, Nicky. All this cockup made me forget what the thread started out with. :)

The RAM is DDR2-667, but that doesn't matter, 'cause you're right again. There's no point in sticking to outdated technology just to save a bit of money. RAM isn't that expensive, and if I need to upgrade in the future, going for the latest in motherboards will save me a bit of money in the long term.

So, what do I go for, then? I don't know much about computers and stuff, so I need some tips on what to go for.

GO TO reply #1   ;D

 :)
I havnt any experiences with Intel CPUs since ages , as well I don’t know any on video editing.
So I cant say which CPU is more useful for video editing .

But I just did have a look at the prices for Intel i5 and i7 CPUs , woooooooooooooow  :

Cheapest i7 is 236,51 €    ,4 x 2,8 GHz
Cheapest i5 is 159,41 €    , 2 x 3,2GHz

Compared to

AMD Phenom II X4 965 BE , 4 x 3,4 GHz  149,90 €
AMD Phenom II X2 555 BE , 2 x 3,2 GHz     87,80 €

Wonder what above Intel CPUs are able to manage  over that AMD Phenom ones …..


However  I do run AMD Phenom X2 550 BE , 2 x 3,1 GHz  ,  79,95 €
And old  motherboard  Gigabyte GA-MA770T-UD3 , 67,64 € ( AM3 socket )
( this motherboard still today tested fine compared price/performance as long you wont run 2 gfx cards in combination , coz southbridge chip is old SB700

other downsides are :
only 1 LAN port
no gfx fan control via BIOS ,
no USB 3.0  ( afaik there aren’t any hardware out need that )

note :  I tried to set free the 2 `closed `cores of that Phenom CPU to make it quad core ,
           ( these motherboard BIOS is able to do ) but I wasn’t lucky , even at 3cores the system was unstable.
I would recommend to buy an quadcore CPU , if you really want it , for video editing e.c.
GPL don’t benefit anyway on the exist of more then 1 core afaik ..


searching  the internet best AM3 motherboards should be :
http://www.chip.de/bestenlisten/Bestenliste-Mainboards-AMD-Sockel-AM3--index/extended/id/828/

maybe useful if you have look for an english or Norwegian side , lol