Dual E5472 or single X5460 vs E8400

So I'm doing some video editing with Premiere Elements 12, and it's super slow on my system (P5Q Pro, E8400, 4GB 1000Mhz, WD Black 1TB). I can get the X5460 (pin modded) and put it in the P5Q, or I can get a Dual E5472 system. I would upgrade to something modern, but I'm only looking to spend $100-$200.

What do you guys think? Will either of those options improve my rendering times significantly? As I type this, my main rig is about 10 hours into rendering one video, with about 4 more hours to go.

Thanks in advance!

What OS? You would do better initially with more RAM.

See https://forums.adobe.com/message/5963942 for additional info but realistically you may want to consider a "new" MB/CPU for better increases.

Initially I was using XP, but I installed Win7 just for this project.

During rendering my CPU load is at 100% (both cores), but I don't come close to running out of ram. The dual Xeon system comes with 4GB 667, but I could probably get more. I looked into more ram for my P5Q, but it doesn't seem worth the price.

I really can't justify $500+ for a modern system.

Here are two more links to help guide you. What I am seeing is basically recommending to go to current gen HW...
*pulled from linked article*
From what I've read hyper threading does not make a huge difference in speed but because PE does make use of multiple cores the more the better and the faster the better. your probably right about about ram, 16 gig is plenty for PE.

https://forums.adobe.com/thread/947698?tstart=30

https://forums.adobe.com/thread/1108610

Seen those links already

Mostly just wondering how much performance will increase if I move to Xeons. If the dual Xeons can give me 50% more performance I'll get 'em, and if not I can grab the X5460 for pretty cheap just for the extra cores.

I'm surprised that I didn't find more threads about the Xeon 775 pinmod. Couldn't find any benchmarks.

Perhaps an AMD 6/8 core FX would better suit your price tags?

I haven't used an AMD processor since socket A, so I don't know much about them. I really only check up on Intel stuff once in a while. If you link me a cheap AMD setup for around $250 (mobo, proc, and ram) I might give it some consideration.

I'm leaning towards the dual Xeon; 8 cores with HT means 16 threads right (as opposed to 2)? I can get the whole system for $200. I also recently found an SGI server for $250 with 2 E5520s and 8GB DDR3 (which seems insane to me). Not sure if it's still available, but if it's legit I should get it.

Really I'm just waiting for someone to tell me that getting a dual Xeon system would be like running 4 E8400s. Where are the Xeon enthusiasts?

Alice, I have a server rack sitting downstairs, that is populated with multiple servers, most of which have xeons. I don't run Premiere so I can't say what if any improvement you will see.

8gb of RAM is about average anymore honestly. I don't even debate less than that on any system that can handle it.

Those links answer the question pretty clearly though, CPU Speed and more cores matters more, Hyperthreading doesnt really get taken advantage of (but it is helpful outside of Premiere!), and 16gb of RAM is plenty. An SSD may also help to speed up the conversion some but the links I posted that you saw clearly state, it is NOT a fast process.

Well thanks for all your help. I didn't realize how old my system is until I tried to edit video. I can play BF4 (even though it sucks), so I figured I was still okay. I will eventually upgrade to a new system, but until then I'm gonna go down to Weirdstuff and look at some moderately priced servers. If I do get anything I'll post here with the results.