First of all, get as much RAM as you can afford/spec. If you're planning on doing animations, I assume you're going to want to edit them together. Video will take as much RAM as you throw at it. (So will comping in After Effects.) If your serious about video editing, do yourself a huge favor an get a Canopus DV-Storm. Actually, the Storm-2 was just announced! Coupled with Premiere 6.5, it is hands down the best editing suite I have ever used in its price range. In fact, it is the best Realtime setup I have ever used period. -Tim