Is there any way to calulate the time encoding will take?

[Big Figures]

Is there any way to calulate the time encoding will take?

Like for example: "for every 100Mhz cpu speed encoding time will be 5 minutes faster."
Is there some kind of guide for something like that.

I'm about to buy a new cpu. Trying to get the best "value" for my $$$$. I'm using a lot of considerations in my decision.

Also does AMD or Pentium encode quicker.

[hakko504]

NO.

It depends on a lot of factors, your CPU, your memory (both size and type/speed), HD (speed/fragmentation), apps used (DVD2AVI/AviSynth/VD will be faster than DVD2AVI/vfApi/VD), filters used (most notably resizing - putting a filter like Convolution3D ahead of Resizing will slow the encode down much more than putting it after).

On the other hand, after you have made a few encodes on your current setup you will get an inevitable feel for how fast a conversion will be made. For example, on my current setup, a typical encode of a NTSC DVD that needs to be deinterlaced and resized to a reasonable size will average 15fps during the first pass of a DivX5.03 encode. Another quite typical is converting a 16:9 PAL to 704x400 (cropping 8 pixels off each side) and that will reach ~20fps during the first pass.

My recommendation would be:SPEND as much as you can on: CPU HD
Get: Decent motherboard with 1GB RAM (fast/ suitable for your MB) DVD±R(W) (preferrably one that can write both ±RW ) 5.1 capable soundcard A good monitor, i.e. a large one.
Save money on: Video card (Most cards today are capable of showing video decently. Make sure it has a TV-out though) Extras