Really, pretty similar to a gaming PC. You want a strong processor, good video card and fast ram. I'd also raid some hard drives since your data is so important.
What hardware is it lacking? I edit video on my *shittt* pc (see sig) all the time.
My Budget it kind of high. My parents would pay for it because video is my ticket into college and if i have enough good stuff then I could get a scholarship.
I would say like 1,700 USD
I edit 3D layers in After Effects and use Maya for some stuff.
well i would go quad core since the video apps do take advantage of them. 2 gigs of ram and an 8800GTS. Its kinda late so i wont put together a list right now.
this is proberly best for your money, remember workstation cards are never good for gaming and gaming cards are never good for video editing. Don't ask me why, Nvdia and ATI just make it like that.