buying a new pc

[Paragon]

looking to spend about 700-800 dollars, getting just a tower, any input would be appreciated

I already have an e-mu 0404 on this old pc, which i will just transfer over for recording. i was looking on ibuypower:

Case ( Raidmax Tornado Gaming Tower Case )
Case Lighting ( Cold Cathode Neon Light Blue )
Power Supply ( 500 Watt -- Power Supply )
Processor ( [=== Quad Core ===] Intel Core 2 Quad Processor Q6600 (4x 2.4GHz/8MB L2 Cache/1066FSB) )
Processor Cooling ( [=== Quiet ===] AVC Silent Intel CPU Fan and Heatsink Quiet & Overclocking Proof )
Motherboard ( [CrossFire] Asus P5Q Pro Intel P45 Chipset w/7.1 Sound, Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0, IEEE-1394, Dual PCI-E MB )
Memory ( 4 GB [2 GB X2] DDR2-800 PC6400 Memory Module Corsair-Value or Major Brand )
Video Card ( NVIDIA GeForce 9500GT 1GB w/DVI + TV Out Video )
Video Card Brand ( Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA )
Hard Drive ( 320 GB HARD DRIVE [Serial-ATA-II, 3Gb, 7200 RPM, 16M Cache] )
CD-RW/DVD-RW Drive ( [Lightscribe Technology] LG 22X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive Black )
Sound Card ( 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard )
Speaker System ( 600W PMPO 3 PCS Super Bass Subwoofer Speaker System )
Network Card ( Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100) )
Keyboard ( PS/2 104 Key Windows 98 Keyboard Beige )
Mouse ( Logitech Optical Internet Mouse Black )
USB 2.0 Accessories ( Built-in USB 2.0 Ports )
Flash Media Reader/Writer ( 12-In-1 Internal Flash Media Card Reader/Writer Black )
Operation System ( Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium + [Free 60-Day !!!] Microsoft Office 2007(Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Access ....) 64-Bit )
Warranty ( Warranty Service Standard 3-Year Limited Warranty + Lifetime Technical Support )
Rush Service ( Rush Service Fee (not shipping fee) No Rush, Ship Out in 5~10 Business Days )

this is quite a bit better than my 1.8 GHz 512 mb sdram computer. i'll be using it for recording vocals and later on music production, looking to either get sonar or protools m-powered

so i was wondering if this was a decent build. i need a new pc either way because i'm in college and majoring in computer science. i was going to buy some rokit 6 monitors later on

[Big Question]

imo this computer will be overkill for home recording.

case/case lighting is personal so whatever...
Id recommend at least a 500w psu (may as well go higher if youve got the cash plus get a good branded make like thermaltake not a generic 500w job)
A quad core cpu is serious overkill, it wont get utillised esp if this pc is just for your recording, id say a good 2.6ghz dual core is more than adequate, and i go AMD beacsue its much cheaper
Motherboard dont need to be nuthin serious jus make sure its got usb 2.o, firewire, ehernet if u use it, whatever ports you need...may as well go for 800mhz min ram support
Memory id go for ddr2 800mhz its cheap and plenty fast enuff, 2gb would be fine to start with, 4gb if you feel u need it
video card is not nessacary, a decent mobo will provide sufficent graphcs for your needs
speaker system...dont u want studio monitors?
id go for xp sp3 over vista for driver issues if this is gon be a pure recordin pc, having said that i like vista
As for harddrive go for whatever size you think you`ll need. 320gb is a lot but i know sum who like 1tb lol

overall that builds sweet if you want it for games, internet, multi tasking, video editing eyc..but for a pur audio pc its too much and you could save a bit and get those
Rokit 6 monitors instead.


My audio pc i built is
Amd 2.6x2
160GB
3Gb RAM

runnin vista ultimate

[Opie M.]

imo this computer will be overkill for home recording.

case/case lighting is personal so whatever...
Id recommend at least a 500w psu (may as well go higher if youve got the cash plus get a good branded make like thermaltake not a generic 500w job)
A quad core cpu is serious overkill, it wont get utillised esp if this pc is just for your recording, id say a good 2.6ghz dual core is more than adequate, and i go AMD beacsue its much cheaper
Motherboard dont need to be nuthin serious jus make sure its got usb 2.o, firewire, ehernet if u use it, whatever ports you need...may as well go for 800mhz min ram support
Memory id go for ddr2 800mhz its cheap and plenty fast enuff, 2gb would be fine to start with, 4gb if you feel u need it
video card is not nessacary, a decent mobo will provide sufficent graphcs for your needs
speaker system...dont u want studio monitors?
id go for xp sp3 over vista for driver issues if this is gon be a pure recordin pc, having said that i like vista
As for harddrive go for whatever size you think you`ll need. 320gb is a lot but i know sum who like 1tb lol

overall that builds sweet if you want it for games, internet, multi tasking, video editing eyc..but for a pur audio pc its too much and you could save a bit and get those
Rokit 6 monitors instead.


My audio pc i built is
Amd 2.6x2
160GB
3Gb RAM

runnin vista ultimate

No no no no no no no no no no no.

I'll PM you, Paragon.

[Big Question]

damn you opey.

buy a quad core then...

[Paragon]

thanks for the quick responses guys!

i heard that intel chipsets were more reliable when it came to audio gear, is that true?

opey: your input would be much appreciated!

i'm looking to spend 500-800 on a tower including OS...

[Big Question]

yeah intel is generally considered the better chipset.
like i said if you can afford all that go for it

os alone start around £60 for oem

i have an aquired version of ultimate but if its stability you want xp is the one.

but havin said that just go with what opey tells you as i know nuthin

[The Dubaian]

Opey, if you could share some information, it would be greatly appreciated.. I'm also looking to buy a new PC soon. Thanks.

[Opie M.]

I'm working on a pretty thorough breakdown right now. Give me some time to post up some detailed info so people can reference it.

[Paragon]

cool that would be really helpful, some guidelines would be great because i don't want to buy something that won't work for what i need.


also, where could i build a computer online with what i want in it, without overcharging for looks and crap?

[Opie M.]

I build custom studio PCs. I've built several for RB members. I even created my own customized version of Windows XP called Studio Edition. I should have that breakdown for you tonight. I'll finish it in class today. It's pretty extensive. I had to take a break from it lol

[Abo 3amter]

opey did u use nLite for ur Studio Edition... i was planning to do something like that....

[Paragon]

what's different in your studio edition?

[Opie M.]

Big T, I've never seen this program before. I created my own slipstream without the help of any programs. I'm gonna give that a try, because there's still steps I have to do to set up Windows properly after I intall the disc. This sounds like I can configure it 100%. Thanks.

Paragon, my Windows configuration is optimized completely for handling audio tasks. All the extras that slow down the OS are uninstalled or disabled. The Windows desktop is also configured for working easily with audio apps and audio files. My configuration speeds up PCs up to double the original benchmark depending on the hardware configuration. There is a significant difference in latency and load times, especially on entry level machines.

Also, for Mac users, I can configure Windows to operate similar to OSX, making it way easier to navigate. I can build Mac clone systems as well that run OSX, but it's illegal to sell.

[Opie M.]

This is the configuration I recommend for your budget. A lot of this information only applies to studio PCs with one CPU, not a dual CPU workstation similar to a Mac Pro or Xeon workstation. Workstations have completely different requirements that require a higher budget, but they're much faster than standard Intel Core PCs.

Configuration:

Case
You don't want a gaming case with fancy lights and lots of fans. They're loud and take up unnecessary power from the power supply. Studio PCs should be as quiet and power efficient as possible. Loud PCs raise the noise floor in your studio which ruin recordings and distort mixes. Power efficiency is important in order to supply stable power to all your computer components and external bus-powered devices such as MIDI controllers, recording interfaces, storage devices, etc.

Studio cases also need to be large enough for expansion to add extra drives and expansion cards. Inexpensive gaming cases usually provide little room for expansion.

Note: Rackmount cases are very nice to have if you have rack space available. They are more expensive than towers, but have several benefits.

Recommendation: Antec Performance One P180

Power Supply
This is the component inside any computer that is most likely to break down. It's also the most common part that computer manufacturers skimp out on. Rule of thumb for power supplies is that quality equals weight. Stock power supplies are generally light weight with loud fans. The power distribution is rarely stable. A high quality, quiet power supply is an important part of a good studio PC. A high quality power supply with at least a 400W power rating is sufficient for powering a studio PC with a dual/quad core CPU and plenty of room for memory, expansion, and cooling. It's also a good idea to have a power supply that is capable of controlling the power distribution to the PC's cooling fans in order to cut down on power consumption and fan noise.

Recommendation: Antec TruePower 430

CPU Cooling
Just like the power supply, a good studio PC needs a quiet CPU fan that is efficient at cooling. Stock CPU fans are extremely loud. They also don't cool efficiently, so they run faster for longer amounts of time. A good CPU fan should also be compatible with on-board temperature monitoring built into modern motherboards.

Recommendation: Zalman CNPS9500 AT

Video
Video cards that are built into motherboards use the computer's CPU and memory resources to function. Efficient CPU and memory usage is important for studio PCs. Video expansion cards come equipped with their own GPU and built-in memory, freeing the PC's resources for important audio tasks. But a high quality gaming video card is overkill for audio production. The PC will never use the extra power, and these cards need their own power from the power supply and generate heat. A video card for a studio PC should be capable of powering dual monitors. Both video outputs should be DVI. On-board video on motherboards are VGA, which is an older analog standard. It is also nice to have HDMI support built in for use with HD monitors. 256MB of on-board memory is good enough to render audio program GUIs.

Recommendation: ATI Radeon HD2600 XT

Motherboard
This is a highly technical selection so I'll highlight the main features that are important to pay attention to...

Intel Chipset: The most stable chipset for Intel CPUs. Avoid other chipsets, such as VIA and SIS.

ATX Form Factor: Manufactures make smaller Mini ATX versions of their motherboards that are cheaper but lack the room for expansion that is needed for studio use.

Dual PCIe 16x Support: This allows 2 video cards to be installed for up to 4 monitor support.

Upgradeability: You want to leave yourself room to upgrade the CPU, memory, etc in case you need more power down the road. Your motherboard should be compatible with newer technologies even if you aren't using them yet.

Expansion: External hard drives that are fast enough for studio use connect with technologies such as Firewire 400, Firewire 800, eSata, and Gigabit LAN. The motherboard should be compatible with most of these technologies if not all.

Network: It is a good idea to use a motherboard that has dual Gigabit ethernet, because there are a number of audio components and storage devices that use this technology. Constant connection to the internet thru ethernet or wireless card should be avoided. Internet connections use up resources and force you to use firewalls, anti-virus, and anti-spyware programs that also use up resources. If a network connection isn't being used at that moment then it should be disabled to save resources. I use a USB wireless adapter that I connect to and disconnect from a USB jack on the front of the PC case. I do the same thing for Bluetooth.

Recommendation: Asus P5K-E

Optical Drive
The best type of drive to get right now is a Blu-Ray writer so you can back up your configuration and mass projects like album sessions on Blu-Ray discs. Your budget doesn't allow for this. A DVD writer is the next best thing. You should be backing up all your important sessions to CD or DVD. Also, DVD writers with LightScribe are pretty much standard now but aren't always available on cheaper computer configurations. This technology allows you to burn labels onto the top of LightScribe writeable discs. PC manufacturers also tend to still use the older Parallel ATA (PATA) drives to save money. Serial ATA (SATAII) is much faster.

Note: You should never use rewritable discs. Writable discs can only get ruiined if scratched. Rewritable discs store data using heat. The ink inside the discs is too sensitive to temperature change to rely on them for permanent storage.

Recommendation: Lite-On LH20A1L Dual Layer DVD±RW Writer w/ LightScribe

These are pretty much the minimum requirements for a studio PC. If a PC doesn't meet these minimal requirements then move on. With an $800 budget, you're only left with about $250 to spend on memory capacity, processor power, and hard drive space. The rest of the components, which I'm about to break down for you, are totally left up to your budget. Invest in more memory before more processor speed. Invest in more power/memory before better CPU/Memory technology. CPU and memory technology doesn't take giant leaps, so you don't need to have the newest processor or memory chip. It's best to get the best of everything within your budget without decreasing the quality of other parts to afford the newest parts at their high introductory prices.

Processor
Intel has released their newest CPUs called the Core i7. They have 4 cores plus Hyperthreading technology, which makes 8 processing cores available for multitasking. This upgrade from the current Core 2 Quad processors isn't much of a price boost, but there's no room in your entry level budget for quad core processors. You'll have to settle for a Core 2 Duo, which actually isn't much different from an entry level Core 2 Quad.

You can compare high end processor benchmarks here. As you can see, the CPU in that gaming PC isn't on the high end list. It's a low end quad core processor with a small cache size and slow Front Side Bus speed comparable to a Core 2 Duo. Front Side Bus speeds are available up to 1600MHz. A minimum of 1066MHz FSB is optimal right now to not bottle neck clock speeds from multiple cores. Cash size is available up to 16MB. I would definitely choose a larger cache size over a slightly faster clock speed. If all of this sounded like a foreign language, just use the benchmark chart above as a guide.

Recommendation: Intel Core 2 Duo E7200

Memory
Right now, the most memory you can possibly use with Windows XP is 2GB. Windows Vista is unreliable for audio production. This is one of the appeals of running OSX.

When buying memory, it is important to use a reliable name brand. I only use Corsair memory. Kingston is fine as well, but avoid purchasing ValueRam. This entry level memory has a lower bandwidth than higher end models. This is another common bottleneck because most computer manufacturers use cheap memory to cut costs. Higher end memory has many benefits including higher bandwidths and cooling, both of which affect performance significantly.

Memory should be purchased as dual channel kits. Memory transfers twice as fast over 2 channels than 1. In order to use dual channel mode, both memory modules must be a matched pair. That's why they're sold in kits.

Recommendation: Corsair XMS2 Dominator TWIN2X20488500C5DF

Storage
The new generation of storage is solid state drives. They have no moving parts and access data instantly. They are still very expensive and not exactly necessary for use with current audio production tools. For audio production, SATAII hard drives with up to 32GB of cache are more than enough to handle the job. Solid state drives do allow for faster loading and boot times. They also have an advantage of being silent. Mechanical hard drives can be very noisy. It's important to select a quiet drive. Luckily Seagate Barracuda drives are the quietest and least expensive drives out there. These are the same drives that Glyph uses in their audio drive racks. They're quiet and dependable.

Another way that computer manufacturers cut corners is by using 5400RPM drives, which are much slower than standard 7200RPM drives. This is a common bottleneck in budget PCs and the majority of laptops.

Another important factor in a good studio PC is having separate hard drives for running the system and accessing media such as audio files, session files, plugin libraries, etc. The system drive should be as small as possible to cut down on search time. The larger the drive, the more disk the PC has to look thru to find what it wants. 80GB

System Drive Recommendation: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST380815AS 80GB Hard Drive

The media drive is really up to what you can afford, but you should be aiming for at least 200GB. High quality audio files are very large, and high quality libraries can take up massive amounts of space. Storage is very inexpensive right now because of the addition to solid state drives to the market. ITB drives are down to about $100, but you are already over budget without a media drive if you don't know how to build it yourself. The smallest drive I would use is a 250GB drive. Drives can always be added to the system at another time.

Media Drive Recommendation: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250820AS 250GB Hard Drive

Like I said, this is the bear minimum for a studio PC. This configuration is about $800 in parts alone. I would charge about $950 for my configuration. A studio PC manufacturer like Sweetwater will charge about $1500 for this configuration with the stock Windows XP Pro installed.

[Big Question]

nice shit opey.
only thing id say is 400w psu is i would not go lower than 600w on a quad core beast like that, not worth the risk when your talking a grand.
but id like to hear bout that xp you use.

i tweaked vista ultimate and got it to 3.5gb, its much less cpu intensive than the full version however its not quite as stable...
have you disabled everything in your version, like everything whatsoever or is it still usable as a multipuropose os, or is it only suitable for audio now?