RiveraFan
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Advice on New PC
Hey all, I am looking to purchase a new DAW computer and am looking for a little bit of advice. I am a hobbyist/enthusiast and LOVE recording, but am not using this as my primary source of income. As such, I cannot justify spending a huge amount of money on a new pc. However, my old pc did not last me nearly as long as I would have liked and presented me with numerous headaches. I would like to avoid this situation again, if at all possible. All that said, I do some fairly intense projects with >50 audio tracks, several vsti, and almost as many plugins. I have my mind set on a Sandy Bridge 2600 and at least 8GB of RAM. I have stumbled across a couple of pcs that meet these specs, I just want some help making sure I am not overlooking something that will come back and bite me. Here are two that I am looking at:
http://cgi.ebay.com/INTEL-i7-2600K-3-4GHZ-QUAD-CORE-DESKTOP-COMPUTER-SYSTEM-/350432013152?pt=Desktop_PCs&hash=item5197602b60#ht_7194wt_1139 http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/series/category/desktops/HPE570t_series/3/computer_store I will, of course, purchase a TI firewire card. I just would like a couple more sets of eyes to make sure I'm not overlooking something. Thanks and God Bless!
post edited by RiveraFan - 2011/01/21 12:33:07
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jcschild
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Re:Advice on New PC
2011/01/21 13:19:08
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1) asrock motherboard (junk)
2) no name 400w power supply Junk
no windows installed love to know how the test it/ burn it in.
not going to be close to quiet
you get what you pay for...
Scott ADK Home of the Kentucky Fried DAW!
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Guitarhacker
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Re:Advice on New PC
2011/01/21 13:33:15
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Ummmm... I'd look around some more.
The factory lappys are OK but they often are loaded with bloatware and the upgrade is hard.
I built a nice DAW for around $800 including the XP OS... I had a monitor, keyboard and mouse from an old box that worked fine.
I have the i5-750 chip in an ASUS P7P55D mobo ( it will load the i7 chip) with 4gb memory (up to 16gb possible) and several TB of disk space.
I don't run quite that many tracks but fully loading it with FX and VST's, in a typical project, it barely gets above 25% or so and runs smoothly.
You can build a nice box for about half of what a DAW will cost if someone else puts it together for you. A little bit of research on the parts and the cost, then build it. If not, you are at the mercy of other people and companies that build the machines.
I know very little about computers and got stuck on a few things, but a call to the company I bought the parts from and one of their techs.... problems solved.
I have a screaming DAW that would have set me back about $1500 or so, had I bought it assembled.
I think it was well worth the little bit of trouble I encountered in building it. I would do it again.
My website & music: www.herbhartley.com MC4/5/6/X1e.c, on a Custom DAW Focusrite Firewire Saffire Interface BMI/NSAI "Just as the blade chooses the warrior, so too, the song chooses the writer "
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RiveraFan
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Re:Advice on New PC
2011/01/21 14:00:49
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Thanks for the speedy replies. The power supply has been one of my concerns. I also neglected to mention that I have taken into account that I will need Windows 7. I'm afraid motherboards are not my area of expertise...I did check reviews on the motherboard and it seemed to be decent for a low end board, but this was not specifically for audio. What do I specifically need to watch for in a MB? Also, if I upgrade, my Power Supply, do you have one you would recommend? Thanks so much for all your input! God Bless
post edited by RiveraFan - 2011/01/21 14:02:42
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RiveraFan
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Re:Advice on New PC
2011/01/26 12:17:15
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jcschild
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Re:Advice on New PC
2011/01/26 12:30:06
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loose the SSD Drive and buy a 500 or 1TB drive for the OS. complete waste of money..
need win7 pro if you ever want to add 2 more 4gig sticks ram
Scott ADK Home of the Kentucky Fried DAW!
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timidi
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Re:Advice on New PC
2011/01/26 14:02:11
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Hey Scott, doesn't he need tri-channel ram for that? Thanks.
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jcschild
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Re:Advice on New PC
2011/01/26 15:09:54
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nope sandy bridge 1155 is dual channel..
Scott ADK Home of the Kentucky Fried DAW!
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RiveraFan
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Re:Advice on New PC
2011/01/26 15:27:42
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Thanks! I would love to save money and lose the ssd if there is really no improvement in using it as my system drive. I also believe I must be understanding something incorrectly because, while my system is currently at 8gb of ram, I was under the impression that the upper limit of Win 7 Premium was 16 gb ram. Is this incorrect?
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RiveraFan
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Re:Advice on New PC
2011/01/26 19:04:51
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Quick update...I decided to lose the Cooler master Case and go with an Antec Sonata Elite.
I also ditched Win 7 Premium for Win 7 Professional and lost the SSD for a 640GB WD Black with 64m Cache. Can anyone offer pros and cons of SSD vs HDD for System Drive? Still debating...
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syntheticpop
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Re:Advice on New PC
2011/01/26 23:43:29
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I think the drawback to SSD's is the size and cost. They make great OS drives though but keep in mind that you may be installing programs that require a lot of disk space; so the larger the SSD drive you can afford - the better.
Stay with the Home Premium version of Windows. There's no advantage with the Professional version and will just take up more disk space.
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jcschild
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Re:Advice on New PC
2011/01/27 09:25:17
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RiveraFan
Thanks! I would love to save money and lose the ssd if there is really no improvement in using it as my system drive. I also believe I must be understanding something incorrectly because, while my system is currently at 8gb of ram, I was under the impression that the upper limit of Win 7 Premium was 16 gb ram. Is this incorrect?
yeah i had a brain fart lol home is good for 16. nothing more. the system can actually take 32gig which is what i was thinking. however there is no 8gig sticks non ecc yet. good job loosing the SSD! as a boot drvie it will offer nothing in performance for audio. and God Bless back at ya!
Scott ADK Home of the Kentucky Fried DAW!
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RiveraFan
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Re:Advice on New PC
2011/01/27 10:49:25
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I ordered last night! I did get Win 7 64 Professional...I ordered before i got to read these last couple of posts...Oh well :) I did end up going with a 640GB WD black instead of a SSD, and I upped the ram to 16GB. I am incredibly stoked about this build...I have always bought cheap junk and tweaked it to make it work, so for the first time in my life I feel like I am going to have a top notch computer that will run as intended! I will keep you posted on how the build goes and will not hesitate to ask if I have any questions. Thanks for encouraging me to spend the extra and get a nice machine!
God Bless,
Nathan
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timidi
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Re:Advice on New PC
2011/01/27 12:36:07
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RiveraFan
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Re:Advice on New PC
2011/01/27 13:09:05
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I am just using the onboard. From what I understand, the On-chip video on the SB processors is more than adequate for DAW usage.
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Freddie H
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Re:Advice on New PC
2011/01/29 06:02:03
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To rap it up! You get what you pay for! (if it isn't Pro Tools)
-Highly developed spirits often encounter resistance from mediocre minds. -It really matters!
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Freddie H
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Re:Advice on New PC
2011/01/29 06:07:09
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I wouldn't recommend anyone using anything lower then WINDOWS 7 PRO x64. I would recommend Ultimate version. The difference in price on the different versions are very small. The OS are one of the cheapest part in the new computer. In different to Scott recommendation. I would go for one INTEL SSD for BOOT drive Windows 7 x64. That will make the computer perform faster and better. Then use PARAGON FREE-edition to back it up. http://www.paragon-software.com/ Rest drives normal SATA drives example SAMSUNG F3
post edited by Freddie H - 2011/01/29 06:13:14
-Highly developed spirits often encounter resistance from mediocre minds. -It really matters!
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RiveraFan
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Re:Advice on New PC
2011/01/29 23:22:55
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Freddie, Thanks for the input, man. I am afraid I am not very well versed in the performance difference between Premium, Professional, and Ultimate. Would you please educate me?
post edited by RiveraFan - 2011/01/29 23:26:48
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SF_Green
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Re:Advice on New PC
2011/01/30 02:13:56
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RiveraFan
Quick update...I decided to lose the Cooler master Case and go with an Antec Sonata Elite.
I also ditched Win 7 Premium for Win 7 Professional and lost the SSD for a 640GB WD Black with 64m Cache. Can anyone offer pros and cons of SSD vs HDD for System Drive? Still debating...
Good call, but I would go with the P-183. That line is even quieter than the Sonata for just a few more bucks. I got one and it's the quietest case I've ever had. Silicone grommets for all mounts. The case is Aluminum-Silicone-Aluminum sandwiched and the fans are pretty quiet yet I don't have any overheating issues. Cooler Master caters to the gaming crowd. Haven't tried SSD yet, so can't help there, but you might look for a higher RPM SATA drive to get speed and capacity at a reasonable price. http://www.seagate.com/ww...rage/barracuda-xt-kit/ ASUS is a very solid choice for MB. I went with AMD because you get more bang for the buck. Cheers.
AMD FX-8370, Gigabyte 990FXA-UD3, Win7x64 SP1, 16Gb CorsairDDR3-1600, GeForce GTX 950 (390.65), SSD 525Gb (OS), SATA 3 & 1.5Tb, MOTU microlite, RME FireFace 800 (D 3.124, fw 2.77), UAD-2Q, Adam A7X, A-800 PRO, CC121 Cubase Pro 10.0.5, SonarPt- 2017.10 (x64), Reason10.2, Live 10.0.5 Suite, Wavelab Elements 9.5.40, Komplete10Ult, POD Farm2.5, Omnisphere2.5, BFD3, Alesis QS7.1, Arturia BeatStep Pro, POD HD500, Alesis ControlPad, ARP Omni, many things with strings. GrSltz My Studio
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Kev999
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Re:Advice on New PC
2011/01/30 20:14:18
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SF_Green
Good call, but I would go with the P-183. That line is even quieter than the Sonata for just a few more bucks. I got one and it's the quietest case I've ever had. Silicone grommets for all mounts. The case is Aluminum-Silicone-Aluminum sandwiched and the fans are pretty quiet yet I don't have any overheating issues.
Agreed. The P183 a very quiet case.
SonarPlatinum∞(22.11.0.111)|Mixbus32C(4.3.19)|DigitalPerformer(9.5.1)|Reaper(5.77)FractalDesign:DefineR5|i7-6850k@4.1GHz|16GB@2666MHz-DDR4|MSI:GamingProCarbonX99a|Matrox:M9148(x2)|UAD2solo(6.5.2)|W7Ult-x64-SP1
Audient:iD22+ASP800|KRK:VXT6|+various-outboard-gear|+guitars&basses, etc.
Having fun at work lately
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deswind
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Re:Advice on New PC
2011/01/30 22:26:15
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How will that intel motherboard do for overclocking. My experience with past intel motherboards is that they are very stable but difficult to overclock. Having said that, I am not familiar with this particular intel motherboard listed by the OP.
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AVTechman
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Re:Advice on New PC
2011/01/31 01:22:13
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The only difference between the Pro and Ultimate versions of Win7 is that Ultimate has the Bitlocker function and support for different languages. Other than that there is no difference between Ultimate and Pro. Pro is a good choice, and you have better networking features too. As fas as SSD vs. regular hard drives goes, SSD's are great to speed up boot and load times, but the SSD's are still quite expensive right now. An SSD would be good for a boot drive and if you can afford it, one large enough to house all the OS and programs. Regular hard drives for media storage and backup. Congrats on your first computer build! I love building my own computers and would never buy a prebuilt machine or knockoff. You have much more control over what components you buy in your own system and you dont have to deal with incompatible hardware and proprietary junk. Many manufacturers usually lock out the BIOS to prevent tampering but if you needed to make an adjustment, it would be harder to do. I plan to build my new workstation sometime soon and plan to make it an i7 powerhouse. Since I am also into video editing I am going to build me a system that will handle the task with no hiccups. Now to figure out what to do with my powerhouse P4 system that I built several years back.....
post edited by AVTechman - 2011/01/31 01:24:17
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slartabartfast
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Re:Advice on New PC
2011/01/31 03:00:21
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The OS are one of the cheapest part in the new computer. Windows 7 pro full lists about 300.00. that is an substantial increase from prior Windows versions and I have never paid that much for any single component in a computer. Of course I have never tried to build one with 192 gig of high speed memory either.
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SF_Green
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Re:Advice on New PC
2011/01/31 03:11:07
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slartabartfast
The OS are one of the cheapest part in the new computer.
Windows 7 pro full lists about 300.00. that is an substantial increase from prior Windows versions and I have never paid that much for any single component in a computer. Of course I have never tried to build one with 192 gig of high speed memory either.
Pricewatch Win7 Pro OEM Full The full versions start in the middle of the fourth row at $134
AMD FX-8370, Gigabyte 990FXA-UD3, Win7x64 SP1, 16Gb CorsairDDR3-1600, GeForce GTX 950 (390.65), SSD 525Gb (OS), SATA 3 & 1.5Tb, MOTU microlite, RME FireFace 800 (D 3.124, fw 2.77), UAD-2Q, Adam A7X, A-800 PRO, CC121 Cubase Pro 10.0.5, SonarPt- 2017.10 (x64), Reason10.2, Live 10.0.5 Suite, Wavelab Elements 9.5.40, Komplete10Ult, POD Farm2.5, Omnisphere2.5, BFD3, Alesis QS7.1, Arturia BeatStep Pro, POD HD500, Alesis ControlPad, ARP Omni, many things with strings. GrSltz My Studio
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RiveraFan
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Re:Advice on New PC
2011/01/31 22:01:38
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Hey all,
I got my parts in today!
Ridiculous oversight on my part, but, while SB processors do have on-chip video, my motherboard does not have any kind of video port. So...it looks like I'm needing a discreet video card. Recommendations?
Also, is the P67 chipset the one that's been recalled?
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jcschild
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Re:Advice on New PC
2011/02/01 08:33:04
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P67 no video
H67 video...
i was not impressed by the onboard video..
yes all H67,P67 were recalled..
personally i am not worried about it. it effects up to 5% over a 3 yr period and only effects sata 300 ports..
put the OS and audio drive on the sata 600
then either buy a add in card sata or raid card or dont worry about it and use the other port for samples.
Scott ADK Home of the Kentucky Fried DAW!
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RiveraFan
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Re:Advice on New PC
2011/02/01 11:45:28
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Thanks so much for the clarification, Scott! I had that awful feeling when I came across the recall, so it's great to hear that it's not going to be too much of a hit.
I'm just planning on going and buying an inexpensive video card today. I have my eyes on a radeon hd5450 or a geforce 9500GT. In the experience of users here, am I going to encounter problems with either of these?
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RiveraFan
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Re:Advice on New PC
2011/02/01 18:50:33
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I picked up a GeForce 9800GT for anyone concerned....fan on it seems a little loud for my taste, but I think it will be fine....fingers crossed :)
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timidi
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Re:Advice on New PC
2011/02/01 19:09:49
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fan on it seems a little loud for my taste, but I think it will be fine... judging by your avatar, shouldn't be a problem:) thanks for keeping the thread alive. i'm watching and learning.
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SF_Green
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Re:Advice on New PC
2011/02/01 22:59:57
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RiveraFan
Hey all,
I got my parts in today!
Ridiculous oversight on my part, but, while SB processors do have on-chip video, my motherboard does not have any kind of video port. So...it looks like I'm needing a discreet video card. Recommendations?
Also, is the P67 chipset the one that's been recalled?
Sorry I didn't see this in time, but SOS just ran a brief article on this topic. Here's the link and a quick recommendation: A modest, passively cooled, ATI Radeon HD5450 graphics card with 512MB of 64‑bit DDR2 RAM, such as this model from XFX, is by far the most popular option for audio PCs.
Graphics Cards You might want to consider returning yours if it's too noisy for your rig.
AMD FX-8370, Gigabyte 990FXA-UD3, Win7x64 SP1, 16Gb CorsairDDR3-1600, GeForce GTX 950 (390.65), SSD 525Gb (OS), SATA 3 & 1.5Tb, MOTU microlite, RME FireFace 800 (D 3.124, fw 2.77), UAD-2Q, Adam A7X, A-800 PRO, CC121 Cubase Pro 10.0.5, SonarPt- 2017.10 (x64), Reason10.2, Live 10.0.5 Suite, Wavelab Elements 9.5.40, Komplete10Ult, POD Farm2.5, Omnisphere2.5, BFD3, Alesis QS7.1, Arturia BeatStep Pro, POD HD500, Alesis ControlPad, ARP Omni, many things with strings. GrSltz My Studio
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