Buying new PC, looking for feedback

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bodhi65
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2015/01/17 20:52:02 (permalink)

Buying new PC, looking for feedback

I need a new computer. I've always owned Dell and am looking at the HP Envy, primarily because I saw it was cakewalks demo machine. I run Sonar X3, Reason 8, Finale, BIAB, Photoshop, Microsoft Office, and Inetrent browser from the same machine. 2 Screens, 2 usb external Hard drives, VS 100, Korg Triton Extreme.

1)For $2000, outside of building something myself which I can not do with confidence, would you recommend a different system than the HP?

2) would you make any changes to the configuration below and still keep me at or below the $2,000 budget?


HP Envy Phoenix 810 ST $2000

Windows 8.1 Pro 64
3rd Generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4820K processor quad-core [3.7GHz, 10MB Shared Cache]
32GB DDR3-1600MHz [4 DIMMs]
3TB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive
2TB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive
4GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 745 [DVI, HDMI, DP, DVI to VGA adapter]
SuperMulti DVD Burner
HP WLAN 802.11 ac 2x2 DB MCard BT WIDI
15-in-1 Multi-slot Media Card Reader, 6 USB Ports (Front/Top), Audio [Front 4USB2.0, Top 2USB3.0]

3) I am also looking for a second monitor. is it feasible to purchase a flat screen TV as a 2nd monitor, as it seems I can get more bang for the buck compared to a dedicated computer monitor?

He who is not busy being born is busy dying. - Bob Dylan
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    Sycraft
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    Re: Buying new PC, looking for feedback 2015/01/17 22:35:28 (permalink)
    Personally I hate HP on account of dealing with their tech support professionally. However I've never dealt with their laptops. If you want to get a more custom computer you could have a look at xoticpc.com. I know they sound a bit strange, but they are a good builder/reseller. They do a variety of brands, but Sager would be the main one to check out. Sagers are custom laptops with lots o' options available. They will also customize Dell's, ASUS's, MSI's and so on.
     
    In terms of specs, I'd think about getting an SSD. They are really nice. Systems with them are so fast and responsive, and you can just stream tons of samples with no issues.
     
    For your monitor, sure you can use a TV, just be aware that how well TVs work can vary. High end TVs work great. Only issue is that they are usually large, and thus made to be viewed from a distance. Low end TVs can sometimes have issues with chroma subsampling or things that aren't deal breakers, but can lead to lower quality image. Also remember that the bigger the display at a given resolution, the bigger the pixels. A Dell U2414H and a Samsung UN75H7150 have the same resolution (1920x1080) but the dell is 24" diagonal, the Samsung is 75" diagonal. That means that if you sat 1 foot away from both the Dell would look nice, the Samsung would have obnoxiously big pixels.
     
    That's an extreme example, obviously, but just think about size vs resolution. Particularly for larger computer monitors. Computer monitors in the 27-30" range are generally 2560x1440 or 2560x1600, sometimes more (you can get 4k and 5k monitors in that range now). TVs in that range will max out at 1920x1080, and some of them will be 1280x720 or 1336x768. For example you might see a Samsung UN32EH4003 for $250 and a Dell U2715H for $700. You think "Man that Samsung is a really good deal, way cheaper and 32" instead of 27"!" Well, screen quality aside, the Samsung is 1336x768, the Dell is 2560x1440. Means that the Dell monitor can literally get like 8 times the amount of content on screen and at normal computer screen distances its pixels will be nice and small whereas the Samsung's will be pretty massive.
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    Mesh
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    Re: Buying new PC, looking for feedback 2015/01/20 10:28:54 (permalink)
    For dedicated audio work, I personally wouldn't buy a PC off the shelf (HP, Dell, or the other popular brands etc...) as they generally use a lot of inferior components, have a lot of bloatware, and are more suited for general use.
     
    Eventhough I'm just an amateur builder, I was able to build my machine below for under $1750 (the summer of 2013) and it has been a very reliable work horse for me. So if I can do this, anyone can do this. :)) You just have to do some research on each component/compatibility and it's not as hard as it initially looks. It's actually quite rewarding to do this as you get to hand pick each component and then know exactly why/how everything works in your machine. Plus, there's tons of Youtube vids. to guide you through. Also, there are a lot of knowledgeable people in here whom are glad to chime in on helping out with a build.
     
    If you're really not comfortable, then there's also these two Pro DAW builders here at the forums: Jim Roseberry and Scott from ADK. Everyone who's used their services in here are very pleased with them. For $2000, I'm sure you'll be able to get a very fine tuned machine built.
       
    Good luck!!

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