Comments on quote please

Hi,
 
I'm planning to buy a new PC sometime between now and Christmas, and would appreciate any comments on the quote below. The price is in Aussie dollars, but US is about the same. I know I could save a bit by assembling it myself, but I don't have the exertise.
 
I currently have Music Creator 4, 5 and 6, but will upgrade to Sonar Producer to take advantage of the 64-bit environment. I will be mainly using it for orchestral compositions, using Kontakt 4 (Vienna Philharmonic), Symphobia and Miroslav Philharmonik. I would like to run quite a few MIDI and audio tracks.
 
I will go for one of the upgrades listed below - namely, a second hard drive. In fact, I still have some 32-bit programs, so I was thinking about three hard drives: 1 Gig for 64-bit programs, 500 MB for project files and 500 MB for 32-bit programs.

Intel Chipset Motherboard with 1 PCI, and 6 newer PCI-E 2 slots.
Intel core i7-2600, 3.4 Ghz Quad core 8 thread CPU (see upgrade prices below)
Custom Quite fan and sound treatment where needed
16 Gb of CORSAIR DDR3 ram. Fast PC-3-12800 speed not slower.
ATI Radeon Dual Head graphics card with DVI+VGA+HDMI PCI-E 2 x16
One HDD 1000 gb Sata2 HDD 7200rpm with 32 MB cache
Delux Black midi tower case with 2 front usb ports
520+ watt constant not peak rated quiet power supply, low ripple for better audio
Intergated network, USB3, IDE, firewire and SATA3
Samsung 22x dual layer SATA DVD burner in black with software
Windows Home Premium 64-bit OEM supplied, installed and tweaked for audio
Custom tweaking program supplied to setup computer and maintain computer
Total: $1,898
 
Upgrades
+$88 for an extra 1000 Gb HDD, setup as one for Windows and one for audio
+$98 to upgrade from Windows 7 Home to Ultimate version
+$120 to upgrade to a Blue-ray reader and burner
+$340 Intel i7 980 SIX-Core 3.33 Ghz CPU 12 thread capable
+380 Intel E3-1280 Xeon Quad-core 3.5 Ghz CPU 8 thread capable

Any comments at all would be appreciated.
 
Many thanks,
 
J

I'd go for at least 2 hard drives.... one for OS and programs and the other for samples...and if you can swing the bux, a 3rd for backup.

And I'd also go for a slightly larger power supply. at least 750w. more power capacity will not hurt one bit. 

Keep in mind, you can save 40% or more by building that DAW yourself.  I'm not exactly a computer geek and I did it. 

Easily saved me $800 on the DAW. 


What you have in the list looks more then capable to run a sweet DAW. 

enjoy it.

Hi dmbaer. Thanks for your input. Yes, I'm aware of studiocat and adkproaudio. I ordered my audio interface (an EMU-0404 UBS 2) from the US, and it arrived DOA. I had to pay the postage of returning it, and a replacement was sent.  I wouldn't like to risk it with a PC. Besides, the overseas postage would be a considerable extra expense. Glad to know you are happy with your machines.
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Thanks Herb. Yes, two hard disks and a third for backup sounds sensible. I think this is what fireberd is suggesting also.
 
I'll ask about the extra power supply. My two concerns being, extra cost and extra noise. If both of these can be kept low I'll definately consider it.
 
Many thanks for your input Herb.
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Thanks fireberd. OK, it looks like I wouldn't need a separate drive for 32-bit programs. This is consistent with what Herb is saying.
 
Many thanks,
 
J

Yes, I'm aware of that Tim. I'm paying quite a bit for the labor. Two other options I considered were:
 
(1) Buy an off-the-shelf PC with specs similar to the quote. But this would be a gaming PC or business PC, not an audio PC.
 
(2) I could list the components I want, and get them supplied and assembled by a non-specialist retailer - one not specialising in audio PCs. I'm sure I could get it done (a bit) cheaper that way. But, it would lack the audio-specific extras: sound treatment, custom tweaking program. Also, I might choose a quiet fan, power supply, case etc, based on internet browsing, but they might not be compatible - i.e. well-matched, either to each other or to the task of audio work.
 
Not being expert on computers myself, I thought it might be safer to rely on someone who is. In other words, a proportion of the $800 is for labor, and a proportion for peace of mind. Not that few hundred dollars worth of extra software wouldn't be nice!
 
I read an earlier post of yours where you suggested 3 internal drives for audio work. How would you divide tasks between them? Did you mean 3 internal drives, plus an extra external drive for backup? Or were you thinking of one of the 3 for backup?
 
Thanks for your input Tim.
 
J

HI,

in OZ i would look here
http://www.aavimt.com.au/

FYI we have a 30 day lemon clause, we pay shipping both directions within that time period for any issues.

you should have a total of 4 drives
OS/programs
Audio drive
samples drive
External back up.

all the other upgrades are pointless

timidi


That looks like about $800 in labor.

For a system of similar capability, I calculated it to be closer to $500, or maybe a 40% premium over cost of parts.  I've built my own machines in the past, but I chose to go with an non-DYI solution this time for several reasons.  First of all, my time is limited and I'd rather spend it doing pleasurable things.  When things all go correctly, building your own PC is a blast.  When they don't, it's hair-pulling pain and frustration.  If you are not an expert, you might end up spending money on professional help in any case (been there, done that).
 
But it's far more than the assembly time.  Going with a professional solution gets you far more hours of experience and knowledge in a) picking the right components that b) have a good track record of reliability and compatibility and c) configuring your OS to be what it needs to be as a good DAW.
 
 

I wasn't saying that $800 was right or wrong. I was just saying.