Computer to build or buy

I am looking at this company to build my computer with. I like the options and the price. Their sells person did not impress me as he did not know much about all the options and told me to look things up. But it appears promising. http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/ What do you think? I am not a gamer- it is for music, but the options are good- explained everything well, easy to see what you buy.
 
If you know good computer company that builds quality computers, please, post it here. Thanks.

Remember to consider warrenties.

That's what stopped me from building my own PC's in the end , I use a Dell like Mike.
It's perfectly fine, all the hardware comes from one supplier so they can't blame each other when things go wrong..... and I know I am far from paying over the odds for something I don't actually use (custom machines may squeeze 10% more horsepower if you are lucky, but ask yourself will you ever use it).

... and I've never had an issue with lack of horsepower with any modern machine...
 
The idea that you need a custom build PC as it is running "specialist" software nowadays is totally out of date IMHO.

Sonar X2 System Requirements Minimum system requirements


Windows 7 or Windows 8* (32 and 64-bit).
 XP and Vista are no longer officially supported.
 
Future updates will not be compatible or install on XP and Vista as they are no longer officially supported. 
 
Intel Core 2 Duo E8200 2.67 GHz / AMD Phenom Quad Core 9750 2.4 Ghz or higher 2GB of RAM 1280x800 minimum screen resolution 4.5GB for minimal install, 20GB recommended 

 Broadband internet connection for download Cakewalk Publisher requires available web server space with FTP access 

 *Windows 8 support will be available through a free patch later this year

digi2ns


My Dell has been great and anything as far probs running Sonar has baan an issue with just making some usual adjustments or tweaks.

Mine came with the Standard Seagate Barracuda HDD.  I just had the original HDD crap out so I added 2 2 TB Barracudas and an External 500 GB for back up/recovery. I run the OS and other software off of 1 and store all my projects on the other.  

The load that it now puts on the computer running Sonar is NOTHING.  All the indicators for performance barely even flinch now and thats with 8GB of Memory. The latest Dell XPS Studios are coming with 32 I believe.

If I went with Dell again Id have everything done when bought and ran under an extended warranty.

There are some GREAT techs on this forum as well that help alot when needed.

But as far as my specs, it euns X1Expanded without any hitched now and am not in a big hurry to jump to X2 yet (Which I was going to recently) but recent event have me putting it off for a bit.

From what Im gathering from reliable techs, Im running Home Premium 64bit which supports up to 16GB of memory but that is the most I can upgrade this MOBO to anyway so no need to worry about any other OS cause it wouldnt make any benefit to running Sonar.

So until I have a need to jump up in Processor Specs and Memory Im doing as good as I can get out of Sonar.

In short, Im happy and content with the Dell and X1 (d) Expanded  

I had a Dell laptop that I used to gig with.  It had a solid-state drive and 4 GB memory, running XP Pro.  I paid something like $400 extra to have next-day ONSITE support, and that was well worth it to me.


I have built the rest of mine, and I get all the parts from a place called Micro Center.  They have something like 20-25 stores around the country, and pretty good prices.  I have had 2 instances of hard drives crashing in the last 5 years, but other than that everything has been great with those.  I just bought better quality components, such as Seagate hard drives and well-reviewed video cards and always run with a minimum of 8 GB of memory.


So - please narrow down which of those computers you are eyeing and I will take a look.


Bob Bone

I used to build my own. I've built and modified many hundreds of PCs since the late 1980's. I've deconflicted IRQS and troubleshot compatibility issues till I can do it in my sleep.... I went with Jim Roseberry for my most recent DAW, and I've been glad ever since. I had a list of things in mind I wanted in it, and he very graciously accommodated all my requests, and answered all my questions, and delivered an optimized and ready-to-go machine. No slight against ADK, I'm sure theirs are good too - but in my experience, everything Jim's explained or did has turned out to be smart. I do believe that a DAW computer can be optimized for its intended use, and therefore the choice of components (and tweaks to the software) matter. As much as I am a supporter of Dell for general office computers, I think buying a Dell without specific knowledge of how the components will perform in a DAW environment isn't a recipe for guaranteed success. You have to ask yourself, "would I rather be busy researching tweaks and specific hardware to accommodate my needs and be willing to troubleshoot when unforeseen issues arise, or would I rather have something known-working, optimized, and ready-to-go for my purpose". My $0.02, John

Bob, you are very helpful, thank you.

Computer I am looking at (on sell) is http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/Fang_III_-_Rattler/  Fang III Rattle. This is if I go with 4 cores Intell 3770K Ive Bridge. 

Questions: How many cores would make Sonar Happy? Do I need the 6 core processor? (I know, I do not, but I want to- not that I can affort to have it- lol.)

If I go with 6 cores, I would go with http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/CyberPower_Black_Pearl/ 

Intel® Core™ i7-3970X Extreme Edition Six-Core 3.50 GHz 15MB Intel Smart Cache would be great, but I have read reviews and heard that it consumes a lot of power with little benefit. And it is still Sandy Bridge- older technology. Also it brings the bill up to 2k.

I am planning on 2 SSD of 240 GB Intel 520 Series SATA-III 6.0Gb/s - 550 MB/s Read & 520 MB/s Write. I would like 3 drives but there is no option for 3 drives.

What I do not understand is why they offer DDR3/2133MHz Quad Channel Memory. According to Intell, current processors support up to 1600 Mhz, so is there any point to pay for 1866 or 2133 Mhz?

I know nothing about motherboards. One question- do I need support for the Thunderbolt?

Thanks.

The one I have now, I built myself. I've built a lot of computers, but I think I'm about done with that. Take a look at ADK Pro Audio computers. However, Jim Roseberry posts here a lot and the next time I upgrade, I'm going to seriously take a look at what he has to offer.

TLW, your specs almost match my dream configuration. How does it work for ya? Who it made by?

Another +1 for Jim. Great guy that will go to the end of the earth to help you with issues should they come up. I actually still build my own at times but used the one I bought from Jim as my template. I must confess, it was the best money I ever spent and it beats sitting here messing with things for hours. He even installed Sonar for me with my serial numbers and modded my machine to my own specs. I hear ADK is awesome too, but I don't know anyone there. I've known Jim since we had this forum as a newsgroup in our email client years ago. :)

-Danny

I had that same belief to buy from Dell. I have 4 Dell computers. But their specs not so good lately. No Win 8 for business computers yet, everything is behind. What is ADK? Is there a web address, please? I will give Jim a call- I just do not have confidence in it. Build myself- and then be my own tech support? I am not that good.

vladasyn


I had that same belief to buy from Dell. I have 4 Dell computers. But their specs not so good lately. No Win 8 for business computers yet, everything is behind. What is ADK? Is there a web address, please? I will give Jim a call- I just do not have confidence in it. Build myself- and then be my own tech support? I am not that good.

Vladasyn,
 
Considering you're in the other topic complaining about how poorly Sonar works for you, have you considered just changing your DAW? you're going to spend 1k on a new computer, but I read your contributions on the "It's OVER!" thread and don't think that upgrading your system is really going to do you any good. I wonder why you don't just move to GarageBand or Logic (which you seem to have experience with) or something that "just works" for you and THEN worry about your setup. 
 
EDIT TO NOT SOUND LIKE JERK
 
is your sig up to date? are you using XP on a Pentium 4? that is pretty ancient for software like X2. I suppose a new piece of hardware might help, but one thing to keep in mind is that you're not shopping for a Gaming PC. a high-end end video card is NOT necessary for audio and can add $100 to the cost without any benefit (and they have fans which generate noise). I bought one of the cheapest cards with passive cooling for video on newegg and it works great.  also, fans that come with cases tend to be cheap and loud, and with music that's a no-no. you'd do well to check reviews for fans and cases on newegg or toms hardware or quietPC.

vladasyn


It did come out some what harsh. Obviously I can not afford the mac and I do not want to give up the knowledge I built using PCs. I own iPad and while it is not the same as Mac Pro, the lack of tweakability drives me crazy. Makes me want to open iPad to see what's inside. I do not tweak the registry, but I am so used to troubleshooting PC that I will feel weird without it. And I find it hard to believe that there are no problems on Macs. Also I used Logic on PC. Love that program, but it won't install in later OS.

While I am not a gamer (I use playstation for games), I like gaming PCs because of the lights. Also while high end video card is not needed, good video card would not hurt. It helps with colors and graphics of DAW. Can not deny the fact that there are lots of details and graphics in DAW. Also gaming PCs obsessed with the speed and performance and this is what we share with the gamers. When I hear that PC should be configured for DAW, it makes me want to ask, what does it mean. Yes, you need quiet fans. Fast hard drives, powerful processor, enough memory. So as gaming computers. To me if it can play games, it will do the DAW just fine.

Also while high end video card is not needed, good video card would not hurt. It helps with colors and graphics of DAW. Can not deny the fact that there are lots of details and graphics in DAW.

 
a high-end card is totally unnecessary for audio. even with all the redraws and moving automations and meters pumping, a bargain price video card will work. anything beyond that is a waste of money that can be put towards more RAM or SSDs.
 
and your last statement that a good gaming rig = good DAW rig is really not necessarily true. I went with AMD for my DAW build because I wanted power and multiple cores on a budget. the Veshera I used for my build matches the multi-core and multi-threading performance of a Sandy Bridge at a third of the price.  most of the big name games are not as well coded to handle multiple cores like DAW and Video software are. so you'd do well to not believe that just because a PC is good for gaming that it must be good for audio. Overclocking and big video cards generate a lot of heat. which requires more cooling, which creates noise. if you're fragging aliens with a rail gun, you probably won't notice the fan noise, but if you're trying to record your vocals and you keep hearing the whir of the fans, then you'll be frustrated...but at least the LEDs are pretty.
 
http://raincomputers.com/store/index.php?route=common/home
here is another PC builder to think about.

John, thanks a lot for suggestions. I will tell you that I am not ready to build my own. I know enough about the parts but not enough about the wiring.

jtwinpcola


Danny,
 
I talked to the owner of ADK once. They build PC's quite often for Universal Audio. According to him they do a bit of "horse trading" with PC's and UA stuff. As I said in my previous post, I built my own as you have, but that's quite a task as I'm sure you know.
 
One thing I would like to state to anyone looking to invest in a new DAW PC, if not building your own. If possible, do yourself a favor and invest in a StudioCat, ADK, or at least some company that does builds specifically for DAW's. Most importantly they will use tried and proven components and do all of the tweaks to make it the best it can be and even load your software, as you said. It may cost a little more but its well worth it. And their support is generally much better as well.
 
By the way, I don't come here very often but I have over the last couple of days. I've noticed that you post some pretty lengthy replies to a lot of posts.
 
Kudos to you bro for being so helpful!
 
JTW 
 
 

+1! Totally agree there. It's really cool to just buy a custom made DAW, plug it in, set up your soundcard and go. Then if you decide to build another system, you have an awesome template to build from as the DAW builder guys test things and know what works. :)
 
Thanks for the kind words JTW. I try to do the best I can. I wish I knew more to help more people, but I'm limited with some of this stuff. I'm more the musician/studio guy. LOL! :) Thanks again.
 
-Danny

vladasyn


Bob, you are very helpful, thank you.

Computer I am looking at (on sell) is http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/Fang_III_-_Rattler/  Fang III Rattle. This is if I go with 4 cores Intell 3770K Ive Bridge. 

Questions: How many cores would make Sonar Happy? Do I need the 6 core processor? (I know, I do not, but I want to- not that I can affort to have it- lol.)

If I go with 6 cores, I would go with http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/CyberPower_Black_Pearl/ 

Intel® Core™ i7-3970X Extreme Edition Six-Core 3.50 GHz 15MB Intel Smart Cache would be great, but I have read reviews and heard that it consumes a lot of power with little benefit. And it is still Sandy Bridge- older technology. Also it brings the bill up to 2k.

I am planning on 2 SSD of 240 GB Intel 520 Series SATA-III 6.0Gb/s - 550 MB/s Read & 520 MB/s Write. I would like 3 drives but there is no option for 3 drives.

What I do not understand is why they offer DDR3/2133MHz Quad Channel Memory. According to Intell, current processors support up to 1600 Mhz, so is there any point to pay for 1866 or 2133 Mhz?

I know nothing about motherboards. One question- do I need support for the Thunderbolt?

Thanks.

I reviewed the detailed specs for this particular computer, from your link above.  I took each of the listed components and priced them, and their price is pretty close to what the components would cost separately, which is good.


In the configuration you are purchasing, you will get 2 x 4 GB strips of memory, for a total of 8 GB.  The motherboard has 4 memory slots that each support an 8 GB strip, for a total of 32 supported GB memory.  I would suggest you negotiate with them for a 16 GB memory configuration, having 2 x 8 GB strips instead, which would double your memory for only about $20-$30 difference in cost.  More importantly, it is a better positioning, as you could later add another 2 x 8 GB strips, totaling 32 GB of memory, without having to end up with those 2 original 4 GB strips sort of left over.  (I hope that made sense).


I do not yet have great faith in durability of solid-state drives.  I have had 2 computers that had primary drives that were solid-state, and both drives failed WAY prematurely - matter of months, rather than the years I was expecting.  I had spent $850 on a 512 GB drive a year ago, and it failed within 6 months.  I would maybe consider saving your money for now on those.  I use the regular SATA 3 drives now - Seagate - and have zero performance issues from them.  They are not as fast as the SSD-type, but are quite reliable and still plenty fast enough for what I am asking of them.  


The company in the link you posted has some sort of 3-year limited warranty.  I would look at the fine print of that prior to purchase.  In addition, where is this place, in relation to where you live?  You have to consider downtime if you have to ship your computer back and forth to get warranty work done, not to mention the shipping costs.


I would suggest you factor this in, as well: cutting edge sometimes cuts.

Overall, the computer you are looking at there is OK.  Again, consider altering the memory configuration - and don't let them charge you an arm and a leg to switch from the 2 x 4 GB strips to 2 x 8 GB strips.  There is really only a $20-$30 difference were you to make that switch on your own.

I hope that helps, 

Bob Bone