MarkLavelle
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building a 64-bit system
My motherboard is 4 yrs old and I'm looking into upgrading to an Intel 975XBX2KR mobo and Core 2 Quad 6600 with 8GB RAM. I try to avoid putting too much energy into following PC architecture & OS developments, so I have a few questions...
1. Is there any important reason that I would want to use Vista64 instead of WinXP64? (I don't really trust any MS OS that hasn't had a couple of service packs)
2. If I go with XP64, should I plan on making it dual-boot with a 32-bit Win (or Linux)? Does XP64 run all 32-bit apps? Are the file systems 100% compatible?
3. Does the M-Audio Delta 66 have native support in XP64 (or drivers available from M-Audio)?
4. Assuming I don't need more than 4 simultaneous inputs, are there any reasons I should upgrade from the Delta 66?
5. Are there other questions I should be asking? ;-)
Thanks in advance,
Mark
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noldar12
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RE: building a 64-bit system
2008/02/03 04:16:25
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Mark, I am exploring possibly doing a very similar upgrade to you. On #3/4 M-Audio still has not released any 64 bit drivers, although they have finally released a 32 bit driver for Vista. If looking to do the build quickly, you may need to consider a different audio card. There is quite a bit of stuff that is still not supported in 64 bit.
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MarkLavelle
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M-Audio Delta 66 WinXP 64-bit driver
2008/02/03 15:37:46
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Thanks for the heads up on that!
According to M-Audio's site they have a "Beta" WinXP/64 driver (5.10.0.5051), but the file date is April 2005. I guess the question is whether it was "good enough" or they just gave up on it.
Anybody have any experience with that driver?
http://www.harmonicappliances.com/
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Middleman
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RE: M-Audio Delta 66 WinXP 64-bit driver
2008/02/03 15:58:05
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Running Vista 64 here with Sonar 64. Smooth as butter but I am using a Lynx card with ASIO 64 bit drivers. It can be done but you really have to do research on your interface and driver stability otherwise it turns into a very frustrating and unproductive adventure.
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MarkLavelle
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RE: M-Audio Delta 66 WinXP 64-bit driver
2008/02/03 21:23:50
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If the M-Audio doesn't work my backup plan is to bite the bullet and get a Roland FA-66. That's good to hear about Vista 64, but I'm going to start with WinXP 64. I know Vista takes more resources, and momma taught me never to use a MSoft OS before SP2...  -- Mark
post edited by MarkLavelle - 2008/02/03 22:33:27
http://www.harmonicappliances.com/
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MarkLavelle
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Just ordered the mobo parts
2008/02/03 22:17:20
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Intel 975XBX2KR Motherboard
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Processor (2.40GHz)
8GB of Corsair XMS2 DHX 4096MB Dual Channel PC6400 DDR2 800MHz Memory (2 x 2048MB)
EVGA GeForce 8800 GT Video Card (512MB DDR3) ['cause games are fun, too!]
I'm pretty sure my 460W power supply can handle all that, and I've already got over 500GB of storage (spread over 3 HDs).
I'm planning on RAID mirroring my binary & config files, and will do the same for the data drive(s) if I can afford the GBs...
-- Mark
http://www.harmonicappliances.com/
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Rbh
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RE: Just ordered the mobo parts
2008/02/03 23:32:59
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Mark,
Sorry I can't attest to 64 bit anything... But I can tell you that you'll be pleased with the MB and Processor combo.. I bought my 975xbx2 just for the forward compatability for a quad processor upgrade. Make sure you get the latest chipset upgrade and current multicore processor upgrades. I've got my dual core over clocked from 2.4 to 3.2 and it's solid and smooth, I'm using the FA-66 as well.. it's a good combination for stability.
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Philip
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RE: building a 64-bit system
2008/02/04 22:59:28
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ORIGINAL: MarkLavelle
My motherboard is 4 yrs old and I'm looking into upgrading to an Intel 975XBX2KR mobo and Core 2 Quad 6600 with 8GB RAM. I try to avoid putting too much energy into following PC architecture & OS developments, so I have a few questions...
1. Is there any important reason that I would want to use Vista64 instead of WinXP64? (I don't really trust any MS OS that hasn't had a couple of service packs)
2. If I go with XP64, should I plan on making it dual-boot with a 32-bit Win (or Linux)? Does XP64 run all 32-bit apps? Are the file systems 100% compatible?
3. Does the M-Audio Delta 66 have native support in XP64 (or drivers available from M-Audio)?
4. Assuming I don't need more than 4 simultaneous inputs, are there any reasons I should upgrade from the Delta 66?
5. Are there other questions I should be asking? ;-)
Thanks in advance,
Mark
I'd seriously stay XP-32 (and 4GB RAM) for 1-3 years if you wish to produce without painful issues; especially if c/w your Intel 975XBX2KR mobo. Consider yourself duly warned ... by a geek who's been there and done that with your specs.
post edited by Philip - 2008/02/04 23:15:39
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MarkLavelle
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RE: building a 64-bit system
2008/02/08 00:51:30
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Philip, I appreciate the warning, but more details would be helpful. What kind(s) of problem(s) did you have with XP64, and when? It seems to me it's been out there long enough to be pretty stable (even if not all HW is supported, and on that score I'm willing to do a certain amount of upgrading)... -- Mark
post edited by MarkLavelle - 2008/02/08 01:07:51
http://www.harmonicappliances.com/
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strungdown
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RE: building a 64-bit system
2008/02/08 12:46:14
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1. Is there any important reason that I would want to use Vista64 instead of WinXP64? (I don't really trust any MS OS that hasn't had a couple of service packs)
I am running XP x64. Stay away from Vista64, it has too high system latency. XP64 is rock solid, if your drivers are rock solid. Any motherboard within the last couple y ears should have good drivers for XP64. The kernel itself is stable; those who have had problems 99% of the time it's a buggy driver for some piece of hardware.
2. If I go with XP64, should I plan on making it dual-boot with a 32-bit Win (or Linux)? Does XP64 run all 32-bit apps? Are the file systems 100% compatible?
Yes, yes, and yes. :-)
3. Does the M-Audio Delta 66 have native support in XP64 (or drivers available from M-Audio)?
Sort of. I have a Delta 1010, and it doesn't work with their driver with over 4 GB of RAM. They said don't expect it to work, it's a beta driver. So I'm sure your Delta 66 won't work either (they each have the same chipset).
4. Assuming I don't need more than 4 simultaneous inputs, are there any reasons I should upgrade from the Delta 66?
Stay away from M-Audio, their driver development leaves something to be desired.
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RigPa
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RE: building a 64-bit system
2008/02/08 18:37:46
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One of the biggest problems with Vista is that PCI Latency is impossible to adjust. Many graphics cards hog the PCI bus or PCI-e which has no latency timers to adjust and WILL interfere with audio running on the PCI bus (Firewire and usb runs on PCI, but PCI-e cards can be found). It took me months of tuning XP (and later on Vista) before realizing that PCI latency was a serious issue. Even in n a fully tuned XP this could be a problem. It was in mine. But latency tools could easily solve this problem in XP. There is still nothing out there for Vista. Earlier we had AGP which ran on its own bus and did not interfere much with PCI. PCI and PCI-e will interfere with each other - I did a lot of testing - so even if you have a pci-e graphics card and a pci based soundcard this can be a problem in Vista. When too much is happening on the screen audio will dropout or crackle... In Vista there is nothing you can do about it..... One thing I havent tried is a PCI-e x1 graphics card and a PCI audio card. My hope is that a x1 card will use so little of the bus that audio can run smoothly. In a few weeks I will know if it works. I also have a theory that a small 32 Mb matrox (business) graphics card will run more lightly on the bus than a 256Mb gamer card. But I dont know yet. I also plan to try a pci graphics card and a PCI-e Firewirecard running audio. But nothing is for sure. I would choose a chipset that is not optimized for graphics - I use AMD and Nvidia pt.  . (AMD bought ATI so I dont think I will buy AMD next time. Maybe Intel processor, Intel mobo and Intel Chipset together is fine - but I dont know - just therory. Many people say same chipset as processor). Some of the new chipset has support for Hi Res. Audio. So at least somebody has been serious about designing a chipset capable of running heavy audio, but I dont know yet if it this applies to Pro Audio setups. But I will try when I finished experimenting with busses, graphics and audiocards. I run dual boot at the moment and I am forced to use Vista because Sonar freeze in XP. Smaller projects run ok and Vista is stable but too many soft synths will produce a lot of traffic on the pci bus and even the processors are doing almost nothing audio will distort and drop out. When I move open Windows audio will distort... (Asus a8n-e 3800+ x64 dual core - and its a pain in the...)
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