Acer computer . . .

Id get the ECHO miamidi if I was you. Solid, low latency. You can get it for about 130-

Ram and video are cool.

I know of no low latency audio pci card without inputs. This is about as cheap as your going to get and still have quality latency performance as far as I know.

The m-audio revolution is 79.99 but I dont know how the latency is and I wouldnt expect much, but ya never now.

Again, I would go with the Echo.

If he wants the video card for other than just getting something a little better than onboard video, I agree, dont get it.

Get a 7600 GT. Mine Rocks.
Also, Acer is a gamble true. I prefer to hand pick my parts and buiold it myself, but it might work
well depending on the Motherboard, power supply, and if the ram is decent which it probably is.

Oh, also, I dont recommend vista, but 3gb ram is plenty to work with or vista or xp. Dont go with less than 2gb on vista though.

I would NOT use vista, especialy 64 bit. You have much better chances of good working DAW with XP at this point.

But I stick to my advice on the sound card

With the quad core, Vista is quite a bit more stable than XP (and faster for most things). I use everything here from Linux, to XP, to Vista in 32 and 64 bit flavors, with a a good mix of AMD and Intel parts (I am a non-biased person - I like them all for different reasons ). Even Linux is a bit unstable with the quad core.

Since moving to Vista, I have not looked back, and my XP boxes are now more like old shoes... comfortable, but worn out. I have no issues with any DAW in Vista that did not occur in XP too (From Abelton to Steinberg), and Sonar is fully Vista compatible. The only thing I would suggest is if you are not one to do a lot of web surfing then turn User Access Control off as it will be less annoying. But if you do, then leave it on as it will be more secure.

ORIGINAL: Alexandreg

actually I don't want to do any big games or hd dvd stuff with it. . .

It's going to be better with a AMD processor??? . . . why??

If you want to go AMD, then I would wait a month or two more before buying - their latest processors have a bug in the L3 cache that might effect you - they have been fixing them since late jan, but it takes a while for old stock to be replaced.

As far as AMD vs intel goes, that is really up to you. The AMD parts are a bit slower than the Intel for some things like pure gaming but interestingly multimedia processing is faster. I like AMD because they are generally far more stable than Intel CPU's (which sacrifice stability for performance).

If you want screaming fast CPU's and like to overclock, then Intel is king of the hill. You like smooth stable computing with fast memory access (due to 128bit on die memory controllers) then AMD is the way to go.

My "Big" machine right now is Intel Q6600, but it will probably be replaced by a Phenom (AMD) come the fall.

I can have that for about 650-699$ (canadian . . . and again, everything is more expensive here) . . . and I can have a monitor for a very low cost . . . (I need one . . .)

I'm in Quebec . . . And . . . I really don't know a lot about building computers . . . And I don't think I would built it myself . . . but hey . . . it may be an option . . .

You can check here http://www.microbytes.com/computer/ordinateur/index.php?language=en&mBqSiD=ca72d08dfad61d216657db2a4cb05975
There's a store like that very close to my house and on the website, there's an option to built your own computer and see how much it will cost . . .

Well, the shop would assemble it for you. No need to actually build it.

I would suggest dropping in and give them your budget. They will set you up and you should be better off than buying an Acer. Just make sure they give you the OS disk. If they say they do not, tell them its illegal and you will report them to Microsoft.

Tell them you do not want on board video. Really, you do not want it. Its all crap.

On board sound is standard so do not worry about it. If you are not planning on doing anything crazy, Intel HD audio - which is onboard - is actually pretty good these days and does have ASIO and low latency. Comparable to most lower end addon cards that cost around the 100 dollar mark.

Cheers
Shad

ORIGINAL: Alexandreg

and. . . what about a CD/dvd drive? . . . and a monitor? . . . and ALL the other stuff I need . . . Actually, when I tried to see how much it will cost, it was a lot more . . .

I just built a dual core Intel, Ram, case, drives the whole kit for $500.00 with out monitor or Vidcard. The vid card cost me $120.00

An LG DVD-RW costs $35.00

A Ben-Q Wireless Keyboard laser mouse combo cost $25.00 - if their price is a lot higher, than shop around... they may be low volume and not getting good prices.

I bought a 24" widscreen (1920x1200) for $450, but you can get them for about 200 for smaller ones.

I know . . . i know . . . but a bit more . . . 500$ is not a bit more for me . . .

You say that the onboard video is crap . . . well . . . Yeah But I don't do a lot of video stuff . . . Can I buy a better card later and put it in the Acer one?

Well . . . Last video question . . . for a very simple DAW (about 10 tracks maximum . . .) 2-3 soft synths maybe . . . some effects . . . is the onboard video with 3go of ram in the acer going to be enough?

Actually you're right, I can build something great for about 700$ . . . but . . . If they built it for me . . . it's more expensive . . . I also dont have the best windows version I can have . . . so it becomes a lot . . . (well, a lot for me . . ) more expensive . . .

well . . . I know . . . I might be able to . . . avan with this, it's still more expensive . . . and I have a good deal with the monitor if i buy this one . . .

I wont do everything professional with this . . . no 50+ tracks projects and 4 effects on each and something. . . But with simple projects like I said before, how good does the Acer can be?

(I might go to see what I can do if i build it myself . . . You're making me realise that it may be a good idea . . .)

fox, its easy but it aint that easy. Problems happen, and experience is needed to figure them out. Dont misled the guy. Anything you build, things can be interesting, or simply easy.

But it is worth learning to build it and it is worth knowing your machine, and learning to build one will help you do that, but it takes time and effort.

I think overall you are misleading to the right choice for him.

1. Clearly, Intel runs the game right now. Regardless of onboard memory control, Intel's overall architecture is wooping AMD's arse.
2. Build his own daw? You better be there if you think you can teach him in 10 minutes. I dont care of you invented Intel or AMD.

It's easy, but it aint that easy. One has to have "it" to do things like "think". I have an idea he can think well, but patience, ambition etc. are needed to really be able to build a DAW.

It aint that easy man. For us? yes. Average Joe? NOOOO

Ya gotta be a dedicated DIY to really be able to conquer something liek a hand built DAW.