Upgrade Suggestions, Please

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Mick D
Max Output Level: -90 dBFS
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  • Joined: 2011/07/01 11:39:56
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2011/07/01 11:50:40 (permalink)

Upgrade Suggestions, Please

My PC specs are:

Core2Duo E6850 @3.00GHz
Gigabyte P35C-D53R MBoard which is socket 775LGA and PCI-X
4GB DDR2 @ 400MHz
NVidia Geforce 8500GT
M-Audio Delta 1010
Windows XP

Sonar 8.5 ran very well but X1 is a little clunky at times.

With limited cash what will get me the biggest bang for my bucks?

I'm thinking windows 7 home 64 bit with 8 GB DDR2 800Mhz (about £130). I definitely don't want to spend more than £200 if I can help it.

Any suggestions guys?

Thanks,

Michael
#1

3 Replies Related Threads
    John T
    Max Output Level: -7.5 dBFS
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    • Joined: 2006/06/12 10:24:39
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    Re:Upgrade Suggestions, Please 2011/07/01 12:16:24 (permalink)
    Going 64 bit and adding more memory will give you an entirely noticeable performance boost. You'll be very rarely (if ever) using virtual memory, and you'll be able to run more sample based instruments more smoothly and so on.

    A fringe benefit of going from XP to W7 is that the Aero graphics engine offloads all graphics processing to your video card, which gives another (sometimes admittedly minor) performance boost.

    Running 32 bit XP on the machine you have is under-using the machine's potential, so what you have planned is a good priority upgrade that will give great value for money.


    http://johntatlockaudio.com/
    Self-build PC // 16GB RAM // i7 3770k @ 3.5 Ghz // Nofan 0dB cooler // ASUS P8-Z77 V Pro motherboard // Intel x-25m SSD System Drive // Seagate RAID Array Audio Drive // Windows 10 64 bit // Sonar Platinum (64 bit) // Sonar VS-700 // M-Audio Keystation Pro 88 // KRK RP-6 Monitors // and a bunch of other stuff
    #2
    Mick D
    Max Output Level: -90 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 2
    • Joined: 2011/07/01 11:39:56
    • Status: offline
    Re:Upgrade Suggestions, Please 2011/07/01 12:21:27 (permalink)
    Thanks John, do you recommend W7 home or premium? It's a dedicated audio PC. I've checked 64 bit compatability for my plugins and only sonic maximiser isn't available as a 64 bit.

    Michael
    #3
    John T
    Max Output Level: -7.5 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 6783
    • Joined: 2006/06/12 10:24:39
    • Status: offline
    Re:Upgrade Suggestions, Please 2011/07/01 12:54:13 (permalink)
    There's not really that much significant difference between Home and Professional from a DAW users' point of view. The extras in Pro are primarily to do with networking and encryption, which are not really relevant.

    I got Pro because I thought the XP compatibility mode would be useful, but in practice, I've never used it in the 9 months since I upgraded.

    Here's a comparison chart:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/w...tions#Comparison_chart

    http://johntatlockaudio.com/
    Self-build PC // 16GB RAM // i7 3770k @ 3.5 Ghz // Nofan 0dB cooler // ASUS P8-Z77 V Pro motherboard // Intel x-25m SSD System Drive // Seagate RAID Array Audio Drive // Windows 10 64 bit // Sonar Platinum (64 bit) // Sonar VS-700 // M-Audio Keystation Pro 88 // KRK RP-6 Monitors // and a bunch of other stuff
    #4
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