vladasyn


Yes, it does. Would computer boot before drivers and OS or will I have to operate in DOS? I have limited experience configuring hard drives.

The computer first does something called a POST, which stands for Power On Self Test.  Then it gives you the chance to tell it you want to go to Setup (to make bios changes), etc., and then if you have not hit any other keys it will attempt to boot off the hard disk.


When you boot up the first time, you will want to go into the BIOS screen, to make sure your devices and attached components are all seen.  This will include detected hard drives, your optical drive, etc.


After that, you will put the Windows install disc in, and reboot, then go through the Windows installation.  That will give you access to then come back after the install and then run the driver installations from the motherboard disc.


After that, you will have a working network port, sound, etc., and you can then go install an antivirus (do this right away).  I recommend Avast - there are a few out there that are good and are free.  After getting antivirus protection running, you can go search out any driver updates - this is pretty normal stuff.


As far as 'configuring the hard drives'  you will not need to do any of that.  I would steer clear of logical partitions - you will have at least 2 physical drives, if not 3, and that should suffice.  The big thing is to separate programs and the operating system from the rest of your data, and as long as you do that, then you will be fine.

You may never need to go into DOS again, so don't worry about that.

Please ask away - can't hurt to learn :)

Bob Bone

vladasyn


Yes, it does. Would computer boot before drivers and OS or will I have to operate in DOS? I have limited experience configuring hard drives.

Most likely you wont need drivers. Windows 8 supports all the new stuff. In the event you do need to install drivers it will be after you boot up the system. You will want to use drivers from your graphics card maker and not the ones with Windows. But this is something you wont be unfamiliar with. 

In past OSs with new motherboards you often needed to install drivers while installing the OS. That today is not necessary and hasn't been for some time.

Building a computer today is not rocket science. To me you are ideally suited to build a computer. You have a good working knowledge of computers and understand how they work. Building one is really a mechanical operation. There is no mystery to it. Further any one of us that have done it can walk you through it if you get stuck. 

vladasyn


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

Sorry for the late reply, only just spotted your post.
 
I built it myself a couple of months or so ago. I've been putting PCs together for years. The last "factory built" PC (other than laptops) I bought was in 1995 or 96 (it was so truly horrible in so many ways I've rarely even been tempted since), and I've built a few for me and a few for other people since then - and fixed quite a few friend's PCs as well. I generally either upgrade a load of components or build a new PC every 2-3 years.
 
Not everyone is comfortable with the idea of building, stress testing and configuring a PC though, and nothing wrong with that.
 
To cut a long story short, I'd say any properly configured i7 machine with decent quality components and enough RAM (I'd suggest at least 16GB) should be able to handle anything a PC can sensibly be expected to handle. Mine runs X2a and a bunch of other stuff very happily indeed.
 
As for configuration, Win7 seems to need less tweaking than any previous Windows version - editing the registry to switch off cpu core parking is about it. Plus I've switched off the cpu C3/C6 sleep states and Intel's cpu speed-stepping (EIST) in the BIOS so the cpu is kept locked to maximum speed all the time. The on-board graphics and sound ships are also disabled. Whatever PC you end up with there are people here who can give you advice on how to configure it for DAW use.
 
One thing I would advise is re-installing Windows and applications from scratch every year or two. Windows, especially if the PC is used for general purposes as well as DAW, seems to get "cluttered" and increasingly sluggish over time, and a fresh install on a clean, freshly formatted drive can work wonders. And if you're not using an SSD as system drive, using a USB RAM stick as Windows "readyboost" is worthwhile.
 
Finally, if you have a USB audio interface, running it off a PCI USB board rather than using the motherboard/case USB sockets does seem to make a worthwhile difference.

Ask what others are using for the MOBO. then look them up on line at a computer retailer.... be sure they have the slots and ports you want and need.

Mine had 2 firewire ports and about 8 USB2 ports and a few PCI ports as well.  The PCI's came in handy since the MOBO did not have built in video and required the PCI video card. That MOBO probably isn;t even made anymore with the way they are manufacturing new stuff these days..... 

I'm running the Intel i5 on XP pro.... I can upgrade to W7 with a simple software upgrade when I choose. 

Sorry if this has been posted already or if you've already seen it but here is the Cakewalk recommended systems page...

http://www.cakewalk.com/PCResource/default.aspx

It should give you a better idea of what to buy or build. I built mine based on the specs of one of the ADK systems. Their website is super handy because it lets you virtually build your system with different components. Some things aren't available from other retailers like the motherboards but if you do some research you can find suitable substitutions. I snagged an ASUS PZ68 Pro GEN 3 to susbstitute the ADK MOBO. I forget what else I had to substitute. My system works great and it was my first build. Cheers.

I HIGHLY recommend you do not build your own. 

Contact Sonar and ask them what their recommendation is because if you step outside vanilla land regarding chipsets, SSD/raid configs, USB drivers etc etc you will end up in crash city like I did.

I'm still pulling my hair out with Sonar when it comes to VST lockups, high pitched digital whine sounds when I have HDD activity via my monitors etc etc etc.  I'm just too lazy to learn another daw.  

If I could do it all again, I would have skipped the custom PC, firewire legacy driver, the whole 64 bit VST compatability bug basket that is their VST scanner, their hanging notes with NI synths etc and compatibility issues...well you get the idea.

My next big build will involve a recommended PC, ditching my mix and match approach to VST effects, instruments and daws and I'll just use one DAW with all the bells and whistles their producer/platinum/max features and I vow to NEVER buy outside of one daw again.

Yes I have just had coffee.

Yes I am bitter.

It's tricky yes and if one can afford to buy a prebuilt system for audio then by all means that is preferable but I shaved at least $600 off my costs by building my own (perhaps more) so that money was freed up to purchase Sonar and some other gack I needed. It was kind of fun in a frustrating way and I learned a lot doing it. I do however have more time than most to screw around with stuff like this.

Here is the guide I used from NewEgg TV in case anyone is interested: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPIXAtNGGCw

That is the first part in a series of three that are all easily accessible from the first vid. Watch the whole thing through once before starting because he makes a few clarifications and corrections in the third vid. I should mention that I had a tech friend offering me advice as I went along too but she mostly just confirmed that I was doing stuff correctly and surprisingly I got most things right the first time. It's all about lots of research and patience. All my parts I bought from Amazon and Newegg which made it cheap, quick and safe (due to the return policy and good business practices).

It's an exercise in optimization, pure and simple. In this case it is optimizing cash outlay vs time vs knowledge.

If I had the money I'd buy a system from either Jim or Scott, I know it would work out of the box. So I spend a bit more (and not a lot really), but I save a ton of time, and I don't need to do a lot of research. That's worth a LOT to me!

On the other hand, I recommend to folks who are just starting out that they build their own machine. The information is out there, and while they might have a blip or two along the way, they will learn a TON about the computer. It is not at all unlike learning how a tape deck or compressor worked back in the bad old days! All that knowledge, and save enough cash for maybe one more plugin? No-brainer.

But once you have a working concern you probably don't need the experience of building a computer as much as you need the time to earn money. Like I said - an exercise in optimization<G>!

quick, somewhat tangential, testimonial.

As much as I think Jim is an outstanding guy in many ways (if you haven't heard his Jet City sample library you are missing out!), one of the things I admire most about him is that he will answer basic questions here, and more involved questions for a very reasonable rate via email or telephone. And if you are serious about buying a system he may even waive some of all of those fees - and then if it turns out that you can't afford to buy from him he does not take it personally.

A few years back I was committed to having Jim build me a system, but I wanted to use my existing rack mount case, audio interface, and I think power supply - he was accommodating. I was to send him the parts I wanted him to use, and a couple weeks later he'd ship me back my new system. Pretty cool! A personal crisis nixed the deal, and I don't think I even explained my change in fortunes, and he has answered all my questions since without any reproach.

One persons experience... fwiw.

Bill you make a very good point. Of all the builders Jim is one of a kind. I think if its at all possible he is the builder to buy from. 

As much I as I think building ones own is a good thing if that is not going to happen he is the one to go with. I have seen him here for years and I have come to know him. You can't hide here. Truth will come out sooner or later and he has been a truly great asset to this forum. A really nice guy.

I would advise against building your own if you don't have a lot of time to research things properly.  People who build computers make it sound easy, but it's not.  I've put together a few computers through the years (my first was a kit with 2K of memory, but I bought the expansion pack to get 4K), done some electronics and such (built a nice tube amp) and was a motorcycle and snowmobile mechanic for a few years, as well as a software designer for a few more.
 
All that to say that I did not find my latest computer build to be easy at all.  It took at least six months to get up to date with what had happened with computers since the last time I built one, to learn who made what, who was good, who wasn't, where to buy, where not to buy, water cooling or air cooling, voltage controlled fans or PWM fans, Sata II or Sata III...  The list goes on and on.  It can be a lot of fun, but it has to become a hobby.  The advantage of taking your time is you can buy items when they go on sale.  I saved hundreds of dollars by waiting for the right moment to buy each part.
 
The actual assembly in my case took a couple of weekends, say four full days.  There again, some prior experience with fasteners, wiring and circuit boards is useful.  How tight do you tighten the CPU cooler screws ?  Even I had no clue.  I have a good idea of how much strain a fastener can take, but I have no idea how much a CPU socket can take.  I'd have to break a few to know.  And the thing loosens with time and temperature changes, at least at first.
 
And that's only to build the computer.  It will then take days and days to install all the drivers and software and figure out what's happening when things don't work.  Took me a good month to get most stuff installed and running the way I like, I'm still not completely done.
 
The whole process is so complex, involving so many components from so many different manufacturers, that I'm continuously amazed that my system runs at all.
 
If I wasn't prepared to go to all this trouble I'd buy a business Dell, like I've done in the past.  With the three-year on-site warranty so you can let them worry about the problems.  If the system lasts three years it will probably last ten, like my previous Dell desktop which is still running daily.
 
If you do go ahead and build your own, good luck.  It's quiet an experience and very rewarding when you're done.  It's taken up so much of my time this past year that now I have to ask myself, what now ?  The answer in my case is : play Sonar !