First Time Building A Pc Need Some Help

[mks]

I understand the importance of a strong processor. But thats what the freeze/flatten in Ableton 8 is for. Freeze your VST synth with loads of effects on top, Ableton will render that track to wave, and free the processor up for other things. If you don't like it, or need to edit, simply unfreeze and edit. Then refreeze. An i7 is gonna make a really nice DAW that will be solid for 5 years. But is there an added benefit to spending all the money on the processor upfront? Processors suffer the same fate as RAM... in a year or two, its gonna be disgustingly cheap compared to what it is now. Why not buy an i5 now, then get the i7 in a few years? Im using Core2Duo, 2.13GHZ, a dinosaur by todays standard. But I'm making some fairly complicated music just fine. Yeah a quad core or i7 would be nice, but I don't see it as mission critical by any means. Yes, get the best processor you can afford, but like someone else mentioned, there seems to be a sweet spot in price vs. performance. That's where I always go. Its usually like the 3rd or 4th best intel processor at any given time.

So, 3 years ago when I built my DAW, a core2quad was something like 500 bucks. Now i can get the same processor for 150. I coulda bought something nice with that dough, another synth maybe? enough hard drives for my lusted over RAID 10? Who knows. Anyone agree with me here?

I'm getting by with the techniques mentioned above. My dinosaur processor can run more VSTi's than is practical without freezing. What software are you guys running that mandates such extreme measures as the i7?

Has the art of 'bouncing' tracks been lost?

I pretty much agree with you. I tend to build with technology that is a year or two old, for the price vs. performance aspect. Hell, like I said earlier, I've been using a computer that was built 3 years ago with technology that was 4 or 5 years old and it's still going strong, it's still my main system while I have been getting this new system all setup. It's only a single core AMD processor and I've never had any problems whatsoever with it (except for a bad power supply one time). I'm running ableton, and I've barely ever gotten close to maxing out the cpu.

EZ

[EBR]

Good thread. DZA i'm doing the same as U soon. This thread has already helped a lot.

[DZA]

Thanks for the help so far everyone

have you ever built a PC before?

Nope

Do you know how to match motherboard specs with parts?

Nope

what soundcard you'll be using you're intended purposes.

Using a Focusrite Saffire LE

you're intended purposes.

Making music and browsing the internet

[Phigure]

Do yourself a favor and get an AMD Phenom II instead of an i7. They're all hype and waaaay overpriced

[Erebus-7]

For your price range, you're gunna struggle to get all that you want imo, everything i look at (and i build cmoputers for a job/hobby) an i7 and 6gb ram and a nice case with a big psu and good fans will be costly, i'll keep looking around for you though mate

EDIT* very quick thing i came up with, bit more than you said you had, but would be beasty, http://www.cyberpowersystem.co.uk/cart/ ... ?id=232772

if you want to buy all parts separately, hit me up on AIM some time and ill be happy to give you suggestions. smithy-13@hotmail.com

[JFK]

This guy built my previous PC:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... K:MEWAX:IT

Its well within the budget. I added a Coolermaster V8 for £40.

[frank grimes jr.]

The mounting kit for that v8 cooler looks like my worst nightmare.

[DZA]

For your price range, you're gunna struggle to get all that you want imo, everything i look at (and i build cmoputers for a job/hobby) an i7 and 6gb ram and a nice case with a big psu and good fans will be costly, i'll keep looking around for you though mate

EDIT* very quick thing i came up with, bit more than you said you had, but would be beasty, http://www.cyberpowersystem.co.uk/cart/ ... ?id=232772

if you want to buy all parts separately, hit me up on AIM some time and ill be happy to give you suggestions. smithy-13@hotmail.com

Cheers man will do

This guy built my previous PC:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... K:MEWAX:IT

Its well within the budget. I added a Coolermaster V8 for £40.

hmm theres somethig about buying a computer of ebay which puts me off

[the get down]

for real dont cheap out on the power supply

get RAM that has a good rep.

If you use a firewire interface that opens a whole 'nother can of compatibility worms so be careful

[gnome]

This guy built my previous PC:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... K:MEWAX:IT

Its well within the budget. I added a Coolermaster V8 for £40.

hmm theres somethig about buying a computer of ebay which puts me off

But the guy has sold over 9000 pieces!

[JFK]

This guy built my previous PC:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... K:MEWAX:IT

Its well within the budget. I added a Coolermaster V8 for £40.

hmm theres somethig about buying a computer of ebay which puts me off

But the guy has sold over 9000 pieces!

Yeah, I can totally vouch for him. Great bits of kit and the cheapest I could find after months of searching.

[gr0nt]

Ok great... As I said, the first thing that is going to dictate your purchase is your soundcard. It's probably only compatible with certain chipsets or what have you. You're going to be using Focusrite Saffire LE. A bit of google turns up: http://www.focusrite.com/answerbase/en/ ... php?id=334 - I'll save you the read and quote:

Check the chipset and type of FireWire card. We recommend FireWire 400-only, non-combo (i.e. not with USB AND FireWire ports) cards with either a Texas Instruments or a VIA chipset, from a known brand manufacturer such as Belkin, Lacie or SIIG.
Other chipsets and models also work, but the above specs will give the best results. For more information see FireWire compatibility article.

Also, a bit more rummaging turns up the fact that when using this card in windows 7, you'll have to roll back the driver for the firewire controller. Again, not a big deal, step by step instructions provided on the focusrite website. So, knowing that everyone prefers ASUS, we need to find an ASUS motherboard that has a Firewire 400 port with either a VIA or TI chipset. (Sorry to sound like a technical douchebagg, think this post might be helpful for others) Otherwise we can use any motherboard we like - but we will have to buy an additional firewire card that is compatible with our audio interface. I've done the dirty work for you.

Here's what I would do if hired to build a DAW based on your parameters (price).

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813131665 - Motherboard - $190 - ASUS Sabertooth X58 LGA - This has a firewire 400 controller with a VIA Chipset (I know this because I looked it up on ASUS website) It's actually a kickass motherboard, USB3, SATA 6Gb, etc, all the new shit. Also, this motherboard supports multiple RAID levels, and I believe its crucial for all DAWs to run at least RAID 1. So technically, you won't have to buy any other cards. (like firewire or SATA RAID card) This is everything you need. Includes Fan XPert Software, this time quoting from ASUS website.

Fan Xpert

Active Quiet & Cool
Fan Xpert intelligently allows users to adjust both the CPU and chassis fan speed according to different ambient temperature , which is caused by different climate conditions in different geographic regions and system loading.Built-in variety of useful profiles offer flexible controls of fan speed to achieve a quiet and cool environment.

I have Q-Fan, which is an older version, and it works VERY WELL. It makes you look all sophisticated n stuffs to your non technical friends.... I turn down the fans during mixdown. If I have to record, I simply record in a different room than my PC is located. Of course, not everyone has that option.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811129049 - Chassis/Case Fans/650W Power Supply - $249 - Had this case for 3 years, absolutely love it. See previous posts. I know that this chassis is an ATX chassis, meaning any ATX compatible motherboard will mount into it. ATX just means basically the size/shape/layout of the motherboard. How you're going to mount it in the chassis. The above motherboard is an ATX motherboard.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6819115211 - Processor - Intel Core i7-950 Bloomfield 3.06GHz - 200$ - the de facto standard?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820145258 - 6GB DDR3 Ram -$150 - Corsair RAM is nice. This isn't the fastest RAM that this motherboard will support, but its damn nice and plenty fast too. If you've got a bit more budget, I would get faster ram than this. This is DDR3 1600. The motherboard supports up to DDR3 1866. Upgrading to the fastest RAM would add $50 USD (30 pounds?) to the price for the same amount, 6GB.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6822136533 - 2 x Western Digital 1TB Hard Drives (Giving 1TB total storage - redundancy) $200 - SATA 6GB/sec --- 10,000 RPM is nice, but we get into the price/performance discussion again. If you can afford two 10,000 RPM hard drives and still have enough storage - do it. I would spend the money here over quiet fans or the biggest baddest processor out there, and even over faster RAM. It's easy to add hard drives later, even to a RAID array, so this and the RAM (and processor) is where you can skimp now, and upgrade later.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6827136180 - LG DVD Burner, SATA - $18 - How are you gonna install windows?

For a total of approx: $1010 or 1,010.00 USD = 652.686 GBP - Right around your price point I think. I would LOVE to have this system, unfortunately an engineering student with a mortgage to pay can't afford these luxuries.

I hope you aren't including Mouse/Keyboard/LCD Display in your price range. Anyways, mouse and keyboard is 10 USD for both (MicroCenter is the shit for for my fellow yanks - but they dont have locations in all states) I would use a CRT with this system for a few years if I had to.

To DZA: Don't be intimidated if you haven't assembled a PC before. I would highly recommend doing it yourself, even if you don't save any money. This way, when something goes wrong, you'll know exactly what hardware/drivers you have, how its assembled, etc. The only thing you could really mess up on is when you connect the power switch to the headers on the motherboard. If you put the connector on backwards, you will short out (brick/fry/ruin) the motherboard as soon as you hit the power button, at least on old ones. Learned the hard way, twice. I can help you with this when its time, or whatever. Other than that, assembling a computer from parts is a lot like kindergarten. Match the shape with the same shape, match the color with the same color. It's nearly impossible to put stuff in the wrong way in 2010.

Secondly - don't build this kick ass computer I've picked out for you and then ruin it by going on the NET. You DAW should be for production only. Use the computer you're on now for the internet. If you have to use this kickass PC for something as lame as the net, download and install a copy of Ubuntu AFTER you install windows 7, with a small partition, say 10 GB. It's easier to install than windows - works right out of the box. Then, only go on the net with Ubuntu, not with windows. Ubuntu is WAY more solid when it comes to firewall/antivirus/spyware. And its a hell of a lot faster.

Best advice I can give to anyone trying to produce great music:
GET RID OF THE INTERNET

I only have it at work/school. Not at home, not since 2004. Now I only have Ableton Live with every imaginable VST plug and many hardware pieces to pass the time. Loving it always. When I had the net, I would always be paging between Ableton and things like DSF. Fooking productivity mass murderer is what it is.

Any questions? Anyone?

Dude! I just spent like 2 hours researching and typing this... do I get extra credit? Too bad I'm so far along with my courses, I probably could've turned this in for a project a few years ago

[futures_untold]

That is a great post!

[EBR]

thanks

[gr0nt]

I forgot a video card! Not gonna get far at all without that. Here it is, add another $50 USD to final price.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814130536 - EVGA 512-P3-1212-LR GeForce 210 512MB 64-bit DDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card

More graphics power than your DAW will use. So again, you can go even cheaper here.

I've double checked the above system I recommended. Everything looks tip top. The ANTEC server chassis is 17kilos NET, 37.5 Pounds (without anything inside of it).

If that's too heavy, or too much fan noise, you can't go wrong with ANTEC Sonata Series. 100$ cheaper than the server chassis, but a weaker power supply.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... -_-Product
And, its very handsome to boot.

[DZA]

Cheers for all that gr0nt much appreciated

[gnome]

"LG DVD Burner, SATA - $18 - How are you gonna install windows?" O lold.

Great post! Stick around

[LordBid]

Dude i dont have much input but my mates brother just built me a computer for 1000 bucks and shit is fast as fuck these days I didnt realize how archaic my old machine was till I found out I was able to run 15+ instances of massive plus other tracks without a ..... 700 should be able to buy you a pretty slick pc just do some research!

[Fatach]

Hey guys,
(i'm new over here...!)

I'm currently using a PC to produce and I intend to buy a laptop in the next couple of months. I was wondering what you think about using a laptop as both a producing platform and a DJ one.
My computer is strong enough to produce, but I figured it would be more comfertable to combine these things onto one system.
opinions?

[Jizz]

Ok great... As I said, the first thing that is going to dictate your purchase is your soundcard. It's probably only compatible with certain chipsets or what have you. You're going to be using Focusrite Saffire LE. A bit of google turns up: http://www.focusrite.com/answerbase/en/ ... php?id=334 - I'll save you the read and quote:

Check the chipset and type of FireWire card. We recommend FireWire 400-only, non-combo (i.e. not with USB AND FireWire ports) cards with either a Texas Instruments or a VIA chipset, from a known brand manufacturer such as Belkin, Lacie or SIIG.
Other chipsets and models also work, but the above specs will give the best results. For more information see FireWire compatibility article.

Also, a bit more rummaging turns up the fact that when using this card in windows 7, you'll have to roll back the driver for the firewire controller. Again, not a big deal, step by step instructions provided on the focusrite website. So, knowing that everyone prefers ASUS, we need to find an ASUS motherboard that has a Firewire 400 port with either a VIA or TI chipset. (Sorry to sound like a technical douchebagg, think this post might be helpful for others) Otherwise we can use any motherboard we like - but we will have to buy an additional firewire card that is compatible with our audio interface. I've done the dirty work for you.

Here's what I would do if hired to build a DAW based on your parameters (price).

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813131665 - Motherboard - $190 - ASUS Sabertooth X58 LGA - This has a firewire 400 controller with a VIA Chipset (I know this because I looked it up on ASUS website) It's actually a kickass motherboard, USB3, SATA 6Gb, etc, all the new shit. Also, this motherboard supports multiple RAID levels, and I believe its crucial for all DAWs to run at least RAID 1. So technically, you won't have to buy any other cards. (like firewire or SATA RAID card) This is everything you need. Includes Fan XPert Software, this time quoting from ASUS website.

Fan Xpert

Active Quiet & Cool
Fan Xpert intelligently allows users to adjust both the CPU and chassis fan speed according to different ambient temperature , which is caused by different climate conditions in different geographic regions and system loading.Built-in variety of useful profiles offer flexible controls of fan speed to achieve a quiet and cool environment.

I have Q-Fan, which is an older version, and it works VERY WELL. It makes you look all sophisticated n stuffs to your non technical friends.... I turn down the fans during mixdown. If I have to record, I simply record in a different room than my PC is located. Of course, not everyone has that option.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811129049 - Chassis/Case Fans/650W Power Supply - $249 - Had this case for 3 years, absolutely love it. See previous posts. I know that this chassis is an ATX chassis, meaning any ATX compatible motherboard will mount into it. ATX just means basically the size/shape/layout of the motherboard. How you're going to mount it in the chassis. The above motherboard is an ATX motherboard.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6819115211 - Processor - Intel Core i7-950 Bloomfield 3.06GHz - 200$ - the de facto standard?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820145258 - 6GB DDR3 Ram -$150 - Corsair RAM is nice. This isn't the fastest RAM that this motherboard will support, but its damn nice and plenty fast too. If you've got a bit more budget, I would get faster ram than this. This is DDR3 1600. The motherboard supports up to DDR3 1866. Upgrading to the fastest RAM would add $50 USD (30 pounds?) to the price for the same amount, 6GB.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6822136533 - 2 x Western Digital 1TB Hard Drives (Giving 1TB total storage - redundancy) $200 - SATA 6GB/sec --- 10,000 RPM is nice, but we get into the price/performance discussion again. If you can afford two 10,000 RPM hard drives and still have enough storage - do it. I would spend the money here over quiet fans or the biggest baddest processor out there, and even over faster RAM. It's easy to add hard drives later, even to a RAID array, so this and the RAM (and processor) is where you can skimp now, and upgrade later.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6827136180 - LG DVD Burner, SATA - $18 - How are you gonna install windows?

For a total of approx: $1010 or 1,010.00 USD = 652.686 GBP - Right around your price point I think. I would LOVE to have this system, unfortunately an engineering student with a mortgage to pay can't afford these luxuries.

I hope you aren't including Mouse/Keyboard/LCD Display in your price range. Anyways, mouse and keyboard is 10 USD for both (MicroCenter is the shit for for my fellow yanks - but they dont have locations in all states) I would use a CRT with this system for a few years if I had to.

To DZA: Don't be intimidated if you haven't assembled a PC before. I would highly recommend doing it yourself, even if you don't save any money. This way, when something goes wrong, you'll know exactly what hardware/drivers you have, how its assembled, etc. The only thing you could really mess up on is when you connect the power switch to the headers on the motherboard. If you put the connector on backwards, you will short out (brick/fry/ruin) the motherboard as soon as you hit the power button, at least on old ones. Learned the hard way, twice. I can help you with this when its time, or whatever. Other than that, assembling a computer from parts is a lot like kindergarten. Match the shape with the same shape, match the color with the same color. It's nearly impossible to put stuff in the wrong way in 2010.

Secondly - don't build this kick ass computer I've picked out for you and then ruin it by going on the NET. You DAW should be for production only. Use the computer you're on now for the internet. If you have to use this kickass PC for something as lame as the net, download and install a copy of Ubuntu AFTER you install windows 7, with a small partition, say 10 GB. It's easier to install than windows - works right out of the box. Then, only go on the net with Ubuntu, not with windows. Ubuntu is WAY more solid when it comes to firewall/antivirus/spyware. And its a hell of a lot faster.

Best advice I can give to anyone trying to produce great music:
GET RID OF THE INTERNET

I only have it at work/school. Not at home, not since 2004. Now I only have Ableton Live with every imaginable VST plug and many hardware pieces to pass the time. Loving it always. When I had the net, I would always be paging between Ableton and things like DSF. Fooking productivity mass murderer is what it is.

Any questions? Anyone?

Dude! I just spent like 2 hours researching and typing this... do I get extra credit? Too bad I'm so far along with my courses, I probably could've turned this in for a project a few years ago

reading this more than a year later.. do your reckon the same parts recommended would still be enough or should i maybe look for more updated parts?