Basic Realistic Requirements for A Computer?

G

Graymalkin

New member
I have decide on a Gateway computer, Cakewalk Pro Suite software, and both SoundBlaster Live and M-Audio Delta 44 soundcards.
The computer I buy will be used PRIMARILY for recording (no cool games for me!), with limited use of Photoshop and PageMaker or MS Word.
I know what Cakewalk considers "minimum system requirements", and what users consider the requirements to be to have a truly kick-ass system.
With the latter in mind, I got Gateway to give me a quote on a truly decent computer (2 hard-drives - 15 & 30GB, 256MB memory, Athlon 950MHz processor, Boston Acoustics BA 7500 speakers, CD burner), and the price was nearly $3000.
I know I will probably never regret the power of such a system, but it's regrettably a bit over my budget!
So, I need some serious advice!
What,in your opinion, would be a really decent, fully usable computer system for one on a budget? Realistically. I know I need more than the "basic requirements" for Cakewalk, but can't currently afford the expense of a system such as I described.
What, in your opinion, would be usable "real world" system requirements for my computer?
My music is primarily acoustic, and I'm undecided if the Gigasampler will be all that useful to me, so I may decide to go with Cakewalk Pro Audio Deluxe 9 instead.
Your help will be MOST appreciated!!!
 
As for the computer itself, I would seriously check out some of the deals at http://dell4me.com
If there is a company in your area that will build one for you I would suggest talking with them as well. With PIII processors droping so rapidly you should be able to get evrything you need(hardware) for half the price of the Gateway.

As for the software, all I got is n-tracks and fruityloops, so I will let someone else help you there.
 
First of all, dont waist your money on a brand name computer. Most of them charge over price, and later on youl find it hard to upgrade some stuff. just my opinion. Also, i would recommend getting a intel chip. they are the most compatible and reliable. most comparisons ive done between intel and other chips, intel just seems to work better, (not always necesseraly faster, but less buggy).get two harddrives 15-20 gigs 7200RPM. you probably wont need more than thats for most things. get a cd burner, doesnt need to be fast (mostly for backups).as far as cpu speed and ram goes. i would get 256 megs ram. and 300+ mgz on cpu. i sell computers myself and i can usually bust up some pretty good deals on computers if your interested at all. as far as software goes. i havnt tried n-tracks, er anythingl ike that. i most familiar with cakewalk and its the one i basically recommend (as far as user freindly goes). but thats probably cause it was the first one i worked with when i first got version 5.0.
 
I spent almost a year studying digital audio systems and you can buy an turnkey system from wave digital, audio computing and soundchaser for less than the gateway or dell computer alone. here are my specs

Abit BE-6-2 440BX
Pentium 3 750 slot 1
Maxtor 30.7GB (audio)
Maxtor 10.2GB (system)
256MB PC 100
Plextor 12x10x32x
ATI Xpert 98 8MB
Teac 1.44MB
Mitsumi keyboard
ATI rage pro
Microsoft intellimouse
Win 98 SE
#A50 Case
Linksys 10/100 ethernet LAN card

I purchased from local computer shop and they constructed and loaded it all for about 1500 bucks. Purchased one year swap out option to replace immediately any thing defective (turn around time 2 days for bad maxtor drive). I cannot stress enough that if you are going to purchase a system make it as common as a PENTIUM 3, BX chipset, these tend to be the most stable and a vast majority people doing digital audio (not on a Mac)use. I guarantee that you won't be sorry a little extra speed from an athlon might be nice but the only people i see using them are folks who did'nt know better in the first place...Cakewalk...well...i've used it since 3.1 and it is the most unstable aspect of my system. BE AWARE that digital audio is one intense application and be ready to learn as much as you can about your total system and how they all interact...things crash...alot... especially when you push the machine to the limits...By the way my "kickass" system has been kicking my ass since day one.

good luck
 
If you have the means to build your own system or have a friend do it, you can put together a pretty kickass system for very little. Here's a copy of some prices I quoted in another discussion:

Abit motherboard - $140
PIII-800 - $200
256MB PC133 RAM - $120
40GB UDMA/66 HD - $200
case/power supp. - $50 (or even less)
CD-ROM - $30
keyboard/mouse/FD - $50 (the cheap stuff, you can pay more)
AGP video card (nothing special) - $50
cheap PCI sound card - $20 (all analog in/out for recording can go through the nice MOTU/Delta)

Total: $860

You can also get a Mitsumi CD burner (I love mine) for $150, and I changed the CPU because I know you can get a PIII-800 now for under $200. I just added the motherboard because I forgot to include it in my original post (doh!). I think the 800MHz PIII only comes in the "flip chip" (FCPGA) configuration, and I don't know which particular ABit motherboard supports those (or if you can get a Slot 1 adapter for them). See Pricewatch.
 
Building the computer by yourself or having a friend do it is definitely the cheapest way. And remember, you can always start off with just a decent computer and beef it up when you get the funds. I've been recording on a 500mHz, 128meg, and 10gig homemade computer. It works great for me.
 
same dilemas

im at the same point as the original poster here, except im sold on the merits of a custom made config over a name brand off-the-shelf.

i found a place called drastik solutions that looks good (also one called studio gem) - the big plus for both these guys is that they are musicians so they bundle stuff specifically to work with audio processing.

at drastik solutions, u can get a pentium III 800mHz with 256K RAM and two hard drives (20 gig and 30 gig) - all for $1,650. they will also integrate it with a digi001 for another $800 which is pretty much list, so why shouldnt i let em integrate and test it as a whole system?

i think you'd get better support from these places than from the name brands, and like others have said its prob more easily expandable/re-configurable.

one thing i struggled with was whether to try and beat the obsolesence thing by getting the absolute biggest/fastest computer, but the cost gets prohibitive and i dont know if that extra power is neccessary (esp after reading this thread and seeing others getting by with even less than what this sytem provides).

basically, i may be getting tired of researching and anxious to just start making music. so based on what i read here, i think the specs/for the price of something like the system i described would be good enuff to start and getting started is important.

the computer is just one thing - im also still stuggling with the rest of the set-up - the digi001 seems good, but im still looking at cubase, n-track, etc and trying to get a top notch performance system with as little redundancy and lowest cost as possible.

but to all u out there who know - do u think my basic computer choice seems sound? thanks everybody.
 
What's up everybody.

I went to the Dell refurbished site and purchased:

PIII 833 mhz

256 ram (PC 133 bus)

30 gig HD (7200 rpm)

CDRW

CD-ROM

SoundBlaster Live

etc... for $929.00 (and that was a few months ago).

Then, I went to the Viewsonic/Opticode site and purchased a refurbished 21" monitor for $259.00

That's basically everything you need for under $1,200.00.

Then, you still have money left over to buy an additional hard drive and another sound card.

P.S. *It is very important that you use a pentium chip*

Peace :)

Spin
 
Yo GBVGBV, just a warning to ya about the digi 001. If you plan on using an external mixer with the digi 001 you should know that the outputs aren't balanced. If you use 8 unbalanced wires in your signal flow path you'll be adding a lot of noise to your mix. Also, I don't think that the inputs are 24 bit. That doesn't mean much now, but in a couple years when they stop making CDs and DVD audio discs take over the market, you're really gonna wish you had that 24bit 96kHz capability. As for the computer, that's definitely enough power. Just don't use Windows Me, there is too many glitches that they haven't worked out yet. I totally hear where you're coming from about just wanting to record!
 
man - this bulletin board is great! - i'm learning alot, the ppl are cool, and the links are super.

sounds like u got a good deal on the refurbed dell, SPIN, but when i looked at the prices for a second hard drive (at globalcomputer.com) they were quoting over $600 for 20 gig and over $800 for 39 gig (can these be right?). if they are even close to right, then the drastik solutions package is looking like a really good deal.

and hey - i had a wild thought on a monitor - i wonder if u could get a wall-mounted, flat panel with touch screen - wouldnt that be cool? or has my imagination just run away with itself? lol.

and thanx for yer tip on using a pentium. a friend of mine just bought a pc for general purpose use and he was raving about the AMD - more speed for less money - but i passed on some info i picked up from here that for audio production the pentium is WAY more compatible with a wider variety of toys - he thought i only wanted to download napster files when i first told him i was getting into computer sound recording -haha.

damn - this bulletin board is great - thanx everybody - and for u newbies following threads like this - this is a f*cking goldmine!!!!
 
atomic - thanx dude, dont now how i coulda missed those points on the digi001 - i'm thinking that both balanced outputs and 24 bit inputs are crucial - so, back to the spec sheets.

i'm tracking the sound card question in more detail on another thread ("sound card dilemma" on this same board).

as far as this thread goes, im feeling pretty comfortable with the direction im heading on the computer itself - thanx a million, guys for all the great advice - still always open for more suggestions tho.
 
I've been using AMD for last year and it is extremely stable with cakewalk pro audio 9 and Delta 66 sound card. It never crashed or froze. Just have to check compatibility with add on sound cards. Built another hot rod computer however a few weeks ago with Athlon 1 gig processor....................and then i put G*&&!!@###*&*& WINDOWS ME on it!!!!!!!!!!! Someone strangle Bill Gates.
 
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