computer

[j0s1ah]

check this computer out, http://www.pcmall.com/pcmall/shop/de...=291573#scroll
would that be good for recording once i got an audiophile 2496?

what about this one,
http://www.compusa.com/products/prod...462&pfp=SEARCH
this one ^ says it has 16 bity audio ( which is crap, right ) but if i put in an audiophile 2496, would it be 24 bit?

if anyone else finds a comp w/ 60gb or greater 7200 rpm hd, 2ghz or better, 512 ddr, and firewire for under $600, let me know. ( i know those are rare...)

[Stealthtech]

PC #1....Refurb HP Crap
PC #2... Compaq refurb Crap

The audiophile is 24 bit.

Personally I would'nt have either one of those machines for recording. Best to build one from scratch.

[Seanmorse79]

I'm with Stealthtech. HP and Compaq make proprietary crap when they're brand new, and I wouldn't touch their refurbs with a 10 foot pole.

If you'd rather not build your own, look into Dell or Gateway.

You could do something like this or this and customize it to get what you want for under $600.

[groover_jon]

Pc #1 .....Don't even touch this. It's a Celeron. Celerons are ok for general everyday office type stuff but in the world of audio recording are not highly regarded.

Pc #2 ..... Would do the job for you. You could put an audiophile 2496 in this and get some good results.


or you could as Stealthtech said build your own if you are that way inclined.

[BloodShark]

Just be careful with Stealthtech #2 option, because it's a Celeron. Stay away from Celerons!!

[kgirl72]

I just got a refurb HP with a P4, and 800mhz front side bus and all that you want, 80 gig, blah blah blah...all that, firewire, 512 mB ram. And, it may be a proprietary piece of crap, but it works fine for me. I would agree to stay away from the Celeron...

Hell, my PIII HP I just replaced was working fine, with 98SE, with all kinds of other software installed, even, and used, on the SAME drive. It didn't do a good job for me until after I started using ASIO drivers with it...but, then it was absolutely fine. I don't need tons of tracks, and never will likely.

Why is a Dell any better anyway? Not saying it isn't, just curious. I'm just a hobbyist, but like I said, mine's working fine.

[JMarcomb]

Originally posted by kgirl72


Why is a Dell any better anyway? Not saying it isn't, just curious. I'm just a hobbyist, but like I said, mine's working fine.

Hey KGIRLY!

Dell -generally- uses top brand parts in their computers as opposed to Compaq or some of HP's stuff having their own proprietary components--such as video card...modems..

brand name computer components usually have good driver databases also...


a good musician can make a kick ass song on a commodor 64...

[kgirl72]

and a bad musician can't make it sound any better on a Dell, right? If they can, maybe I should get me one! LOL

Hi Jeff, how are you anyway, haven't seen you around much!
-Kgirly

[j0s1ah]

so most of you think celerons, hp, and compaq are all crap?
what was wrong with the 2nd choice? just b/c it was a compaq? any specific parts? i don't really wanna build one, so i am looking for a refurb/reman comp.
is 5400 rpm slow for recording? i know it will do but is 7200 alot better?
what about ebay? do you think i could trust getting a comp there?

[maestro_dmc]

You could have one built at a local computer shop.

I had a friend who works as a computer geek hook me up through his supplier. They built mine to my exact specs, which I got from another friend who records on his computer too.

It was all around $800 when I was done, not including monitor, OS, soundcard, or anything else. But you should be able to get something around $600 in todays market with more stuff.

[JMarcomb]

-Kgirly

stayin' busy as usual with the new recording goodies! songs are sounding better than ever ... I'll have to post some when im done.
too bad you dont live closer.. id invite ya over for a recording dinner heh!
im such a flirt

[j0s1ah]

the only local comp. shop i have seen only uses amd. i might check some others. what about ebay? and is 7200 rpm alot better for recording than a 5400 rpm drive?

[JMarcomb]

yes 7200rpm runs faster than 5400 and there is a difference.

Id stay away from ebay...esp.. if you dont know what different parts and specs mean. youll be a loney fish searching a vast dangerous sea


Goto newegg.com and price out a system... they have some barebones sytems that work really well.


if you have any questions on how to build it.. shoot me an email

[Grizzly]

Howdy
I agree stay away from the celerons for recording, but don't totally toss out the AMD's. My main recording computer is a 900mhz Athalon and it works great even on XP pro. Even mixing sound and video on 5400 drives.

Griz

[wheelema]

Josiah, and perhaps the world at large,

Rolling your own PC is not difficult, it is only unfamiliar.

Multiwave is my fav source for custom PCs. If you don't wish to assemble the parts yourself, they will do it for $80.

Start with a motherboard. There are a ton to choose from, but I tend to stick with ASUS. They have a nice one right now that bundles in a decent video adapter as part of the motherboard. This is a lowball option (saving money is always near and dear to my heart) but a very functional option

Once you have chosen the motherboard you need (no pun intended) a place to stick it. If you were observant you will have noticed that this is a MicroATX form factor, so you are going to need a MicroATX case. Here is a decent one

Now you need some drives. Strickly speaking you don't need a floppy, but they are only $10 bucks. Pretty much all hard disk drives are good, I stick with Western Digital, but they are all good. $69 for a 7200RPM 80GB HDD with 8MB of cache (more cache=better). Also grab a Lite-On burn proof CDRW.

Slap on a keyboard and mouse (wireless is getting really really good, but wired is cheaper)

If you have put this all together yourself, you have just spent (sans tax, shipping, operating system, and monitor) $450.00. What you HAVE is...

AthlonXP 2400 with 512MB of RAM, 8X AGP NVida NForce 4 display adapter, ethernet, S/PDIF in/out, 6 channel PCI audio, 80GB of fast storage, a CDRW, keyboard and mouse.

When you buy the hardware (and ONLY when you buy the hardware) you can also buy a copy of Windows XP Professional for $134 more, or a copy of XP Home (XP Pro is better) for $84.

Pretty hot, pretty cheap.

[j0s1ah]

wheelma, that sounds like a deal. so it would be 450 if i assembled it myself right? is the amd good for recording? i've heard a lot of bad stuff about them. i will check out that link, right now i know someone who is a dealer, and i gave him some specs and i think he will make me one. how much space will i need for the hd?

[wheelema]

Josiah,

It is not a deal, it is simply competitive retail that caters to those in the know.

The figure of $450 is the cost of components... period. You would have to pay more for tax (if applicable), shipping, an operating system, and a monitor. To compare apples to apples, toss in a copy of WindowsXP Home ($84) and figure shipping, tax, and monitor are going to bite you regardless. The computer now comes to $534, compared to $459 for your refurb job. Figure you have to toss in a sound card on the refurb too and the home brew system looks even better.

If you have a system builder to look over your shoulder for an hour or two, even better. Write off the $500 odd bucks as paying for tutoring... and I assure you, build it yourself and fixing it gets a whole lot easier.

I appreciate that some people have, and some have not, had problems with AMD processors. I also know that most of that bad feeling comes from the earlier processors, not the latest and greatest. Still and all, if you're nervous you can pick out a motherboard that supports Intel and toss on a P4 for not much more money.

Not too sure what you mean by space for the hard drive. Modern HDD are tiny tiny tiny and hold lots lots lots. An 80GB should hold you for some time. The case that I referred you to in the original post will hold two HDD, so you could have one dedicated to your music if you feel rich.

Luck!!

[SPINSTERWUN]

Great suggestions, wheelema.

spin

[theshaggyfreak]

Originally posted by j0s1ah
so most of you think celerons, hp, and compaq are all crap?
what was wrong with the 2nd choice? just b/c it was a compaq? any specific parts? i don't really wanna build one, so i am looking for a refurb/reman comp.
is 5400 rpm slow for recording? i know it will do but is 7200 alot better?
what about ebay? do you think i could trust getting a comp there?

I've been in the IT industry for 7 years and I've built quite a few computers. This is what I've experienced and understand:

7200rpm is a better drive for recording because you'll get better performance in general. Hell, 10k rpm drives are even better if you can afford it.

Celerons have half the cache of their Pentium brother. They're good for general purpose PC's, but for a DAW you want performance. P4's are getting cheaper, and I'd stick with them. I have nothing against AMD processors, but you'll find that there are more compatability issues with them and DAWs. I advise getting a motherboard with an Intel chipset.

When it comes to buying computer and recording equipment, I would stay away from refurb stuff if you're able to. Personally, if something broke once it may break again.

Be a smart consumer if you're purchasing from e-bay. Compare prices on ebay with say http://www.pricewatch.com when it comes to computer gear. Check out the sellers rating and make sure they're honost.

Most of the prebuilt computers that you buy at Compusa and Bestbuy aren't really great for DAWs in my opinion. They're built for the average consumer. You want something that's going to be built for performance. You most likely can build a computer that performs better, and it will probably be cheaper than something prebuilt. There are lots of books and howto's on building computers. Again, be a smart consumer and research things before you buy. Read everything you can, but remember that everything you read isn't always true. The more you research, the more you're likely to make a good choice.

[Simman]

If you build the PC yourself, I would install 2 video boards (1 AGP, 1 PCI, or get a single dual video card) and use 2 flat panals (in a perfect world they'd be 19")! Win XP (or 2K) will recognize the 2 video boards allowing you to "split" the desktop accross the 2 monitors. Really nice...you should be able to put the mixer on one monitor while keeping the input (waves, meters, etc.) on the other.

[Jotosuds]

BUILD YOUR OWN

it's really not that hard. search on google for "how to build a computer". there's one site that's really good, search around, learn the lingo, and you'll be much better off than one of those mass produced idiot boxes.

shop at newegg.com.

i recommend this setup

AMD Athlon Barton 2500
ASUS A7N8x deluxe mobo
crucial DDR 2700 ram 512 mb
seagate barracuda hd, 2 40gb, or single 60 or 80 or 120 whatever

lite-on burner
vid card

that setup should be around 500 bucks i think. and it will spank anything for around that price that any company could make.

good luck man.