Low cost pc choices.which should I get??/

S

scott2go

New member
Hello All,
As a newbie I have studied the forums and decided I am incapable of building my own cheap daw.But considered upgrading either one of these,A friend has offered my choice of these 2 systems to build from.I have not chosen a sound card or software,and have little experience w/ tracking,Ive played w/ some share ware,and free ware but haven't stepped up to the plate yet.So should I buy either one of these bluelight specials? or ask someone else to build one for me??


Intel P4 2.4GHz
20.00 Case with power supply
170.00 Mothrboard with 2.4GHz CPU (Intel) - includes sound,10/100 NIC,USB
.00 CPU Fan/heathsink
40.00 256MB DDR PC2700
40.00 40GB Hard Drive
10.00 1.44 Floppy Drive
40.00 AGP Video card - 32/64MB
40.00 CDRW
15.00 56K Modem
10.00 PS2 Keyboard & Mouse
15.00 17" Monitor
XP pro

-----------
$400.00


AMD 2400+ Athlon
20.00 Case with power supply
90.00 Motherboard with CPU - includes sound,10/100 NIC, USB
10.00 CPU fan/heatsink
40.00 256MB DDR PC2700
40.00 40GB Hard Drive
10.00 1.44 Floppy Drive
40.00 AGP Video card - 32MB
40.00 CDRW
10.00 PS2 Keyboard & Mouse
15.00 56K Modem
15.00 17" Monitor
XP Pro
_______
$330.00


I dont have the specifics but can ask him if I need them,any thought's?I can't replace his parts for mine and get a credit as he has already purchased them,but he would be willing to work w/ me as far as installing parts I buy.Any suggestions would be great,I will be recording 2-8 tracks at once, Thanks Scott
 
256Mb of RAM and 40Gd HD's are hardly adequate for DAW work. XP alone needs over 200Mb of RAM at any given time. Minimums for RAM and HD nowaday's are 512Mb and 80Gb.

You don't need XP Pro either unless you have a multiprocessor system or need the more advanced networking features like Remote Desktop Managment. Save $100 and go with XP Home.

I would invest in a dualhead video card and 2 monitors as well. It will make your life much easier.
 
yeah, if you're gonna do any kind of media editing, you can't cut too many corners - at least as far as the power.

do those bargains have 800mhz fsb? is the ram it hyper-threading?

i, recently, built my new computer w/ digital recording/editing and video editing ON A BUDGET in mind. i spent right around $1500 (no monitor, behringer ada8000 and event ez-8 included).
 
The AMD system is probably the way to go. PCs are just about at the max that the current MB platfroms can go. The most important things that you need to consider are (IMHO):

1. Cooling for the cpu, harddrive, graphics, and case. Noise can be a problem from the fans, but nothing can make a system more unstable, quicker, than heat.

2. Graphics card. any of the newer N-Vidia cards will be more than enough ( less than $100.00 from CompUSA ) with a dual output will let you add a second monitor.

3. Don't buy anything put name brand ram and at least 512 MB.

4. 7200 rpm HD with 8MB of buffer, 80 GB or better.

These four things will affect system performance the most. Many of the MB come with onboard audio that will give you very good results to start with, picking a sound card can come latter. The next thing that you should consider is the software for recording. There is a learning curve that can not be avoided. I would check out that section of the boards and go with what feels comfortable and it might should be the cheapest to start with although I don't really recomend that. You don't have to have the very best gear to make a good recording, because you will not make a good recording with the best gear if you don't know how to use it.

Good luck, Ozlee
 
thanks for the tips

Yes I will be upgrading the hd to a larger and at least 7200 rpm,512 ram,the dual vga card is something I have been researching and just haven't decided which one to get yet,ie best quality for best price,ATI Radeon 7500 32MB AGP Dual Head,or 1 of the Matrox cards,Are they plug n play??/I have never seen a dual setup up close.
as far as the os he will give me my choice of xp pro or home or windows 2000 pro,I have worked w/ both but am more comfortable w/ 2000 pro,I guess I sould research software issues huh?
The p4 is 800 fsb ,w/ HT so nme666.com I am assuming the ram is ht as well but I guess I better ask,

I am estimating,another $2-300 for these upgrades
512 ram stick,faster larger hd,dual vga card,I have an extra 15 mon.I have heard of some issues of running different sized monitors,but nothing major,
Then the software and soundcard,so I am up to $700 w/out it,I'm trying to talk him into letting me get credit for the stock hd,and video card,but that's only $80 but will check for sure about the cooling and power supply,At least 400 watts from what I hear,thanks for the tips Scott
 
You can use multiple output graphics cards, (TV, DVI, monitor). I have the Radeon 7000 CompUSA. The DVI can be used for a second monitor. Ram is not "hyper-threading" it is called "inter-leaving" two 256MB sticks write back and forth which is faster but not necessarily faster. I mean you may not notice any better performance. This is something if your are heavy into gaming to consider. Just buy a good brand name with a lifetime warranty. Windows XP is considered to be more stable by most people and I think I would go with that for my OS. Audio software is what I was refering to with the learning curve and to check out all of the forums. EMU has a dual soundcard for $200.00 that will cover midi and audio. The software that comes with the soundcard is someting to consider as well, before you buy. Your electrical supply and cables will make a big difference IMHO. The right type and good quality when hooking up your gear will make a big difference in how good or poor the quality of your recording turns out to be.

Ozlee
 
brzilian said:
256Mb of RAM and 40Gd HD's are hardly adequate for DAW work. XP alone needs over 200Mb of RAM at any given time. Minimums for RAM and HD nowaday's are 512Mb and 80Gb.
Click to expand...

i'm running a tweaked version of XP pro which is so lean it only takes up 45 Mb of RAM.
 
"You don't need XP Pro either unless you have a multiprocessor system or need the more advanced networking features like Remote Desktop Managment. Save $100 and go with XP Home."

Intel hyperthreading chips (800 mhz FSB) need xp pro in order to take advantage of their hyperthreading capabilties.
 
newer specs

Thanks again for the tips,here is the skinny,I have the mb model now and other info all new parts
I have decided to go w/ the Intel, the MB is the intel 848p, 848p chipset, it does have HT tech. and 800 mhz fsb.w/ support for up to 400 ddr,he said he would credit me if I wanted to swap parts,ie hd,vga card,larger faster memory,so for whatever deal 's I can find,I'm thinking I will just buy it as is and upgrade the vga,hd,and ram as I get the money,or I can get $ 120 credit off of the package and I supply the memory,hard drive, and vga card,

I could use the 256 MB ddr chip in my home computer,and for $40 I dont think I could do much better,That just leaves the HD and video card,
I'm thinking until I get the cash for the soundcard,and software I could just wait on the upgrades and do it all at once,

but overall,my question was is this a decent foundation at a reasonable price to build from???

For $400 I cant do it,w/xp pro and a monitor,or like he said for $ 280 and I supply the Hard drive,Ram,and vga card,
Or I Just go for it and try to do it myself,at a higher cost, ie xp,the monitor, Thanks
 
sweetnubs said:


Intel hyperthreading chips (800 mhz FSB) need xp pro in order to take advantage of their hyperthreading capabilties.
Click to expand...

Nope, not true. XP Home can handle HT processors just fine.

Straight from Intel's P4 HT FAQ:

http://www.intel.com/personal/do_more/faq.htm

Currently Microsoft Windows* XP (Home or Pro) is designed specifically to take advantage of Hyper-Threading Technology. Intel is working with the Linux* community to build Hyper-Threading Technology support into the Linux operating system. View operating systems which support Hyper-Threading Technology.
 
Is this from a friend or from a company?

If I was buying a system from a company - and was offered win xp home/pro or 2000 all for the same total system price...I would worry.

If I were getting a $15 monitor - I would worry.

I wouldn't waste my money on a $20 case/power supply.

I wouldn't buy a $40/40gig drive when brand new OEM 80gig drives are anywhere from $50 - 70.

Ditto w/ the CD Burner. $40 for a 52x CD burner is decent - but you can spend $50 and get a DVD/CDRW combo drive.

I haven't used a floppy drive in a while...
Ditto w/ a modem - but I understand you may need one.
 
hello all

yes I know him from a previous deal,or 2
not really a friend but a straight up guy.software is free to me,my choice,he sugg. xp pro so I could network my machines if I wanted to.He will do whatever I need,I can supply him w/ all the parts if I want to,I am just not comfortable w/ building a daw by myself,and told him what I wanted to do as far as recording,Price is a issue for me so I asked him if he could build me an inexpensive machine,This setup was his answer.He builds cheap or expensive,home systems. But has little know how on daw's.

Like I said,i have min. exp. recording and even less w/ daw setup.I only know what I read here and in other forums,and from what Ive been told upgrading my old family machine would be very costly and more money down the drain,so help me out,can you guys point me in a direction of an inexpensive daw w/ soundcard and software,or help me spec a budget priced system that will still have decent quality?way too many choices for a novice,and so many factors are personal preference.Bottom line is I want to get into pc tracking for as little cash as I can,but still be able to produce a good sound.I have been a part of a great live band but just want to lay down some stuff by myself and try to learn the ropes.I'm not cheap just BROKE!!! hahaha I'm just an old school bass player that want's to learn how to take this live sound to an album quality sound,or as close to as we can do w/out a studio, http://brthesect.com/audio.html
please excuse the link ,I am not here to self promote.Thanks Scott
 
Re: newer specs

scott2go said:
Thanks again for the tips,here is the skinny,I have the mb model now and other info all new parts
I have decided to go w/ the Intel, the MB is the intel 848p, 848p chipset, it does have HT tech. and 800 mhz fsb.w/ support for up to 400 ddr,
Click to expand...

That 848 chipset only supports single channel ddr400 ram. I would recommend spending a little extra and getting something like an Asus P4P800 with the 865 chipset. However if you can't afford it, the 848 will do a fine job
 
Re: hello all

scott2go said:
yes I know him from a previous deal,or 2
not really a friend but a straight up guy.software is free to me,my choice,he sugg. xp pro so I could network my machines if I wanted to.
Click to expand...

XP Home has basic peer to peer networking functionality. What it doesn't support is VPN networks and logging on to a Domain.

You do not need XP Pro. This guy either doesn't know his stuff or is trying to rip you off.
 
Scott,

I highly recomend and strongly suggest that you check out a site called "techtv.com" the show or program to look for is called "The Screen Savers" If you do a search on "gaming computers" or "build your own computer" you should find several systems and specs to give you another source of information. I trust these guys and they take no prisoners or show any favoritism in thier evaluations. Which ever version of XP you choose it should prove more stable than previous versions. The Intel Pentium IV should handle multi-media better, but that is still a matter that could be debated when cost is considered.

I strongly urge you to check out "TechTV.com" and spend some time searching this site. You will be glad that you did.

There is also one other site to check out. MusiciansFriend.com. Go to the "articles" and search for an article entitled "Roll Your Own Thunderbird". This article maybe some what dated but it should prove helpful.

Ozlee
 
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