New Computer

Albertm

Albertm

Member
ok..my brother in law made me a windows compute years ago (xp) and I put sonar 5 on it. Also motu symphonic, amplitube, bfd drums and other stuff. Since I don't know how to build this I need to buy new computer (I also do design work on it) I'm totally lost on what to buy, tower verse laptop, windows 7 or 8, will my old software even work with these like they did with xp. Any help would be greatly appreciated. And as always price is an issue. thanks..its been a while since I posted, I feel like a newbie again...technology had surpassed me...ps, i use a tascam 1080 board with it
 
When price is an issue, look for computers that use AMD processors as opposed to Intel. Intel are great processors, but AMD tends to make comparable processors for substantially lower cost.

Laptop vs. desktop is totally up to you. Laptops are portable and tend to be a little quieter than desktops. But desktops are easier to upgrade piece-by-piece and can hold larger, cheaper, higher capacity components.

For an operating system, Windows 7 64-bit is pretty much the de-facto OS for a recording setup. Most hardware manufacturers have stable, well-established drivers for Win 7. But pre-built systems running Win 7 are getting hard to find.

When you say that you do design on it, what kind of design? Graphics-intensive stuff? Or more processor-intensive stuff like rendering?
 
Thanks for info, I will get desktop, also read that I should look for 7200 rpm HD or SSD, yes, i do graphic design
 
Cool, glad to help.

I just built my new recording computer yesterday. I put in a 250 GB SSD for the system drive (installed Windows there) and a 1 TB 7200 RPM HDD for my data drive. The SSD makes a huge difference in boot and loading times (from clicking "reboot" and back to desktop in about 15 seconds!). I'll most likely record straight to the HDD, but some people have mentioned that they keep their current in-progress project on their SSD and move old projects to the HDD for storage. Prices on SSD have come down considerably so the average guy can actually afford one.

I'm not really sure what all is involved for graphic design as far as software tools, but you might keep an eye out for a capable dedicated graphics card. That offloads the bulk of video processing off of the CPU and onto the graphics card's GPU, keeping your processor free to do other things. The only drawback is that a dedicated GPU is pretty power-hungry, and generates a lot of heat when it works hard. So that means higher requirements for cooling (internal case fans) and power supply (most hi-falutin' video cards require 450W or bigger power supply). And more fans mean more noise, not exactly a feature that's compatible with recording using sensitive studio microphones.
 
new computer

Mine died...researched that I should find one with 7200 rpm hard drive or ssd, but I find 1 tb a lot. Is that good??
Any suggestions what to buy would be great, I am totally confused. I read here windows 7 in preferred. I use sonar 5, motu symphonic, mach V, ammplitube , bfd drums. thanks
 
Heya, let's try to keep it all in one thread. I can move this whole thread to the computer section if you would like....

1TB is good. More or less would depend on your budget.
I prefer Win7 to Win8, but that's personal taste based on the user interface. They look different but underneath eh interface, they are similar.
 
So what all will you be doing with this new computer as far as music? Will you be recording live instruments with microphones, doing synth work, using virtual instruments, mixing, general listening, etc?

And did your (now dead) computer keep up with your demands for your graphic design work?
 
Tadpui said:
And did your (now dead) computer keep up with your demands for your graphic design work?
Click to expand...
Could you list the specs?

HDD speed is certainly worth considering, but it tells you nothing about the rest of the computer.

Depending how heavy your graphic design requirements are, I'd aim high.
Something with a midrange i5 (or better) and 8gb ram wouldn't cost the earth these days.

Budget?
 
Did not see a budget, but just bought this system for our church's recording needs. It screams...
Quad i5 $1100 LOTS of USB ports dual graphics cards, 16Gig Ram 1TB 7200 (called and there's no warranty cancel for installing an SSD boot. Nice system. and QUIET.

Same system (kinda) in AMD HERE

Both run Win7 which I prefer as drivers for some kit is slow on the 8.1 takeup.
 
Sorry Chili, didnt know, maybe this should be in computer page, thanks
As for design i just use photoshop, no big issue. Want to find right computer to run software I mentioned to record. Saw some dells and hps in the 5 to 7 range. But not sure if off the shelf computers are good for music. I don't know how to build my own so I,m sure they are.

somthing like HP Pavilion 500-281 Desktop PC | Make More Happen at Staples®
or
Dell Inspiron 3847 Intel Core i5 Quad Core Processor Desktop Computer with Windows 7 | PCRichard.com | I3847-5078BK
 
I think that either of those would suit your needs at a good price. If I had to choose between those 2 machines, I'd go with the Dell. It has a heftier processor (Intel Core i5 is a quad-core, versus the Core i3 being a dual-core) and more RAM. Good storage capacity. Depending on your graphic needs, it may be worth shopping for a graphics card (PCIe, I would assume...the specs don't mention what slots the motherboard has available).

What are you using for a sound card? The integrated sound devices in most computers are pretty terrible for creating music. They're good for playback and gaming, but their inherent latency makes it really difficult to create music in real time. An entry-level audio interface is a good thing to have if you're planning on recording anything with a microphone, or if you need playback to be low-latency. It'd also provide phantom power for the AT3035 that you mention in your signature.
 
I'm using tascam 1084 board with phantom power, is that considered my sound card or do I need to update something in computer?
 
No the FW-1084? is an audio interface/mixer. Not sure what a 1082 is...there's a 1084 and a 1884...:confused:

Ah, it's correct in your post, and incorrect in your signature. Got it :)
 
Yeah, that Tascam will definitely do the trick. 10 in/4 out. That's a pretty sweet setup.
 
Well, I bought an hp. Do I need to add or change sound board that is in it for better recording? thanks
 
Yes. You're welcome.




Seriously, if you want "better" recording, you want to avoid the onboard sound altogether and hook in through an interface. Even a $70 audio interface will outperform whatever sound comes out of the computer.
 
for earlier [posts most said to get the dell, i did the hp cause I had credit and they financed a year$$$$$..so they won, it seems great so far. Just needed firewire to usb adaptor. and broken h, i do have a 1082 tascam interface. But was advised to change soundcard anyway??? Any ideas on that and what is good would be great, hope now all my old sonar and other software works with windows 7:):)
 
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