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walkperson

New member
Hi all,

i've a question regarding PC purchasing. I recently bought a M_Audio delta 1010 (rack mountable) and desk Yamah MG 10/2. i'm staring form scratch and want to get a PC to get things started.

Would people advise against getting a DELL...I want as much RAM and memory as I can put on it and have saved about 1000 euro to spend on a computer. The new ones I've been lookign at are quite cheap

What should I NOT buy?I'm afraid of accidentally buying something that won't be compatible with the M-Audio delta 1010( i was previously considering an iMac but this won't work with )

I am very much a beginner and want the most beginner friendly .

I intend to recording mainly guitar and vocals at first but will def be trying to do drums at a later stage...(that's why i got the 1010)

another thought that has crossed my mind is to sell what I've bought already, make a loss and then get something like an iBook and a small interface to get to grips with the recording process.

I'm a bit confused ..any help people could give would be great.

Thank you.
 
I've used a Dell for recording for about 3-4 years now (a couple of years with an MAudio Delta 1010LT as it happens) and haven't had any major problems with it. (3.0ghz P4, 1024mb RAM).

The one thing that does annoy me (to the extent that I won't buy Dell again) is that most of the parts are proprietary so you can't easily swap stuff out. Of course drives and RAM etc. are OK but if you want to change fans and PSU etc. (to make it quieter) then forget it. I ended up moving my PC into another room so I have some pretty untidy cabling.

Also lot's of people say bad things about Dell customer service but I've never had to use them myself.

Of course another positive is that they're incredibly cheap considering what you get.

When I next need to upgrade I'm going to build my own.
 
PSU is interchangable if your case allows it. RAM IS proprietary depending on model of Dell you get. Most of them will not let you change RAM out. I would not buy a DELL for reasons that I build my own system to the spec's that I want, and know the quality of build vs a company that thrives from cheap computer parts. Your still going to need some pre's for your mic inputs. Memory shouldn't be that much of an issue, I can go out and grab 160gb SATAII drives for $50 on newegg. a 160gb & 300gb HD should do you well for time to come... RAM you should look at 2GB.

Maybe something in a system spec'd like the following...

Intel Core 2 Duo 6600 (2.4ghz)
2GB DDR2 667mhz
400-500GB SATAII HD's
DVDRW
128mb ati/nvidia card (so that your computer don't tax your system with built on video)
500w power supply

Hard drive brands should be like WD or preferred seagates HD's
Memory should be Corsair, OCZ, Patriot, Buffalo, Kingston, or Crucial.
Motherboard should be Intel or any good brand (except PC Chips, ECS, Biostar, and MSI)
 
I use a dell for mixing & have had no probs that weren't resolved quickly by Dell. They swapped my power supply, harddrive & DVDW/CDW when I told them that a combo of these was making noise that affected my recording - no prbs & quickly AND FREE.
I'm not much on internals - I can put in cards & RAM sticks but not much else so I appreciate a fairly straightforward approach to trouble shooting & support - Dell have given me that THUS FAR.
I have a P4 with a gig of RAM as well.
Proprietry they are but then the parts aren't too expensive, are fairly quick to obtain & can be had 2nd hand on eBay.
I use an old no name P3 with 500Meg for tracking.
 
Mindset said:
PSU is interchangable if your case allows it. RAM IS proprietary depending on model of Dell you get. Most of them will not let you change RAM out.
Click to expand...
Funny, my Dell can't take a standard ATX PSU but it does take other types of RAM. :D You're right though, it depends on the model and case type.

Proprietry they are but then the parts aren't too expensive, are fairly quick to obtain & can be had 2nd hand on eBay.
Click to expand...
Yeah, new Dell parts (which will soon become noisy again over time), but you try fitting a quiet zalman cpu fan or an acoustifan case fan into a Dell machine. ;)
 
so are mac's quieter in long run?

or as mindset suggested get a system with following specs


Intel Core 2 Duo 6600 (2.4ghz)
2GB DDR2 667mhz
400-500GB SATAII HD's
DVDRW
128mb ati/nvidia card
500w power supply

if not a dell what would be a good PC to go with the above with..also mindset said that i'd need pre's with 1010LT but if i have a mixing desk can this do a similar job as pre's..

Thanks all

P
 
I don't know if Macs are quieter, I've never used one.

Good looking system specs wise but it will cost you more than a Dell if you use quality components throughout.

Yes, the mic ins in your mixer will have mic pres in them already.
 
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