School me on Computer Specs for SonarX3

Bruthish

Bruthish

Hair Metal Roxx!
I currently run Sonar X3 Studio on my Laptop. i5 chip and 4Gb of RAM. Running WIN7 Home premium 64bit. It actually does not do too bad but I am wanting to use a desktop computer for my studio. As I look over specs for new computers I can't find the combo I want in my price range. I am thinking I would like min 8GB RAM, with i5core chip with windows 7. They don't offer many systems anymore with WIN7 or 8 for that matter.

if I was to step back to the i3 Chip would it be an issue? If I had to get WIN10 would it be an issue? I know these are broad questions and other factors come into play, but what else should I look for to let Sonar run smoothly? AT most I may do 10-15 tracks mostly with plug-ins on each.
 
I have Win10 now running on 3 of 4 computers. The Desktop feature of Win10 is so close to Win7 that you hardly notice a difference on day to day interaction with it. The only problem I had when upgrading was a video card(s) didn't have either drivers or the correct driver.

Other than that, it has been a very stable OS and GUI is very close to what you are use to in Win7.
 
Bruthish said:
I currently run Sonar X3 Studio on my Laptop. i5 chip and 4Gb of RAM. Running WIN7 Home premium 64bit. It actually does not do too bad but I am wanting to use a desktop computer for my studio. As I look over specs for new computers I can't find the combo I want in my price range. I am thinking I would like min 8GB RAM, with i5core chip with windows 7. They don't offer many systems anymore with WIN7 or 8 for that matter.

if I was to step back to the i3 Chip would it be an issue? If I had to get WIN10 would it be an issue? I know these are broad questions and other factors come into play, but what else should I look for to let Sonar run smoothly? AT most I may do 10-15 tracks mostly with plug-ins on each.
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The i3 would be fine for basic stuff in X3, but if you use a lot of plugins that's where the processing power matters the most. i5 or i7 (or comparable AMD) are really, in my mind, the baseline for any serious DAW work.

8GB ram is fine, that's all I use and I have some hefty plugins/VSTs. SSD drive is really important, makes any sleeper PC scream.

You can piece together a PC on newegg for pretty cheap, and get an OEM (new pc build) or retail copy of Windows 7 to install it yourself. Every now and then there's a bundle on their shellshocker daily deal that would get you most everything needed to start.

Shell Shocker Deal. Exclusive Jaw Dropping Savings on PC Components and Electronics - Newegg.com

Or shop their build it yourself section(s):

DIY PC Combos, DIY Computer Bundles - Newegg.com
 
Bruthish said:
What DAW are you running on WIN10?
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I am running Ableton and Reaper. Presonus USB and Tascam 1800 for the interface.

To what Pinky stated, 8 Gigs of RAM should work, i5 or AMD equivalent or higher (I use an old 6 core AMD chip on my main) should do the trick. On SSD drive, I will say this, remarkable.

I purchased 480 GB SSD for about $150. I partitioned it into two, one for the OS and the other for applications, plug ins and project folder (of the album type projects). I did this mainly for back up strategy. I back my OS partition, maybe every few months, mainly for updates), my application partition once a month or as required due to the activity. Do a drive replacement image (not a fan of incremental, I can see a business doing it) overnight and I am pretty much set. Archive projects go on a large magnetic drive. When I am don with the album project, move the entire folder over to the magnetic drive. That gets backed up as changes require to a NAS drive.

So, in HDs alone, you are looking at $400 or less. But the NAS drive you can purchase at a later time, so you don't have to be out so much, plus they are now coming in 2TB to 4TB sizes. Now really, 1 SSD and 1 large magnetic drive would work, but the NAS adds a bit more safety
 
I use an HP Laptop that came with 8GB Ram, i5 processor. No problems running a standard project with lots of plugins.
I would suggest a Ram upgrade to 8 if your machine will do it.
 
Thanks everyone for the advice. I will look into your suggestions. If my laptop is upgradeable to 8GB I may try that first
 
Bruthish said:
Thanks everyone for the advice. I will look into your suggestions. If my laptop is upgradeable to 8GB I may try that first
Click to expand...

If you are in Win7 most likely it is. But, you may have to replace all of the RAM. Say if it holds two, you have 4, very likely they put in two sticks of 2's. So you may have to purchase two sticks of 4's. But I wouls say you could probably upgrade to 8 and if you replace your HD with an SSD, then you really will cook.
 
DM60 said:
...upgrade to 8 and if you replace your HD with an SSD, then you really will cook.
Click to expand...

^^^ This!

Memory is cheap right now, and migrating your current install to a new SSD would only require some software to do it (Acronis Home 2010-2014 would accomplish the task and can usually be found for $20 online/ebay/newegg on sale). The performance increase from a SSD drive can't be overstated. Just don't cheap out on the SSD, get a good model like a Samsung EVO. They do make low end SSD drives, while faster than what you have for a little more money you get top notch performance and typically better reliability and longevity.
 
Yes according to the specs with what came with laptop they are older ddr3-1066. I can get 2 sticks of 1600 for $41. Not bad at all. My HD is also 5400rpm, ugh.
 
What do you guys think of the Crucial Brand for memory and SSD? They get good reviews but don't want to lay out a few hundred bucks for something that is junk.
 
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