Desktop PC for new home studio; what do you suggest in the $500 range?

foxwaves

Member
Hello Friends,

I've been playing music for more than 40 years, and now want to get into home recording...more of a songwriter's workshop for my own demos. I've got a room almost completed, have most of the basic equipment and now need to buy a new desktop. I'm going to use Reaper (at least at first) and will almost always be tracking only one instrument/vocal at a time. I've had good luck with Dell pcs for home and business...how are they for recording? From what I've read, it sounds like I need at least 4g of ram, and a fast hard drive. Would any of you mind suggesting specific models of pcs that you think would be a good bang for the buck? Dell or otherwise, I'm open to advice. Thanks!
 
You should be able to find a used/refurb macpro in the $500 range. If not I see tons of Powermac G5s on craigslist all the time for less than $200. Either one will do you more than well.

Broadly speaking 3GHz dual-core Pentium/i3 processor, 4GB RAM. Everything else is debatable. Dell has boxes that meet this criteria within your budget day in and day out, as does Lenovo. Depending on how hard you shop and how lucky you are you can get a lot of box for relatively little money if you keep your eyes open and ear to the ground. If you have the patience to try that check out Dealnews.com. Dell Business offers coupons (courtesy of Dealnews) once or twice a month on off-lease boxes but these are not always bargains so buyer beware!

As you may suspect genuine bargains evaporate incredibly fast. Luck.
 
You should be able to find a used/refurb macpro in the $500 range. If not I see tons of Powermac G5s on craigslist all the time for less than $200. Either one will do you more than well.

Thanks, fetuslasvegas. I hear lots of good things about Macs. I appreciate the info!
 
Broadly speaking 3GHz dual-core Pentium/i3 processor, 4GB RAM. Everything else is debatable. Dell has boxes that meet this criteria within your budget day in and day out, as does Lenovo. Depending on how hard you shop and how lucky you are you can get a lot of box for relatively little money if you keep your eyes open and ear to the ground. If you have the patience to try that check out Dealnews.com. Dell Business offers coupons (courtesy of Dealnews) once or twice a month on off-lease boxes but these are not always bargains so buyer beware!

As you may suspect genuine bargains evaporate incredibly fast. Luck.

What this guy said.
Honestly, I'm a PC person, and I despise Macs, but so long as you can find a USED one with about the specs this guy described, you'll be fine.

If you'd rather get a PC, then an i3-i5 processor will be all you'll really need. You don't need an i7 for recording (I have an i7 3.5GHz and the thing is total overkill for recording, it never even hits 20%).
4GB should be good, but if you can afford 8GB, that's ideal. 8GB should be all you'd ever need for recording an average band.
 
If you look into the mac thing, be aware of update limitations.
It may not concern you but G5s have been long left behind. I can't remember what the last supported OS is, but it's the last one. (you know what I mean. :p )

Same goes for used macs in the price range given. Many of the core 2 duo mac minis are not supported by the latest operating systems.
 
You can get a lot of computer for $500 nowdays. Another option is open box from the big box stores like bestbuy etc. That's how I get a lot of stuff. Make sure that there is some kind of return policy if it doesn't work.
 
You can get a lot of computer for $500 nowdays. Another option is open box from the big box stores like bestbuy etc. That's how I get a lot of stuff. Make sure that there is some kind of return policy if it doesn't work.

Also a good option. Most open box sales are sold cheaper because someone scratched an item and returned it or something. Dirt cheap prices for a little drop in aesthetic appeal.
 
What this guy said.
Honestly, I'm a PC person, and I despise Macs, but so long as you can find a USED one with about the specs this guy described, you'll be fine.

If you'd rather get a PC, then an i3-i5 processor will be all you'll really need. You don't need an i7 for recording (I have an i7 3.5GHz and the thing is total overkill for recording, it never even hits 20%).
4GB should be good, but if you can afford 8GB, that's ideal. 8GB should be all you'd ever need for recording an average band.

Hey MrWrenchy...ok...I'm learning: I need an i3 or above processor and a minimum of 4gb ram. I think I can find a deal on one with 8gb ram, so that's good. Is 1 tb good enough, or overkill...or even that important? By the way, I'll probably never track more than one at a time: me.
 
If you look into the mac thing, be aware of update limitations.
It may not concern you but G5s have been long left behind. I can't remember what the last supported OS is, but it's the last one. (you know what I mean. :p )

Same goes for used macs in the price range given. Many of the core 2 duo mac minis are not supported by the latest operating systems.

Ahhh, good point, Steenamaroo! I'm learning, thanks!
 
You can get a lot of computer for $500 nowdays. Another option is open box from the big box stores like bestbuy etc. That's how I get a lot of stuff. Make sure that there is some kind of return policy if it doesn't work.

Hey chuckduffy...I never knew about the "open box" deals at the big box electronic store, since I hardly ever buy anything...good tip, thanks!
 
Also a good option. Most open box sales are sold cheaper because someone scratched an item and returned it or something. Dirt cheap prices for a little drop in aesthetic appeal.

All good points. I think I just about have the info I need to make the best of my carpenter's wages, haha! Thanks again!
 
This is an example of what comes out of DealNews on a regular basis.

Best Buy offers the refurbished HP ENVY h8-1414 AMD FX 6-Core 3.5GHz Desktop PC (no monitor), model no. H3Z00AAR#A, for $319.99 with free shipping. That's $115 under our mention from three weeks ago and the lowest total price we've seen for any HP ENVY desktop PC with 10GB RAM. It features an AMD FX-6120 3.5GHz 6-core processor, 10GB RAM, 1TB hard drive, DVD burner, AMD Radeon HD 7450 graphics, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11n wireless, Bluetooth 4.0, USB 3.0, media card reader, and Windows 8 64-bit.
A 90-day warranty applies

Refurb HP AMD 6-Core 3.5GHz Desktop w/ 10GB RAM for $320 + free shipping - H3Z00AAR#A

There is less-then-zero chance that you could build up a box with equivalent specs for $320. Win 8 alone costs over $100.
 
This is an example of what comes out of DealNews on a regular basis.



Refurb HP AMD 6-Core 3.5GHz Desktop w/ 10GB RAM for $320 + free shipping - H3Z00AAR#A

There is less-then-zero chance that you could build up a box with equivalent specs for $320. Win 8 alone costs over $100.

Holy crap. This is definitely a steal.

Just a note though, I've only heard bad things about Windows 8. From friends who can't use computers and from friends who are IT admins alike, so I'd be wary about Windows 8. Personally, I'd suggest buying that AND a Windows 7 license, but that's just me.

Aside from that, those specs are amazing for only $320. I'd snatch that up real quick (it's not an i3/i5/i7 because it's not Intel, but an AMD 6 core clocked at 3.5Ghz is just as good as any i3 or i5).
 
Another one within your budget.

HP Home & Home Office offers its HP Pavilion p7-1520t Intel Core i5 3GHz Desktop PC (no monitor), model no. C9D25AV#ABA, for $449.99. Coupon code "DEALNEWS15" cuts it to $434.99. With $9.99 for shipping, that's $115 off list and tied with our mention from a week ago as the lowest total price we could find. It features an Intel Core i5-3330 3GHz Ivy Bridge quad-core processor, 6GB RAM, 1TB 7200 rpm hard drive, DVD burner, Gigabit Ethernet, media card reader, Beats Audio, and Windows 8 64-bit.

HP Pavilion Ivy Bridge Core i5 Quad 3GHz Desktop PC for $435 + $10 s&h - C9D25AV#ABA
 
What this guy said.
Honestly, I'm a PC person, and I despise Macs, but so long as you can find a USED one with about the specs this guy described, you'll be fine.

If you'd rather get a PC, then an i3-i5 processor will be all you'll really need. You don't need an i7 for recording (I have an i7 3.5GHz and the thing is total overkill for recording, it never even hits 20%).
4GB should be good, but if you can afford 8GB, that's ideal. 8GB should be all you'd ever need for recording an average band.

Core Duo processors are not supported by Mountain Lion (the most recent 64bit OS) Core 2 Duo processors are. CD does not support 64bit, C2D does.

A G5 will run OSX Leopard, which will run 99% of the DAWs out there, the 1% is any DAW that requires a 64bit OS. Every OS after Leopard is essentially esthetic upgrades not necessary for a studio machine.

First year MacPros (2006) will only run up to OSX Lion, which again is perfectly fine for a studio machine.

2007-current MacPros will run Mountain Lion, which still can be buggy with some plugins, I run a dual boot machine, Snow Leopard for studio work, Mountain Lion for graphic design and video editing.

All this being said, you can get a G5 for next to nothing that is upgradeable to be more than enough for what you are going to use it for. If you use the internet on it, I would suggest being very careful/using an anti-virus as the old OSs aren't updated as frequently as the new ones, if at all.

You can find a 2006 MacPro, probably LOADED within your price range, for what you are going to use it for it is overkill and will last you many years. You can run Snow Leopard or Lion on it, which are two non-abandoned OSs that still receive security updates and are exceptionally stable.

What you should be looking for:
- minimum dual core processor, I would try to go minimum i3 for PC
- minimum 4GB ram
- at least a 1TB 7200rpm drive, multiple drives would be ideal

Best of luck to you, I'm glad I could help!
 
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