64-bit worth it?

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RFsoundguy

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I've got a chance here to get a new PC for recording only. Is it worth the extra cash to go 64 bit? If we don't d o it now, it'll be 3 years before the next upgrade.

Current setup is a 1GHz AMD machine w/512MB ram and Tascam 1884 control surface/interface running Sonar 3.

We recieved a donation of $400 specifically for the music program. I can either drop the $400 on a 32 bit machine w/1GB of ram and a couple fast harddrives, or politic for additional funds to go 64 bit with an upgrade to Sonar 5 in the future.

We typically record 8 tracks at a time but will soon be adding another 8 channels through the Lightpipe input on the Tascam unit.

So, is 64 bit worth it?
 
It's really a no brainer. Go with 64 bit. Eventually, certainly within 3 years, everything will be 64 bit. Instead of buying a full system, you might consider simply upgrading your MB/CPU/Mem. It would be a lot cheaper in the long run, as there are some great deals on single core 64 bit MB/CPU combos available. Plus, once you have an AMD x2 compatible MB (make sure it is), it will be much cheaper to upgrade your CPU to dual core in the future, resulting in huge savings.

I have an Athlon 64 and I will not look back. It's great, damn near zero latency, and is all the speed I need for the foreseeable future. I can play back 38 tracks of 24-bit audio with only 55% (avg) CPU usage (variable with effects, of course).

The only thing to watch out for, is the new Windows DRM shit. It's certainly feesable that M$ will require DRM capable MBs in order to run Windows Vista, which will truely suck, and be the last straw to drive ME to Linux completely. That subject is probably best left to it's own thread.

Just my $.02
 
The only thing to watch out for, is the new Windows DRM shit. It's certainly feesable that M$ will require DRM capable MBs in order to run Windows Vista
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Huh? Even Apple said that they will not be locking hardware to their OS, that is a weak rumor and will not happen. It the real world, unless you want a 2% market share (like apple) you sell your OS to anyone and everyone you can and make sure it runs on everything. Thats why MS is where it is and that wont change for vista. Linux is a joke, lets face it, without money propelling companies to develop products for that OS, those homebrew apps are never going to cut it in the music world

As far as 64bit. You will probably be safe with win64 IF you can get drivers for all your hardware (maudio already offers them, others do not make sure you check) otherwise stick to XP until all your hardware has 64 bit drivers available.

Remember that you can run a 32bit OS(XP)on a 64bit chip like the AMD, you can run a 32bit app in a 64bit OS like win64, but you CANNOT use 32bit drivers in a 64bit OS at all.
 
i think linux will be a viable option soon. red hat, suse and (k)ubuntu are very popular os's now. there's more and more stuff out for them every day. you can get most main stream game releases on linux and i think it's only a matter of time before the audio apps. catch up. it's not really "home brewed" program. it's really growing fast.
 
altitude909 said:
Huh? Even Apple said that they will not be locking hardware to their OS, that is a weak rumor and will not happen. It the real world, unless you want a 2% market share (like apple) you sell your OS to anyone and everyone you can and make sure it runs on everything. Thats why MS is where it is and that wont change for vista.
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I hope you are correct, but I've been reading that some beta testers are having problems with it's DRM. I guess time will tell.

As far as 64bit. You will probably be safe with win64 IF you can get drivers for all your hardware (maudio already offers them, others do not make sure you check) otherwise stick to XP until all your hardware has 64 bit drivers available.
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Good advice. I tried XP64 for about a month, and the drivers issue was severe. PCI and MB drivers weren't so much of a problem, but a lot of my audio software refused to run. I never could get drivers for my Oxygen8, Trigger Finger and BCF2000. Needless to say, that experiment didn't last too long.
 
hhey lexridge, on a side note... how is your delta 1010lt modified
 
normalizer said:
hhey lexridge, on a side note... how is your delta 1010lt modified
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The mod is basically a breakout rack panel (one rack space). It splits out two XLR connectors, both with phantom power, and sixteen quarter inch jacks (the XLRs and the first two 1/4" jacks are wired in parallel), plus two BNC connectors for sync, and RCAs for the SPDIF I/O, and there is MIDI I/O too.

It is amazingly quiet considering it's connected via ten feet of coax snake. Sure beats the breakout cables that come with the 1010LT, plus the phantom is nice too. It requires an external wall wart for this function however. I only had to opportunity to use the phantom on it maybe twice, then I bought a mixer, so I don't even have the wall-wart plugged in anymore.

Many people on this forum have ask me about this privately. I told the others I would take pics of it, but haven't done so yet. Soon, hopefully!

I can also post a chart of the pin-outs of both connectors, if anyone is interested.
 
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