Building A DAW PC

[FunkDaddy]

Sorry, I searched but it seems a lot of the threads are a year + old.

So I'm switching from a stand-alone recorder to a computer based DAW. I'm building the PC from scratch, I have none of the components besides the monitors and microphones. Is there anything I should be aware of especially when putting the PC components together?

The Mackie Onyx interfaces look pretty sweet. But really not set on what I'm buying there either...the Delta 1010's look pretty good too.

 

[wheelema]

Sorry, I searched but it seems a lot of the threads are a year + old.

So I'm switching from a stand-alone recorder to a computer based DAW. I'm building the PC from scratch, I have none of the components besides the monitors and microphones. Is there anything I should be aware of especially when putting the PC components together?

The Mackie Onyx interfaces look pretty sweet. But really not set on what I'm buying there either...the Delta 1010's look pretty good too.

It would be simpler to tell me how much you want to spend, but in the interest of pain and suffering...

Do not drop money on the video adapter. If you go MicroATX you get integrated VGA as part of the package. Get FireWire on the mobo. MicroATX boards fit into most every case. Do not go bleeding edge on the processor. Virtually all processors on the market today are kick-ass as far as audio processing is concerned. Make sure your memory can keep up with the processor, generally speaking it is better to have the fastest memory you can get in the hope that a year from now you'll be able to get that kick ass processor that was $490 today and you passed on for only $19.95. The odds are good!

 

[FunkDaddy]

Sorry, I forgot to mention the budget...probably $1000-1200 for the PC would be my upper limit.

Thanks for the reply! Your post is exactly what I'm looking for...just general tips on what to buy/what not to buy. Great tip on not wasting money on a blazing state-of-the-art video card (in case I wasn't clear...this PC will be used SOLELY for recording)...wasn't aware of the MicroATX having integrated VGA.

 

[Rust E-Z]

one hard drive for the OS, and another or several for your audio files.

good power supply(pc power & cooling)

more memory=more effects instances

a really good case will make a much PC quieter than swapping out a bunch of cheap fans for quiet ones.(look for a case w/ rubber grommets for drives that dosn't rattle at the doors.

you might want to consider RME or Echo for your interface.( I wish I had)

Sounds like fun I envy you.

 

[wheelema]

Sorry, I forgot to mention the budget...probably $1000-1200 for the PC would be my upper limit.

Thanks for the reply! Your post is exactly what I'm looking for...just general tips on what to buy/what not to buy. Great tip on not wasting money on a blazing state-of-the-art video card (in case I wasn't clear...this PC will be used SOLELY for recording)...wasn't aware of the MicroATX having integrated VGA.

Okay, going with the $1.2K figure...

GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-S2H amd 780g chipset micro ATX form factor 1xPCI-E(x16)/1xPCI-E(x1)/2xpci/4xddr2 w/integrated vga, sata2 raid, lan(gb), esata, hdmi, 1394, usb 2.0 & audio
ATHLON X2 6400 3.2G - WINDSOR
OCZ 4GB KIT OCZ2VU8004GK
ASSEMBLE/TEST
$351.24

LIAN LI PC-V350B (black) mini micro atx tower CoolerMaster CM RP-600-PCAR 600W power supply 2x5.25" 1x3.5" 2x3.5"(hidden) w/ front i/o connector, 80mm fan x1 & 120mm fan x2
$182.00

PIONEER dvr-212dbk 18x SATA double layer DVD rw drive w/sw(black)
$53.80 (for two)

WD 500gb WD5000AAKS SATA2 16mb 7200rpm (bare drive)EXTERNAL
$162.10 (for two)

I-ROCKS kr-6810bk black x-structure luminescnet light keyboard USB
$24.90

LOGITECH cordless trackman wheel rf 3-bttn w/wheel
$36.84

ASUS 22" VW222U 1680x1050 2000:1 2ms widescreen (black/silver) (retail)
$259.00

MICROSOFT Windows SP Professional w/sp2
$130.59

A few notes on the above...

Configured on www.mwave.com. NewEgg prices should be comparable. With two 120mm fans and one 80mm fan the Lian Li case is configured with a 600watt CoolerMaster power supply, supports two 5 1/4 external drives and two 3 1/2 internal. The mobo comes complete with a AMD ATHLON X2 6400 3.2G processor and 4GB of OZC memory (OCZ2VU8004GK). There are two Pioneer DVD drives and two 500GB HDD. The keyboard is luminescent and the trackball is cordless. The display is a 22" widescreen with a 2000:1 contrast. A copy of Windows XP Pro is included.

$1,200.47 before tax and shipping.

If you want to get below the $1K figure dump 2GB of memory or downgrade the quality thereof, drop one of the DVD and one of HDD, and get a little bit less of a display.

 

[FunkDaddy]

AWESOME! Thanks guys...if memory serves me correct the "1394" listed on the MOBO specs is the Firewire correct?

EDIT: Why the two DVD drives?

 

[Hard2Hear]

If you spend $1200 on a system with an AMD processor you're just stupid. Thats all there is to that.

 

[michaelst]

If you spend $1200 on a system with an AMD processor you're just stupid. Thats all there is to that.

+1 on dat.

 

[timthetortoise]

If you spend $1200 on a system with an AMD processor you're just stupid. Thats all there is to that.

Some prefer AMD, some prefer Intel. It's not stupid/smart, it's preference.

 

[Hard2Hear]

No its not. Not one bit, not at all.

You need to look at some benchmarks and then look at some prices. Intel is going to out perform AMD at any price point. And overall outperform AMD at high points as well. Last time we included the latest gen AMDs in our audio benchmarking (their quad release), they were 30-40% more cost for similar Intel performance. And the higher spec Intels could not be touched by anything AMD had to offer, performance wise. We were an AMD partner and sponsered by AMD for several years. But its more effective for us to give up all the incentives AMD was tossing our way because Intel is so much better now. It didn't used to be that way, but when Core2Duo came out, and now all the newer revisions of it, the whole industry changed.

 

[pipelineaudio]

even a lot of shuttle quads are pretty good now, and thats like 600 bucks minus keyboards, monitor and stuff

 

[wheelema]

AWESOME! Thanks guys...if memory serves me correct the "1394" listed on the MOBO specs is the Firewire correct?

Correct.

Why the two DVD drives?

Because (a) they're dirt cheap, (b) you have the space in the case for them, and (c) you can copy disc to disc.

If you spend $1200 on a system with an AMD processor you're just stupid. Thats all there is to that.

+1 on dat.

BWAHAHAHAHA...

Who gives a damn if an Intel chip outperforms an AMD chip? This is an audio box children, not a gaming box. With the right software he could plug in a 80486 and get decent performance! When I spec out a box... specially on a budget... I'm juggling a lot of factors. I like high end cases because they are quieter, cooler, and easier to work on. Cheap power supplies suck ass. I want to get the user the best display, the best keyboard, and the best mouse... within reason... because those are the tools that s/he is going to be using day in and day out and if they suck, the whole exercise sucks.

Bottom line... for me... is that I put the processor towards the bottom of priorities when it comes to a DAW. The motherboard in this config has a boat load of functionality (Integrated VGA, SATA2 RAID, HDMI, eSATA, 1394) and even if the user doesn't NEED all of that functionality, even less does he need a kick ass processor.

EDIT

Here is an example of an Intel solution for about the same price...

ASUS P5E-VM DO intel q35 chipset micro ATX form factor 1xPCI-E(x16)/1xPCI-E(x1)/2xpci/4xddr2 w/integrated vga,sata2 raid,lan(gb),1394,usb 2.0 & audio (cpu type:intel - socket 775)CORE 2 DUO E7200 2.53G (1066Mhz)
OCZ 4GB KIT OCZ2N800SR4GK
ASSEMBLE/TEST
$352.24

... and compare that to the AMD offering...

GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-S2H amd 780g chipset micro ATX form factor 1xPCI-E(x16)/1xPCI-E(x1)/2xpci/4xddr2 w/integrated vga, sata2 raid, lan(gb), esata, hdmi, 1394, usb 2.0 & audio
ATHLON X2 6400 3.2G - WINDSOR
OCZ 4GB KIT OCZ2VU8004GK
ASSEMBLE/TEST
$351.24

The Intel motherboard is more expensive, with less functionality. Thus I am pulling money away from the processor and kicking it to the mobo. The memory on the Intel mobo is also a little bit... just a little... less memory than is on the AMD board.

So the question is simply this... will a Intel CORE 2 DUO E7200 2.53G (1066Mhz) outperform a AMD Athlon X2 6400 3.2G? If the answer is yes, get the Intel, if no, go with AMD.

According to Tom's Hardware it's pretty much of a wash.

 

[pipelineaudio]

http://www.pricewatch.com/computer_systems_windows/

core2duo vs amd who cares? For the listed price you can get a quad and some mics

 

[wheelema]

http://www.pricewatch.com/computer_systems_windows/

core2duo vs amd who cares? For the listed price you can get a quad and some mics

Not too sure what I am looking at there. Here are the two mobos side by side. Note that the price includes the mobo, processor, and memory. Also note that I am not a fanatic for AMD (or Intel)... just the best perceived value. And to that end my perception is that the AMD board offers more bang for the buck.

 

[pipelineaudio]

FLYING 2.4ghz quad...set it up in ultra badass mode and itll be under 800

Now, the mobo sucks, but even most barebones mobos for the c2d and c2q today are pretty decent, there are even a few with ti fw chips in them


REAPER - Help and Chat
REAPER Shirts and Stuff

 

[wheelema]

FLYING 2.4ghz quad...set it up in ultra badass mode and itll be under 800

Now, the mobo sucks, but even most barebones mobos for the c2d and c2q today are pretty decent, there are even a few with ti fw chips in them


REAPER - Help and Chat
REAPER Shirts and Stuff

The Q6600 all by itself is $207 from a reputable source. I would be extremely leery of purchasing that box.

 

[pipelineaudio]

Were seeing quite a few reaper users running new 600 dollar quad systems. The deals are out there. Its crazy how much power you can get for peanuts right now.



REAPER - Help and Chat
REAPER Shirts and Stuff

 

[wheelema]

Were seeing quite a few reaper users running new 600 dollar quad systems. The deals are out there. Its crazy how much power you can get for peanuts right now.

Okay. Yeah, sure, I understand. But why?

I've built more than my fair share of PCs and I've found a few things that remain constant...

• You can live with a cheap case, but cheap cases tend to be hot cases and hot cases kill HDD.
• Replacing cheap power supplies is a pain and makes you feel stupid.
• Never scrimp on the keyboard or the mouse.
• You'll hate that small screen that you scrimped on to afford a hotter processor sooner rather than later.
• The kick-ass processor you splurged on will be half price by Fall and obsolete before next summer.

 

[hotrodder]

For a power supply I would recommend one by Hiper. I have one in my current DAW, and it is dead silent acousticly and power noise.

 

[reddavid]

Remove from cart Pioneer DVR-212 18X SATA DVD±RW DL Int Beige - OEM 132284 664 in stock £10.99 £9.35 £10.99 £9.35
Remove from cart Coolermaster Elite 330 Black Case With CM eXtreme Power 460W PSU *SPECIAL OFFER* 135101 278 in stock £49.97 £42.52 £49.97 £42.52
Remove from cart ASUS HD 2400PRO 256MB DDR2 VGA DVI HDCP HDTV out PCI-E Graphics Card 145830 181 in stock £21.04 £17.90 £21.04 £17.90
Remove from cart Samsung SpinPoint HD501LJ 500GB SATAII Hard Drive 16MB Cache - OEM 130454 1558 in stock £42.49 £36.16 £84.98 £72.32
Remove from cart OCZ 4GB Kit (2x2GB) 800MHz/PC2-6400 Memory Platinum Performance CL5 (5-4-4-18) 132904 21 in stock £64.27 £54.69 £64.27 £54.69
Remove from cart Gigabyte GA-P31-DS3L iP31 Socket 775 8 channel audio ATX Motherboard 140061 91 in stock £40.87 £34.78 £40.87 £34.78
Remove from cart Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Energy Efficient 95W edition Socket 775 (2.40GHz) G0 Stepping L2 8MB Cache OEM Processor 131823 341 in stock £122.99 £104.67 £122.99 £104.67
Remove from cart Hyundai ImageQuest N220W-A 22" LCD Monitor 1680x1050 5ms 16:9 Black/Silver 128411 57 in stock £139.59 £118.80 £279.18 £237.60
Remove from cart late delivery cut-off and timed delivery unavailable for this item Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 w/SP2b - Licence and media - 1 PC - OEM - CD - English

It's going to be a hell of an ugly paste, and it's in £ rather than $ (although, that £750 should translate quite comfortably to below $1000 given the added costs of the UK market), but it'd be my suggested spec. The gritty of it is, Intel Core 2 Quad (oodles of processing power - four cores processing at 2.4GHz), an Intel G31 mobo (it doesn't matter who built the board, I chose this because Intel's chipsets offer extremely low latencies), ATI graphics card with passive cooling (no fan noise) and dual DVI outputs, two internal Samsung 500GB HDDs (internal is far faster than external, by a factor of about 5x), and dual 22" monitors. Also, there's 4GB of RAM in there in the form of 2 2GB modules - there's a slight catch to this, in that a 32bit OS won't be able to support all 4GB (more like 3.25GB), but it's still a good deal better than 2GB. And by buying 2x2GB, it leaves you with two slots free for when you upgrade to 8GB and a 64bit OS.

Consider this just a rough guide, anyway. All brand names are interchangable.