building a DAW...

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roostmusic

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Here is the list o stuff i want to buy for my new DAW:

Processor MoBo combo:
MB-CPU COMBO ECS 920LR WTIH 2.0GHz PENTIUM-4 CPU & FAN
http://www.accubyte.com/applications/search/itemdetails.asp?sku=mbc-P4V-20&sc=pI
$171
Comes with: Pentium 4 Cooling Fan and Heatsink

CASE:
CASE ATX MIDTOWER WITH 300W PS, 2 FRONT USB PORTS
http://www.accubyte.com/applications/search/itemdetails.asp?sku=CAMIDP4
$60

RAM:
512MB DDR-266 PC2100 MEMORY MODULE 266MHz
http://www.accubyte.com/applications/search/itemdetails.asp?sku=512-D2100
x2=$280

Hard Drive:
IBM 60GB 7200RPM UDMA-100 HARD DRIVE
http://www.accubyte.com/applications/search/itemdetails.asp?sku=IBM-60-100
$104

Video card:
MATROX MILLENNIUM G450 32MB DDR DUAL HEAD OEM VIDEO CARD
http://www.accubyte.com/applications/search/itemdetails.asp?sku=MTG45032D
$100

CD/DVD-ROM:
PIONEER 116 IDE 40X DVD TRAY LOADING
http://www.accubyte.com/applications/search/itemdetails.asp?sku=PIO-40DT
$75

CD-R:
NEC 16/10/40 INTERNAL OEM IDE CD-RW DRIVE
http://www.accubyte.com/applications/search/itemdetails.asp?sku=NEC-161040
$80

Floppy Drive:
FLOPPY DRIVE 3.5" 1.44MB HIGH DENSITY MAJOR BRAND
http://www.accubyte.com/applications/search/itemdetails.asp?sku=FLOPPY35
$20

2nd Fan:
FAN 4" SECONDARY FOR ATX CASES
http://www.accubyte.com/applications/search/itemdetails.asp?sku=FANATX
$15

Network Card:
NW CARD ETHERNET 10/100 BASET TWISTED-PAIR PCI W/LAN WAKE
http://www.accubyte.com/applications/search/itemdetails.asp?sku=NW16ETHPCI
$20

Sound Card:
Delta-66


the total without the soundcard is around $1,000.

Some concerns I have with this setup:
1) Noise! Should i go with a different (quieter) cpu fan?
2) Noise! Would that second fan cause extra noise? is there a better fan to use than that one?
3) Power supply...do i need more than 300w for this setup?

Thanks for any help!!! cory
 
First off that is a 423 pin P4-A motherboard. Its meant to work with the older 400Mhz FSB (Front Side Bus) P4 CPU's. You're better off getting a 478 pin P4-B i.e. Northwood mobo/CPU with a FSB speed of 533Mhz.

I recently purchased a vprMatrix PC from BestBuy for around $1100. All quality components and I got a couple things in addition to what you had:

Intel 845EBT mobo with P4-2.26Ghz (533Mhz FSB)
350W PSU
512 Mb RAM
80Gb HD
40x CD-RW
DVD
onboard LAN and RAID
6 USB 2.0 ports/3 Firewire
GeForce 4 video
XP Home

I spent an additional $100 and replaced the video card that came with it with a GeForce 4 MX 440 dual head card.

The best part about buying this system at BestBuy was that I could make use of their 18 month/no interest financing. I have until 2004 to pay this thing off at no additional cost.
 
Hey thanks for the advise...i think I'll take it! This one below looks like a good choice for what you described...

MB-CPU COMBO ECS P4S5A WTIH 2.0GHz PENTIUM-4 CPU & FAN
http://www.accubyte.com/applications/search/itemdetails.asp?sku=MBC-P5A-20

Is it bad to max out your FSB speed? If i get a 400mhz FSB processor for a 400 FSB Mobo...is that worse than having extra headroom?

Is Socket 478 faster?

i just want to do this right the first time and be done with it!

Also, anyone have noise concerns with the fans?

thanks!!!
 
Like I said, P4A's are old technology and you will see a significant perfomance gain by using the P4B or Northwood chip as its called. The one you have a link to is still a P4A motherboard only running at 400Mhz on its Front Side Bus.

You cannot mix a 400Mhz FSB mobo with a 533Mhz FSB CPU and vice versa.

The motherboard you picked seems to be a no name brand. You should really stick with big names like Intel and Asus to avoid problems down the road.
 
ECS is actually a big name. One of the, if not THE biggest OEM supplier of motherboards in the world. Has quite a good reputation.
 
From everything I've learned about DAW setups, the asus northwood is the best.
 
ouch, my head hurts...so many different specs and combos of parts! Thanks again for your help. can anyone provide a link off to a good site that shows you ideal parts/setups for a DAW?
 
christiaan said:
ECS is actually a big name. One of the, if not THE biggest OEM supplier of motherboards in the world. Has quite a good reputation.
Click to expand...

That may be the case, but I am talking in a specific market, namely DAWs. Asus and Intel motherboards are more common and have a track record of working well with most audio cards and apps.

Why take the chance of something going wrong when certain solutions have a track record of working well?
 
If I were you, I would buy a big case, with 5 (5 1/2) bays at minimum. You don't know hoh handy this will be when you start adding stuff. Also a bigger case will be cooler. Also get a 350 W or higher Power Supply. I also suggest a second hard drive, dedicated for audio.
 
Thanks to some good advise, this is what is currently in transit to my door step!

Motherboard: ASUS P4B533 with 6 usb2.0 ports
CPU: P4/2.4BGHz 533FSB Northwood
Graphics card: MATROX|G450
HardDrive: 60GB|SEAGATE ST360021A 7200
Case: PSI ALM 8889 360W
RAM: DDRAM 512MB|64X64 PC-2100 x 2

DVD-Rom
CD-R
Win XP Pro
network card
floppy drive

all for $1100!

I'll let yalls know how it runs when i get it going!

Cory
 
roostmusic said:
Thanks to some good advise, this is what is currently in transit to my door step!

Motherboard: ASUS P4B533 with 6 usb2.0 ports
CPU: P4/2.4BGHz 533FSB Northwood
Graphics card: MATROX|G450
HardDrive: 60GB|SEAGATE ST360021A 7200
Case: PSI ALM 8889 360W
RAM: DDRAM 512MB|64X64 PC-2100 x 2

DVD-Rom
CD-R
Win XP Pro
network card
floppy drive

all for $1100!

I'll let yalls know how it runs when i get it going!

Cory
Click to expand...

You really don't need XP Pro if you are using a single processor system or don't need more advanced networking features like Remote Desktop. Other than that, Home and Pro are exactly the same. Hopefully it was bundled with another piece of hardware you bought so you didn't pay the full price. In retail there is a $100 price difference between the two.
 
just to give an update....this machine rocks!! Quiet, effecent, fast, smart, ect...

the studio possibilities are endless now :-)
 
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