Celeron processors

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gospel

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What do you guys think about a Celeron 1.4ghz processor for a DAW. Some people I've talked to say yes, some say no way.
What are the most important aspects of a DAW: processor speed, RAM, HD speed?
Keep in mind 4 tracks is all I will ever be recording with limited effects.
 
If all you're ever recording is 4 tracks, a celeron 1.4Ghz is overkill.

I record more than that with a Duron 700Mhz. Just make sure you have at least 256mb of ram.
 
gospel said:
Keep in mind 4 tracks is all I will ever be recording with limited effects.
Click to expand...
Oh, just wait til you catch the "bug", my friend:)

I have a Celeron 566. I can get about 18 tracks with a few effects. I also have 256mg of Ram. I think you will be just fine. Maybe other systems would be better, but if you follow a few tips (like not running many programs at once, etc.) it should be great.
 
I just went from a Celeron 533 to a Duron 1ghz.The differnce in speed(like when I make a mixer adjustment,it is nearly instant,to my ear,anyway)is enormous.Go w/the fastest CPU you can afford,and the most RAM you can afford.I would assume that a 1.4 Celeron is just fine for your purposes!
 
i agree. get the best processor/motherboard combination you can afford with the most RAM... in addition to the best sound card you can afford that is.

i've got a 1.2ghz athlon (AMD) with an Abit motherboard that allowed me to set up a UDMA drive array (just like SCSI). i have 640mb of RAM. it really does quite well.

i've also got a Dell Inspiron 8100 (1.4ghz, 512mb ram) that i use to record (via Tascam US-428) when i'm outside of the studio.

remember this:
celeron processors are the bottom of the Intel barrell and digital audio is all about math processing.
 
As far as I can see processors have become ridiculously cheap now. Many near 1.9G AMD processors are around £120 ($200). There is little justification in buying Celeron or (the now discontinued) AMD Duron as these are cut down spec processors. Or indeed in buying older 200 MHz fsb Motherboards as they are now superceded by 266MHz Mobos.
 
My only suggestion is looking at the upgrade path that you have. Assuming you purchase a P4 motherboard, what will you want to buy 1 or 2 years down the road.

Although you say you only want to record 4 tracks now, that number will most likely increase in the future. Even if it doesn't and you want to upgrade the computer for personal computing use in the future, I would recommend a P4 board that supports DDR RAM.

Another thing to keep in mind is that if the Celeron is anything like the Northwood P4's, they run extremely cool so you may want ot look into a board that lets you overclock a little. ABit, Asus, MSI, Gigabit, and Tyan are names I would keep an eye on as well as the Intel brand although they tend to be more expensive.

I would go with Asus or Abit personally, mainly Abit since the manual that comes with the MB is a little better although Asus may have changed their ways.
 
for the price diff, I would go with a athlon. A celeron will work fine, its just a bit slower
 
some of you guys crack me up.....a celeron 1.4 ghz isnt good enough for digital audio?.....good lord, what were people doing when 500mhz was top of the line.....

i have a 500mhz Celeron with 380 mb Ram and im gettings results like David K mentioned (16-24 tracks with some effects)

its a no brainer to get the fastest processor you can afford.......

processor speed will mostly play a part in the number of plugins you can run......

Hard drive speed will mostly play a part in the number of tracks you can simulataneously playback and record.......

an abundance of ram never hurts, but having a crapload wont really help a whole lot.....depending on the OS you run 128-256 mb is sufficient, more doesnt hurt but....
 
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