computer advice

  • Thread starter Thread starter xdannyx_
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xdannyx_

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so, since my computer is acting up.

i sold off a few things and saved some money. i have a $500 budget. absolutely no more than that.

i have my eye on 3 options

-systemax "build to order" comps. (~460$)
-> either Intel core2 duo E7500 2.93Ghz 3Mb L2 1066FSB
quad q8300 2.5Ghz 4Mb L2 1333FSB
3 G Ram
320 G HD
firewire PCI card
http://www.compusa.com/applications/searchtools/configdetails.asp?Base=4165451

-Compaq cq5110F (350$)
-> AMD athlon X2 7550 2.5Ghz 1Mb L2
(no firewire though, and only one PCI for my soundcard)
3 Gigs Ram
320 gig HD
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...ry&lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&lang=en&product=3978596

-Gateway LX4710-01 ($499)
-> Intel Core2 Quad Q9300 2.5Ghz 6Mb L2 1333FSB
-> 4 Gig RAM
-> 560 Gig HD
-> 2 PCI 2.3 (which, from what i gather, is standard PCI for my delta 44)
-> integrated firewire (i also edit video a lot)
http://www.gateway.com/product_spec.php?product_recid=529668246

all have 300Watt power supply
And this wont be a save up a little longer thing. thats all i can get, from now till who knows when.

im liking the gateway.

ive looked at building my own but i am not good at working on PC's yet and would rather a warranty

if you can help, thanks alot.


side question:

is a higher clock speed on a duo core better for recording/editing
than a quad core with slightly lower clock speed and higher FSB and more L2?

thanks!
 
Take a look at Dell Vostro from their business line.
It actually is reasonably well done for audio and is right around the 500 bucks mark. you'll need a FW card and maybe a second HDD for recording but it's a reasonable setup for a budget PC
 
i think the gateway still tops those at the price. and free shipping. to get an equiv processor it would go up a lot in price
 
xdannyx_ said:
i think the gateway still tops those at the price. and free shipping. to get an equiv processor it would go up a lot in price
Click to expand...

Theres more to it than CPU spec. Audio PCs need to be stable and highly compatable
It's unlikely in a home recording setup that you'll often find that a CPU, even a pentium in a lot of cases, is what is holding you back
 
yeah thats true.
i am planning on getting rid of all the the extra features and installing windows XP. and i should be left with a pretty solid machine. abut i dont have extra to buy firewire and hard drive so that is a pretty big problem for me. the intel chipG33 seems good as well. Do you know what power source comes with the Dell vostro? i think the maudio delta 44 pci card pulls pretty hard on the system since that is what killed my current one.

thanks for the help,
Danny
 
xdannyx_ said:
yeah thats true.
i am planning on getting rid of all the the extra features and installing windows XP. and i should be left with a pretty solid machine. abut i dont have extra to buy firewire and hard drive so that is a pretty big problem for me. the intel chipG33 seems good as well. Do you know what power source comes with the Dell vostro? i think the maudio delta 44 pci card pulls pretty hard on the system since that is what killed my current one.

thanks for the help,
Danny
Click to expand...

Dell vostro uses a 350W PSU

Specs here:
http://www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/desktop-vostro-420?c=us&l=en&s=bsd&cs=04
 
My computer had been running perfectly.
i set up the delta 44 and used it for maybe ten minutes and the power source on my computer blew
 
xdannyx_ said:
My computer had been running perfectly.
i set up the delta 44 and used it for maybe ten minutes and the power source on my computer blew
Click to expand...

Could be coincidence. Could be the power supply was just undersized for the additional load. I've had 2 Delta 1010lts running side by side in the same computer for a couple years now without any problem.

How old is the computer? Assuming it isn't too old and isn't using a proprietary power supply (like some Dells used to) you could get a new power supply for $30~$50.

For the last 10 years or so, when ever I need a new computer, I just go on newegg.com and order parts and build it myself.
 
Jeff_D said:
Could be coincidence. Could be the power supply was just undersized for the additional load. I've had 2 Delta 1010lts running side by side in the same computer for a couple years now without any problem.

How old is the computer? Assuming it isn't too old and isn't using a proprietary power supply (like some Dells used to) you could get a new power supply for $30~$50.

For the last 10 years or so, when ever I need a new computer, I just go on newegg.com and order parts and build it myself.
Click to expand...


The absolute maximum a PCI card can draw is 25 watts and there are two lower max power settings a card can be set to. There is no way that a delta would bring down a PSU on it's own. Straw that broke the camels back? Maybe, but a crap supply is more likely
 
altitude909 said:
The absolute maximum a PCI card can draw is 25 watts and there are two lower max power settings a card can be set to. There is no way that a delta would bring down a PSU on it's own. Straw that broke the camels back? Maybe, but a crap supply is more likely
Click to expand...

Amen to that observation. I've shelled out over a hundred on an Antec only to see it die in less then a week. Antec's return policy (at that time) was crap to boot. On the flip side I've run $20 OEM specials for years no problem. Wish there was an easy answer. Personally I wouldn't drop less then a 500 watt power supply into a new box. There is no way for me to speak authoritatively on the issue, but I'd not be happy with such a modest power supply in a box running a contemporary processor.
 
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