Computer for Recording

  • Thread starter Thread starter jvkeboxHERO
  • Start date Start date
J

jvkeboxHERO

New member
I need to buy a new computer. I am going to use it primarily for recording, and word processing, but not for video games, or aol, or itunes, or anything like that.

Just Recording.

that being said I dont know my ass from my elbow about computers, so could anyone suggest a good basic computer system. I would prefer to buy a tower, but if I had to build one I could have a friend do that too, I just dont know what to put in it.

Right now I have an MBox 2 with Pro Tools and a ton of plug-ins. It didnt work on my last computer, which is now broken. I might sell it, and get cubase or something. That being said, what requirements would I need for Pro Tools or Cubase. I dont need anything top of the line, but I want something thats better than minimum and upgradable in the future.

I dont have a ton of cash (looking to spend $800) and Id like to stay PC, seeing as I dont have the money for a Mac.

I know i need HD space, lots of Ram, and a good sound card. I heard something about busses too but idk what that is. I also dont know the difference between amd and intel, except intel are more expensive but more people swear by amd.

any help would be appreciated.
 
I'm a proponent of having a computer built by a reputable DAW builder,the advantage being you can hit the ground running and not worry about technical issues,but at your budget it's a pretty slim chance of that happening.Maybe if you only need the tower and can reuse your mouse,keyboard,soundcard and monitor you could work something out.

Sorry if that's not much help,but sometimes you're buying peace of mind,not just a computer.
 
While I would normally expect this kind of query to appear in the computer forum, I'll tackle the question here.

All prices and courtesy of www.mwave.com

GIGABYTE GA-M78SM-S2H nvidia geforce 8200 chipset micro ATX form factor 1xPCI-E(x16)/1xPCI-E(x1)/2xpci/2xddr2 w/integrated vga,sata2 raid,lan(gb),hdmi,usb 2.0 & audio
ATHLON X2 6400 3.2G - WINDSOR
MWAVE 2GB DDR2 800 (1GB x 2)
$287.49

The price above reflects the cost of the motherboard, processor, and 2GB memory.

WD 250gb wd2500ks / WD2500AAKS SATA300 16mb 7200rpm (bare drive)
$55.90

LITE ON DH-20A4P-04 20x all-write DVDrw drive (black)(bare drive)
$24.90

LIAN LI PC-V350B (black) mini micro atx tower no power supply 2x5.25" 1x3.5" 2x3.5"(hidden) w/ front i/o connector, 80mm fan x 1 & 120mm fan x 2
CM RP-500-PCAR 500W
$147.50

The price above reflects the cost of the case and the CoolerMaster 500W power supply

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

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

SAMSUNG 19" 920NW widescreen 1440x900 700:1 5ms (black) (retail) ($30 Mail-In Manufacturer Rebate Available from 05/01/08 till 05/31/08)$189.96 $189.96

Total cost sans tax and shipping $768.

A few notes...

This is a microATX box with excellent cooling. The processor is high middle-of-the road in the current line up... which means it's about 1,500 times more than you need for recording... with 2GB of memory. 250GB of storage, CD/DVD RW, 19" widescreen, corded keyboard, cordless trackball. Compare this to what you can get from Dell for the same amount of money. Overall, a very sweet box.

Luck.
 
I just built a new computer for recording over the weekend similar to jvkeboxHERO with the exception of the motherboard and CPU which was an
ASUS P5k paired with an Intel E8500 Core 2 Duo at 3 GHz. ~$340 Cdn

I run PTLE 7.4 and it seems very stable so far :)

My previous computer was a P4 running at 3 GHz which was fine for recording but during mixing I ran out of CPU due to plugins/Virtual instruments.

You might also consider two HDDs, one for your program/operating system and the other for recording your tracks. The other thing to watch out for is how much noise is generated by the computer. I went for a quieter Power Supply and a fanless Video Card and my new PC is much quieter than the previous one.

Goodluck
Rick
 
I have a new iMac working like a charm for just recording
 
I'm a mac boy, so here's my suggestion, and it's only a little bit over your price range Refurb 20" iMac 2.0 Ghz Core Duo for $950 with free shipping. Upgradability is limited though. But more ram is super easy, you can always add firewire drives. Yeah, you can get faster for the money going PC, but once you get hooked on mac's you learn to live with the extra cost :p
 
Audiocave said:
My previous computer was a P4 running at 3 GHz which was fine for recording but during mixing I ran out of CPU due to plugins/Virtual instruments.
Click to expand...

what did you upgrade to? how much more cpu did you need?

Audiocave said:
You might also consider two HDDs, one for your program/operating system and the other for recording your tracks. The other thing to watch out for is how much noise is generated by the computer. I went for a quieter Power Supply and a fanless Video Card and my new PC is much quieter than the previous one.
Click to expand...

im prob gonna go with a two hard drives. one at like 100gb for the computer and like, 300gb for just audio files.
im aware of the noise, i dealt with that on my old computer with i was just recording acoustic tracks. someone mentionde to me about liquid cooling being better than a fan and noisless so i might go that route. idk how that works though.

--to anyone who mentioned it, i appreciate it, but i cannot afford a mac.

wheelema, thanks a lot, i have a mouse and keyboard and monitor so i wouldnt need to get those. but thanks for breaking everything down for me. im actually going to write down exactly what you put up and then go to a local shop and see if they have the parts/can build it for me.

its funny. if you asked me to build any number of guitar effects, or a microphone, or an amplifier, or a guitar, or a house, or a car, or a bike, i could do that (and have done many times)

you ask me what kind of ram a comuter has and u might as well be talking to me about flying saucers.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top