mac or pc

M

moonstation2000

New member
i just got into computerized recording. i got a free version of Digital Performer 3.11 from a friend, bought a motu 828mkii (upgraded to a 896 hd because of guitar center advice but am going back to the 828), and am using my roomates g4 mac.
i'm a pc guy though, and my roomates mac is a temporary solution that i need to fix.
cheapest macs are $1300 g4 (new) + monitor $300
i can get a very fast pc for 1300but then i have to buy software. also the motu units are firewire and although i hear pc's can run firewire i haven't seen any firewire equipped pcs, so would i need to change the motu for something else?
anyone have any advice for a newbie?
 
I would LOVE to have a G4 or G5, but Ye God! the prices!! I can literally build six decent or two hot PCs for the cost of a $3K G5!
 
I'd say save some bucks and get a killer system by building your own PC.

You can search the archives for 100+ post threads in which PC and Mac users exchange blows, but what it comes down to is that they both work exceptionally well providing that you have a solidly constructed and thought system, and a decent amount of power.
 
You could use a imac G4 800 with the 828 and they cost just over 1K. Everything (15" monitor, CD burner) is included and they are small, fairly portable, and quiet. They also look cool if that's important! Be aware, however, that your old 828 might require new drivers to work with OSX, although the imac is partitioned so you could still use OS9. (Which reminds me--Is your version of DP Mac or PC or both? If you went with a PC would you have to buy new software? Could you get 828 drivers that worked with a PC?) Also, the imac is a little short on space (30gb on the 800 mhz model?) so you may also need an external drive.
 
the 828 comes with spftware for both mac and pc, so only firewire connectivity would be required for a switch to pc. i thing my digital performer is only for mac.
what's the best way to create a music pc? di i need special hard drives?
g4 800 - i only see g4 1.25 for sale for $1295
 
MacMall sells the G4 imac starting at 1,095 for the 800mhz. But you would need additional RAM and an external drive for best results. This would probably add $200-300 to the price.
 
Nice deals on used g4 - even upper mhz & full of ram - on ebay. I got cream o' the g4 crop, ram maxxed, w/monitor for a grand. Just use it for DP. Can't speak on windows side of the house. I own a windows machine, but don't use it for music except to fiddle w/a bit of software just to see it in action.


dj dolo
 
moonstation2000 said:
any advice on building a fast pc?
Click to expand...

Well, the advice depends on how much you already know...

http://www.buildyourowncomputer.net/

has a nice step by step tutorial including all of the parts you will need and the installation processes you will go through.

Once you know (somewhat) what you're doing, head over to www.newegg.com and check out some components. Read the reviews on stuff to find if people are having problems...

And basically go from there...you of course can ask questions here along the way...I was in the same boat about a year ago and love my new PC that I BUILT! :D
 
I just built this system for a friend...


Mobo: ECS L7S7A2
CPU: Athlon XP 2400+
RAM: Apacer 256MB PC2700 DDR333
Video: GeForce FX 5200
HDD: 40GB Western Digital 400JB
CD-RW: Lite On 52X-32X-52X
DVD: Lite On 16X
Case: FoxCon w/350W


Grand total.... a whopping 400 bucks. :eek:


All parts were purchased on the aforementioned newegg.com. It's insane how cheap you can build a really good system for these days. We're not talking crappy integrated video and lousy 5400 RPM hard drives. Every one of those components is not only reliable, but also relatively high-performance (in its class/price range).

Sure, they're not the "latest and greatest", and better components can be had for a higher price... but the reality is, there's just no need to spend 3K (or even 1K) in most cases. :p



WATYF


[edit] for the record, these specific components wouldn't be my first choice for a DAW... this just happens to be my latest build.[/edit]
 
I'm a PC fan here myself. I suggest an Athlon barton core rig on an ASUS board w/ a Nforce 2 chipset. Solid and cheap as hell!
 
I just finished my wife's new computer today.

Asus A7V8X-MX
Chieftec mid tower with 420w PS
WD 80gig 7200rpm drive
Crucial 256MB
Lite-On CDRW 52x24x52
AMD 2200+

$405 from Newegg.com.
 
here are some cheap canadian prices

check out the athlon prices www.canadasys.com
i have no affiliation with them. but they have built amd systems for myself and friends that work well.
would suggest athlon 2500 + and if you can afford it raptor 10k rpm drives. or else if you want to save some money like i did, two
7200 rpm ata133 drives. 512 of ddr memory.
 
thanks for the info. i'n not sure i'm ready to build one myself since i would need much education on what to buy and i'd like to get off my friends mac asap. i'm looking to spend ~$1300 (incl monitor), which i'm guessing leaves me with a $1000 computer.the canadasys site left me with some questions, is an athlon chip at 2.4ghz = a pentium iii chip at 2.4 ghz?
 
some info

i'm running an older athlon and can get 40 tracks easily off a 7200 rpm drive. more than i need really.
i dont want to get into an athlon versus pentium debate
because both will let you do the job. BUT it is widely recognised amongst recording pro's that the athlon floating point processing is very good. and floating point performance is very important in audio processing. just ask around the net if you dont believe me.
however as new releases come of processors from both intel and amd this debate will surely rage on as to which is best.
As an alternative you might see a used amd duron system
running at 1.3ghz for cheap in a bargain newspaper.
a lot of people are very happy with them and STILL get 30 plus audio tracks easily.
its your choice.
 
I'd go Mac.

But if you have limited resources, these guys around here will stear you in the right direction for building a PC and getting it dialed in.

They will both work well, they are simply tools, YOU are the key ingredient!

Good Luck
 
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