Motherboard/Chipset recommendations

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foo

foo

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I've just upgraded to XP Pro

I have a P III 700MHz with 256 Mg ram.
Tomorrow I'm getting my Cubase SX Upgrade delivered

The Cubase guys suggested I need mo better faster etc.

I've got an IS buddy who knows about computers but nothing about audio recording who can do the install, but what to install?

For ~ $300 Fry's in San Diego has:
Intel P4 2GHz"A" Boxed CPU W/ Abit SR7-8X Motherboard

Motherboard & CPU Combo:

Outpost #: 3470583

Processor: Intel Pentium 4 2GHz"A" Boxed CPU
3 Year Limited Manufacturer Warranty, CPU Fan Included
Chipset: SiS 648
Processor Support: Upto Celeron 2.0GHz, Pentium 2.53GHz
Memory Support: Up to 3GB PC 2700 DDR
Expansion Slot: 1x AGP 8X, 5x PCI
Other Features: AC 97, RTL 8100B Lan, USB 2.0, ATA 133

Plus one (two?) 512 RAM stick for $159 each

So my question is do I go this route? Do I really need to spend this money now - this is very much a home recording type of situation. I'm using a Motif as my sound source with overdubbed live guitars and vocals through a Mona soundcard.

It's in my 2nd bedroom in an apartment so no live drums, horns etc. and only recording one or two instruments or voices at a time.

There are some other threads re: optimizing performance - I'm going to be using this as my regular home PC, too, so I like the way it looks and 'feels' now.

Comments, suggestions?

Thanks,

foo
 
If your current board & CPU are not giving you problems then a 700 Mhz system should handle it ok. If you feel the need to upgrade, Abit makes a good board but not to sure about the SiS chipset. I would recommend an ASUS board with the newest chipset. A 2gig CPU would be quite sufficient. And I recommend at least 512MB Ram.
 
i don't upgrade until i run into a problem. as long as the music i'm doing can be accomplished (without frustration or short changing my sound) without anything new, i don't buy anything new (We're talking PC not Gear Acquisition Syndrome).

having said that, i'm getting the following for christmas:

Intel P4 2.5ghz CPU
Abit motherboard with UDMA RAID, LAN, USB2
1gb PC2700 RAM

i've priced it locally (Maryland) at $700. I could probably get it slightly cheaper if i go out of state, but then my state doesn't get any tax revenue, and my brothers will be uneducated and unemployable in the future.
 
foo said:
Intel P4 2GHz"A" Boxed CPU W/ Abit SR7-8X Motherboard
Click to expand...
I agree with the others. First see for yourself if you really need to upgrade. A new motherboard/cpu can wait for another week right?

About the motherboard:
"The SiS648 is a solid, and fast performing chipset. Not once during testing did the system crash unless due to user error. We're happy to see more manufacturers quickly adopt the SiS648, after all competition at the chipset level drives down prices which is good for the consumer! "
That's from pcstats.com

http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1214 for the whole review.
 
Hey Foo, how ya doin?
Really the most critical mating is between the sound card and the Mobo/chipset. The other hardware is often generic stuff that will run on anything. Your sound card manufacturer should have the best suggestions for compatible Mobos. So if you decide to upgrade, ask them what they've tested with, and recommend.

Twist
 
I don't use Cubase, I use Cakewalk / Sonar. However I would guess that Cubase itself would work fine on your current setup. The key would be how many software plug-ins you want to use. I ran Cakewalk fine with up to 20+ 24 bit tracks on a PIII-450. But as soon as I started adding in a few plug-ins.... YAK.

Now I'm using PIII-933 and Athon 1900 computers with no issues. So plan accordingly
 
Hey Twist - long time no see. I guess that since the Saints crushed the Pack you didn't go out in public for a while, huh?

;)

I've decided to do the upgrade and see what happens. I'm not going to be doing anything large - just a couple of tracks at a time, and then some mixing, nothing big, so I'm hoping that it will be fine as is.

If not, I can always get the new stuff if I need it, but I'd probably start with just another 256 RAM stick.

Thanks for your input, y'all.

foo
 
Really the most critical mating is between the sound card and the Mobo/chipset

thanx twist, i just sent an email out to the lynx one guys asking them what you suggested.
 
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