New PC questions

[pennylink]

I posted this in the SONAR forum, but then realized it probably fits this forum better...

I've been using SONAR 2.2 on a PIII/800 with 512 RAM, dual hard drives and Win98SE , but need to take the leap to a faster processor so I can run Sonar 3 in XP, and generally have more flexibility with soft synths, etc.

So here are a few questions to help me in my search/research:

1. Any reason not to buy Dell? (I'll also need to run e-mail and other basic computing functions on the same PC). Should I consider any other manufacturers who might be better value for money?

2. Is it worth it paying $50 to go from a P4 2.8GHz to a 3GHz or even more for a 3.2 GHz? Is there a noticeable difference in performance?

3. I'm thinking 1GB Dual Channel DDR SDRAM. Any reason to get more RAM at this point?

4. Since I have my Aardvark Q10 audio card that I will transfer, should I just get the "Integrated 5.1 Channel Audio", as opposed to adding a Sound Blaster card at additional expense, and which I understand doesn't always play well with other soundcards?

5. I'm thinking of getting a 80GB 7200 RPM hard drive, and transferring the second 80GB 7200 RPM from my current setup for audio data...

6. Anything else I should consider or avoid?

Thanks in advance for any feedback

 

[minofifa]

...

i wish i had the money for a new comp!! Well i used to own a Dell and they are definately solid machines, i had very few problems with mine. have you considered buying a computer from a company that will build more custom computers?? for example i may get my computer from www.sneakerscomputers.com they are a company here in canada that put together pretty much what you want, and they have a computer builder price list on their web sight. I like this idea because you can get exactaly what you want. For example my next computer will be one just for audio so i don't want any fancy pants ATI or NVIDIA graphics card, and i don't want any sound blaster sound card. They only sell what you want, whereas dell (even though you can customise a bit) still forces you to take some options you don't want. Dell seems a bit moeexpensive as well but then again they have superior quality and support so if you are semi-computer smart like me, the tech suport is a definate asset.

why not use your old omputer for checking email andyour new one totally for music? that would be sweet.

 

[pennylink]

Thanks for the suggestions.

I'll be passing my current computer on to my oldest son, so I won't be able to keep it for e-mail, etc. That was a great idea though!