System upgrade questions.......

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reco

reco

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I have been thinking on upgrading or building a new PC......
I just got Sonar 3 which just plain rocks! but my system is just a bit to slow for what I want to do.........

I have a Celeron 2.4ghz equiped PC with a Biostar P4SFA MotherBoard with a Sis 650/962L chipset here's a link with the specs http://biostar-usa.com/mbdetails.asp?model=P4SFA&x=14&y=9

It states that I can use up to a 2.8ghz 533mhzFSB P4 processor......
I never sure about things like this thats why I am asking if I am right to think I can do a processor upgrade from the celeron to the P4?

I am curently using PC2100 DDR Memory, can I wait to upgrade my memory for a little while or will I need to move up to the faster stuff right away? I plan on using 2gigs of PC2700 333mhz as the Biostar specs say I can. I curently have 640mb of pc2100 266mhz........

I am using a M-audio AudioPhile 24/96 but plan on adding a Delta 1010 (Rackmount) to add to my I/o....

I curently have a 80gig 7200rpm maxtor HD (For Audio) and a 40gig 7200rpm WD (For Programs)..... I plan on getting a 120gig Maxtor 7200rpm for audio and using the 80gig for the programs and samples...

Adding a dual VGA nVidia gForce AGP 4x video card. not sure on brand or ram.

I will be transfering my system to a rackmount server case......

I am not sure on the power supply as well........... 300watts ok?

SO, what do you think? is it worth while? I figure I have a semi modern Motherboard and a few good componants etc. so.
ANy advice?

As usual thanks in advance!

-Reco
 
You're in a kind of awkward position of wanting to upgrade from a system that is still fairly modern.

However, given that you're going to invest in 2GB of PC2700 ram, and a 2.8Ghz 533 FSB P4, you will be splashing out quite a bit of cash for what is getting to be older technology, and you're still constrained by your old motherboard.

Given you're going to spend that kind of money, I would strongly recommend getting a more modern motherboard and just 1GB of ram.

Something like
Asus P4P800 or P4C800 - 800MHZ FSB, hyperthreading support, SATA Raid etc. etc. - one of the best modern boards you can get for recording.
P4 2.8c 800MHz hyperthreading
1GB PC3200 ram - get a good brand, Hynix, Crucial, Kingston, Corsair etc.

You should just be able to drop this lot into your old case and you may be able to get some cash back on your old setup on ebay
 
So whats a good chipset for audio?

Is the Intel 865G + ICH5 good for recording studio's?
I have been looking for a definitive answer (I know it all very's).

I have a really dumb question:
How does a processor get installed on the motherboard?
Meaning it plugs into the socket then the heatsync and fan go over that right?
So what does the thermal heat paste do? and were does it go?
I havent ever installed a modern processor........ just old PII's. erg!

I may just use my hard drives and ram to start and use my old machine later for a drum sampler.........

I looked at new egg at the boards you recomened and liked the P4P800-VM for the expand ability.......
4GB of ram! DDR400 and a 2.8ghz p4 800mhz fsb I think I may wet myself!!!!!!!
All at $99.00 too....... I think I may get one this week.......
ANyway thanks and please keep the info coming you have helped me more than others have.

Thanks again in advance!

-Reco
 
The 865G chipset comes with Intel's on board video. This means you don't need to buy a seperate graphics card. But it also means some of your ram will be reserved for video content instead of audio, so it's a tradeoff.

I'm not too sure about installing the cpu - when I ordered mine, I checked the box that said 'Assembly required?' Doesn't look too tricky though
 
reco - I've just finished building one and bought separate mobo, CPU and heatsink/fan. It's very straightforward, the CPU slots into the mobo and gets locked with a lever, then you clip the heatsink/fan assembly over the top, just as you said. The clips on mine were very tight and I struggled for a few minutes, but it works OK (I'm typing on it!!). Instructions for both the mobo and the heatsink were very clear.

The heatsink I bought had a thermal pad, some don't and for those you need to squeeze a dob of paste onto the CPU. It's very clear where it goes when you look at it.

My new PC is not quite finished yet, but I've had fun and just a few worrying moments so far, feels better for using the old case and not just adding to the world's trash mountain.
 
How abou AMD?

I am also thinking on AMD as well.
I have been getting good thoughts from some people I know on the Gigabyte GA-7N400-L1 Mother board with a nForce 2 400 Chipset.
I would be using a AMD Athlon XP 2600+ processor.
ANyone here use a simular setup?
With Sonar?
Thanks as usual!
-Reco
 
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