Upgrading my DAW!!! read this thread u will laugh!

[lurgan liar]

Hey guys ...ok heres the deal ....i only started to get into home recording about 6 months ago ..and now i am totally addicted to it ...only problem is my computer sucks big time!!!

P II 750 Mhz processor, 128 Mb Ram, 20 Gb Hard Drive ...YES THIS IS NOT A JOKE!!!!!

now that I have saved up some money i would love if you guys could give me some advice...

I have a Roland VS880 multitracker which can record 4 tracks simultaneously ...i've been using this to record my drummer using 4 mics ...then i transfer this to my computer ... if i upgrade to a new computer i'd still like to be able to do this ...so it would need to have a digital line in and line out ...

So ... Can any one offer me some suggestions for this kind of price tag ... £300 - £400 / $ 600 - $800...

Also I know a bit about computers so i would be able to build my own...

i also intend to buy a sound card and some monitors once i have the computer ...

i have lots of software but i have been using Cakewalk sonar 2 XL and i will also hope to upgrade this ....thanks in advance

wot about something like this? Compaq Athlon™ 64 3400+ 2.4GHz 1GB with 17"LCD

http://www.samsclub.com/eclub/main_...BV_EngineID=cccgaddfjkighdgcfkfcfkjdgoodflf.0

 

[lurgan liar]

bump

no but seriously ...can anyone offer any help ?

 

[metalhead28]

All I can tell you is that I use a Athlon 2.4 GHz with 1 Gig of Ram and I run Sonar 4 on it beautifully along with some other intensive programs (like drumkit from hell superior). Basically, I would just buy the best computer you could afford and If possible I would buy or build a custom computer rather than a department store special. However just about any new computer these days will run a DAW, even a pretty extreme set-up, pretty easily. It all boils down to what you can afford.

 

[Havoc]

I would be a bit cautious about Compac. I got a new HP at work and opened it: not even place for a video card, everything onboard! Check a local shop and ask around. Don't go overboard with the latest and greatest.

First find out what soundcard you need. You mention a digital input. What one? Adat or Spdif? Are you going to keep using the VS or are you going to start recording directly to pc? If so, then how much channels?

See? Then check if the pc you fancy has any problems with the car and/or soft you want to use. Chipset is most likely the problem. Spend the rest on cpu and memory, use 2 hd's: small for OS and apps, larger one for audio data.

 

[boomtap]

I just built a machine for $300 off http://www.pricewatch.com I just selected the parts I wanted and went from there.

2.8ghz celeron
1 gig 266 ddr
20 gig hd for operating sys
200 gig for storage
450w powersupply in a fancy case that lights up blue
FireWire interface Card

I always try to use Intel systems for recording because some sound cards (motu for sure) don't work with AMD. This machine actually runs multi track video well, so audio would pose no problem.

 

[Alexbt]

If you were looking at an HP business grade machine, it may not have any slots.

We buy Dell OptiPlex machines. The new ones have less and less slots. You can see the connection points on the motherboard where they're supposed to go.

The Compaqs are a completely different line.

 

[Codmate]

Here's my PC spec:
Abit AV8 Mainboard
AMD X2 3800+ CPU
Zalman CNPS7700-Cu
Powercolor Radeon9800 Pro (128MB) with Zalman ZM80C-HP
Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 9 HDD (120GB)
Seagate HDD (120 GB)
Windows XP Pro
2 X Geil Value 1GB PC3200 RAM
Antec Phantom 500 PSU
Delta66 Soundcard with Omni I/O

I highly recommend getting an AMD X2 processor for DAW work.

I would stay away from any pre-built PC.
If you want something pre-built get a Mac.

The only things I would change about the above spec are the Maxtor HDD (I wouldn't ever get another Maxtor drive) and the 'value' RAM. I should have got 1GB of OCZ or Corsair RAM instead of 2GB Geil Value.

 

[Robert D]

And while your evaluating how much to spend on how fast of a computer, remember this........the fastest computer in the world doesn't "sound" any better than a comparitively slow one. So my advice, FWIW, is count your pennies up, then evaluate what your interface needs are - how many ins / how many outs / how much quality, and address that first....that's where the sound is. I hate to see people bragging about their uber-computer DAW, only to find out they're running a soundblaster card. I was running a P-III 700 for a long time after it was a dinasaur, but I had a Lynx card and a TC-Powercore card in there, so it sounded damn good.
The good news is that you don't have to drop a bundle on a fast enough computer these days, leaving you more money to spend where it counts. I recently built a system with a Sempron 3100+ for very little $$. The good thing about that chip is it's an A64 downshifted to 32 bits, but with all the other goodies that make the A64s fast. Since it goes on an A64 motherboard (only the 3100, other Semprons don't), I can upgrade to an A64 later when the apps start taking advantage of the increased buss width. Right now though, I'm not feeling any need for more speed.

Cheers,
RD