What is the best computer to get for $1200

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sjselin

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Hi,

I have to buy a new computer. I would like it to be able to record and process audio, clean and fast. What is the best I can do for $1200?

Are macs better b/c they have firewire inputs?

I have done a lot of audio processing with Cooledit pro and that is the extent of my experience.

Thanks,
Steve
 
sjselin said:
Are macs better b/c they have firewire inputs?

In short, no. Many PCs have firewire onboard these days. however for $1200, you may not find a ready made PC with it (e.g. hp, compaq, etc.).

You'd be better off going to www.newegg.com and building it yourself.

Jason
 
I should have mentioned that the difference between Macs and PCs is really whatever you can afford/prefer. There's no right answer here.

Jason
 
At CircuitCity you can find PC's as low as $300 with 6 FireWire ports, 2 USB 2.0 and 512RAM. Imagine what you could get for $1,200. :)
 
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4597546

This is a really great computer, and at only half of what you can spend. Im sure theres other great ones out there, I was just posting this because my friend has it and its awesome.

If you want to look into building your own, go to http://www.newegg.com or http://www.tigerdirect.com/ for parts.

And, as others have posted, pc's have firewire just as macs do. If you feel most comfortable on a pc, go with a pc. If you've used a mac for years, get a mac. Its just preference.

Also, if you go into best buy wanting to spend 1,200 on a pc, then you're going to end up with something that is going to have a million features that you may or may not use. Like, watching tv on your computer or some shit. I think it'd be the best route to build your own, and get the best things for audio recording, as opposed to the best things for average joe who wants to drop 1,200 on a computer just because he can :) you may get more for your money this way.
 
Custom build your own, design it specificlly for audio, so you dont get a bunch of crap you dont need... Thats what I do :)

-C$
 
Cyanide-Depende said:
Custom build your own, design it specificlly for audio, so you dont get a bunch of crap you dont need... Thats what I do :)

-C$


You can't find better advise than that. Look into a 64bit Processor (AMD has the best bang per buck right now) Then you can order the rack mount case and pick up the sound dampening matting to put inside, get some decently quite fans and you're gtg.
 
The Athlon X-2 and anything above a 4000 is lightning fast and good with multiple tasks. The XP-60 just came out which is way over your budjet,but the X-2 chips should come down even more now.
If I were buying or building a computer today I would go with an Athlon X-2 4200(good perfomance to price ratio)definately an asus motherboard 2gb of memory and dual 7200rpm drives.
I tend to go away from mac when budjet is a prime consideration. Mac never has been for the budjet minded and pro tools looks the same on both.
Give me another six months after the prices level and I could probably be persuaded to jump to the XP-60.
With vista just around the corner and software developers and sound card developers working their royal buttocks off to get ready if you can wait till years end you might be better off.
 
Depending on where you are, you might find a local computer shop that can put together a killer for you for a reasonable price. That's what I do. Be sure to specify fast hard drives and at least two of them. Otherwise everything works pretty much the same, these days.
 
shackrock said:
i gotta shout out www.cyberpowerpc.com - i've loved their service, and their computers. they got a lot of deals too.

I second this. Great stuff Cheap (like Ollie's, but not closeouts). I wouldn't bother with 64-bit you're going to pay a lot more for something you most likely won't even use for a year or two or more... There is relatively little software written for 64-bit architecture. so pretty much everything you run won't use the capability anyhow. my best advice is to worry more about RAM, Storage space and BUS speeds than processors and that other junk. A slower processor with more RAM and faster bus speeds will be nonticable quicker that a blazing processor in a computer with no video card and little RAM...
 
I have to heartily agree with those who suggest building it yourself. And I would also join with the other who have recommended newegg.com as a source to get your parts. I built a pc soley for recording several months ago using one of Sweetwaters Creation Station rackmount pcs as a guideline. I changed a few things here and there to better suit my needs but all in all its a near copy of what they offer, and I did it for about a thousand less than they will sell it to you. If you need info on how to build your own PC or futher your knowledge on the subject head on over to www.tomshardware.com and read up. They even have info on building your own PC. Good Luck!
 
Save the money you would have spent on a decent video card and put it into memory, for sure...
 
Build your own, I have a monster I put together for $1000 (already had a monitor) and it destroys the best alienware (supposedly best gaming pc).

I recommend
www.tomshardware.com

This will take care of knowledge of computer parts.

www.tigerdirect.com

This is the best RELIABLE, CHEAP site I always go to for all my computer needs.

Right now I have
250g HD - $100
2g DDR RAM - $170
AMD (sic)Hammer 3.6ghz CPU - $300
micro ATX motherboard - $100 (has USB x4, Firewire x1)
XFX 256mb Vid card - $200
case - $30
mouse/keyboard - $40
ethernet card - $20
powersupply - $50

Total: $1,010!

All parts bout at Tigerdirect, case bought at Newegg.com
 
and you dont need a super high speed dual core AMD 64 fx 99999999 with 4 gigs of ram either.

audio apps arent THAT intensive, and if you have a box solely dedicated to audio, with at least a gig of ram, you should be g2g..
 
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