I just ordered all my components of my computer and await them with glee.
I've never built one before either and it took a good six months of research before I was happy with what I wanted.
I'm building it for Pro Tools so I had to get the specs to be completely compatible with the Digidesign specifications, but all in all it should be a smoking machine.
Case - QuietPC AcoustiCase Black Super Midi ATX
PSU - Thermaltake Silent 560W PSU - Black
Fans - QuietPC 120mm Fixed Speed AcoustiFan, 2000rpm (x 2)
Motherboard - Asus A8V - Deluxe Socket 939 K8T800PR ATX
Processor -
AMD Athlon 64 3700+ Socket 939 1MB (San Diego)
Memory – Corsair VS1GSDS400 PC3200 1GB (x 2)
OS HD - Western Digital Raptor 10,000RPM SATA 36GB
Audio HD - Seagate Barracuda 7,200RPM 250GB SATA 8MB
Video Card - Matrox Millenium G550 32MB DDR AGP OEM Dual DVI
DVD Drive - Philips DVD+-R/RW DL 16x IDE BLACK
Monitors - LG Electronics L1915S 19" TFT 12ms (x 2)
Keys/Mouse - Trust 3011A Wireless Optical Desktop
OS - Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition with Service Pack2
Price (dabs.com) - £1,288.41 (inc. VAT and delivery)
I'll probably supplement all this with an external hard drive as well, for portability and backup. This would be another 250GB Barraccuda which I'll put in a case with the Oxford 911 chipset (another PT recommendation).
The AMD Athlon 64 machines seem to be out-performing Intels and Macs at the moment, and the 3700+ with the San Diego (1MB) cache seemed to be the optimum power for my budget.
The motherboard also supports the new dual core chips, so when they come down in price later on and the software utilises it better it will be a sinch for me to upgrade.
All in all it should provide me with more than I need for now, with easy upgradability options in the future.
I've purchased my anti-static wristband and some cotton gloves, I just need the gear to arrive now!
Happy researching.
the tortoise
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