KVR Audio

Examigan · Post by **Examigan** » Fri May 15, 2015 6:57 pm

I am looking to buy a new PC. I don't think I want to build one this time around, as I'm too busy to do all that these days.

What would you recommend for a pre-built PC under $1000? I don't mind the big name PCs, as I will get rid of any junk installed on it, or just wipe it out, and reinstall Windows.

I will probably end up with an i5 based PC, but I'd love an i7. It's just tough to find one without going a bit over $1000. I'd also like a decent amount of RAM in it. 12 gigs would be good, 16 gigs would be great.

Thanks ahead of time

Kalamata Kid · Post by **Kalamata Kid** » Fri May 15, 2015 8:14 pm

Interesting question as I plan to get anew computer for Windows 10.
I am faced with build my own which like you I want to avoid this time around. But still for $1000 DIY vs Pre-Built how much more does one get with the DIY?

On the other hand I will likely end up building my own as I hate to get a bloated Windows 10. There are a few places online that list DIY setups that are successful. This time I will copy someone else's successful music computer rather than spend months of research do roll my own. If anyone has the links to DIY music computers I will certainly appreciate it.

Since my mind has not completely been made up I hope Examigan gets some suggestions so that I can see what $1000 can buy.

arkmabat · Post by **arkmabat** » Fri May 15, 2015 8:18 pm

I have an older Lenovo Ideapad with an older i7 CPU and an ATI Mobility Radeon 1 Gig card. Would recommend whatever newer Ideapad Lenovo has now. Doubles as a game console, too.

arkmabat · Post by **arkmabat** » Fri May 15, 2015 8:18 pm

Be warned, a newer i5 can be faster than an old i7. I learned that the hard way.

arkmabat · Post by **arkmabat** » Fri May 15, 2015 8:20 pm

Screen Size is another issue to consider. These aren't too badly priced though:

http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/lenovo/y-series/

Examigan · Post by **Examigan** » Fri May 15, 2015 10:09 pm

arkmabat wrote:Screen Size is another issue to consider. These aren't too badly priced though:

http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/lenovo/y-series/

Thanks I will check it out

Examigan · Post by **Examigan** » Sat May 16, 2015 12:29 am

arkmabat wrote:I have an older Lenovo Ideapad with an older i7 CPU and an ATI Mobility Radeon 1 Gig card. Would recommend whatever newer Ideapad Lenovo has now. Doubles as a game console, too.

I think I will stick with a desktop

cron · Post by **cron** » Sat May 16, 2015 2:11 am

If you're sticking with desktop, it's worth getting a K variant of the i5 with a decent motherboard and third party cooler then overclocking it. Well, I'd recommend getting the K variant of any Intel chip and overclocking it really. An overclocked i7 will be a total beast and an overclocked i5 will just about draw level with a stock clocked i7 on heavily threaded processing loads like typical DAW use (not to mention smoke it on tasks that don't utilise all 8 threads). If you're buying prebuilt you might be able to find somewhere that guarantees an error free minimum overclock too. Although K chips without significant overclocking headroom seem pretty rare, removing chance from the equation will give you piece of mind.

I'm currently running an Ivy Bridge i5 overclocked to 4.5 GHz. Stress tested, rock solid stable, and still whisper quiet thanks to a third party cooler that's almost the size of my head. I'd even recommend non-overclockers go with a third party cooler as most will be near silent on a stock clocked chip. Perfect for the studio, particularly if you plan to record out of the box.

chroma · Post by **chroma** » Sun May 17, 2015 12:46 am

i always check dealnews.....

e.g. here's one:
http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/desktops/l ... -customize

it's a haswell i7, 16GB, 2TB, $699.

you should be able to find something...

Examigan · Post by **Examigan** » Thu May 21, 2015 10:04 am

chroma wrote:i always check dealnews.....

e.g. here's one:
http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/desktops/l ... -customize

it's a haswell i7, 16GB, 2TB, $699.

you should be able to find something...

Thanks

The only thing is when I clicked on "Components" in the lower right, it didn't say i7 or 16 gigs. Would I just add those on by customizing it a bit? I was clicking around on the site's buttons and didn't see where to switch it with an i7, or make it 16 instead of 8 gigs, etc.

System Components
4th Generation Intel Core i5-4460 (3.20GHz 1600MHz 6MB)
operating system
Windows 8.1 64
graphics
Intel® HD Graphics 4600
memory
8.0GB PC3-12800 DDR3 SDRAM 1600 MHz

ClubHo · Post by **ClubHo** » Thu Jun 18, 2015 6:48 pm

You can't really go wrong with the i7-4790.
Lenovo, Dell, HP are all basically the same with a different look.
Adjust memory, drive space and video to taste.

HP cases do kinda look nice though.
http://store.hp.com/us/en/mdp/desktops/ ... abName=vao

Dell Inspiron
http://www.dell.com/us/p/inspiron-3847- ... ?ref=PD_OC

Best PC under $1000?