I haven't bought a desktop in a while, last time it was just a small PC for my son that I inherited as my current DAW machine so I wasn't shopping for power, but just got Diva so I am going to start planning to get a machine at the end of this year. But I want to start researching what brands to consider, what features, and what outlet, as well as configuring the box exactly right as an exclusive DAW from the outset. I want to stay under $1000, as this is just a hobby box, I am not a pro by any standard and am on a fixed income, basically retired on disability so I have limited personal funds. My wife works so she can buy it for my birthday maybe but still I don't want to ask for too much.

I'm guessing i7 processor, hopefully prices will be better by then. Anyhow I'm not ready to buy by a long shot but don't want to just be impulsive. I am guessing the big sales after Thanksgiving in the US will be the right time to get the box.

Thanks for all your good advice in advance!

here's my input. anyone can help me out if theyd like. heres what you'd want.

1. quad core processor (intel i5-2500 or intel i7-2600k are nice..). 4-16 gb of ram.

if you'd like to check out processor power check out cpubenchmark.net and search your cpu model.

2. 4-16gb of ram. i recommend 8 minimum.

3. at least 2 hard drives (3 is better)

a. primary system drive HDD- Solid state drive (ssd) recommended. SSD drives don't spin like a regular HDD does, so they make less noise! u want seperate drives so they dont interfere with your audio

b audio drive HDD-500mb-2tb hd or SSD(Expensive) drives

c sample drive HDD- store audio samples - same as above.

4. minimum 500w power supply. quiet if possible

5. good, QUIET cooling. multiple larger fans. i personally odnt like liquid cooling, but u can go that route.

6. windows 7 64bit.

there's other things you can consider, such as building it yourself, ordering from a boutique company such as ADK, Cyber power PC, I buy power.. Or you can check out NewEgg.com for refurbs if ur looking for something cheap.
you can also get machines "optimized" for audio. unnessecary programs taken off, things tweaked..

this is possible for under 1000$. as mentioned.. check out newegg. just be weary cuz some of those machines can't be upgraded! (tpowersupply slots too small for larger psus.. etc) and look up the rigs motherboards b4 u purchase.

Apple?

Trolling?



Back on topic, I think i5-2500 would work pretty well. Unless you plan on doing multi-threaded work (video/graphics/etc) you probably won't see much of a boost with the i7 since it has only a slight frequency increase and has Hyperthreading (additional pseudo cores). Single thread performance is about the same.

i7 costs around 100 dollars more. I'm sure the markup on a pre-made system would be much more.


http://cpubenchmark.net/ tests with hyperthreading enabled. Keep that in mind.


Also may want to keep in mind the next generation Intel CPUs (ivy bridge) are scheduled to be released around April 8th. The difference in CPU performance is said to be minimal as this is supposed to be mostly a size reduction (22nm from 32nm) but it is good to consider...


Skip the SSD as this is a hobby box.. I doubt you care about HD clicks and clacks as they access.. or exhaust fan noise..


I wouldn't skimp on the Power supply. You don't have to go crazy either.. but expect to spend 60-120 dollars here for a solid, reliable unit. 500-600w is good. Most Desktop manufacturers tend to use the cheapest possible PSU. I guess this isn't a dealbreaker, but reliable power is a very good thing. Or at the very least a decent warranty.

If *I* were buying a premade.. PSU would be the first thing I replaced.

Basically what swamiill said. I'd go down the build it yourself route. It really is simple.

In the UK at least, there is a Custom PC magazine which each month, shows you how to build whatever spec machine they are doing that month. Worth reading say once a year! Not a magazine to buy every month. One to buy when you want to build a PC.

Avoid buying office or family machines from IBM, HP, Dell and others. Proprietary stuff will lead you to unsolvable problems.

So I am wondering what brands to consider, I kinda know what NOT to consider What are the trusted names in this regard?

And what about AMD processors, should they be avoided completely?

What about this box?

http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/CyberPower_Z68_Configurat or/

What about this, good DAW material? I jokingly told my wife I wanted it and so far she hasn't said no. She's the one with the job so wait and see, but did I do ok configuring it?


Noise Reduction 1 x Advanced - iBUYPOWER Harmony SRS Sound Reduction System
Internal USB Expansion System
Processor 1 x Intel® Core™ i5-2550K Processor (4x 3.40GHz/6MB L3 Cache)
Processor Cooling 1 x Liquid CPU Cooling System [SOCKET-1155]-ARC Dual Silent High Performance Fan Upgrade (Push-Pull Airflow)
Memory 1 x 8 GB [4 GB X2] DDR3-1600 Memory Module-G.Skill Ripjaws
Video Card 1 x AMD Radeon HD 6450 - 1GB
Motherboard 1 x ASUS P8Z68-V LX -- Lucid Virtu Technology
Power Supply 1 x 700 Watt - Standard
Primary Hard Drive 1 x 60 GB ADATA S511 SSD-Single Drive - FREE Upgrade to 120GB ADATA S510
Data Hard Drive 1 x 1 TB HARD DRIVE -- 32M Cache, 7200 RPM, 6.0Gb/s-Single Drive
Optical Drive 1 x 24X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive-Black
Operating System 1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium
Monitor 1 x 24" LED 1920x1080 -- Sceptre E246W-1080P (23.6 viewable)
Advanced Build Options 1 x Tuniq TX-2 High Performance Thermal Compound-The best interface between your CPU and the heatsinks

Subtotal $1,334.00

(edited to the core system, sorry about that!)
Last edited by braj on Mon Mar 05, 2012 6:35 pm; edited 1 time in total

Uh, you wanna par that listing down to the actual hardware buddy,
rather than listing every individual feature of the motherboard?
Might make it easier to read.

Sorry about that, I edited it, hope it is more clear. I included the noise reduction stuff and motherboard etc.

haha!

Sorry to quote the long thing but a couple of things jumped at me on this list.

1) Is this for onboard sound? That shouldn't be important.
2) What does that mean? You get liquid cooled but a fan update? Sorry don't understand.
3) Is it 1x8gb or 2x4gb? Just asking in case of future upgrade/extra ram install.
4) Is that a joke?

Other than that you should be in good shape. Of course by the time you are planning to buy, everything will change

I have a disability that makes all sounds extremely unbearable at times, unless i am the one making them so it is for my sanity to not have a loud box. The liquid cooling if for the processor but my understanding is the box itself will still need ventilation, and so the fan upgrade is to get near-silent fans. The memory is 2 4GB sticks (1 unit price per their inventory system). 4. I am not sure about that, my understanding is it is an advanced adhesive for the CPU. But then I don't know if that is redundant with liquid cooling, as I've never had that before.

Well, I'll hint again to my wife, so who knows, it could come sooner rather than later