New Edm production pc

[kx.001]

I've got that case - the fans aren't that quiet so look into getting a couple of replacements fitted. And a replacement on the heatpipe cooler if you're using that.

[Musical Gym]

I'd be interested in building something like this myself but would require some help due to my limited hardware installation experience.

I probably won't have the total cash for awhile but perhaps could start getting some of the components for it monthly until I have it all.

Are there any tutorials or instruction resources for building something like this for relative beginners?

[kx.001]

Are there any tutorials or instruction resources for building something like this for relative beginners?

I did mine myself with no problems. Have a mooch about for tutorials - I think I followed one from somewhere like lifehacker or whatever its called. My previous knowledge was limited to replacing HDDs etc, but I've not had any problems with my machine since then.

It may not look as tidy as some inside (at least to start with) but I don't look inside very often...

[Musical Gym]

Are there any tutorials or instruction resources for building something like this for relative beginners?

I did mine myself with no problems. Have a mooch about for tutorials - I think I followed one from somewhere like lifehacker or whatever its called. My previous knowledge was limited to replacing HDDs etc, but I've not had any problems with my machine since then.

It may not look as tidy as some inside (at least to start with) but I don't look inside very often...

Thanks for input. If you remember which one you followed, please post back with link.

[EnGee]

I can't really upgrade stuff like the monitor etc due to budget, would a graphics card and better psu make much difference ? I would end up having to downgrade other stuff that I was lead to believe was more important for production such as ram/cpu/hard drive etc

I wish budget wasn't an issue but it is and I am stretching myself big time I was hoping to get something decent for about £600-£800 also I am getting on 12 month 0% finance so getting someone to build isn't a option

I think the mobo I have selected has wifi, there is some more options but they cost between £50-100 more and I have no idea what difference there is

I thought I would be able to get a decent enough soundcard with it as last time I looked into all this stuff they were mainly built in that people used, I will also be having a go at digital dj'ing so not sure what difference that makes regarding soundcards, I have always been a vinyl DJ so all this stuff just makes my head spin

The Graphic card and a better monitor help seeing better Not integrated graphic cards help with better general performance but not really that much.

You can choose a motherboard without wifi and buy usb wifi adapter for about £20. I have my old desktop in the other room with a usb adapter connected to the router in other room.

I don't think the sound card you want to buy is for music production. I know it is for gamers. It might be a good temporary solution but I didn't use it. I use my integrated sound card now (it is ok i don't have a problem with it) and before i used Tascam audio interface.

[kx.001]

Are there any tutorials or instruction resources for building something like this for relative beginners?

I did mine myself with no problems. Have a mooch about for tutorials - I think I followed one from somewhere like lifehacker or whatever its called. My previous knowledge was limited to replacing HDDs etc, but I've not had any problems with my machine since then.

It may not look as tidy as some inside (at least to start with) but I don't look inside very often...

Thanks for input. If you remember which one you followed, please post back with link.

It was a while ago, but I'll try. I will say, the only bit that made me nervous was fitting the CPU - it involved an unnerving amount of force to get in place, and I was worried about how much heat paste to put on it. Otherwise it was just fitting bolts in the right order

[Aiynzahev]

I have a small SSD. Windows loads very fast, everything does. Perhaps think about a small SSD for your windows and programs.

I have to regrets with building my PC.

1. I didn't buy a poweful enough power supply. I underestimated the power requirements, one day it blew and took the MB with it. Thankfully the SSD was fine.

2. I bought an i5 2500k. I wish I have saved up a little longer for something more powerful. Though I might start to O/C it.

[Greeny1210]

Thanks for all the advice so far guys based on all that I have changed my specs to the ones below, comes out just over £1000 which in all honestly is a bit much so hoping to shave a bit off, if anyone could point out the areas I could best do this, that would be great also any things that might not be good enough would also be cool



Case
COOLERMASTER SILEO 500 QUIET MID TOWER CASE

Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5 Quad Core Processor i5-3570K (3.4GHz) 6MB Cache

Motherboard
ASUS® P8Z77-V: PCI-E 3.0 READY, WIFI, SLI, CROSSFIREX

Memory (RAM)
16GB KINGSTON HYPER-X GENESIS DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz, X.M.P (4 x 4GB KIT)

Graphics Card
1GB NVIDIA GEFORCE 210 - DVI, HDMI, VGA

Memory - 1st Hard Disk
128GB KINGSTON V200 SSD, SATA 6 Gb (300MB/R, 190MB/W) (Special Offer)

2nd Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD1002FAEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)

1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM

Power Supply
600W Quiet 80 PLUS Quad Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan

Processor Cooling
SUPER QUIET 22dBA TRIPLE COPPER HEATPIPE INTEL CPU COOLER (£19)

Sound Card
Creative Sound Blaster® Audigy™ SE (£19)

Network Facilities
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT - AS STANDARD ON ALL PCs

USB Options
6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL (MIN 2 FRONT PORTS) AS STANDARD

Firewire
SIIG 3-PORT FIREWIRE 800 (2x 9-pin, 1x 6-pin) PCI-Ex x1, TI Chipset

Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence (£79)

Office Software
FREE Microsoft® Office Starter 2010 (Limited functionality Word & Excel)

Anti-Virus
BULLGUARD INTERNET SECURITY - FREE 90 DAY TRIAL

Monitor
AOC 21.5" WIDESCREEN LED TFT - 1920 x 1080, 5MS, D-Sub, DVI-D (£89)

DVI-D & HDMI Monitor Cables
1 x 2 METRE DVI-D CABLE (£5)

Keyboard & Mouse
LOGITECH® MK260 WIRELESS KEYBOARD & MOUSE COMBO (£20)

Surge Protection
6 Socket Compact 2M UFO Surge Protector + Auto Power Off Function (£19)

Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)

Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)

Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 9 to 11 working days
Quantity 1

[Kaine]

The USB2 Scarlett range from Focusrite scores better than the older FW Saffires for RTL scores. The FW over USB2 arguement has become a moot point with newer hardware as they've learnt to refine the drivers and controllers to optimize the connection.

Egh, I wouldn't say it's a moot point. I personally have had much better luck with FireWire than USB, but everyone's experience is different. Dude is just asking for opinions to help make an informed decision--no need to say anyone's points are "moot," as is it all subjective to personal experience.

If it had been a few years back I'd have agreed with you completely, but the latest generation of USB 2 devices have narrowed the field to such a point where the FW vs USB argument simply isn't valid anymore as the are plenty of good and bad examples on both sides of the fence.

I didn't mean to dismiss your personal experience and it wasn't your experience that I was referring to as "moot" rather that due to driver development most the larger players have leveled the playing field between the two protocols these days. Similarly I'm just giving my own experience of how the market place currently stands after a shed load of testing & benchmarking!

I would second the suggestion about upgrading the PSU and graphics cards if possible, but I still think you should stick with the 3570k CPU. Seriously, it is extremely powerful.

The 450 PSU is more than enough for the 3570k as the whole rig with a low end gfx card or using the onboard gfx shouldn't pull more than 350w in total. Going up a cpu or gfx card level to something higher through should probably trigger a jump in PSU power output too mind.

[allofdrab]

I will also be having a go at digital dj'ing so not sure what difference that makes regarding soundcards, I have always been a vinyl DJ so all this stuff just makes my head spin

Well, if you want to be able to cue tracks, and you don't have SPDIF digital speakers; you're going to want another line (or headphone) out. In other words; the Audigy SE only has one line out. For traditional djing that involves cueing tracks; you'll want two outputs - one going to your speakers, the other to your headphones. The Audigy SE DOES have two outs, but one is for an SPDIF cable, which I'm not sure you have a use for. Also, I'm not sure how well you could route to the Audigy SE's separate outputs using a djing app like, say; Traktor.

[allofdrab]

On the other hand, you MIGHT be able to use the integrated/mother board audio out for, say; your headphones, if you have integrated audio as well.