building an audio workstation/gaming PC

[Noize Anomaly]

i need to build a PC, mainly for audio production, but will be doing some gaming on there too.

the two processors i was looking at are:

AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 4400+ s939 CPU

Frequency 2.2 GHZ
Front Side Bus 1600 MHZ
Cache 2x1 MB
Socket 939
CPU Fan and Heatsink included

price $729.00

or....

Intel Pentium 4 650 3.4 GHz 2MB LGA775 CPU

Frequency 3.4 GHz
Front Side Bus 800 MHz
Cache 2 MB L2
Socket 775
CPU Fan and Heatsink included

price $535.00

is it worth the extra money for the athlon? i see it has a lower clock speed, but a faster bus. does this compensate? what is dual core?

also, what motherboard would i use for either CPU?

on top of that, is a hard drive, video card, RAM, and casing all i need? any tips for a quiet casing?

i already have a really good audio interface. i will need firewire and USB ports. oh yeah... i guess a dvd player/burner too.

how much roughly will all this cost?

[mander]

Myself personally, I would go for the AMD. Its a but more money but I believe will be the better choice for upgrading in the future if needed. Not sure about the rest of your questions as I am still a novice. Even with the slower processor speed, you should be fine with it for gaming. I would recommend minimum 512 megs of ram if gaming if not 1 gig. I am sure others will be better to advise you.

[Noize Anomaly]

thanks for the reply.

actually, that was the fastest CPU speed i could find on the athlon. i think the dual core thing makes up for it. but i don't know anything....

yeah i'll be putting as much RAM as i can in it. i would like to get at least 4 gigs. how much RAM can you put in a PC? my cousin's powermac can get 8 gigs. i'll settle for at least 2 though. i'm going to be running LOTS of plug-ins.

why is the AMD more upgradable than the P4?


oh yeah i forgot to ask, is 64 bit actually something that gets used? i only know the program i've been using for audio, logic on the mac, takes advantage of it. but is it worth it for a PC?

and another thing i forgot to ask....what about dual rocessors? i only know that on a mac, some applications take advantage of it, and some don't. is it the same with PC? is that worth considering?

[Steven]

64bit, not on a PC. Not yet. And that computer you're building will be a year old before 64bit becomes more available.
From experience: those p4's run REAL HOT! I have the 640 (3.2ghz) it's 49c idle, 66 load. And Intel tells me that's "Within specs".... lol

[Noize Anomaly]

hmm....

but you have a laptop right? doesn't a laptop processor get hotter? or is it the other way around?

can someone recommend a VERY good system then? should i just buy the 64 bit stuff now, or will upgrading it later be a problem?


is it worth it to build your own system, or should just buy one pre-made?

i need to make a decision fast.

[Dr.Dan]

There's no need for you to get the dual core A64... you're not going to use it for quite some time.
Just get the best A64 CPU and it'll be much cheaper.

There isn't much in the way of 64bit apps out for windows at this time...

Don't confuse what you can do on a Mac with what you can't do on a PC... throwing allot of ram into it is a waste.
Chances are that 1 gig will be the most you're going to need on a PC

[tsehou]

Intel's new dual core processors which will be based off the Pentium M arrive next year and will feature lower temperatures and use less power.

The current Intel dual core processors were generally a quick job so that they could have a product that competed against AMD.

And for applications to take advantage of dual core they must be programmed for it. Most multimedia encoding applications are coded to take advantage of it, but games aren't. So you won't notice any performance difference between a dual core and non dual core. Eventually all programs will take advantage of dual core but that time is not now. So only buy dual core if you need it, otherwise single core is more than enough for now.

[Dr.Dan]

is it worth it to build your own system, or should just buy one pre-made?
I don't know where you are, but I'd go to a reliable computer store near you and have them build you one to your needs...

DON'T go out and buy a pre made system from a 'big box' store.

[Noize Anomaly]

i live in oshawa....i was thinking of going to best byte in whitby. good/bad idea?

by the way, the gaming is by FAR a secondary use for this machine. i need it for audio production first and foremost. and more RAM is optimal in that case.

what is the best AMD processor out that won't have me paying for unnecessary features? i guess i'll leave the dual core thing for now. and, what motherboard should i use for it?

thanks a lot for the help.

from what i've been researching, PC users in the music indusry swear by DFI or Asus motherboards. will they work with an AMD 64?

from what i can see on best byte's site, i am choosing between

Intel Pentium 4 650 3.4 GHz 2MB LGA775 CPU

Frequency 3.4 GHz
Front Side Bus 800 MHz
Cache 2 MB L2
Socket 775
CPU Fan and Heatsink included

price $535.00

or

AMD Athlon 64 4000+ s939 CPU

Frequency 2.4 GHz
Front Side Bus 1 GHz
Cache 1 MB
Socket 939 cpu fan and heatsink included

price $489.00


the pentium's clock speed is a lot faster but is it actually a better processor? or is it worth while to go with the athlon so i will have a 64 bit cpu for later? how upgradable are they?

[Noize Anomaly]

ok i am getting a system built at best byte computers in whitby. i guess with the athlon. they are going to fax me everything. when they do i'll post it here and run it by you guys to make sure i am not getting ripped off, or buying something stupid.

one last thing....windows XP home edition or the other one? (i forget what it is called hehehe)

[Dr.Dan]

If you're in Oshawa, why not at least talk to The Computer Mechanics and see what they can build for you before you have Best Byte build you one... support the lil guy that gives great service :)

And yes, you want the A64... as much as I'm an Intel guy, that series of Intel CPUs suck... I wouldn't even consider one til they move on to the next design.
Just about every board manufacturer makes several boards for s939 CPU.
My personal MB choice is MSI, but both of those are good too... DFI has some really nice boards out these days :)

As for the OS, you could probably go with 'Home Edition' but my personal choice is 'Pro Edition'

[Noize Anomaly]

i didn't know CM were in oshawa. where are they? i'll go there.

now the computer price ended up being about 2700 $$$...that including dual displays and 2 gigs of ram. i think i'll cut the ram down to 1 gig and only get one display for now. i was hoping on getting a PC for $2000 or less. otherwise, i may as well just buy a powermac.

if i remember right it was $229 for the Asus motherboard. i don't know which one because i can't get the fax print out until tomorrow.

$272 for the RAM. but i'm only going to get 1 gig so that will be cheaper.

$200 for the HD. i couldn't quite understand the guy on the phone because my phone sucks, but it was actually some kind of double hard drive. i think i will not get this. maybe just a standard 80 gig hard drive. i already have a 300 gig external anyway.

$229 for the graphics card. an n-vidia 6600 gt or something like that. i need a good graphics card for games, and one that supports dual display.

$70 for the DVD srive/burner/whatever

and $130 for the case. i forget the company, but the model is called Sonatta i think. i seem to remember something about 380 watts having to do with it. anyway, i need something very quiet for recording.

so, what do you guys recommend for getting this beast down to $2000 or less? hopefully including a 17 inch flat screen. i'll buy the other one later. i don't need a sound card because i have an external audio/MIDI interface (edirol FA-66). or do i still need a sound card....i don't think i do.

[Dr.Dan]

Right on the main page:



195 Simcoe Street South,
Oshawa, Ontario



905-571-2552


1-877-571-2552

Hours:
Monday - Friday, 9am to 7pm
Saturday, 10am to 4pm






http://www.thecomputermechanics.com/modules.php?name=Jig

[Noize Anomaly]

awesome. i didn't even know that. i'm a dumb ass hahahahaa

i'll probably swing by there today.

[Athlon2600Plus]

Why go to BestByte when you can go to The Computer Mechanics!!!Next PC I get will be made by them..just a thought...

[Drthorne]

I have the Antec Sonata Case and it's not that quiet, there is a new one called the Sonata II that's susposedly quieter and about the same price

Make sure your motherboard has an nforce 4 chipset. most motherboards come with firewire ports and the antec case has a firewire port on the front

you gonna use onboard sound?

Future Shop has a Logitech keyboard on sale for $9.99, $25 off and a $15 mail in rebate, it's keys are pretty quite also

[marko_316]

awesome. i didn't even know that. i'm a dumb ass hahahahaa

i'll probably swing by there today.
please never buy a computer from best buy if youa re planning on actualy using it for audio work. crappy loud cases, crappy power supplies, go to the CM, or look around and build your own system. best buy in this case is not the best buy, not even in the top 10. its like you taking a Porsche to a Kia mechanic, he knows cars but not the finley tuned details they are set to. Same thing with BB, the guy there might know his computers, but it doesnt even by a long shot mean, that he can configure one for recording.

[Dr.Dan]

please never buy a computer from best buy if youa re planning on actualy using it for audio work.He said Best Byte not Best Buy ;)
Never did hear back from him... wonder how he made out with TCM??

[Athlon2600Plus]

Best Byte in Whitby has changed ( I will be very careful here0 I do not want to put them down at all, some of the guys and gals there know thier stuff and i have respect for that and they have some impressive stuff, however they have gotten pretty industrial , like futureshop if you will, only they deal in computers and software. My best recommendation is to check out the TCM , I am confident they would not stear you wrong and they would put a lot of care into making the suitable computer to meet your needs and price range

[Athlon2600Plus]

added note, that bestbyte do not sell name brand pcs like futureshop, although for a brief time they did sell IBM , they must have had some sweet deal or something there but it was a brief love affair