What's up guys? So, I've decided to build myself an awesome PC for my music recording needs. The problem is, I don't know anything about specific computer components; I know what components are needed, I just don't know about brands, models etc... All I really know is that I want a 3+ Gig pentium 4 chip. I have about $700 to spend, and I already have a moniter. What other things should I get (brand and model specific,) and where can I get them? Thanks so much for your help guys.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
Time to build myself a PC
- Thread starter Shredder
- Start date
Well I buy from Newegg.com for the most part. Overall the best rpice and service, imho.
Now on to the other part. I have built several systems. My Pen 4 for recording died last week and I decided to really upgrade.
I like ASUS because in the past they have been rock stable for my recording platforms.
This time I went with a P5GD2 Deluxe that has the new PCI X along with the PCI slots.
I also used a SATA HD with this system.
Personally, I think they rushed this board to market. The manual is tough to figure out. A few things on the MB still don't work and are showing up in XP. I can't find the drivers for the damn things.
Now to the bad part. I tried using an Echo Layla 20 with this computer and after anywhere from 5 - 20 minutes the card would stop working. I tweaked the PCI BIOS and got it to work for up to 45 minutes.
I have now tweaked the BIOS to turn off Hyper-Threading and running it through the paces. This may have been the problem.
The point of this: Be carefull! My personal opinion is that computers are in a transition with hyper threading and the new PCI buss and I am not sure that the music sound card people are up to speed yet.
USB should be ok, but the PCI bandwagon is changing, Firewire is catching on. It is hard to say which direction everything is going and things could be outdated real soon.
PS Hyper Threading wasn't the problem. The Echo card stopped again. RRRRGHH..
Now on to the other part. I have built several systems. My Pen 4 for recording died last week and I decided to really upgrade.
I like ASUS because in the past they have been rock stable for my recording platforms.
This time I went with a P5GD2 Deluxe that has the new PCI X along with the PCI slots.
I also used a SATA HD with this system.
Personally, I think they rushed this board to market. The manual is tough to figure out. A few things on the MB still don't work and are showing up in XP. I can't find the drivers for the damn things.
Now to the bad part. I tried using an Echo Layla 20 with this computer and after anywhere from 5 - 20 minutes the card would stop working. I tweaked the PCI BIOS and got it to work for up to 45 minutes.
I have now tweaked the BIOS to turn off Hyper-Threading and running it through the paces. This may have been the problem.
The point of this: Be carefull! My personal opinion is that computers are in a transition with hyper threading and the new PCI buss and I am not sure that the music sound card people are up to speed yet.
USB should be ok, but the PCI bandwagon is changing, Firewire is catching on. It is hard to say which direction everything is going and things could be outdated real soon.
PS Hyper Threading wasn't the problem. The Echo card stopped again. RRRRGHH..
Last edited:
I am a certified computer technician and I love ASUS Motherboards. I would recommend getting a dual ASUS Xeon board (this way you can add a 2nd processor later and when microsoft comes out with the 64-bit intel version of XP, you wont have to upgrade and you'll already have a dual board...make sure the board supports a 64-bit PCI card system...I would even say get SCSI hard drives (Not IDE or EIDE) or Serial ATA (SATA)....they are faster and you will need that recording. I say you need at least 1GB of RAM....your motherboard specs will tell you what RAM to get (check it before you order or you might be in trouble)...and dont get the generic RAM!! It will probably be DDR (Double Data Rate) if you go with ASUS.
Its important to check the motherboard specs!!! If you get a SCSI hard drive but your motherboard only supports ATA it wont work!! Also, if your motherboard doesn't have an onboard video or sound card, you'll need to get one seperately. YOU WILL NEED AN AWESOME SOUND CARD FOR RECORDING!!!!!!...also dont forget your cables (this is what most people forget)
You will also probably want a good CD burner to burn your recordings.
I usually search www.pricewatch.com ...they have KILLER DEALS!!!! It's probably best to get your motherboard, processor and heatsink in one package to ensure compatibility!
Case & Power Supply
Motherboard, Processor, Heatsink
1 GB RAM
Hard drive (SCSI for speed)
Sound & video cards
CD Burner & Floppy Drive
Cables
This should get it done!!!!!
Its important to check the motherboard specs!!! If you get a SCSI hard drive but your motherboard only supports ATA it wont work!! Also, if your motherboard doesn't have an onboard video or sound card, you'll need to get one seperately. YOU WILL NEED AN AWESOME SOUND CARD FOR RECORDING!!!!!!...also dont forget your cables (this is what most people forget)
You will also probably want a good CD burner to burn your recordings.
I usually search www.pricewatch.com ...they have KILLER DEALS!!!! It's probably best to get your motherboard, processor and heatsink in one package to ensure compatibility!
Case & Power Supply
Motherboard, Processor, Heatsink
1 GB RAM
Hard drive (SCSI for speed)
Sound & video cards
CD Burner & Floppy Drive
Cables
This should get it done!!!!!
A
amivida
Guest
I recommend http://www.zipzoomfly.com for parts. Theres's free 2nd day shipping on most everything. Also http://www.cnet.com has alot of information on computer parts and their forums are great for information. The product ratings are pretty accurate.
for a motherboard : i recommend MSI, asus, abit (all good brands I've tried) I particularly like MSI
hard drive : maxtor, seagate
memory : kingston is pretty good
good luck!
for a motherboard : i recommend MSI, asus, abit (all good brands I've tried) I particularly like MSI
hard drive : maxtor, seagate
memory : kingston is pretty good
good luck!
if you are only going to be monitoring your recording, onboard video is all you need....but when you start recording, the refresh rate may come into play (so the wavs appear with no delay)....but if you get an awesome motherboard with onboard video...the video card will probably be all you need......and remember this....the motherboard and processor are like the engine in the car....it doesn't matter how pretty the car is or how many features the car has....it's whats under the hood that matters.....so get the best motherboard you can find and fill in the gaps later...
I build a computers all the time, so if you need any help, just post...
I build a computers all the time, so if you need any help, just post...