[ddots-l] Re: new computer questions
- From: "Dan Rugman" <danrugman@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <ddots-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 16 Jun 2006 03:35:04 +0100
Some of this depends on how important a reliable audio work station is to you.
To be honest, if you make a living from producing, recording or composing
then you'll need an machine which is 100% reliable. If this is the case then
you should seriously consider trying to get a machine from an audio computer
specialist.
The problems a lot of people have are usually caused by an inappropriate
setup rather than the actual machine, although choosing the right internal
components is essential.
The advantage of the specialists is that they know exactly what components
work best together for audio and they'll give it to you with all the relevant
software installed. You just send them your copies of Sonar, Jaws and anything
else which is important. The real benefit of this is that they make sure there
are no conflicts or bottle knecks in the system so the thing is optimised for
audio out of the box. You won't have to worry about drivers, system tweaks or
any of the 55 other things that general purpose machines throw up.
If you have to get a Del then make sure you get a business machine not a home
machine. You'll also need to reinstall everything when you get it. They'll
install a load of things that you don't need and that sometimes get in the way.
Also, if you can, never let the machine go on the internet. Aside from the
risks of infections and attacks, all the software that goes with being on line,
such as IE, updates, antivirus and firewalls will also put extra drag on the
system. There are also a series of changes that you'll need to make in windows
to ensure best performance in sonar which Del definitely won't do for you.
Things like fixing the page file size, optimising background processes and a
few other things.
As for the processor: a dual core is better but a single core can cope with
the work load. If you go for single core then you shouldn't need anything much
above 3GHz. Once you go beyond this the processor speed isn't as important as
the other things like RAM speed, hard disk settup and so on.
Two hard drives is a must but 2 x 250GBs isn't necessary. One drive should
be a system drive that you put software on and will only need to be about 80GB.
The other drive will have all audio files on and 250/300GB should be fine for
that.
As for RAM, 2 should be OK but if your planning to upgrade later then 4 now
is better, that way you'll avoid the problems of getting the right type for
your system, it will also work out cheaper in the long run.
The other thing to remember is that you'll need a sound device for jaws. Del
machines usually come with SoundMax on board cards which should do for this.
I know It sounds like alot but if your really serious about getting a
dedicated audio machine for professional work then you need to get it right the
first time.
----- Original Message -----
From: Cameron
To: ddots-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Friday, June 16, 2006 1:13 AM
Subject: [ddots-l] new computer questions
Hi everybody. My laptop was repaired by Dell but it failed and it's as bad
as it was before. They won't replace the machine even though it's under
warranty. So, it'll be time for a desktop soon.
I have a processor question. Would it be better to go for a Pentium 4 3.6 or
3.8, or, a dual core Pentium D 2.8 processor?
Would I have any conflicts with Sonar or other software/plug ins with the
dual core option?
Also, I'm leaning towards 2 gigs of ram. Should I go even higher or can that
wait for down the road?
I'm also going to be sure to get a really good fan and a good power supply
etc.
I'm thinking of two on board serial arta 7200rpm 250 gig hard drives, I
already have an external 500gig for backup purposes.
This is primarily for music production work.
Any feedback would be helpful. It'll probably be a Dell as I can get
assistance with purchasing the machine but due to a state contract, they can
only buy from Dell.
I plan to do multi track audio as well as using virtual instruments and
samples etc so I need to be sure that my new machine can handle everything
comfortably.
Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
I already have all of the software as well as the Tascam FW1884.
Thanks,
Cameron.
www.cameronstrife.com
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