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help me buy a PC
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View this Thread in Original format
| stefanoc |
i have been looking for a PC to buy for production and recording.
what i need to use this PC for is to download tracks, browse internet, record mixes, produce music. i dont play games. i need to use softwares like Live, Cubase, Fruity Loops, Sound Forge, and similar programs.
is this enough power to start with? is $850 a good price for it? what else do you guys recommend to add on this? what sound card is the best bang for the buck?
in the near future, im planning to buy an access virus c, some decent keyboard and other things. any recommendation is welcome
This is an HP PC
AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core Processor 3800+
1GB PC3200 DDR Memory
250GB SATA Hard Drive
Double Layer Light Scribe DVD+R/RW Drive
128MB ATI Radeon Express 200 Integrated Graphics
9-in-1 Memory Card Drive
USB 2.0 & Firewire
thanks |
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| IKKI-ZUVK |
| I'm actually going to help you... Do not get a PC, get a Mac |
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| wood0292 |
| quote: | Originally posted by IKKI-ZUVK
I'm actually going to help you... Do not get a PC, get a Mac |
Oh man....here we go again! |
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| djsphere |
funny, you forgot about the soundcard!
ahahaha
the rest seems good enough |
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| retrobyte |
| quote: | Originally posted by wood0292
Oh man....here we go again! |
I was just thinking the same thing :rolleyes: let's help him out with his PC configuration and leave the PC/Mac debate to that thread :p
If I were you I'd stay away from a lot of the pre-packaged consumer PCs (from HP, Dell, etc). A lot of them come loaded with tons of software that'll just bog the system down from the get go. If you have the know-how, I'd suggest sticking with just building it yourself from the ground up. It often gives you more bang for your buck, and it's easier to customize.
The processor you chose is a good one, but keep in mind that not many programs are optimized for 64-bit processing yet - particularly audio applications. The only program I can think of offhand that can take advantage of that boost is Cakewalk Sonar. So even though it's a great chip, you're not going to everything you can out of it from the get go.
1GB of RAM is a sufficient starting point for audio work, but if you're doing some more intense stuff and a lot of multitasking, you might want to invest in more a couple months down the road as you see fit.
And as djsphere said, a good soundcard is always a must for serious audio work. The M-Audio website is always a great place to start if you've never shopped around for a sound card before. |
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| DigiNut |
How many of these threads do we need before people learn to (a) use the search or (b) do their own research?
Set a price range for yourself and get the best hardware you can afford. It's that simple. And don't buy consumer-level PCs from big companies like Dell, HP, Gateway, or eMachines - ever. |
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| qiushiming |
| quote: | Originally posted by DigiNut
And don't buy consumer-level PCs from big companies like Dell, HP, Gateway, or eMachines - ever. |
id have to disagree with that a bit...
if you know what you are doing, and wait around for awhile...youll find that dell offers some crazy ass deals on hardware (lcds included). once you get a cheap pc from them..you can always strip the unnecessary that dell puts in
but yeah building your own pc gives you so much more pride and joy |
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| echosystm |
| quote: | Originally posted by qiushiming
id have to disagree with that a bit...
if you know what you are doing, and wait around for awhile...youll find that dell offers some crazy ass deals on hardware (lcds included). once you get a cheap pc from them..you can always strip the unnecessary that dell puts in
but yeah building your own pc gives you so much more pride and joy |
Thats because theyre usually recertified you just don't know it ;P
Besides, dell are in general everyone knows they buy the dodgy batches... |
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| DigiNut |
Dell uses commodity-based purchasing, which means they buy massive quantities of whatever happens to be the best value at a given time in order to build their systems. They don't care about performance or reliability.
This approach has actually proven better in the consumer market than HP, Gateway, etc., because those other companies don't even care about value, they simply buy the cheapest components they can find (often end-of-line or nearly-end-of-line) and cut corners wherever possible. That is why their pricing is so "cheap".
Compaq and IBM do a better job in the server market. When it comes to consumer-oriented PCs, though, the only big company I've seen do a decent job is Alienware, and obviously the smaller computer stores.
Don't buy mass-marketed consumer PCs, for any reason, under any circumstances. And if you do, don't say I didn't warn you. |
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| stefanoc |
found a better unit, i believe
http://www.circuitcity.com/rpsm/oid...ication.do#tabs
how about something like this, custom made though.
i didnt forget about the sound card. but for now, sound card is a later addition probably.
p.s. what decent sound cards do usually electronics store sell? or is it better to purchase a specific one online? |
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| ���|E |
| quote: | Originally posted by DigiNut
Don't buy mass-marketed consumer PCs, for any reason, under any circumstances. And if you do, don't say I didn't warn you. |
+1,000,000,000,000
Research what EVERYTHING in ur computer does, spend a couple of weeks doing this, reading as many articles and reviews as u can, dont just jump on here and ask "will this do".
Spending the 3 weeks doing this will prove invaluable :) |
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| elecmfreak |
| quote: | Originally posted by IKKI-ZUVK
I'm actually going to help you... Do not get a PC, get a Mac |
Exactly wha i said in my head when i read the thread ! GET A MAC.. |
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