I'll start by saying the last time i really looked at building a computer DualCore was the newest boy on the street. So i have no real idea whats out there anymore. But in Short i"m going to school to finish my Gr.12 soon*little late but better than never* And After that i'm going into Audio and recording technology. So i'm looking for reccomendations on parts to build a powerful PC for running synth programs, recording programs, sampling programs and so on*some of them at the same time when purposes call* And considering the synth programs i'd need something so the computer has a MIDI input and the means for plugging a mixer in for live recording. I realize this is not a cheap project by any means but neither is the software that'll be going on it:110: so thanks in advance for any help for one who has fallen, far, behind in the computer world
OK.... Don't worry about an expensive graphics card unless you're gaming. Pointless. Something with dual output or HD or whatever you want will be fine. Chip-wise, it's much of a muchness nowadays and more personal preference if you get Intel or AMD. Go for what you can afford. Dual core as a minimum (obviously). There's usually no need to spend out on the top chip which has a price jump of nearly double! Board-wise, look into the chipsets and what problems they may present. Look specifically on audio forums and see what people like. Read Sound on Sound magazine if you can (www.soundonsound.com). I would avoid Vista for music. XP is stable. Or you could wait and go down the Windows 7 route, but new OS = disaster for music PCs generally. Sound card wise, I'd probably get an external firewire one, although USB2 isn't bad I guess. Look at something like M-Audio, MOTU, Behringer.. or you could get a control surface i.e. a mixer/sound card such as a Tascam, Alesis or Behringer. RAM is so cheap that you might want to get better specced stuff like Corsair, Crucial, Geil, Kingston, OcZ.... I guess you'll be going DDR3. Get matched pairs. Unless you're going for a 64-bit OS, Windows won't recognize over 3.2Gb so buying more than 4Gb would be a waste. That said, even 2Gb should be OK with XP. Software-wise, it's personal preference. Some like Cubase for their sequencer, some like Sonar, I like Nuendo. As for where to go, the usual sources for PC (in the UK places like Scan, Overclockers etc., in the US Newegg.com). Try second hand places, too - I remember there being a very good one in NYC. Oh, B&H in NYC do pro audio stuff, too. Get PC parts from PC parts specialists and audio stuff (sound card, software) from audio specialists. Dolphin Music in the UK are good, not sure about the US or Canada other than the above mentioned. Look in a pro audio magazine or a digital musician's magazine at the ads.
luckily for you, since you're in Canada, there's a newegg.ca site. I would go for DDR3 based system as that is now the defacto RAM. As for sound cards, if it's for audio recording, etc. then look for M-Audio products. They have the audio inputs you need.
gonna be using xp 64-bit most likely. Software is pretty much decided on for synth stuff. Probably gonna go with a M-Audio Delta 1010lt PCI unless something else catches my eye. I decided on most of the parts. Processors are so cheap now. jesus. i remember looking at 1000+ dollar dual cores just not exactly sure what mixer i should get. i don't want to spend much over 200 US for it*under 250 is preferable* and thanks for all the help guys
