Innocent_Bystander
Joined: 25/08/06
Posts: 7
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Hello!
I'm a long time lurker and only occasional poster but I hope I'm not
pushing my luck asking for a little advice here.
After reading many, many
helpful threads on this forum over the years I am about to take the plunge and order:
CPU - AMD Phenom II X4 945 3.0GHz, [AM3, Retail]
MOBO - Asus M4A785D-M
PRO
RMA - Crucial 2GB PC2-5300 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM
PSU - Corsair 550W VX Series
PSU
HDD - 1TB Samsung Spinpoint F3 SATA2 7200RPM 32MB cache
as the best
bang for buck to replace my aging ATHLON 3000 PC. The total price comes to £380 with a
SATA DVDRW and some cables etc.
I'm runnning Reaper with an RME Multiface and
projects usually max out before I'm quite done, so I hope this new machine will mean an
end to latency worries on bigger projects and allow me to look into VSTi drums which would
cripple my current machine.
I have an 400W PSU which I'd like to re-use if
possible, but I appreciate the regular comments not to scrimp on the power supply.
I don't use any case fans at present (I have a 4U rack mount case) but there are
some already in the case which I can start to use if needs be.
If anyone has
any thoughts or advice I'd be most grateful before I take the plunge!
Thanks
for reading and for any help you can offer!
Harry
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UltimateOutsider
Joined: 30/10/09
Posts: 17
Loc: Portland, OR
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Quote Innocent_Bystander:
CPU -
AMD Phenom II X4 945 3.0GHz, [AM3, Retail]
MOBO - Asus M4A785D-M PRO
RMA -
Crucial 2GB PC2-5300 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM
PSU - Corsair 550W VX Series PSU
HDD -
1TB Samsung Spinpoint F3 SATA2 7200RPM 32MB cache
Intel > AMD. I don't know the current prices, but really the i7s
cannot be beat.
Also, even if you MUST buy AMD (  ), treat yourself to at least 4GB RAM. Most of the first gig is going to
be occupied by the OS (assuming you're running Win 7 or Vista), and VSTs fill your RAM up
fast.
Also, does that motherboard have a media card reader? If so, you can get
yourself a 4GB SDHC card (about $9 USD) to take advantage of readyboost, which speeds up
application switching/launching on Vista and Win 7. Pretty nice.
--------------------
Gateway NX860XL, 32-bit Win 7, Core Duo 2.00 GHz, 2 GB RAM, 7200 RPM HD, NVIDIA GeForce Go 7900 w/256MB VRAM |MOTU UltraLite MK3 | MOTU micro lite | Cubase 5.00
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Pete Kaine
member
Joined: 10/07/03
Posts: 789
Loc: Manchester
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Quote UltimateOutsider:
Also, does that motherboard have a media card reader? If so, you can get yourself a 4GB
SDHC card (about $9 USD) to take advantage of readyboost, which speeds up application
switching/launching on Vista and Win 7. Pretty nice.
That's the most pointless feature that MS ever implimented. The
usb buss that the cards are fed through isn't upto it to be honest. Better off just
spending it on more ram or not at all in my opinion.
--------------------
www.scan.co.uk
3XS Audio Systems
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daposti
member
Joined: 11/03/03
Posts: 459
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Just thought i'd add my 2 schillings. I built an Intel system Q8200 4gb DDR 1066. It
handles anything in cubase but wanna upgrade the cpu to a q9550 just to be on the safe
side. The AMD system is cheaper and more bang for your buck though. I'd get faster ram
atleast DDR800. Although dont the AM3 boards support DDR3? That would future proof you a
bit more. I agree with the above post that 4gb ram is the way especially with prices being
so cheap these days.
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Innocent_Bystander
Joined: 25/08/06
Posts: 7
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Hello!
Thanks very much for the replies.
I went for the AMD over the
Intel because it seemed to be (particularly from Table 4 Two's posts!) that this was the
better option outside of the i7. While I'd love one, the i7 is simply beyond my
budget...
I'm sure I'll come to need more RAM and I hope that this'll be an
easy enough upgrade in the future. But, at present I have never hit a problem with RAM and
my current machine only has 1Gig installed so I hope 2 will be enough for now.
Given that my current machine is 'almost' ok, I hope that this upgrade will give me more
than enough power for my needs (almost entirely audio, no VSTi at present) witout breaking
the bank.
I have a (retail, not OEM) copy of XP and intend using that since I
know it works ok for my needs. Again, I hope I'm right with this.
Thanks again
for reading and to those who have replied. It's really appreciated.
Any more
thoughts?
Cheers
Harry
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