Music Production Computer Build?

A

Armpits

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Getting new computer in 2 weeks for music production and multi-tasking. As you can see I'm not a game fan. My budget is around $900 (Australia)

I'm thinking of getting the following:

CPU -> Intel CORE i7-930, is this any fast, good and reliable?

MOTHERBOARD -> What brand should I go with? And what's a decent one for my selected processor? Looking for one around $270

RAM -> What brand should I go with? Looking for around 4g/b (DDR3), not too pricey? What's no ECC and ECC mean? Which is better? Price range looking near $200AU

GFX -> Since I'm not into games, can I use my old GFX card? Which is the Radeon RX800-GURU?

Anything else I need that is essential? Because the rest I can use from my old computer?
 
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Most of the computers works just fine with Studio programs, at least with Cubase. I have myself over 5 years old laptop. You just need a good sound card (for example E-mu is not too expensive). All problems I've heard are sound card related :D
 
maceman said:
Most of the computers works just fine with Studio programs, at least with Cubase. I have myself over 5 years old laptop. You just need a good sound card (for example E-mu is not too expensive). All problems I've heard are sound card related :D
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What are your specs of your laptop? If it works fine for you without lag then wow you must not be using alot of VST's on Cubase.

Well right now I have a normal Creative Sound Blaster soundcard, and it seems to be working fine with Cubase?
 
Armpits said:
Getting new computer in 2 weeks for music production and multi-tasking. As you can see I'm not a game fan. My budget is around $900 (Australia)

I'm thinking of getting the following:

CPU -> Intel CORE i7-930, is this any fast, good and reliable?
Click to expand...

That is a very good processor.

Armpits said:
RAM -> What brand should I go with? Looking for around 4g/b (DDR3), not too pricey? What's no ECC and ECC mean? Which is better? Price range looking near $200AU
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Get the "normal" non-ECC memory. ECC stands for Error Correction Code. RAM with this feature can correct errors that it detects and is mostly used in servers. The disadvantage is that it is usually slightly slower and more expensive than non-ECC RAM.

If you're going to be running a lot of VSTs (effects, instruments) than go for a lot of memory. I've noticed that 4Gb isn't quite enough so I'd go for more memory just because of that. Taking into consideration that the Intel Core i7 930 supports triple-channel memory, which also gives you the best performance, I suggest you get at least 6Gb of memory (three 2Gb sticks of RAM).

Armpits said:
GFX -> Since I'm not into games, can I use my old GFX card? Which is the Radeon RX800-GURU?
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As long as it is a PCI-E graphics card it should work in any new motherboard.

Armpits said:
Anything else I need that is essential? Because the rest I can use from my old computer?
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- What operating system are you going to use? Remember that 32-bit operating systems cannot utilize more than about 3.5-4.0Gb of RAM, so to take full advantage of 4Gb+ RAM you need to get a 64-bit operating system.

- What sort of music production are you going to be doing? Does it involve recording audio (instruments etc.) via the sound card or will you be using samples available on the hard drive?

- If you are going to be recording audio, especially instruments, then you should make sure that there are ASIO drivers for your sound card or consider getting a new sound card that has ASIO drivers. ASIO allows for low latencies and good quality, which makes it ideal for tracking for example guitars.

- Make backups of your projects regularly, preferably multiple backups. An external hard drive is a good and relatively cheap option for backups.
 
Damn I don't think I can use my graphics card. I think it's AGP! Does this mean I have to waste more money on a GFX card? :(

And for the soundcard, I will be using this old one for the time being, it does alright just for samples, and making beats.
 
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Armpits said:
Damn I don't think I can use my graphics card. I think it's AGP! Does this mean I have to waste more money on a GFX card? :(
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Most likely. If you're not going to play games on the computer you might as well get a cheap graphics card that has passive cooling (less noise to distract you when working).
 
Thanks Mr Jack for taking your time to help me :)

I dunno which motherboard is good out of these, so which one should I get:

- Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R
- ASUS P6T
- ASUS P6T-SE

Those 3 seem to fit in my budget at the moment. I dunno if their any good though :(
 
Mobo - depends on how much you want to spend...
MSI MSI X58 Pro-E
http://www.pricespy.com.au/pno_15394.html

Asustek P6T
http://www.pricespy.com.au/pno_14824.html

RAM - X58 support triple channel. So most ppl would go for 3x2GB

Video card - you can't use the old one. you will need PCI-E x16 video card.

BTW, I would recommend you consider using core i7 860 with H55 platform. It save you a bit of money of using onboard video card. And you can use 2 x 2GB RAM on it.
 
daisymtc said:
RAM - X58 support triple channel. So most ppl would go for 3x2GB

BTW, I would recommend you consider using core i7 860 with H55 platform. It save you a bit of money of using onboard video card. And you can use 2 x 2GB RAM on it.
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So are you saying I can't use 4g/b on i7 930?
 
Ok thanks, here's a list of what I'm gonna get, see if it's okay and all compatible:

CPU: Intel CORE i7 930 @ 2.8ghz

RAM: Kingston 6GB 1333MHz DDR3 (Kit of 3)

GFX: ASUS GF9500GT

MOBO:
Which is better out of these 3:
- Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R
- ASUS P6T
- ASUS P6T-SE
 
Armpits said:
Ok thanks, here's a list of what I'm gonna get, see if it's okay and all compatible:

CPU: Intel CORE i7 930 @ 2.8ghz

RAM: Kingston 6GB 1333MHz DDR3 (Kit of 3)

GFX: ASUS GF9500GT

MOBO:
Which is better out of these 3:
- Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R
- ASUS P6T
- ASUS P6T-SE
Click to expand...

All of these MOB's are good.

The P6T uses genuine Jap caps while the SE are made with parts from China. I would buy any of these based on the price myself.
 
mrjack said:
You can, but it won't give you the best performance.
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It won't be any worse than if he used 2x2GB on another computer...it'll be fine. I doubt that'll bottleneck him.

Still, tri-channel does yield much better memory performance.
 
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