Ableton Forum

I currently use a G4 667 and while it served its purpose well, i need a PC primarily because I am going to be using Kontakt 2 intensively with Live and i need more horsepower. I am not that computer savvy so I was wondering should I worry about which manufacturer to but the PC from.

Can I just buy a P4 2.whatever from dell, hp, or sony etc for like 500bucks and just get rid of all the software that can hinder performance...I am not computer savvy and the mac never gave me any problems so i am hoping the pc will do the same

14 looks so far no response...fella's pls dont abandon me, at least suggest what i should stay away from....

is this comp any good for music...Dell Dimension XPS 400, P4 2.8/80/512Ram/CDRW/DVD/128Ati/Sealed

or


DELL Brandnew Dimension3100 E310 DESKTOP P4 2.80Ghz 512Ram 80GbHd CDRW

I got my music PC from inta-audio (http://www.inta-audio.com/) and its the best PC I've ever used.

Just make sure if the package you buy includes a TFT screen that it doesn't have an inbuilt speaker.

They sent me an AOC monitor that emits a hiss when it's on. Not ideal for placement in an audio studio set-up.

The build of the PC was faultless though and they set-up the OS so that all the interupts are good and there's no background tasks hogging the CPU.

budget? Laptop or desktop? Are you going to use it for anything other than music?

Basically, a good rule of thumb (say it with me): "Anything... but ... Dell" - the fact that you can go one day without getting a Dell add in your face alone makes me question their value more - who pays for those adds? the end-user. Go no-name if you're going for a 500$ computer.

Thanks for the feedback fella's,
Machinate i am using this strictly for audio production and I am looking for desktop since i already have a multiface hammerfall pci card. So you are saying stay away from dell? I agree.

Anyone else?

budget? That's the most important bit of info.

I have a monitor already so I will like to spend just 600 for a desktop


[/quote]budget? That's the most important bit of info.[quote][/quote]

yes, don't rule out a no-name. also, familiarize yourself with the offerings, compare similar systems, this is usu. good info:

http://shopper.cnet.com/4002-7409_9-5510693.html

Apple. The new-fangled Intel ones.

I build my own, and it's really not hard to do at all. However, if I had to go with a brand, I see no reason to not get a Dell. They have good chipsets, and good performance. It won't be as good as building your own performance system with an ASUS mobo with the RAM of your choice, etc etc, but it will run well right out of the box.

The other option is to go to CompUSA or a computer store and get a store-made PC with all the componenets. Essentially, you're picking the components and you're having the store geeks build the machine for you.

The other option is to go to CompUSA or a computer store and get a store-made PC with all the componenets. Essentially, you're picking the components and you're having the store geeks build the machine for you.

Even if ihave one built from scratch i still don't know the specific brand or type of component that will ensure an optimized system for audio work.....
I understand processor speed, ram, HD etc but what is the must have or what should i stay away from. Remember I am not as tech savvy as many of you guys.

arushmusic wrote:

The other option is to go to CompUSA or a computer store and get a store-made PC with all the componenets. Essentially, you're picking the components and you're having the store geeks build the machine for you.

Even if ihave one built from scratch i still don't know the specific brand or type of component that will ensure an optimized system for audio work.....
I understand processor speed, ram, HD etc but what is the must have or what should i stay away from. Remember I am not as tech savvy as many of you guys.

Brand Suggestions:
- Motherboard - ASUS, Abit, or Gigabyte
- Chip - Get a dualcore Athlon, say the Athlon64 X2 4600+
- RAM - Crucial, Kingston, or Corsair (stay away from any of the "value" lower ends)
- Hard drives - Western Digital or IBM; try to get 8 - 16MB of cache on each hard drive, and definitely get 7200 rpm drives
- Video Card - I don't really care about brand...I usually stick with an Nvidia chipset
- Audio Card - MiaMidi for PCI; Edirol for USB; EMU 1616m or RME for Firewire
- Case - Altec Sonata - a very quiet and well-designed case and the power supply is quiet.
- DVD Burner - Sony or Plextor

Look for low noise fans for your CPU and inside your case.

Hope this helps.

I have recently purchased a Z70Va by Asus and so far I am very happy with it. 2500 CDN, 2.0 Centrino, 2 G RAM, 2x80G 7200RPM drives, it's been awesome for everything I've done on it.

It's got me pretty stoked.

asus shit

I went with a dell laptop (centrino 1.87 1 gig of ram) and have had no problems. I use it for Live, Photoshop and Illustrator with no conflicts or crashes.

I know many people have attachments to AMD CPUs, and they are great for gaming, but for audio I'd probably go with an Intel. They have better multimedia transcoding instructions, and while they aren't used now by Ableton, the whole Apple-Intel thing could mean that Ableton (and most cross-platform multimedia production apps) have a lot of incentive to make Live optimised for Intel instructions. It might not happen, but it very well could.

If you can wait a little while, I'd be holding off until the next-gen Intel desktop CPU is out. It should kick Pentium4s power hungry ass - and that means a faster computer that runs quieter, since it'll be lower power. Does anyone have details on release dates for it? (can't remember what it's called, sorry....)