Building my own PC - what should I keep in mind?

[zooli]

Thanks for the tips guys,

I will also add a new audio interface..need to choose between Motu Ultralite MK3 vs. TC electronic impact twin both via fire wire.
After having so much cpu problems aka live 8 exploding (with just 8 audio channels) on mac book pro im willing to spend more than $1,000
on a new desktop pc that will get the job done and allow me make stress-free music...

The motherboard i choose comes as a 'combo' deal on newegg.com but just want to make sure this system is strong enough to hold
Live 8 and other DAW towards mixing / mastering process.


Intel Core i7-860 Lynnfield 2.8GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor

ASUS SABERTOOTH 55i LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard

2 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31500341AS 1.5TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model

Antec P183 Black Aluminum / Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Antec CP-850 850W Continuous Power CPX SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC

Acousti Products AcoustiPack™ ULTIMATE PC Soundproofing Kit

LITE-ON Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 24X DVD Writer LightScribe Support

XFX HD-467X-ZDF2 Radeon HD 4670 1GB 128-bit DDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card (already have 2 x 24" Sceptre LCD Monitors)

[B-S]

wouldnt choose Motu on PC, tho. you cant go worng with RME. ;-]

[zooli]

wouldnt choose Motu on PC, tho. you cant go worng with RME. ;-]

True, that was the 1st plan..but also have a budget

[JEpic]

Last I checked Live doesnt support hyper threading so I would get an i5 and maybe upgrade to i7 when Live does.

Over all my biggest recommendation would be to sacrifice power for quality and reliability. What I mean by this is if you can afford 8GB of generic RAM or 4GB of some quality RAM, get the 4GB.

Looking at your list, I would get a Gigabyte board, Corsair XMS3 RAM, and a Corsair HX series Power supply (700 - 900W). Also, why the two 1.5TB drives?

That case is the truth though, I've been debating putting my system in one, or building a new one to put in it.

[dentaku]

Yup, Antec P183 is very nice. I have a Gunmetal Grey P182 with the fans turned way down.
I also have a SeaSonic power supply that seems to never spin the fan (or at least it doesn't spin fast enough to hear) because it never gets warm enough sitting in the bottom of this case. It's a great design.
I see the P183 has a new Antec proprietary shaped power supply that fits in that case now too.

http://www.silentpcreview.com is a great resource for building audio PCs because they care about building computers that aren't loud and annoying.

I'd love to upgrade to a Core i7 but I just ordered an AKAI MPK49 last week and my Core2 E6700 never gets overworked anyway.

..... I love how this thread hasn't turned into a platform/OS war

[Punky921]

..... I love how this thread hasn't turned into a platform/OS war

Yeah me too. Whew. Thank god.

[zooli]

Last I checked Live doesnt support hyper threading so I would get an i5 and maybe upgrade to i7 when Live does.

Over all my biggest recommendation would be to sacrifice power for quality and reliability. What I mean by this is if you can afford 8GB of generic RAM or 4GB of some quality RAM, get the 4GB.

Looking at your list, I would get a Gigabyte board, Corsair XMS3 RAM, and a Corsair HX series Power supply (700 - 900W). Also, why the two 1.5TB drives?

That case is the truth though, I've been debating putting my system in one, or building a new one to put in it.

Thanks J!

The 2 h.drives are for back up data. as for hyper threading.. Live 8 don't support it ? i think i saw on kvraudio.com an article saying it does but i may be wrong. i was doubting between Asus Vs. Gigabyte and picked Asus because some reviews and pricing. Same for Antec power supply & case..seems there are the most 'quiet' products in the market. guess im back for digging some info

[zooli]

..... I love how this thread hasn't turned into a platform/OS war

Amen

[JEpic]

Last I checked Live doesnt support hyper threading so I would get an i5 and maybe upgrade to i7 when Live does.

Over all my biggest recommendation would be to sacrifice power for quality and reliability. What I mean by this is if you can afford 8GB of generic RAM or 4GB of some quality RAM, get the 4GB.

Looking at your list, I would get a Gigabyte board, Corsair XMS3 RAM, and a Corsair HX series Power supply (700 - 900W). Also, why the two 1.5TB drives?

That case is the truth though, I've been debating putting my system in one, or building a new one to put in it.

Thanks J!

The 2 h.drives are for back up data. as for hyper threading.. Live 8 don't support it ? i think i saw on kvraudio.com an article saying it does but i may be wrong. i was doubting between Asus Vs. Gigabyte and picked Asus because some reviews and pricing. Same for Antec power supply & case..seems there are the most 'quiet' products in the market. guess im back for digging some info

I could be wrong, that's just what I found when I was doing my research for my last build.

Also, to continue the format war topic (Ha) gigabyte boards are typically easier to Hackintosh!

[zooli]

Also, to continue the format war topic (Ha) gigabyte boards are typically easier to Hackintosh!

Now you talking! and i was almost pressed 'add 2 cart'

[JEpic]

Dig around you should be able to find some good info about doing an i7/i5 hackintosh build with a Gigabyte board. Can't find it now, but I stumbled upon a step by step blog write up with pictures and really simple instructions.

[zooli]

I saw some posts on it but not sure yet how stable it is when it comes to music production, i might build an i7 pc with Gigabyte mobo and leave the Hackintosh option open for later, still looking for the best set up...

[zooli]

Final Set-up:

*LITE-ON 24X DVD Writer Black SATA Model iHAS424-98 LightScribe Support
*XFX HD-467X-ZDF2 Radeon HD 4670 1GB 128-bit DDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card
*CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TR3X6G1600C9
*Antec P183 Black Aluminum / Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
*Antec TruePower New TP-750 750W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE ...
*Intel Core i7-930 Bloomfield 2.8GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Desktop Processor
*ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard
* 2 x Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

[cmreal04]

Final Set-up:

*LITE-ON 24X DVD Writer Black SATA Model iHAS424-98 LightScribe Support
*XFX HD-467X-ZDF2 Radeon HD 4670 1GB 128-bit DDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card
*CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TR3X6G1600C9
*Antec P183 Black Aluminum / Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
*Antec TruePower New TP-750 750W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE ...
*Intel Core i7-930 Bloomfield 2.8GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Desktop Processor
*ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard
* 2 x Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

I'd spend a little more and pick up a sony drive, lite-on's are known to be noisy

Consider buying a good fan to just blow directly on your processor and keep it nice and cool

If it suits your needs, a pci soundcard will lower the demand on your system vs an external soundcard.

I didn't read the previous pages, so if this was already mentioned, well then yeah.

[zooli]

I'd spend a little more and pick up a sony drive, lite-on's are known to be noisy

Consider buying a good fan to just blow directly on your processor and keep it nice and cool

If it suits your needs, a pci sound card will lower the demand on your system vs an external soundcard.

I didn't read the previous pages, so if this was already mentioned, well then yeah.

Thanks, just added:
Sony Optiarc Black 2MB Cache SATA DVD Burner with LightScribe LightScribe Support - OEM
Noctua NH-U12DX 1366 120mm SSO CPU Cooler
Still searching for the right pci card for external fire wire audio interface, motu mk3 vs Rme (new Rme coming out this summer)
..maybe I'll get the change to rob a bank or 2 by than