Ableton Forum

I hope I'm putting this post in the right place.
I need help in purchasing the right parts for a custom built computer,to run ABLETON LIVE & ACIDPRO 6.0 on
I only need something simple and inexpensive to put together demos.
Thanks in advance for any help,anyone can provide.

For real? Why don't you just get a Dell or something instead? Cheap and low hassle.

how much can you afford?

you can get an all in one motherboard so most things like networking, usb, video are all taken care of rather easily.

what you need:

- motherboard (try gigabyte all in one boards)
- ram 1gb at least according to the type your motherboard takes
- hard disk ... seagates are nice value and reliable
- computer case ... whatever is at hand at the shop
- dvd rom + / -
- CPU, an athlon 3800+ should be sweet and affordable, make sure you get a motherboard which matches the cpu you want
- monitor
- keyboard + mouse

If you want simple and inexpensive, buy a premade computer like a Dell. You will be very hard pressed to put something cheaper together yourself and it will definitely not be simple.

Stay away from the low cost CPU ranges if you can afford it, Celeron (Intel) and Sempron (? AMD). They are pretty bad for floating point performance and floating point is what digital audio is about.

Thanks for all the help.I want to stay away from a Dell/HP,etc,because I've heard that most home computers are not optimized for audio.
I really want to get a computer just for audio/midi recording,and one that will be able to handle upgrades & plug ins as I add them.
Thanks Again

My desktop is a Dell, got it 2 years ago, it only has 512Mb RAM and it's been very stable with Win XP Pro and Live. I've been happy with the automatic updates and the McAfee virus scan. I've owned 2 Dell desktops, they're both great.

My HP DV8000t laptop is only 3 weeks old but it's freaking amazing. Dell doesn't have anything comparable for the price ($1900).

My $0.02, shop around, this stuff changes monthly. Buy something once you're comfortable with your decision, but it once, buy it right.

1Gb RAM, dual core processor will be supported in Live 6, hard drives no slower than 5400, 7200 is better, powered USB and Firewire ports and you'll be set.

When it comes to optimising computers, google for 'DAW optimisation guide' to find services to turn on/off, users here know of some good ones. Dell and HP use decent hardware, it's more about the OS that you need to optimise. I didn't optimise either of my computers and they both run great. The desktop could use 1Gb RAM, but I can deal with it, and I pretty much only use the HP laptop anymore.

funklover69 wrote:I only need something simple and inexpensive to put together demos.
Thanks in advance for any help,anyone can provide.

Dell. Simple and inexpensive, user friendly, etc.

Unless you really know your shit, I would avoid spending the many hours of research before building and the painful realization after purchase that you forgot a crucial component. My 2 cents.

ps get a fast harddrive, that is important!