Design and Music production Build

[tripps]

Im wanting to build a PC that will have the capabilities to run efficiently for these uses:

Adobe CS programs
Ableton and other music production programs
MIDI and Music Hardware capabilities
Multiple Monitors
A good sound card that will be able to handle quality speakers and subwoofer

I am trying to keep a decent budget but i also want to find out what components will work best with each other. Also, i want to make sure that when i run Adobe after effects, i wont have any problems with everything running smoothly... which was definitely one of my problems! So if anyone has any advice on a computer that meets this criteria or has any tips, i would be greatful!

Thank you for the info,

Brad

[glc]

Can you give us a ballpark budget number for the case and all its internals, please? Don't include the operating system or peripherals. How many monitors - 2, or more? Does your software recommend any particular types of sound cards or any other components?

[tripps]

Originally Posted by glc Can you give us a ballpark budget number for the case and all its internals, please? Don't include the operating system or peripherals. How many monitors - 2, or more? Does your software recommend any particular types of sound cards or any other components?

Well i would like to keep it under $1000... but i would also like to know what would be the best thing i should use. So if that is over $1000 budget, thats cool... because at one point in time, i will be making this computer to the highest standards possible. And i for the monitors... at least 2, but again, at one point in time i will have more. As far as the sound card goes, im not sure yet... thats kind of why i was asking. I would like to run ableton, reason and fuityloops software, so whatever is the better sound card for running those types of programs... well, im blank on that one, haha. Thanks for your questions and response.

[Khalil]

Not much is going to happen under $1000 in my opinion. If you want something that is going to perform in the type of work you are looking to use in.
I build about 2 music studio production machines a month, they are all $2500 and up. You will save some money if you can build it yourself but they are tricky to setup.

glc may have some other ideas but I doubt you can get anything powerful enough for less than $2000.00
I have experimented a lot with this topic, glc and others here helped me about a year ago with choosing hardware, I found that only professional Chipsets do well with music production computers.

[glc]

The sound card decision needs to be made in conjunction with the recommendations from the companies that make the software you plan on using.

I think we can build a serviceable box for $1000 *NOT* including the sound card and video cards. To run more than 2 monitors you need either a quad head card or 2 standard dual head cards.

The question is - what is your particular software going to make best utilization of - Intel 775 dual core, Intel 775 quad core, Intel i7 quad core, or whatever AMD has these days - or does it really like a workstation platform with a Xeon or Opteron? Again, research needs to be done in conjunction with your software manufacturers.

[tripps]

Originally Posted by Khalil Not much is going to happen under $1000 in my opinion. If you want something that is going to perform in the type of work you are looking to use in. I build about 2 music studio production machines a month, they are all $2500 and up. You will save some money if you can build it yourself but they are tricky to setup. glc may have some other ideas but I doubt you can get anything powerful enough for less than $2000.00 I have experimented a lot with this topic, glc and others here helped me about a year ago with choosing hardware, I found that only professional Chipsets do well with music production computers.

Ok... exactly what i figured about the price and all... at this moment in time, im trying not to spend that much, haha! So would it be cheaper if i bought a computer that is already made and then expand on its capabilities as time goes on. I know that i only need:
* Windows XP or Windows Vista
* 1.5 GHz Pentium 4 or Celeron compatible CPU or faster (multicore CPU recommended)
* 1 GB RAM (2 GB recommended)
* Windows compatible sound card (ASIO driver support recommended)
* DVD-ROM drive

These are the requirements for Ableton Live Music Production program.

And for Adobe CS4 Master:

# 2GHz or faster processor for DV; 3.4GHz for HDV; dual 2.8GHz for HD*
# Microsoft® Windows® XP with Service Pack 2 (Service Pack 3 recommended) or Windows Vista® Home Premium, Business, Ultimate, or Enterprise with Service Pack 1 (certified for 32-bit Windows XP and Windows Vista†)
# 2GB of RAM (more RAM recommended when running multiple components)
# 24.3GB of available hard-disk space for installation; additional free space required during installation (cannot install on flash-based storage devices)
# 1,280x900 display with OpenGL 2.0–compatible graphics card
# Some GPU-accelerated features require graphics support for Shader Model 3.0
# Dedicated 7200 RPM hard drive for DV and HDV editing; striped disk array storage (RAID 0) for HD; SCSI disk subsystem preferred
# For SD/HD workflows, an Adobe-certified card for capture and export to tape
# OHCI-compatible IEEE 1394 port for DV and HDV capture, export to tape, and transmit to DV device
# DVD-ROM drive (DVD+-R burner required for DVD creation)
# Blu-ray burner required for Blu-ray disc creation
# Microsoft Windows Driver Model– or ASIO-compatible sound card
# QuickTime 7.4.5 software required for QuickTime and multimedia features

Im sure that i can create a computer that would be less than the amount giving in previous post, so if there is any suggestions now that would be helpful! Sorry for the copy and paste format! Thanks to all that has taken the time to answer my questions!

[Khalil]

These are minimal specs, you will have a laggy computer that won't cut the mustard. Software manufacturers are required to put in minimum recommended but that is the bare minimum. All the processors you mentioned above are obselete.
You can build a machine for around $1100 without the sound card with much better hardware than you mentioned above.

I recommend you go with an Asus P5BV-C and an Intel E8500 CPU as the basis for your system.
What do you think glc?

[glc]

I don't think you would want a server motherboard - the best board for the money for a E8500 would be a P5Q Pro. I would also research whether a quad core would be beneficial. I have a feeling that CS4 would really like that. It's on the expensive side, but I'd look at a Q9550 or maybe even an i7 on a P6T.

[Khalil]

Originally Posted by glc I don't think you would want a server motherboard - the best board for the money for a E8500 would be a P5Q Pro. I would also research whether a quad core would be beneficial. I have a feeling that CS4 would really like that. It's on the expensive side, but I'd look at a Q9550 or maybe even an i7 on a P6T.

Sorry glc, I hate disagreeing with you specially since I learned a lot from you over the years.
The 3200 motherboard will be faster, more reliable and stable than the P5Q Pro. I tried several different chipsets building music production machines including this P45 and I got much better results with the 3200.
It is a server motherboard but it makes a fantastic professional workstation motherboard.
I am not saying the P5Q pro won't do it, I think it will but it won't do it as good as the P5BV-C.

[glc]

Okay, but it only has one PCI-Ex16 slot for a video card, and it runs at x8. It also uses the ICH7R which doesn't support AHCI. Those are my concerns.

[tripps]

Originally Posted by glc Okay, but it only has one PCI-Ex16 slot for a video card, and it runs at x8. It also uses the ICH7R which doesn't support AHCI. Those are my concerns.

Whats the point of having two slots for video cards?

[Masaki 7-11]

This should work well for you (if you need more than dual monitor support, all you need is another ~$100 video card; the case, motherboard and power supply can handle an additional video card):


LITE-ON CD/DVD Burner Black SATA Model iHAS324-08 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106291
$29.99

NZXT HUSH Black SECC Steel/ Aluminum/ Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811146035
$94.99

Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136319
$74.99

GIGABYTE GA-MA790GP-UD4H AM2+/AM2 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128384
$128.99

SAPPHIRE 100245HDMI Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102824
$119.99

Turtle Beach RIVIERA 5.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16829118105
$28.99

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power ... - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139006
$129.99

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231166
$58.99

AMD Phenom II X4 940 Deneb 3.0GHz Socket AM2+ 125W Quad-Core Black Edition Processor Model HDZ940XCGIBOX - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103471
$189.99

Microsoft Windows XP Home SP3 for System Builders - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16832116511
$89.99

Subtotal: $946.90

[glc]

Have you verified that the video card is OpenGL 2.0-compatible? Is that sound card ASIO and/or WDM?

[Masaki 7-11]

Originally Posted by glc Have you verified that the video card is OpenGL 2.0-compatible? Is that sound card ASIO and/or WDM?

The video card is compatible with OpenGL 2.1 (as it says on the ati website) and up to version 3.0 with a driver update. The sound card is WDM as the device drivers are actually included in the Windows Vista OS. Here is a link to the sound card's support website: http://support.turtlebeach.com/site/kb_ftp/587.asp

[Khalil]

Masaki, even though I am a huge supporter of AMD, that chipset is not professional and from my experience will not handle the job.
Once you start adding more and more tracks, those desktop chipsets will just not cut it. I don't want to get into an argument over this I am just stating my opinion from experience. I am currently using a dual Shanghai machine to make music but then again the OP does not want to spend that kind of money.
I have gone through a ton of chipsets for Music Production as I have access to most and I have found that the best single processor chipset for the job I have tested is the NForce 3600 Professional like this one however I am starting to shy away from recomending AMD since everyone here is so for Intel.

glc I stand corrected, that was the wrong board, the board I meant to recommend which is no longer listed was an ICH9R so here is another that will do the job and still be able to handle the heavy load from music production software: Tyan

That sound card is nice for watching movies and listening to Music. Newegg does not have professional music studio sound cards. You will need to go to Guitar Center or somewhere as such to get the right card.

[Masaki 7-11]

Originally Posted by Khalil Masaki, even though I am a huge supporter of AMD, that chipset is not professional and from my experience will not handle the job. Once you start adding more and more tracks, those desktop chipsets will just not cut it. I don't want to get into an argument over this I am just stating my opinion from experience. I am currently using a dual Shanghai machine to make music but then again the OP does not want to spend that kind of money. I have gone through a ton of chipsets for Music Production as I have access to most and I have found that the best single processor chipset for the job I have tested is the NForce 3600 Professional like this one however I am starting to shy away from recomending AMD since everyone here is so for Intel. glc I stand corrected, that was the wrong board, the board I meant to recommend which is no longer listed was an ICH9R so here is another that will do the job and still be able to handle the heavy load from music production software: Tyan That sound card is nice for watching movies and listening to Music. Newegg does not have professional music studio sound cards. You will need to go to Guitar Center or somewhere as such to get the right card.

The chipset may not be professional, however it's pretty stable and will work fine for it's intended use. I have a friend who has a very similar setup to the one I recommended and is using it as a Music production workstation. The sound card I recommended has been used for music production with pretty good success; it has a MIDI port on it, has pretty good drivers that aren't bloated and provides good sound.

[Khalil]

http://www.emu.com/products/welcome.asp?category=505&

http://www.solid-state-logic.com/

http://www.guitarcenter.com/M-Audio-...78-i1154550.gc

http://www.echoaudio.com/Products/PCI/