Have I done my research? (pc spec)

[xtern]

I'm not worried about other components, just the mobo, processor, HD, and ram.

Here's what I've been thinking. Keep in mind I'm concerned about compatibility and stability:

-Asus P4PE/L/GD mainboard 478/533, 333DDR
I845PE, ATA/100, ATX, USB2.0, LAN (I will be networking).

-Intel Pentium 4 2.53 GHz PC533
"Northwood"

-Western Digital Caviar 120GB IDE 7200RPM
Special Edition 8MB cache WD1200JB

-(Crucial Ram) 512MB DDR PC2700

I know there's a lot of AMD supporters on this forum, so I'll give you guys a chance to convince me otherwise. But I've had some compatibility probs with my tascam 224 (usb) audiocard with the !*%@ing 'via' chipset.

I've pretty much ruled out dualies and rambus b/c of the price. But if you can get me something better in the same price range, well my ears are open.

Thx!

[the_lost]

Originally posted by xtern:


I know there's a lot of AMD supporters on this forum, so I'll give you guys a chance to convince me otherwise. But I've had some compatibility probs with my tascam 224 (usb) audiocard with the !*%@ing 'via' chipset.

Thx!

You are correct. There are MANY AMD supporters here. http://www.audioforums.com/forums/biggrin.gif I'm not quite understanding your correlation between via chipsets and AMD processors. If you've seen problems, DON'T USE VIA! I stronly urge you to do a little research here on the AMD side of things....

All I have to say is.....

Nforce 2 chipset on Asus A7N8X mobo w/ a AMD thoroughbred B core or Barton core processor! http://www.audioforums.com/forums/smile.gif

disclaimer: "no pentiums were harmed in the creation of this post" (that's for you RD!)

good luck
tl

[xtern]

I'm definately not against AMD, To be able to run more plugins is well worth dealing with the heat of the processor!

But I am against VIA b/c they've rendered my last pc useless. So since this incident I've just become downright paranoid and have therefore looked at the most compatible system for my tascam.

So if AMD is definately the way to go, then which mobo is the bees knees. the_lost, I will take a peek at the Asus A7N8X.

[seiji-san]

i vaguely remember some processor having issues with jumping to 100% processor usage intermittenly due to problems with the system idle (i think), and i also remember it didnt pertain to my processor (XP2400), and i think it may have been pentium4s, or xeons. i remember reading this causing audio dropout when recording for any significant period of time, since the processor was busy idling or doing something else. of course, i only vaguely remember this problem, and im sure im wrong about a lot of that stuff, but still, research it nonetheless. stability should be one of the cardinal rules when building a DAW.

[johnportrash]

Originally posted by seiji-san:
i vaguely remember some processor having issues with jumping to 100% processor usage intermittenly due to problems with the system idle (i think), and i also remember it didnt pertain to my processor (XP2400), and i think it may have been pentium4s, or xeons. i remember reading this causing audio dropout when recording for any significant period of time, since the processor was busy idling or doing something else. of course, i only vaguely remember this problem, and im sure im wrong about a lot of that stuff, but still, research it nonetheless. stability should be one of the cardinal rules when building a DAW.


You are referring to "denormalization". P4's are prone to this. I have read cases where AMD was affected as well. Software developers are aware and 99% have updated code to steer around the problem. Shouldn't be an issue either way, as long as you're current with your plug updates, VSTi, etc...

[knowdoubt]

You don't have to use VIA chipsets with AMD. As already mentioned, your mistaken in associating your VIA problems with AMD. You could just as likely have had VIA problems with an Intel CPU. VIA just shows up more often in combo with an AMD CPU than an Intel CPU & has hence been responsible for giving AMD a bad rep for some time, do to so many people erroneously blaming their chipset problems on the processor. The majority of success stories you see with AMD DAW's these days are using either the recent crop of nforce or SiS chipsets & these have proven to be as compatible & issue free as an all Intel system. New boards are just now coming out with the new SiS 746fx chipset that fully support the Barton's & it looks pretty good. Funny thing is, it seems some people have run into some sound card issues with the SiS chipsets for Intel CPU's but not the SiS for AMD.

[Alan]

Originally posted by xtern:
I'm definately not against AMD, To be able to run more plugins is well worth dealing with the heat of the processor!

As Intel got into to the 2800ghz range,they didn't change their core,but AMD did.Heat issues and noise over the 2800ghz range? Now even.
Stability? Even.If you want brute force and as much power as possible in a studio tracking/mixing environment,Go Intel,but plan on a UAD or Powercore or 2.If you want as much native FPU power as possible for a composing environment(virtual instruments/plugs galore ect.) go AMD.Keep in mind that this is no hard and fast rule and either will get the job done in either environment,but those are the leanings.And yeah,the latest NForce 2 on Asus is as solid as they come as far as stability and compatibility.I'd make my decision based on what I use it for mostly and price.

[xtern]

"the latest NForce 2 on Asus is as solid as they come as far as stability and compatibility" - Alan

I was looking up the asus a7n8x at nforcershq.com and it doesn't appear to be that stable. Maybe I'll take a peek at some Abit boards. But it looks like intel is going to win here, even though i'm a plugin ***** http://www.audioforums.com/forums/frown.gif.

[Alan]

Originally posted by xtern:
I was looking up the asus a7n8x at nforcershq.com and it doesn't appear to be that stable
Thankfully I don't base my opinion on a board/chipset from a BBS frequented by gamers and overclockers.It's usually based on either personal experience or other DAW user who I know personally.

[xtern]

It def was full of gamers and overclockers. Which means that you yourself don't overclock. But does this make all of there problems irrelevant? And if I'm at the wrong boards (the one i went to was suggested on this forum), then please point me to the right boards. Not being sarcastic here, I just want to be sure on this one.

TIA
xtern

[johnportrash]

Here's a basic equation to help take the guess work out of hardware decisions:

Intel processor + Intel chipset = Solid

[xtern]

Well I've actually opted for the a7n8x w/ a 2100+ tbred! It looks like I will have to learn about overclocking now. I guess I couldn't resist the urge to have more plugins AND pay less money. I hope it all works out. But at any rate, I'll be back here asking more questions http://www.audioforums.com/forums/smile.gif.

BTW: what kinda heatsink am I gonna need for this thing???

THX
xtern

[Pretty Pretty Cyanide]

As long as you have a good power supply your AMD or Intel proc will be solid. I left my Athlon on for over a week with some programs running with no issues. And I don't take part of brand b over c debates unless I myself have been burned.

[xtern]

But if I decide to overclock it, I should invest in a decent heatsink right?

My psu is 550, so I'm not worried about that.

TIA

[Pretty Pretty Cyanide]

Yes but is your PSU a mediocre brand?

I don't know about overclocking. I am not THAT intrested in games.

[knowdoubt]

Originally posted by xtern:
But if I decide to overclock it, I should invest in a decent heatsink right?

My psu is 550, so I'm not worried about that.

TIA

Just as important as the power rating of your supply is the brand. There is a vast disparity between stability of different power supplies with the same power rating. How clean & well regulated the supplies voltage lines are is the most important factor. There are 500+ watt power supplies out there that wouldn't be able to run an old P2 with a single hard drive without crashing it from voltage line fluctuations. Do yourself a favor & get an Antec 400+ watt supply.

One seemingly confirmed legitimate problem that some have encountered with the a7n8x is a crappy battery on the MOBO which is insuficient to keep the bios settings memorized. It's no big deal & an easy fix to just replace the battery if you run into that problem.

[Alan]

Originally posted by xtern:
But if I decide to overclock it, I should invest in a decent heatsink right?

Make sure it's copper based,and something quiet like Vantec.Check here for some quiet products. http://www.quietpcusa.com/



[This message has been edited by Alan (edited 02-15-2003).]

[Alan]

Originally posted by xtern:
you yourself don't overclock.
No I don't for many reasons.Overclocking speeds up the PCI bus potentially causing audio card problems,shortens the life of the CPU itself,runs hotter making things even louder and is generally uneccssary.

[xtern]

My psu is a Q-tec, I don't think they sell them in the states. I guess they're what you call "mediocre," but seriously I tried to look up for any problems with it and only found positive results. But who knows, I don't think they've been around awhile (i.e. no long term predictions :-\).

Why is OCing so associated with gaming? Surely getting a little more juice would help me run more plugz. But your reasons for not doing are warranted. I will tread lightly and see how it goes.

Thx knowdoubt for letting me know about the battery issue, though I've seen a little bit about it, I'll have a good search for it later.

Oh yeah, thx for the vantec recommendation, not worried about quietness so much b/c I record in a diff room. But I hear good things about the vantec and will take a peek.

http://www.audioforums.com/forums/smile.gif