Members matthew13l Posted August 3, 2005 Members Share Posted August 3, 2005 What are the most recommended Intel-based (or AMD-based) chipsets for a DAW? I've already scoured Google but I couldn't find any useful information. Matt:cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AudioMaverick Posted August 3, 2005 Members Share Posted August 3, 2005 You can go directly to www.Intel.com & www.AMD.com. There are also the SiS and VIA chipsets. The main MoBo comapnies will show them in their matrix lists. It will be an easier way to find where to look. I prefer to use www.ASUS.com. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members toddlans Posted August 3, 2005 Members Share Posted August 3, 2005 I'd be very interested in knowing this, its been 3 years since i've built a computer and i'm really out of the know as far as what to get. I've been debating on whether to single or dual processor whether to go with one of the 64bit processors and what motherboard chipset to get. I'll be upgrading my interface eventually and i don't want to run into any problems down the line but they way things seem to be built now i'd think i'd be ok with compatibility no matter what. I'd like to keep things cheap, but at the same time i figure since i'm building a new one I might as well make it good since i'll be using it for quite awhile. I'm hoping to be building a fast PC with quiet fans and case (maybe one of those Antec Sonata's or something) with about 2 gigs of RAM, a DVD-RW, at least one new harddrive, and a dual monitor setup for working with video and having my mixer window always up for audio projects. Anybody that has any suggestions for any of these things, i'd love to hear it. hopefully i'll be building something by the end of august. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Chris Groegler Posted August 3, 2005 Members Share Posted August 3, 2005 I'm in the same boat as well....getting ready to upgrade my new DAW machine and also get a new interface. I've been doing a little research and wanted to get your opinion on the Sweetwater Creation Station machines. Has anyone heard how these are? I know they are pretty pricey, but I'm not versed enough to build my own. What are some option for us guys who don't know how to build a computer?? Thanks for any info! Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dylan Walters Posted August 3, 2005 Members Share Posted August 3, 2005 For Intel systems the Intel 865 chipset seems to the champ for overall reliability/road tested. I've had this setup in my DAW for about 2 years and it's been absolutely rock solid. I use the Intel 865PERL board and I absolutely love it. I've built about a dozen systems with this board and they've all been a pleasure to work with. The board is a full size ATX board, so make sure that your case is big enough to work with it. Apparently the newer PCI Express compatible chipsets including the Intel 915/925 don't play as nice with high bandwidth PCI devices like audio interfaces. I haven't tested this personally, but the Nuendo forums are full of benchmarks. This also seems to be the case with the Nforce4 boards for AMD64 CPU's. The Nforce3 seems to be the preferred chipset for AMD64 systems at the moment. If you do want an Nforce3 board (either socket 754 or 939) then I'd recommend picking one up soon as they are being phased out quickly. I'd go with Asus, MSI, or Foxconn if you can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dylan Walters Posted August 3, 2005 Members Share Posted August 3, 2005 Originally posted by Chris Groegler What are some option for us guys who don't know how to build a computer?? Chris Chris, Building a box these days isn't as hard as you'd think. There is a wealth of information on the net about doing this. If you can use a screw driver then you're all set. Seriously. Otherwise, there a bunch of people who build custom systems locally or online (myself included). I priced out Sweetwater's entry level $1000 system at Newegg and using almost identical components I came up with the total of $621.00 after shipping. Plus, that system is using a very old Asus board with the Intel 845 chipset, which I would not recommend using. Plus, that system is also using on-board graphics which is a no no for audio. When it comes down to it at some point you are going to have to crack open your case to add or swap something out, so I think it pays to know how your system was built. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members matthew13l Posted August 3, 2005 Author Members Share Posted August 3, 2005 Originally posted by Dylan Walters Chris, Building a box these days isn't as hard as you'd think. There is a wealth of information on the net about doing this. If you can use a screw driver then you're all set. Seriously. Otherwise, there a bunch of people who build custom systems locally or online (myself included). I priced out Sweetwater's entry level $1000 system at Newegg and using almost identical components I came up with the total of $621.00 after shipping. Plus, that system is using a very old Asus board with the Intel 845 chipset, which I would not recommend using. Plus, that system is also using on-board graphics which is a no no for audio. When it comes down to it at some point you are going to have to crack open your case to add or swap something out, so I think it pays to know how your system was built. +1 First time I built a computer 3 years ago, I was really nervous about it. But I quickly realized how fool-proof it is. Every component is notched in some way so that it's impossible to install something backwards (except for floppy cables, but even those are starting to come with notches now). Really the only part that requires any special "skill" is applying thermal paste properly. But unless you're a tweaker, the included thermal pad works just fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mike Martin Posted August 3, 2005 Members Share Posted August 3, 2005 Originally posted by Dylan Walters Apparently the newer PCI Express compatible chipsets including the Intel 915/925 don't play as nice with high bandwidth PCI devices like audio interfaces. I haven't tested this personally, but the Nuendo forums are full of benchmarks. This also seems to be the case with the Nforce4 boards for AMD64 CPU's. The Nforce3 seems to be the preferred chipset for AMD64 systems at the moment. If you do want an Nforce3 board (either socket 754 or 939) then I'd recommend picking one up soon as they are being phased out quickly. I'd go with Asus, MSI, or Foxconn if you can. This is what I heard as well. I went with an MSI K8N Neo2 (939 socket) and I've been very, very happy with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dylan Walters Posted August 3, 2005 Members Share Posted August 3, 2005 MSI generally makes really nice boards. I've had to futz with them a bit more than other's, but for the price they are usually fantastic! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Chris Groegler Posted August 8, 2005 Members Share Posted August 8, 2005 Thanks Dylan and Matthew,I appriciate you comments and suggestions. I'm currently looking into pricing for a new replacement DAW machine. Too bad you're so far away Dylan, I'd have you build mine!!! Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted August 8, 2005 Share Posted August 8, 2005 Chris, are you going to be in Riverside again in the near future? I can put a machine together for you in an hour easily ... Dylan's correct - it's really not that hard to do. The main thing you need is a screwdriver, a little patience and the correct parts. We can help you with all the rest - including a list of parts. Another option is to spec the exact parts you want and have the dealer pre-assemble it for you. Most small local shops and many mail order places will do that for a very low extra charge over and above the cost of the raw parts themselves typically, $50 - $100. But mounting the items into the case yourself isn't that hard. At the moment, I'm running a Athlon 64 3400 CPU on an Asus socket 734 motherboard - the 939's are newer and capable of using even faster CPU's, but even those will probably be phased out soon... which can be good for you if you're looking for something fast but not too expensive. "State of the art" is going to change again RSN, with AMD set to release new CPU's in the near future. I've been waiting on building my next system until I see how things shake out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Chris Groegler Posted August 8, 2005 Members Share Posted August 8, 2005 Hey Phil. We are thinking about coming out near Christmas time, but not entirely sure as of yet. I'd like to get something up and running a little sooner than the end of the year. Basically I think (with some friends help) I can get a computer together, it's just deciding on what to get at the moment. I look to you guys since you are the most familiar with an audio computer as my friends are mostly dealing with gaming rigs. I know there will be a lot of opinions on this, but a checklist of proper pieces would benefit me greatly. I'm looking for something in the 3.0 - 3.2 processor speed with at least a gig of RAM. Not too worried if I go Intel or AMD. So now that I opened that can of worms, what would you guys spec out for a machine? I'll most likely be using a PCI interface (Although I'm not sold on which one I'm getting yet) and I'll be running Sonar, Sound Forge, and Vegas. Case=?MB=?CPU=?Memory=?HD1 (system)=?HD2 (audio) =?DVD/CD=?Anything else I forgot=? Thanks again for all your help. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted August 8, 2005 Share Posted August 8, 2005 You forgot the CPU cooler and case fans. I recommend Zalman CPU coolers. About $50, but VERY quiet and efficient. They have a new cooler coming out that looks very interesting. You can check it out here. Here's a link to the Zalman cooler I'm currently using. For the case, get something in the silent class. Antec makes some good, quiet cases. www.quietpcusa.com is a good source for silent / near silent PC case fans, power supplies and CPU coolers. For the CPU, I like the Athlon 64's - I'd get the fastest CPU you can afford. Socket 754 mobos, such as my Asus K8V deluxe are probably cheaper these days, but the socket 939 boards are newer and support faster CPU's. RAM? I am using Kingston Hyper-X, and it's been reliable and fast for me. Other good brands include Corsair, Crucial and Micron. Video card? I recommend ATI Radeon dual head cards... a dual monitor setup is VERY nice to have for DAW use. The ATI Radeon 9600 256 MB card would be a good choice, and shouldn't cost much more than $50 or so. Hard drives are important. A lot of people are going to SATA drives, but I'm still using IDE drives. Get at least 7,200 RPM drives, with the 8 MB cache on them. Brand really doesn't matter much to me... some people have horror stories about just about every brand... I've got Seagates, Western Digitals and Maxtors, and knock on wood, but they're all running great for me right now. I normally recommend at least two internal HDD's, with external firewire drives for data backup. I have a 16X Pioneer DVD+/-RW drive that has done very well by me, and a Sony 52X CD-RW drive that has also been as reliable as a birck. If you only want one or the other, get the DVD burner. They can burn CD's too. However, I recommend dual optical drives. http://www.newegg.com is a great source for parts. Really reasonable prices and great service. Another company that has done well by me ishttp://www.monarchcomputer.com Monarch will mount the mobo into the case, attach the CPU cooler (not recommended with the heavy Zalman coolers) and ship the "barebones" system out to you for final assembly... and they don't charge a lot extra for that. Here's a link to a DIY / build your own system thread over on the DUC that might be useful to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dylan Walters Posted August 9, 2005 Members Share Posted August 9, 2005 Phil has laid out a great starting points for you! I'd also recommend newegg.com for all of your hardware needs. They have great prices, fast shipping and a huge selection. If you want any help finding parts then please let me know. I've spec'd out several systems over the years for forum members including Lee Flier among many others. I can e-mail you a 'wish list' that will list all of the parts that I've spec'd out that you can add to your cart and buy. The best thing to do is to find a budget that you want to stick to and then I or Phil or anyone else can find what will best suite it. At any rate, I really think that if you wanted to that you could build your own box and not screw anything up . The trick is just to do a bit of research and have some patience. Set aside a day or weekend better yet to assemble the PC. I've done the same thing with friends and co-workers and I've yet to hear of any disasters! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Chris Groegler Posted August 9, 2005 Members Share Posted August 9, 2005 Sorry for highjacking the thread Matthew. You guys rock! That's some good info there and I'll be sure to use it. I've used newegg before and they are great for selection and price. Thanks Phil for all that info and links, and thanks Dylan for your service. You might be getting an email from me later today. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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