PC RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MUSIC EDITING

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Brad-PC

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Mar 22, 2010
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Hello, I need a computer that will do a solid job with video and music editing, and some gaming (Halo 2).

My deal is that when I go to best buy, they try to push either a $2,500 apple, and say it has the best music editing software, and that macs operating system requires half the hardware to perform just as well as windows or they try to push a windows based computer with intel i7 processors.

My question is what do I really need? I don't mind paying that much if I really need it, but I sure don't like to waste money either.

Basically what I'm thinking is a few years ago intel core 2 duo's were the big dogs and people were saying they were flawless and if so why wouldn't it still be good today. What is the best base chipset out right now that would perform best to my needs.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
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ok well I will definitely go with the ssd drive then, so if I install my game on the 7200rpm drive will it play on that one or can I run it on the ssd for faster performance? Basically what you guys are saying is the os and the apps that require active use of the hdd should go to the ssd and the files and other things that sit on an idle hdd go on the 7200rpm.

I also want to get this dvd drive question out of the way while I'm thinking about it. I burn cd's and dvd's, lots of them, what are the specs to look at when looking for a burner, is it just speed? Because I bought a 24x drive a while back and returned it because the quality was poorer compared to my 8x drive, though the other was faster. Whats the fastest you'd recommend.
 
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OS and application binaries (including games) can (but applications/games don't have to) go on the SSD.

Files that are going to get updated a lot (scratch files, audio tracks, pre-mastering, etc.) should go on a traditional drive.

I don't burn a whole lot of CDs or DVDs, but my impression is that a drive is a drive, for the most part. Some people claim Plextor is a more quality manufacturer, but I can't comment on that. I would just get a cheap/fast drive, and if you experience problems, while burning, set the speed slower than the max. Basically any software should be able to specify burn speed.

In case I haven't mentioned it, I think that this Corsair Nova 128 GB SSD is currently the best drive in terms of price/performance. I have not used one personally, but based on the specs & price, it's pretty much the sweet spot.
 
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Look .. You can do a FULL CONTENT INSTALL of ANY 6 MAJOR GAME TITLES ...
.. You can load an entire 8-Game Star-Trek Series and 12 sound studios with GOBBS of room to spare ! ! ! (all on your 64GB boot SSD .. and still leaving over 20% free!)

You just need to learn rules of thumb, like ... One hour of DV-25 footage = 13GB

... OR ... One DVD holds 4.2GB which, fully uncompressed, might run twice that (on install)

I have been putting anything I want on my 70GB drive and deleted nothing, for 2.5+ years, now ... I also have Goog Chrome and Earth, dozens of Audacity/AudioGrabber/Irfanview/LAME free internet apps as well as a dozen music tutorial (guitar kb lessons) with full video and animated fret-grafx, etc. ... My desktop and toolbars are littered ... I empty my trash-bin once a month and check my drive properties, once per month, just to make sure I'm still under half full.

Even this old (expensive!) 70GB SATA-I (original) 10Krpm Raptor is pretty snappy ... I am terrified to dare to imagine what a Kingston would do for this old rig.

I will prolly faint-out-cold, when I finally get a 955(OC) w/8GBc7 and Kingston SSD !

= Al =
 
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Ok the next component would be the psu, which has been talked about on this forum, if I were to have a 1366 socket i7 920 with 2x 5900 series Xfire and 12gb ram... what wattage would be plenty. I'm asking with those specs in case i want to upgrade down the road, (future proof it) a few people on this forum said if there is one component not to skimp on its the psu. Any thoughts.
 
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750 Watt Corsair *SHOULD* push it without any probs ... (well within spec limits).

850W Corsair *WILL* push it, without any doubts (fully loaded 2xCrossFire)

( A full 150+ Watts of overhead )

Anything above 850Watts ??? You would simply be a pig. (but you could throw out your space heater ! ).

Corsair (single rail = "good") ~800W~850W (80 PLUS) SLI-Ready (ACTIVE PFC fan control)

= Al =
 
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Also ... There is a distinct and concerted trend DOWNWARD in the power consumption of ALL components ... SSDs ... Ram/Mobo/CPU voltages and, I'm sure, GPU/GDDR power and cooling will also trend downward.

Even the "largest" builds, will use (at most) 30% less power, within 18 months and, yes, I just pulled that number out of my ass but, I'll bet my lunch money (and yours) on the truth of it.


I could show you the differences (even now) between the 930 and the 920 ... or between the most recent steppings (C2 vs. C3) of the 965, for example ....

READ ThE DESCRIPTIONS CAREFULLY (WATTs)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=Property&N=2%2050001028%2040000343&Manufactory=1028&PropertyCodeValue=507%3A46347&bop=And

Can you guess which one is newer ??? (HINT: It is not the 140W model)

= Al =
 
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nothing came up on the last link there, but I do see what your getting at. I would like to know how to caculate how much wattage I need, do I just add up all the components max wattage output and add 100 extra watts overhead?

and whats (80 PLUS), and (ACTIVE PFC fan control)?
 
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Here are power specs for a WD 250GB mechanical Hard Disk Drive (7200rpm)

Power Dissipation
Read/Write 7.80 Watts
Idle 7.20 Watts
Standby 0.97 Watts
Sleep 0.97 Watts

AND HERE ... THE PWR Specs for a Vertex 250GB SSD ...

Performance
Max Shock Resistance 1500G
Power Consumption (Active) 2W
Power Consumption (Idle) 0.5W

Starting to see a trend toward "THE FUTURE" ? ?

= Alvin =

 
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The 1st link works ... I had to edit ... try again ...

The new 965 uses 125W vs. 140W (which it replaces) ... The 930 uses much less than the 920 ...

What I'm saying is that the 850W Corsairs are out of stock but the 750s will do just fine ... even moreso, in the lower-powered future. (this is a global commitment ... Just as with large screen HDTVs (OLED) ...

= Al =

 
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And here is another dirty little secret ... SHHHhhhhh !!!

SLI/Crossfire will (most-likely) be dead, in 18 months ... Did you know that the new PCIe Bus Standard is due out in one year and that the bandwidth on all lanes will nearly double ??

Don't go shouting that, around here, though ... Besides ... By then, 3D"Feelaround"(TM) may be in Vogue ... but your 5850 wont be doing any of that, anyway ... not even 2 (I'd wager).

= Al =
 
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Good comments on that, and no I did not know that. The power supplies aren't that expensive. Ok on to the last component and the reason why I never built my own pc ... the dang case! I have looked and alot of the recommended ones are either fugly or difficult to work with. I like black or the apple pro look and actually like the window to see all the cool components (take it or leave it), but needs to be of good quality.

Things I dont like about a case are wierd shapes, to much neon, lack of front ports including memory card reader, (if I can get that seperate than great) and ones with 1 billion dvd drive panels on the front! What are some great cases? Better yet what are the recommended brands, I will spend extra on a high quality case.
 
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Well ... We DO kind of like all those blank panels, on the front, cause they let you install front ports ... yes, card readers ... temperature status and fan control, etc., etc.

But cases are VERY personal and if budget is flexible, then go for what you really like ... why ? ... Because you will FEEL GOOD every time you look at it and that is really worth something.

So ... I will shoot some links at you.

plz stnd by ...
 
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Do not worry about ports or fans !! Can be added ... card reader too.

Batch #1

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=Property&N=2010090007&PropertyCodeValue=548%3A8287%2C549%3A7956%2C549%3A29614%2C549%3A8364%2C549%3A7954%2C549%3A8351%2C549%3A8325%2C2958%3A19209%2C555%3A8421%2C3093%3A21157%2C3093%3A21150%2C3093%3A21152%2C3093%3A21156%2C3093%3A21151%2C558%3A8014%2C558%3A8037&bop=And


Batch#2

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=Property&N=2010090007&PropertyCodeValue=548%3A8287%2C549%3A7956%2C549%3A29614%2C549%3A8364%2C549%3A7954%2C549%3A8351%2C549%3A8325%2C2958%3A19209%2C555%3A8421%2C3093%3A21157%2C3093%3A21150%2C3093%3A21152%2C3093%3A21156%2C3093%3A21151%2C558%3A8014%2C558%3A8037&bop=And


Batch-o-Chuckles

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=Property&N=2010090007&PropertyCodeValue=548%3A8288%2C548%3A8289%2C548%3A8287%2C548%3A8291%2C548%3A8294%2C549%3A8347%2C549%3A8352%2C549%3A14229%2C549%3A19218%2C549%3A8346%2C549%3A8350%2C555%3A8421&bop=And

 
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Those were just so we can talk about what you hate ... There are still very many more choices at newegg and beyond .....

... What is the most you would spend for the perfect case (for you) ?? ...

... You do like rounded edges ... simple side windows ... a stark/clean look ??

 
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none of those links worked for me, but to answer your other questions, my budget for the case is theoreticaly limitless just so I dont count out anything of the bat and will narrow from there. rounded edges...yes simple side windows...yes and stark/clean look...yes, and I understand what you mean now about the blank panels If neccesary I will accept them. I always thought the front ports came preinstalled, but better that they don't so I can get higher quality ones and possibly usb 3.0?
 
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Well, without links ... our little session is "hosed" ...

... Lemme know when you can do links, cause they are workin' on this end ...

... any lurkers having probs with my links ??

= Al = Good Luck ... Cases are a personal thing .. Choose ATX Mid-Tower and go from there.


SORT ON "MOST REVIEWS" ... and LOOK for 4 or 5 "eggs" rating.

 
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They're only working because you have the appropriate cookies. I (and I assume others) are getting the following message: You must first designate which items to compare by clicking on the appropriate check box in the product listing.
 
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coldsleeps got it, thats the message im getting on the links, but I will keep looking on newegg.

So there is not any reason to get a full tower? is there a way to go smaller than mid tower with out decreasing performance and whatever other variables?
 
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Oh... I thought others had seen my "compare links" many times, before ...

... Comments back to me like "I like the mobo on the far left" ... I wonder why some can see and others cannot ??? ... That compare function was letting me choose specific items out of a broader power search result...

The "look-n-feel" of the newegg site DID change today, tho ... wonder if that might have hosed my methods ...

= Sigh = ... bummer

 
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Well ... Let's talk about cases, in general, if you are inclined. I have recently participated in many threads, on the issue, and that can either be a place where you can cut cost to the bone or it can be an extreme vanity splurge ... as I am sure that you are already painfully aware.

We all know what we want ... but in what order? ... By what priority?

I split this littany of desired features into two lists ... Machine Factors & Human Factors.

What does the MACHINE CARE ABOUT ? ?

Cooling! ... Fit(yes) ... Drive Real Estate .. Slot Cutouts .. Sturdiness ... Filters.. etc.

What do HUMANS CARE ABOUT ? ?

Ease of Assmbly/fit .. noise .. Looks .. layout .. x-ports .. capacity .. sharp edges ..

All that.

Obviously, then .. Reasonably priced, "machine adequate", Cool Looking!, Ports, Upgrd

Air-flow is very well thought out, in cases such as the HAF-922 which has a PSU baffle/channel that directs airflow.

I would prefer an Antec Lanboy Air (~$180) but I already have a "machine adequate" case and it is butt-ugly but will do everything my machine cares about.

I'm guessing you should look at the Lian and SilverStone cases ... clean looks and very adequate .. some models are pricey.
 
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