Recording Rig Opinions

[xfigox]

Hey! My desktop has been hanging alot lately for no apparent reason, been trying to troubleshoot kinda think that its a mobo/processor problem so I intend to get a new desktop.

I want to get one that will be great for recording, I'm dealing with probably lots of guitar and bass tracks with my POD Farm VST + Impulses. Also using Superior Drummer alot, and occasionally some synth and electronic kits from time to time. I run quite a few plugins for my guitar buses too.

Right now my current desktop (intel dual core) CPU levels are almost maxing out with about ~5-6 guitar tracks + Superior and a Bass VST.

I might be running games on the computer too.

Anyway here's the rig that I've researched and decided on. I will be savaging my new HDD that I've just bought (1TB Seagate), DVD drive, 5570 ATI card from my current one.

Most probably will be installing Win 7 Pro x86, I'm afraid of compatibility issues with x64.

I need some comments on the setup:
1) Is an i5 2500k (quad core) enough for what I want to do?
2) Is the performance of the i7 2600k over the i5 2500k worth the $130+ extra? (I'm thinking long term though)
3) Is the VIA firewire chipset okay or should I really be finding one with Texas Instruments ?

Anyways if you have any suggestions or alternatives do tell me!

Processor+Mobo: MSI P67A-C45 (i7 2600k Sandy Bridge) 630.00
Casing:COOLERMASTER 335 69.00
RAM: 4GB PC3-10600/1333MHZ KINGSTON DDR3 56.00
PSU: COOLER MASTER 550W EXTREME 85.00
FAN: COOLERMASTER 200MM MEGAFLOW 25.00
Total: $865.00

I'm not really sure which mobo+processor combo to get, considering the one above and an Asus one
http://www.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=Qx3PdnZI9Pq9BcIU

 

[kongwee]

I have no idea but an i7 sandybridge = 2008 Xeon.
add 4 gig more.
You can run full orchestra(VSL SE or EWQL gold) alongside on your current list of software instrument.

 

[PatheinRaindropMoe]

spec wise is prolly good enough.

iam running win 7 x64 on my laptop for music with i7 board, running mostly 32 bit program. Not much of issues other then couple of vst that didnt work. Main programs which iam using, ableton live, max msp etc doesnt really seem to have much probs.

running x86 os is also limiting the amount of ram that can be utilised. Even with 4gb ram setup, the os will only recognised up to 3gb and available for use. Kinda defeat the purpose of using better processor but limited by the limitation of a 32bit OS.

heh, and of course, pc for music making, dual booting with separate partition with no anti virus, internet connection, unnecessary processes running in background etc, always the better environment to run those taxing music making stuff.

 

[Cheez]

Your previous specs is probably more than enough. The problem is that you are using it for games and other stuff. You probably have lots of resources running in the background. Two most important points about DAW -

1. Clean dedicated drive (dual boot) - as PatheinRaindropMoe said.
2. Dedicated HD for recording.

 

[xfigox]

Thanks for the suggestions I'll definitely be doing a dual boot setup now, need to get my hands on a x64 Win 7.

I think I'll probably be going for the i7, don't mind paying a little more for that extra juice.

By the way any specific stores to check out in SLS??

 

[blueprintstudios]

xfigox : http://tinyurl.com/diyrecording

performance - more ram.more cpu.faster + seperate hdds.tweak OS to minimal.
compatibility - windows xp sp3/32bit. max 4gb ram.
stability - good habit of maintenance/windows7/64bit.8gb ram.
dualboot - for both compatibility/stability but maintenance will take a hit when using backup/restore disk imaging softwares in terms of backup size. so you will have to nail a perfect bugfree install in the initial stage.
result - over-mix stacking loads of plugins is just an inefficient use of ram while your sound is just overcoloured and better off nailing 60-70% of it in its initial less-cpu-taxing stage. you can use "freeze" or "bounce" options whatever DAW you're using to free up.

mainboard - go for asus. you're on your own if you go MSI heh.
pc shop - www.fuwell.com.sg
gaming - buy another pc or salvage your current one to turn into a gaming rig. don't mix it together with your DAW.
internet & viruses - my recommendation is, leave this DAW offline, basic sanitizing of all your USB drives using this software http://www.ninjapendisk.com/ , minimal installation no games etc as stated above. defragment, keep well ventilated. your DAW will go a long way.

your remaining possible problems would be :
Ventilation - if you got spare cash and have aircondition unit in your room, pay for good servicing because all that cpufan is going to backfire when you do any recording with a condenser microphone. because your cpu will be trying to cool itself at high speed.my personal method is to enter bios and change your fan profile to "ultra silent" (or whatever it does to slow down rpm) then turn back on when you're done with microphone recording.if all DI should be fine.

Grounding - do empty track (maybe with your podx3) recording to test for power grounding issues. that's a major GrandPrix

Firehazards - too many places I've seen stack multi split plugs from one wall socket. please buy a one time 7 or 8 power socket extension with a fuse or whatever you call it and power up your stuff evenly and nicely.accumulated dust on electronics/electricals is simply asking for trouble.

I'm using an old 2.4ghz core2duo 2gb ram winxp32bit for DAW mixing/mastering. and my starhub free laptop for drums location recording is a 1.66ghz core2duo 2gb ram. shit comp rig? probably, but living example of good habit of maintenance.

 

[kongwee]

I suggest to find a casing with swapping HDD. You only use a HD for DAW and another HD for gaming.

 

[xfigox]

Thanks for opinions!

I've went down to SLS and made my purchase, changed some of my initial stuff based on the advice I got here.
I ended up with:

Intel i7 2600k + ASUS P8P67-B3 mobo -$678
DDR3 Kingston 4gb x 2 = $114
WD 500GB Blue SATA 3 HDD = $52
Coolermaster 371 Casing: $65
Coolermaster CPU cooler $49
also succumb to temptation and got a graphics card.

Total damage was $1290

Waiting for the computer to be fixed up and ready to collect, I'll post some feedback here after collecting it. Thanks all for helping out, and blueprintstudios for that insightful post

 

[blueprintstudios]

you're welcome, let us know how it's working out.

 

[Cheez]

You forgot - you need 2 HD, one just for recording.

 

[xfigox]

Yeah I have 2 HDD, a seagate 1TB from my previous computer and a new WD I got yesterday. x64 os is working really great, I could use most of my old setup in there so its great.

Sonar actually shows 8 bars in the CPU area due to the 8 threads of the processor, which is awesome

 

[Cheez]

Very large sized HDs are theoretically not good for recording. They are good for storage. Theoretically, very large HDs have thinner platter. Recording multiple tracks regularly taxes the HD, and with thin platter, you are likely to decrease the life-span of your HD. I suggest using that 1 TB HD for storage. Or alternatively, use that 1TB for OS and everything else, and that 500GB for recording.