Good audio PC

Ericlingus

Ericlingus

Prettiest Hair Around
Oct 31, 2006
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I'm looking on buying a new computer soon and will probably go with a PC. My budget is about 2k. What would you recommend? I don't know how to build them on my own but my brother could help me so maybe that would be the best route? How about a site like PCaudiolabs? If I build one does anyone have a good system to build?
 
Definitely build one. There are tons of guides out there and for 2k you could easily build a comp that runs like a 4k retail comp. As long as you have a decent knowledge of computers in general, learning how to build them is a breeze and a lot of fun. Don't be discouraged, a computer literally is made up of about 10 different parts. You could build something with an i7 processor and 16 gbs of ram for way less than 2k. That is honestly powerful enough on it's own to run any amount of plugins you would need. What do your session sizes look like? What audio interface do you have? Those things can be important when selecting which motherboard you need which will also decide processors and RAM. I believe DDR4 Ram (much faster that DDR3) will be released in about a month. It might be worth it to wait a little bit. I'm sure someone else can chime in. I can answer any questions you have, I'm just at work right now haha
 
Whether you build or buy, go for something with an Intel quad i7, 16GB RAM, and SSD + Hard drive.

You can get all that in 85 cubic inches, 10 watts at idle, and virtually silent operation if you get a top spec'd Mac Mini from Apple with the fusion drive option, and add 16GB RAM via newegg or Amazon. That comes to $1300.

But you said PC, so you're better off building one. It'll take time and research.
 
neptunian said:
Whether you build or buy, go for something with an Intel quad i7, 16GB RAM, and SSD + Hard drive.

You can get all that in 85 cubic inches, 10 watts at idle, and virtually silent operation if you get a top spec'd Mac Mini from Apple with the fusion drive option, and add 16GB RAM via newegg or Amazon. That comes to $1300.

But you said PC, so you're better off building one. It'll take time and research.
Click to expand...

OP only said "probably" go with a PC ;)

Mac Mini all the way.
 
I was considering a mac mini as well. Are they worth it? Is it worth getting the better processor as well for 100 more? What worries me about that computer is not being able to upgrade it much besides RAM. Also, it only has 4 USB ports which isnt enough. I have two dongles, a MIDI controller, POD HD, external harddrive and other various devices that need to be plugged in via USB at least briefly like a tablet and mp3 player. I am using a Saffire pro 40 audio interface which is firewire btw.
I use a lot of soft synths, amp sims and various plug ins so a really powerful computer is a must. I also want it to be reliable and last a long time before having to buy a new one. How long would those mac minis last for if you can't really do much to upgrade them? They also don't have a a cd drive but I know you can add an external one so I guess that isn't a problem.
 
I updated from a 2006 mac pro to an i7 mac mini and it's amazing.
About 5 times as powerful as the old MP.
Get the i7. It works as 8 cores due to hyperthreading.
I have the apple USB superdrive and use an external USB 3 drive for recording.
All my iloks and midi controllers etc are on a USB hub.
I am running 3 screens using HDMI, Thunderbolt mini display port and displaylink USB3 adapter.
Couldn't be happier. Performance smokes and it really is tiny, unbelievably so.
 
2.3 or 2.6ghz isn't much though. I can get a pc much better than that. Is there something about it that makes it run faster? I use amp sims and a lot of soft synths so I need something that isn't going to get bogged down easily. It also worries me about not being able to really upgrade it in the future. I'm pretty much stuck with what it has. Will it be a viable recording computer in 4 years?
 
Dont get to wrapped up in numbers, i have pc's that out spec my mac mini big time. But i would way rather have the mac mini server in my studio. Its a beast, and you will not beat it for the money. I payed around $1400.00 for mine with some added ram. It slays. I wish i had spend the money and went completely solid state because of hd noise. Other than that it rocks. I wont use a pc in my rig again, i've been through about 10 different pc's always some type of issue. I've had mac mini now 2 years. Im not sure it's even hiccuped. Im not a pc hater, to be honest i use pc's exclusively everywhere, except to run protools.
 
would you get the mac mini if you knew you would have to keep it for probably 4 years before upgrading to a new computer? Also, what is the difference between the regular one and the one with the OX server? What is OX server and is it useful to have?
 
The reason to get server is it spec'd out better when i bought it. plus it had 2 hard drives in it. The mac server is no different than the others out of the box. it does have some networking features that can be installed. And to answer the question, i bought mine 2 years ago and will have it for 2 more. And now with Protools 11 being 64 bit our computers will run even better. I think the 64 bit will extend the length of how long I will tolerate its speed. Im still running protools 10 and even with a 32 bit float i really have to have a serious project going to push its limits.

Hope this helps
 
why mac mini over a PC? What are the advantages besides the obvious portability.
 
Just keep in mind that Mac's are for the most part no different than PC's when it comes to specs. They are just different. Just as most Daw's all do the same thing, they all just work differently. Don't buy into whatever hype/specs people throw at you vouching that one is better than the other
 
I have nothing scientific to say, just that this is my first mac. im not hyping anything. It has been the most stable recording computer i've owned and unless im going to run a ton of virtual instruments and a 100 plugins i cant max this thing out. And im running protools 10. Im also not into DAW debates, use what you like. I like protools. There is a Dave Pensado episode where we shows his cpu resources on a protools 10 session and it was at like 80% and then he opened the same project in protools 11 and was at like 9%.
 
Ericlingus said:
I'm looking on buying a new computer soon and will probably go with a PC. My budget is about 2k. What would you recommend? I don't know how to build them on my own but my brother could help me so maybe that would be the best route? How about a site like PCaudiolabs? If I build one does anyone have a good system to build?
Click to expand...

yeah a "custom" computer is always better but don't build it alone if you do not know how to do this. if your brother knows what he's doing it's ok, otherwise leave it to someone who knows how to do this.

i don't know where you are from but most computer stores offer a "assembly".
especially if you spend 2K on a PC this should be no problem and included in the price. this way you'll get full warranty also ;)
 
mickrich said:
I updated from a 2006 mac pro to an i7 mac mini and it's amazing.
About 5 times as powerful as the old MP.
Get the i7. It works as 8 cores due to hyperthreading.
I have the apple USB superdrive and use an external USB 3 drive for recording.
All my iloks and midi controllers etc are on a USB hub.
I am running 3 screens using HDMI, Thunderbolt mini display port and displaylink USB3 adapter.
Couldn't be happier. Performance smokes and it really is tiny, unbelievably so.
Click to expand...

Do they get noisy under load?
 
would you guys recommend buying a computer off of newegg? I know they have some cheap parts in them though like the motherboards..I bought one about 3 years ago and replaced the power supply and bought a new hard drive for it and it still is giving me problems now like blue screen errors or sometimes it just freezes up. I just need a computer that is reliable and runs really great even with lots of plug ins and virtual instruments.
 
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