Looking to upgrade a few things

[kylendm]

Hey everyone.

I'm looking to upgrade a few things in my computer. Right now I'm using this computer for mainly mixing and all the sorts of that. I also do play games but that's not too important right now.

Here's my current specs:
Windows 7 Professional 64bit
AMD Phenom II X6 1050T
4.00 GB Dual-Channel DDR3
ASUSTeK Computer INC. M4N75TD
GeForce GTX 460
2TB harddrive

The main thing I'm looking at is to upgrade my RAM since the applications I use are very memory heavy and since I use 64bit anyway I mind as well get 12gb.

I'll probably upgrade my graphics card to a 7970 down the line but right now I'm not too worried about it.

The next thing I want to upgrade is my motherboard being that the M4N75TD bios isn't very friendly, it's getting a little old and there are some conflicting problems with some of the pci cards I'm using with my graphics card.

The last thing is, if I get a new motherboard and ram should I get the AM3+ boards? I see that the FX AMD processors are out but they have terrible reviews. I like my 1050tt and I never have problems with it but should I make the switch to Intel? I have only ever used AMD processors and I don't really know too much about Intel ones so if there is something better than what I have out there please recommend it!

I have about $400-500 on budget for these upgrades and any help would be appreciated!

 

[aortizjr]

Hmm... I am a huge fan of AMD and have used their processors for years. But the Intel i series is pretty kick ass. Problem is, it will eat up your budget quick. With my i7 2700k (last gen) I can run at 64ms buffers with FX and things don't start to have issues until I am really loading it down with IR's and VSTi's. Then I up it a bit and keep rolling.

So far it has been holding up MUCH better than my Phenom II.

Anyway CPU aside, more RAM for sure, and a second HD dedicated to either recording or the OS. If you use a lot of VSTi's, dedicate an HD to that as well.

Screw the graphics card for recording, doesn't buy you much. Cubase does use it a bit for rendering or if you want to drive multiple monitors, but it can clog up the PCI bus.

Last I checked (4 months ago) actually the Phenom II's were out performing the new AMD Zambezi's, not sure if that is the case now.

So if that is still true, I would just do second HD, more RAM, and spend the rest on plugins, mics, or other gear.