couple of quick pc build questions - Computer music & technology forums

Forums - Computer music & technology

Subject: couple of quick pc build questions

Viewing all 14 messages - View by pages of 10: 1 2

Original Message 1/14 27-Jul-02 @ 06:27 PM - couple of quick pc build questions

dance

Posts: 5

Link?: Link

File?: No file

After many hours trawling the depths of the dancetech archives I've decided to build a AMD XP 1800, 512 ddr, epox 8kha+ system... As I already have a 60gb drive and Luna II card all I need now are the above parts and a new case as I'm still in AT form. My questions are as follows:

1. What do I need to look for to know I'm buying good quality ram? registered? I take it that the epox board takes 184 pin pc2100 ddr??

2. Where can I get low noise fans and power supplies that don't cost a fortune? How many fans do I need for this system and what size PSU?

3. At the mo my luna card has a nasty whine on it which fluctuates in pitch as I use the computer - ie. when cpu activity is increased i guess? Wot d'ya rekon that is?!

Anyway that should do for now, if you can help then please do, I'd really appreciate it.....

Cheers,

John

[ back to forum ] [quote]

Message 2/14 27-Jul-02 @ 08:31 PM - RE: couple of quick pc build questions

Posts:

Link?: No link

File?: No file

1. ther is a certain amount of rubbish talked about ram... most sites recommend crucial or other 'certified' ram, and in some ways this is correct, but this is all about data in/out accuracy... frankly for the average studio box any decent ram will do, certainly I've never had a problem with consumer ram... all ram is branded anyways, right now this athlon xp2000 test build isuning branded ram which is NOT listed as 'tested & recommended' by AMD, however all is fine.

2. quietpc.com or other sites... you can get a Zalman flower cooler from tottm court road shop (one shop sells them I know of) for about 40 quid, and mail order thay are easy to get all over the place.... the majority of the noise will be the cpu fan... then if you feel that a quiet power supply is also needed add one.. They cost about 50 quid - one quiet pc distributor is on the kings road up by the cafe near worlds end.

The power supply MUST be athlon compatible, at least 300 watts and best bet is do NOT run your screen off the pc power supply, use a dedicated cable from it's own mains plug.

3. dunno - I dont use one and never have, does any of the dsp's onboard have a cooling fan? if so it could be that not earthed right... i really dunno that card at all mate sorry, and even if I did, it could be anything, it might even not be the card and could be just something else on your current pc that the Lunar is picking up interference from.

one last thing, the 2000xp I've just built was only fractionaly more than an xp1800 so why not go a bit faster

[ back to forum ] [quote]

Message 3/14 28-Jul-02 @ 02:36 PM - RE: couple of quick pc build questions

dance

Posts: 5

Link?: Link

File?: No file

Cheers k, very helpful...

Where did u source the 2000xp then? When I was looking the other day I thought there was a 40 odd quid price jump - also will the 266Mhz epox board support it?

Anyway, cheers, I think I'll just buy a standard case and stick a flower cooler on the cpu and a couple of quiet fans in the case....

[ back to forum ] [quote]

Message 4/14 28-Jul-02 @ 04:01 PM - RE: couple of quick pc build questions

Posts: 12353

Link?: Link

File?: No file

Just get down to your local saturday pc fair - seek out the dealer4s with credit card processing ability cos they tend to be more setup to have acheived merchant status with the bank.... You can pickup a board/cpu/ram combi for less that 200 quid.

I spent all last night working with this new 2000xp build and it is bulletproof!... when the 'screen off' switches in (didnt disable it yet) the audio just makes a slight 'fatboy slim' timestretching little 'glitch' sound and just carries on regardless.

Just take a look at the processing list of fx and instruments i'm getting in the other thread thread (cheap 2ghz music pc) - and it's still working at the lowest possible latency of 5ms!!!...

With that deliberate maxing-out of the system I can STILL dial up one of the big Logic pad synths or the Kontakt piano, stick the old foot down on the master keyboard sustain pedal and mash the keyboard to oblivion, and all that happens is the notes all sustain like crazy until the polyphony level is breached and then cut off... no glitching, no stalling, no crashing or locking up.... bloody amazing for such a cheap pc. - Mebbe I should stick another 512 stick in there just for samples

___________________________________

I had an idea for a script once. It's basically Jaws except when the guys in the boat are going after Jaws, they look around and there's an even bigger Jaws. The guys have to team up with Jaws to get Bigger Jaws.... I call it... Big Jaws!!!

[ back to forum ] [quote]

Message 5/14 28-Jul-02 @ 04:08 PM - RE: couple of quick pc build questions

Posts: 12353

Link?: Link

File?: No file

There ya go mate - They are one lot in Farnborough in Hants. They do the Zalman & the other more conventional looking AMD cooler, plus they also do a quiet power supply too.

___________________________________

[ back to forum ] [quote]

Message 6/14 28-Jul-02 @ 04:24 PM - RE: couple of quick pc build questions

Posts: 12353

Link?: Link

File?: No file

Chillblast also do coolers and quiet power supplies. They do the SILVERADO...

https://www.chillblast.com/productsdetail.asp?PGID=13&PGSID=22

...which is well rated - Two of the most used silent CPU coolers are the Zalman & the Silverado. Many people rate those two makes but there are others.

Personaly I wouldn't go to the trouble of using drive sleeves and all that, I use SEAGATE ST drives mostly which are as near as damnit silent... so it's just the PSU that needs to also be quiet.. i think if you have a quiet power supply (PSU) and a quiet cpu fan then that's enuff, the rest is overkill imo.

Anyways, it's less that �100 quid for both a silent power supply & cpu cooler which is a nice tasty upgrade to treat yourself too when a spare �100 comes along

___________________________________

[ back to forum ] [quote]

Message 7/14 28-Jul-02 @ 07:10 PM - RE: couple of quick pc build questions

influx

Posts: 7627

Link?: Link

File?: No file

I dont think the 8kha+will run a 2000 will it? better check with Epox

also...if you do get that board, do NOT get ECC memory. wont work.

just so you know, what you mentioned is precisely what Im running..well, mobo, RAM, and processor, and I havent had a single problem yet. QUITE impressed.

dont they have a thing like pricewatch in the UK?

[ back to forum ] [quote]

Message 8/14 28-Jul-02 @ 07:36 PM - RE: couple of quick pc build questions

dance

Posts: 5

Link?: Link

File?: No file

nice one k! thanks very much for all the info, I have been following the cheap 2ghz pc thread and look forward to the article... I have build a few pcs but not for a couple of years so I'm a bit out of touch with the latest technology and standards...

I think I'll go the route u suggest, standard 300w psu and case fans, with a Zalman cpu cooler for now.

Anyways, I'll report back how I get on, cheers for now...

[ back to forum ] [quote]

Message 9/14 28-Jul-02 @ 07:45 PM - RE: couple of quick pc build questions

dance

Posts: 5

Link?: Link

File?: No file

Thanks also influx, we've got pcindex.co.uk but i might try a computer fair if k reckons it'll be that cheap... thanks for the ecc tip - almost bought some!!

Cheers,

[ back to forum ] [quote]

Message 10/14 28-Jul-02 @ 08:34 PM - RE: couple of quick pc build questions

Posts:

Link?: No link

File?: No file

hey influx... what sort of loading does your 1800/epox PC handle?... Can you give us an example of a typical high-loading of fx and/or s/w synths etc that it will run?

[ back to forum ] [quote]

Message 11/14 28-Jul-02 @ 11:10 PM - RE: couple of quick pc build questions

influx

Posts: 7627

Link?: Link

File?: No file

well...just to test it once, I loaded a bunch of random wave files in VST32...had 24 tracks of audio streaming, then loaded up I think 12 more VSTis...and put EQ and plugs on almost all the channels, and the cpu load was about 20%, disk was a little higher I think?

PLENTY of power. I can get more specific with it when I get further into the audio/softsynth side of things. Im still a luddite for the most part

[ back to forum ] [quote]

Message 12/14 29-Jul-02 @ 01:53 AM - RE: couple of quick pc build questions

Posts:

Link?: No link

File?: No file

hmm.. I'll try VST/REASON next on the 98 boot (saving sonar2 for the xp pro partition) - it always tend to run lighter i find compared to logic... That's great tho! - were the 12 VSTi's biggies? - like on my p3/450 i can raise something like an easy 10 ppg wave VSTi's which seems to run quite lite... but go for reaktor3 or fm7 on a more complexed pad sound or VA and they use alot more obviously.

[ back to forum ] [quote]

Message 13/14 29-Jul-02 @ 07:06 AM - RE: couple of quick pc build questions

influx

Posts: 7627

Link?: Link

File?: No file

had a few instances of junglist, some standard cubase synths, reaktor running in rewire...cant remember what else except that I was pleased to know that i could throw more at it than I probably ever would

I didnt get into super heavy plugins and stuff...should try more I think

[ back to forum ] [quote]

Message 14/14 29-Jul-02 @ 10:48 AM - RE: couple of quick pc build questions

Posts: 12353

Link?: Link

File?: No file

happy days anyways... we've certainly reached a really excellent price/performance ratio now with PC's - which makes Emagic dropping the platform right now all the more ludicrous.

___________________________________

[ back to forum ] [quote]

Viewing all 14 messages - View by pages of 10: 1 2

There are 14 total messages for this topic

Reply to Thread

You need to register/login to use the forum.

Click here to Signup or Login !

[you'll be brought right back to this point after signing up]

Back to Forum