Well i can maybe share a little in terms of performance form what i have experienced. WHen i work on music CPU seems ot play in most when you are using multiple plugins and a lack of CPU power will limit the rumber that you can use. Ram can also effect this but mostly ram seems to impact plugins or samples that need ot make calls to large sound libraries to load all of the soundns into ram as opposed to runnign them off of the hard drive.

I'm sure that are far more expereince and knowledgable members that can give you a better insight but I would say Puugin based = CPU, sample based = RAM

You need lots of ram to run VI's but the CPU will affect how many tracks/w/plug ins you can have before maxing out-
The denser the mix, the faster computer you'll need- A mix with perhaps 16 tracks will run just fine in a slower computer with lots of ram- when you start getting up past 24 tracks/w/plugs no amount of ram will save you if you have a slower computer

Thanks. So is it better to DDR2 ram (533mhz) or just DDR ram (400mhz). Ofcourse DDR2 costs more. At one time the most I would use simultaneously is Sonar 4, Battery 2, Reason, FL studio and plugins.

In any event, with a 3 gb processor and 2gb of ram, you'll have your bases covered nicely...

TG

Hello,

lots of CPU power is number one priority! Getting a system dual core ready is even better just in case you need more power down the road.

When looking at memory DDR400 vs. DDR2533 take a look at CAS latency as most of the DDR2533 modules seem to have very high latencies.

Guy.
sonica-x support.

Thanks gentlemen. I've inquired about the dual processor setups and I've heard that they were mad expensive. I would like to go that route but I'm actually building a studio that is constantly draining funds. I heard that a dual processor system costs around $4,000. If you know differently let me know because I could spend maybe $1,200.
As for the DDR2 I didn't realize that there were issues that were still unresolved. Naturally my thought is that more Ram equals more speed, but youre saying that this newer, faster Ram creates a lag in the system. I'd love to read more about this if you know of any links.

eBrown100,

Yes, $1200.00 for a dual CPU is quite low but $4000.00 is quite high as well. 2500-3000 for dual CPU well equiped.

Guy Cefalu
sonica-x support

$2,500 may be affordable if I sold some old equipment. But if I'm going to spend that much then the Mac G5 becomes the obvious. Only thing is, I use Sonar 4. But I would love to view some dual processor pc's.
Please, list some links so that I can check out these dual processor systems.

eBrown100 wrote: Thanks gentlemen. I've inquired about the dual processor setups and I've heard that they were mad expensive. I would like to go that route but I'm actually building a studio that is constantly draining funds. I heard that a dual processor system costs around $4,000. If you know differently let me know because I could spend maybe $1,200.
As for the DDR2 I didn't realize that there were issues that were still unresolved. Naturally my thought is that more Ram equals more speed, but youre saying that this newer, faster Ram creates a lag in the system. I'd love to read more about this if you know of any links.

It is a waste most of the time. Some software doesn't even make use of the second processor, in fact it may be turned off. It is harder to keep a dual processor stable than a single. If you are using two at 40%, then it is really a waste anyway as it is choked by the slow motherboards.

If you are going to do MIDI, then buy the biggest baddest processor. If you are going to have dense editing and good plug ins (and multiples thereof) get as much RAMM as you can swing. So, you need it all likely.

Wait for Windows64. This should be good. 64 bit, 16GB RAMM, faster bus speeds. Can you say "recording in RAMM?"

if you go mac, logic andf digital performer take advantage of dual processors quite nicely- $3000 will get you the top of the line, while $2000 will get you a dual 2.0- right now with the model changes you might even get a better deal

Dual processor systems are 100% stable.

Sonar 4, Cubase SX and Nuendo take full advantage of dual processors.

Dual processing is not a waste of time or money and anyone doing projects that can not be done on a single processor at an acceptable latency needs a dual processor.

Guy Cefalu
sonica-x

All of the information that you guys have written has been very helpful. The dual processors, though very powerful, are not an option; they're to pricey for me right now. I'm a rookie so I'll just learn the ropes with the Dimension system that I puchased from Dell. Actually it arrived today before I left for work.

If anyone has suggestions about upgrades for Ram let me know. e.g. If there is a particular brand that works better than another. I found out today that some Motherboards except either High Density or Low Density Ram. There's a guy selling Memory on eBay and his listing states that his product is "not compatible with Intel and Nvidia motherboard chipsets." Does this mean that his product is incompatible with Intel processors (pentium, celeron)?
Oh yeah, and what's the deal with Memory Coolers? They appear to be copper or aluminum covers that slip over the Memory Cards to reduce the heat.

I would be grateful if all that posted here would post advice for my other topic, "Tweak PC for DAW Usage."

Thanks Again.