[linux-audio-user] System upgrade recommendations

[Jon Hoskins]

Dana Olson wrote:

>Hello,
>
>I am wondering what I should do in order to get a bit more performance
>out of my system for using JACK and friends.
>
>I currently have two systems, and they are relatively similar. My main
>system is a Dell Optiplex, can't remember the model exactly right now,
>but it is:
>
>Intel P4 2.8GHz
>512MB DDR
>onboard video
>Creative Audigy2 ZS
>
>The other system is:
>
>AMD AthlonXP 2800+
>512MB DDR
>NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti4200 128MB
>Creative SoundBlaster Live! 5.1
>
>I was considering buying a 2x512MB DDR kit for the P4, and dropping
>the old 512MB from there into the Athlon system.
>
>The RAM I am thinking about is:
>http://canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=003982&cid=RAM.178
>
>Would it be better to save up and invest in a CPU/mobo upgrade? Or
>will a different sound card give me a performance boost (not sure how
>it would be possible, but..)? Or maybe I should find a PCI video card
>(NVIDIA or maybe there is something better?) to put into the Dell, if
>onboard video causes issues? Or is RAM a pretty good upgrade at this
>point?
>
>I ask because I am new at using software (other than Audacity) for
>multitrack recording, and when I get more than a couple apps up and
>running, my system gets sluggish, and I can't even load the Titanic
>SoundFont in Qsynth because it crashes (I presume due to lack of
>memory).
>
>Thanks in advance for any advice.
>
>Dana
>
>
>  
>
Memory and more memory would be my first upgrade on hardware like that.  
Buffering into /swap is not good for audio applications.  Your 
motherboard/cpu combo is fairly up-to-date and should get you by for 
quite some time.  Second pick would be doing away with the onboard video 
with seperate card  (preferably nvidia) especially if you are using apps 
with realtime/pseudo-realtime meters and spectrum analyzers and the like.

Best,

Jon