[LAU] New workstation | DAW pc

[Ken Restivo]

On Mon, Sep 06, 2010 at 10:44:18AM -0700, Mark Knecht wrote:
> On Mon, Sep 6, 2010 at 7:01 AM, rosea grammostola
> <rosea.grammostola at gmail.com> wrote:
> > Hi,
> >
> > Processor:
> > So it looks like I go for a intel i3 processor, with integrated gpu.
> >
> >> Anyway, I'm a fan of Asus MBs, either Intel or AMD processors. I used
> >> to work for AMD but frankly right now it's pretty hard to beat Intel's
> >> Core i5 & i7 offerings. I've got an i5-661, i7-920 and an i7-980x.
> >> They are all quite nice at different price points and the i5 is very
> >> energy efficient.
> >
> > MB:
> > Does it make sense to go for an Intel motherboard when I have also a Intel
> > processor? Then it should fit right ;) Like the Intel Desktop Board DH55HC
> > for example?
> 
> The Intel DH55HC is in fact the motherboard I am responding from. It's
> been quite good so far with the i5-661.
> 
> In fact I believe the integrated graphics for the i5-661 ONLY work
> with an Intel motherboard, or did so 6 months ago when I built this
> machine.

I'm enjoying this thread because I'm putting together an estimate for building an Ardour DAW for a friend's studio.

What about the Xwindows bugs with the Intel graphics chipset? There was some horrible bug that made RT kernels lock up or Xrun (I don't remember which; both are unacceptable), and the Xorg team didn't look like they were working on it. Is it fixed? Which distros have that fix?

> 
> I'd need to know the exact i3 model you're thinking about here.
> 
> > Asus is also mentioned pretty often indeed, MSI too. Which is the best,
> > that's all I have to know ;)
> >
> > Power:
> > When it comes to a power supply I was thinking about Enermax PRO82+ 385W. I
> > heard that brand is good...
> 
> I am energy conscious also. I chose the 500W Antec EarthWatts supply.
> However in testing the machine I ended up thinking the 500W was a vast
> overkill. I've got 3 hard drives and two LCD monitors attached, along
> with the DSL router, and I still draw less than 175 Watts. I suspect
> your 385W is more than enough. Just buy the most efficient one your
> budget will allow, especially if you're going to run this 24/7. The
> costs add up over a year and I figure you pay for the more expensive
> supply in under a year in electricity savings. (Depends on what you
> pay per KWH. Here in California it's pretty expensive.)
> 
> >
> > Cases:
> > There are pretty some option these days. Towers, mini-itx, htpc. I like the
> > style of the Antec ones ( antec Solo-EU Quiet Mini Tower Case, NoPSU, for
> > example).
> > Smaller is more mobile and looks nicer, but what is better and more silent?
> >
> 
> Really good, quiet cases are not very compatible with your budget. I
> like CoolerMaster but they are expensive. My view is I reuse them. I
> own 3. The first one has been with me over 11 years and had 4
> different machines in it over the years. Cost me $250 way back when
> but has been completely worth the money. Problem is it's a standard
> mini tower and it will never get smaller. My most recent is a full
> tower CoolerMaster Cosmos with a 5 disks - a 2 disk RAID 0 and a 3
> disk RAID1. It's not silent but it's manageable in the house for what
> I use it for. Cost me something like $250 and weighs so much I can
> hardly lift it fully loaded.
> 
> You can always add sound proofing to any case as long as you are
> careful about the air flow.
> 
> 
> > Memory:
> > Any recommended brands, type and speed?
> >
> 
> I use only Crucial, either directly through them or through Amazon.
> Lifetime guarantee, no questions asked. They've replaced 3 sets for me
> in the last decade and never asked why.
> 
> Hope this helps,
> Mark
> 
> >
> > Regards,
> >
> > \r
> >
> >
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