[linux-audio-user] Need a new 'pooter

[Bungee]

Christian Ohm <chr.ohm at gmx.net> wrote:

> On Saturday, 12 November 2005 at 21:06, Bungee wrote:
> > The obvious solution is to build a completely new system specifically for
sound
> > work, but I am totally baffled by the choices. MB, Processor, Memory, Sound
> > Card, and on, and on...
> 
> Well, I can give you my opinions on suitable hardware, and the
> components I have or intend to get soon. That should give you a start
> (or confuse you even more, depending on the other advice you got), but I
> guess you can't buy that system anywhere.
> 
> Processor: AMD. Faster and way cooler than the Intel chips. A dual-core
> should make a noticeable difference for audio work. I'll get the AMD X2
> 3800+, as the faster ones are way more expensive (and get hotter).
> 
> Cooling: Probably a Scythe Ninja (passive heatpipe cooler), and two
> 120mm fans (one in the PSU, one in the back of the case).
> 
> Mainboard: Obviously needs the same socket as the CPU. My choice is an
> Asus A8V Deluxe, as I want to use an AGP graphics card, and it has a
> passive northbridge cooler.
> 
> RAM: 2GB of a proper brand, no fancy expensive overclocking stuff.
> 
> Graphics card: A Radeon 8500LE modded with a passive cooler. The fastest
> card with usable open 3D drivers, and it doesn't get very hot. My main
> reason for getting it was the 1600x1200 DVI port, else I'd have stayed
> with my Matrox G400.
> 
> Sound card: M-Audio Audiophile 2496. Sufficient for me, but perhaps you
> need/want more channels.
> 
> HDD: One large Seagate or Samsung, those are supposed to be the most
> quiet ones. RAID is usually overrated, it's just louder and more
> error-prone. I'm thinking about getting a Seagate Cheetah 15k.3 as a
> system drive, but that'll also add some noise...
> 
> Case: Should have an opening for a 120mm fan in the back where the CPU
> sits, a place for the HDD low in the front (with air holes), and no
> holes in the sides. That way you can use the two fans (one in the PSU,
> one in the back) to get the air from below in the front (and perhaps one
> open slot below the graphics card) out the upper back, that should be
> sufficient cooling for that system. Ideally you'll have a temperature
> controlled fan controller, that'll make it even quieter. Oh, and the
> more solid (read: heavy) the case, the more noise it'll absorb.
> 
> That should give you a quiet, cool and pretty fast system, or at least
> some hints on how to build one.

Thanks for such a very detailed list (and thanks everyone else who responded).
This looks like the sort of thing I want to go for. What distro are you using?
Have you had any compatibility problems?

-- 
Bungee