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Topic: New computer for audio-purposes (Read 7905 times) previous topic - next topic
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New computer for audio-purposes

Hi all,
I am trying to find good hardware-components for a computer that will be used to

- host a large audiothek
- work with large wav-files (radio-show pre-production)
- play music in best quality (PC will be connected to stereo-system)
- watch TV / DVD
- Internet, E-mail

That's it.

Problem: I am very computer-challenged and different people recommend different components... plus, very few people in computer-shops do know about PCs for audio-purposes.

Bottomline: I actually know very little about hardware (next to nothing) and at this point I am very confused about everything... too much information I don't understand... and: the more information I search for, the more I am confused (Intel? AMD? Samsung Spinpoint? Motherboard? Huh?    )

I thought it might be a good idea to ask you folks here about a good components-set for an audio-pc (if that was a very, very bad idea or this is the wrong place... very sorry!)

Thank you,
Thomas.
Back off haters - strictly love we deal with.

New computer for audio-purposes

Reply #1 –
You need to focus on a soundcard and RAM. Your CPU manufacturer isn't going to change the quality of your audio, nor is your graphics card. If you're working with WAV files they will probably be quite large so I'd suggest at least 1gb of RAM.

I'm not familiar enough with high-end audio cards to make an appropriate recommendation there. Just make sure the motherboard will support DDR400 RAM and provided you get a decent sound card you can use pretty much any other compatible components with no degredation of sound quality.

If you want an entire system recommended you'll need to provide a list of the hardware your local stores provide, but your requirements aren't very demanding. Just get the high end sound card and plenty of RAM and they should be able to configure the rest of the system around them.

New computer for audio-purposes

Reply #2 –
This may be little OT, but I suggest making a Recommended Audio Hardware topic, simply because there are too much similar questions, and very few of the answers are easily accessible.
Infrasonic Quartet + Sennheiser HD650 + Microlab Solo 2 mk3. 

New computer for audio-purposes

Reply #3 –
>Your CPU manufacturer isn't going to change the quality of your audio, nor is your graphics card.

It does...a poor system (ie Intel Extreme) and you will have serious fan noise, same for graphics card (those little gpu fans can make an awful noise).

It is possible to make a 3GHz computer that is silent: PSU with no fans, CPU AMD 64 and a passive heat sink, go for laptop 2.5" hard drives as they as quieter and cooler than 3.5" (Western Digital Scorpio 2.5" that is 16 dB!). Such a system is expensive to make, but worth while when you can stand 1 meter away and not know if it is on or not.

Sound cards: m-Audio and Terratec seem to have cards for all budgets.

Edit: I have a Samsung Spinpoint 160GB and Quantum Barracuda SATA 200GB  and they are not as quiet as the manufacturers make out.
 

New computer for audio-purposes

Reply #5 –
I also agree with what has been said.

Unless you put your PC in a sound proof cabinet (or another room) the biggest sound quality impact from your pc will be it's noise.

If you are bothered by noise at all, you are best adviced to look in www.silentpcreview.com and especially it's forums.

There you will find instructions, recommended components and ideas for building a quiet computer.

Some recommendations from me:

- get as silent PSU as possible (Antec Phantom is fanless, as is Etasis, both available within EU)

- get a passive video card unless you play hardcore 3D games. Up to Radeon x800 cards are available with passive cooling (i.e. no noise)

- replace motherboard chipset fan with a passive fan

- get quiet hard drives, put them into Acoustics Management (AAM) mode if possible and suspend them off the PC chassis (instructions at silentpcreview)

- if you pick a very low voltage cpu (Pentium M / Dothan or Athlon 64 / Venice) with low enough frequency, you can undervolt them. By undervolting them you can get by using a passive heatsink in your computer, if you select a very big / efficient cooler.

- You probably still have to consider putting one 120mm fan inside your computer for general small airflow. Plenty of recommendations at SPCR, but Yate Loon and Nexus are some of the brands often available with EU (you can also undervolt those fans by giving them only 5V of voltage).

- For sound cards you have many options, both internal and external, from various manufacturers. It all depends on your recording/playback needs (do you need mics/phantom power/preamps/multichannel output/game support/DD+DTS passthrough/etc). Stay away from Creative cards, if possible, because they tend to resample 44.1kHz (CD audio sampling rate) to 48kHz with added intermodulation distortion.

Those are some quick suggestions off the top of my head. Go to SPCR for more info.

New computer for audio-purposes

Reply #6 –
Quote
>Your CPU manufacturer isn't going to change the quality of your audio, nor is your graphics card.

It does...a poor system (ie Intel Extreme) and you will have serious fan noise, same for graphics card (those little gpu fans can make an awful noise).
[a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=304835"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]


It's not the CPU.  The CPU will not alter the sound, unless it is faulty.  However, the chipset and general motherboard quality can add noise to the signal.
"You can fight without ever winning, but never win without a fight."  Neil Peart  'Resist'

New computer for audio-purposes

Reply #7 –
I think he was referring to the CPU cooling.

A hot CPU needs to be cooled with force and that brings about noise (unless one goes water cooling route).

That's why I also recommend low powered CPUs (A64 Venice, Intel Pentium M -family) if possible.

Also, if you are building an audio rig that needs to really stress the PCI audio card (i.e. multiple simultaneous channels, either in or out), then I recommend staying away from the new PCI-E chipset based motherboards:

http://www.rme-audio.de/english/techinfo/nforce4_tests.htm

Problems have been noted on both Intel and nVidia PCI-E chipset based motherboards with high PCI-load.

regards,
halcyon

PS With a modern properly designed audio card (say any from RME), selection of motherboard or PSU should have very little effect on the electrical noise in the audio sub-system. Integrated codecs on the motherboard are a wholly different issue altogether.

New computer for audio-purposes

Reply #8 –
Thank you all for your replies so far, I've learned quite something.

As I have two offers coming in soon, I think it might be best to post them here - pls. feel free to post your comments about the offers... what you might change to get the best out of the new system (thanks for that recommendation, Defsac).

MoOZOoh's recommendation about making an (continuously updated) "recommended Audio hardware topic" is a very good one, as it might not help only me, but other newbies too. You know... first one wants to gather all infos on recommendations all by oneself... but there comes a point where one is nothing but confused... too much information, you know ("You must have Intel!" - "We sell much more AMD, forget about Intel")

Here are some more informations... I want to spend approx. 1500 to 2000 Euros. I already had one PC-System (Acer) delivered, but I returned it - since the TV-Card wasn't working properly and there was also no way to connect the TV-Card (WinFast TV) to the M-Audio-soundcard (Revolution 7.1 that is). Also, I was surprised to learn that there is no motherboard without onboard sound. The solution according to Acer would have been to listen to music through M-Audio and watch TV using the onboard Realtek-Sound (no way, José!).

Also, thanks for the recommendations about a (more) silent computer... that is definetly an issue.

Thomas.
Back off haters - strictly love we deal with.

New computer for audio-purposes

Reply #9 –
Here's a nice guide to picking parts for a new computer.
Happiness - The agreeable sensation of contemplating the misery of others.

New computer for audio-purposes

Reply #10 –
Good thick case like Ascot 6AR is crucial, too.
Infrasonic Quartet + Sennheiser HD650 + Microlab Solo 2 mk3. 

New computer for audio-purposes

Reply #12 –
For a silent audio PC I'd go with this:

Processor: Depends on wether you're gonna edit alot of stuff or encode audio. Intel exceeds at encoding, but is beaten by AMD when it comes to editing. AMD is cheaper and cooler too. I'd go with an AMD Athlon64, s939 with the Venice core. A 3000+ should suffice.

Motherboard: It seems that nForce3/4 delivers the best preformance, and it's very stable too. Just look for a board with the features you need, and then google for reviews on it.

Memory: Just get some brand-name 400mhz DDR with decent timings. Something like Corsair Value should suit you well. Get 2 512mb sticks

Hard Drive: As you are going to work with audio, get a big drive. Something like a 200 GB should do it. Seagate and Samsung are supposed to be quiet.

Graphics Card: If you're not a gamer, get a cheap Radeon 9250 or FX 5200. They are usually passively cooled, so they're dead quiet.

Case/PSU: Antec SLK3700BQE is a nice case. It comes with a 350w Antec PSU, but it's available without a PSU also. Buy the version without the PSU + a Seasonic 400W. Should be real quiet

Cooling: Buy a Zalman CPU-cooler and silent 120mm papst case fans.

New computer for audio-purposes

Reply #13 –
Id suggest shopping around for a new well built cool, low-processor-powered, large screen laptop - underclocked athlon xp or 64, 1gig memory, 1300 euros +with good construction and a *quiet harddrive*. Check at the shop or use a distinguished merchant to make sure what you are buying performs correctly.
Add some awesome pcmcia laptop soundcard mentioned in another thread, 250 euros.
+ Few hundred euros on software.

On the other hand you could get a jumble of compents delivered in the mail and build a powerful rig for 800 euros, but it takes hours of tinkering and luck to make it work as well as the best you could find to buy.

For TV stuff get it built in the laptop or a usb attached device ~ 300 euros
no conscience > no custom

New computer for audio-purposes

Reply #14 –
Okay, here's offer # 1...

*******************************
- Enermax ATX Midi-Tower, 200 x 476 x 495mm (BxHxT), 4x 5.25" extern, 2x 3.5" extern, 6x 3.5" intern, Front-USB / Firewire / Audio, 7x Erweiterungs-Slots, 350 Watt Netzteil, black

- ASUS A8N-SLI, nForce4 SLI (dual PC3200 DDR), nForce4 SLI • USB 2.0/Firewire/Gb LAN/2x SATA2 RAID/7.1 Audio (Realtek ALC850)/Firewall • 1x x16 PCIe oder 2x x8 PCIe, 2x x1 PCIe, 3x PCI

- CPU AMD ATHLON 64 3500+ Sockel 939

- 1 GB RAM Kingston oder Infineon PC 400

- 2 x SEAGATE BARRACUDA 7200.8 250GB - Schnittstelle: S-ATA/ Kapazität: 250 GB/ 7200 rpm/ Cache: 8 MB/KB/ Formfaktor: 3,5 "

- Floppy Laufwerk NEC 1,44 MB black

- GeForce FX 5200,  AGP 8x, 128MB DDR,TV-Out

- WinTV PVR-150 - Fernsehen am PC, Videorekorder mit Hardware-MPEG-2-Enkoder (HardPVR®) mit Time-Shift, Video-CDsund DVDs erstellen

- Plextor PX716A/T3

- Keyboard Cherry USB black

- Optical Mouse
*****************************

=> The whole thing costs 1.399 Euros. Pls. voice your opinion, thank you.

Thomas.
Back off haters - strictly love we deal with.

New computer for audio-purposes

Reply #15 –
... and that's offer # 2.... pls. note that I already own a M-Audio Revolution 7.1 Card that will be used in the new computer.

*******************************
Gehäuse MIDI Compucase CI-6919 weiß
Netzteil Sirtec Highpower 420 Watt
Mainboard MSI 865PE Neo2-PFS 1 0 0
Prozessor Intel Pentium4 3,2GHz / 800FSB / 1MB Cache
Kühler Arctic Super Silent Ultra TC
Speicher Kingston 2GB Kitt DDR PC400 (2x1GB)

HDD 1 SAMSUNG SP2004C, 200GB, 8MB
HDD 2 SAMSUNG SP2004C, 200GB, 8MB
Grafikkarte GF FX5200 / 128MB
CD / DVD Plextor PREMIUM/T3 (weiss)
Brenner Plextor PX-740A/T3 (weiss)
Soundkarte Onboard
TV Karte Hauppauge PVR-150
Netzwerkkarte Onboard 10/100/1000
*******************************

=> This will cost 1.290 Euros. What do you think?

Thank you,
Thomas.
Back off haters - strictly love we deal with.

New computer for audio-purposes

Reply #16 –
I wouldn't get a seagate drive, because they have been getting louder and louder. (the 7200.8 is the latest)

I would get an athlon 64 system, but not the asus motherboard.(i have ordered a msi neo4 platinum) I would replace the northbridge heatsink with something passive and if needed let a big fan blow on it.

Which athlon 64 3500+? (there are at least 3 versions)

Pay attention to the psu, the one that comes with the case is probably a cheap model.(and not remotely quiet)

The fx5200 is an agp card, you NEED a pci-express card.(for the AMD configuration, the intel has an older motherboard) Something like a Nvidia 6200 Turbocache 32 MB should be enough for you. (turbocache means it's got some memory of it's own which is fast and loans the rest it needs from the main memory) Don't get the 64 mb version as it has 550 mhz memory instead of 700 mhz, don't get the 16 mb version either, because that one is also slower. Make sure there is NO fan on the card.

Make sure you like the case, it's an important part of the computer.

You could see if you can get a Seasonic S12 as psu, but i'm not sure if they're sold Austria. An Enermax Noisetaker would be a decent choise too. EDIT: A passive psu is an option too, but they shouldn't be used if you don't know what you're doing.

I would visit www.silentpcreview.com and check out the recommended section and the forums.

Good Luck.

Madman2003.

New computer for audio-purposes

Reply #17 –
If you want to shell out a bit more (£50+) then I would seriously recommend getting water cooling. Fan induced line noise has been seriously pissing me off lately (3x 80mm fans, 1x northbridge fan, 1x graphics fan, 1x CPU turbine, the PSU....arrggh).


If I turn my speakers up to 100% with nothing playing, the fan noise is louder than the damn things themselves!
hi

New computer for audio-purposes

Reply #19 –
Thank you all for your replies... they're very helpful, I take all your suggestions into consideration.

Right now I think offer # 2 (the Intel-System) is my favorite... not because it's the cheapest, but because it sounds like a lean but powerful system that simply will do what I want (and not more). Still, I'd like to ask if you would change anything on offer #2? Another reason would be, that the offering computer store is run by some young people that actually took the time and listened to what I had to say about the new computer (what it will be used for and so on... one should think that this is normal, but isn't as I have experienced).

Ok... for the sake of it, I have an offer # 3 - this one is expensive (1.750 Euros) and it sounds like an overkill. Here it is...

***************************
Grafikkarten:  20066  ASUS EAX300 SE/TD Radeon X300 SE DDR, PCIe, 128MB
(RTL), 1 Stk.  51,58 exkl./  61,90 inkl. Euro
PCIexpress Graphikkarte, Radeon X300 SE Chipsatz, 128 MB DDR Speicher,
Engine Clock: 375MHz, Memory Clock 400 MHz (200 MHz DDR), RAMDAC: 400
MHz, Speicher Interface: 64bit DDR, TV-Out, DVI, inklusive Zubehör in
Retail Verpackung - ACHTUNG! Nur Windows XP/Windows 2000 kompatibel.

Mainboard:  21000  ASUS P5WD2 Premium, 1 Stk.  183,25 exkl./  219,90
inkl. Euro
Intel LGA775 Sockel für P4/Celeron/Extrem/ Pentium D.  Kompatible mit
Intel® 05B/ 05A und 04B/04A Prozessor. Intel 955X Chipsatz. FSB
1066/800/533. 4x240pin DDR2 bis zu 8GB mit 800/667/533 ECC und nicht ECC
Speicher. 1x PCIexpress 16x, 1x PCI-E (4x), 1x PCIexpress (1x), 3x PCI.
Intel ICH7R South Bridge: 1x UDMA 100, 4x SATA I/II (Raid 0,1,5 u.
10).Silicon Image SATA controller 1x Intern SATA I/II, 1x extern SATA.
ITE ATA Controller: 2xUDMA 133/100/66. Lan: Dual Gigabit LAN controller:
1 x Intel PCIe Gigabit LAN Controller. 1 x Marvell 88E8001 Gigabit LAN
Controller, featuring AI NET2. Audio Realtek ALC882D 8 Kannal.
Anschlüsse: 1 x Parallel; 1 x Optical + 1 x Coaxial S/PDIF Output; 1 x
PS/2 Keyboard; 1 x PS/2 Mouse; 2 x RJ45;4 x USB 2.0/1.1;
1 x IEEE1394a; 1 x External SATA port; 8-Channel Audio. Internal I/O: 2
x USB 2.0, 1 x IEEE1394a, 1 x COM, 1 x GAME/MIDI, CPU / 2 x Chassis /
Power Fan, Front panel High Definition Audio, Chassis Intrusion, CD
audio-in, 24-pin ATX Power, 4-pin ASUS EZ Plug,

Kühler:  20943  CPU-Kühler (462/478/754/775/939/940)- NorthQ 3312 Giant
UFO, 1 Stk.  34,92 exkl./  41,90 inkl. Euro
Kupfer CPU-Kühler mit 120mm Lüfter hybrid gelagert (nur 12-24 db).
Geeignet für folgende CPU-Sockel: Socket 462(A), 478, 754,939,940 und
Socket LGA775. Abmessungen 138x 138x 65mm. Lüftergeschwindigkeit: 1000 -
2200 u/min. 3pin Konnektor. Gewicht: 785g.
***Achtung! Passt nicht auf jedes Motherboard (wegen des Seitenabstandes
zu div. Bauteilen)***

Speicher:  21002  DIMM 2048MB DDR2 PC-533 CL4 KIT Value Select
(Corsair), 1 Stk.  216,58 exkl./  259,90 inkl. Euro
2x 1024MB DDR2 PC-533 (PC2-4200) Speicher, DIMM 240-PIN, 533 MHz, 1.8V,
CL4 (CM2X512-4200)

Kühler:  19454  GehLü - be quiet! Silent Wings, 80x80mm Low Noise, 2
Stk.  13,26 exkl./  15,91 inkl. Euro
Gehäuselüfter mit 80x80x25mm, Silent Wings Low Noise, doppelt
Kugelgelagert, ~ 1.850 U/min, Luftfördermenge: 23 CFM = 39,33 m³/Std.,
Geräuschentwicklung unter 20 dB(A), 3-Pin Anschluss, 0.84 Watt
Stromverbrauch, inkl. Adapterkabel auf 4-Pin.

Kühler:  17648  GehLü - Enermax UC-12FAB(N) 120x120mm, 1 Stk.  13,25
exkl./  15,90 inkl. Euro
12x12 cm; Lüftergeschwindigkeit manuell verstellbar über Poti; Lüfter
an/aus über Motehrboard gesteuert - stopped in sleeping mode; doppelt
kugelgelagerter; Unterstützt Lüfter Speed Monitoring; vergoldetes
Lüftergitter; 1500 - 2300 RPM (±10%).

CPU:  20380  INTEL Pentium-4 540J S775 Prescott 3.2GHz, 800 FSB
(Boxed), 1 Stk.  174,08 exkl./  208,90 inkl. Euro
Socket 775 CPU (FC-LGA4) Intel Pentium 4 Codename 540J, 3.20 GHz, FSB
800, 0.09µ Technologie, 16KB L1 Cache, 1024KB L2 Advanced Transfer
Cache, 2 Streaming SIMD Extensions, Hyper-Threading-Technologie, 3
Streaming SIMD Extensions, NX-Flag Unterstützung, EO Stepping,
inklusive original Intel CPU Lüfter in Boxed Verpackung.

Audio:  18382  M-Audio Delta 66, 1 Stk.  149,17 exkl./  179,00 inkl.
Euro
Delta 66™ bietet 4 analoge und 2 digitale Ein- und Ausgänge in
24Bit/96KHz-Qualität. Durch konsequente Verwendung der Delta
1010™-Technologie wird so eine hochwertige 6x6-Lösung verfügbar. Die
mitgelieferte Breakout-Box bietet 4 analoge Ein- und Ausgänge mit 6.3mm
Klinkenbuchsen für symmetrische oder unsymmetrische Signale (+4dB oder
-10dB Signal-Level).
Über den S/PDIF Ein-/Ausgang überspielen Sie Ihr Audiomaterial vom DAT-,
oder MiniDisc-Recorder, Digitalpult oder Wandler mit einer Auflösung von
bis zu 24Bit/96kHz in beide Richtungen gleichzeitig. Mit den Digital
Convertern CO2™ und CO3™ stellen Sie auch zu Geräten mit optischen
Digitalanschlüssen oder AES/EBU eine sichere und zuverlässige Verbindung
her.

Gehäuse:  17528  Midi-Chieftec Dragon DX-01 BD-U (Schwarz), 1 Stk.
45,75 exkl./  54,90 inkl. Euro
ATX Middle-Tower Gehäuse mit folgenden Abmessungen (H/B/T):
522*205*473mm und Fronttür. Das schwarze Gehäuse besitzt 4 mal 5.25", 2
mal 3.5" Einschübe, welche von Außen zugänglich sind. Zusätzlich finden
bis zu 4 mal 3.5" Harddisk im Inneren Platz. Optional können bis zu
2x80mm, 2x92mm und 1x120mm Zusatzlüfter integriert werden. !!! NEU mit 2
x USB front connector (2.0) & 1 x IEEE 1394 Firewire in der Frontblende
!!! Material: 1.0mm SECC. Gewicht 13,90kg

Netzteile:  19975  Netzteil 480 Watt TG480-U1 V2.0 Low Noise (Tagan), 1
Stk.  64,92 exkl./  77,90 inkl. Euro
Super leises, enorm hochwertiges ATX Netzteil mit 480 Watt. Pentium-4
Aktiv PFC,  Doppellüfter. Extra Massekabel. TSCT Targan Silence Control
Technology (22dB). 4x Serial ATA, 2x VGA Stecker und 1x PCI-Express
Adapter (im Lieferumfang). Gummierter Einschalter.+3,3V@28A, +5V@48A,
+12V@28A, -12V@1A, -5V@0,8A, +5VSB@2,5A. 36 Monate Garantie. AMD Opteron
geeignet (24+8pin Stecker).

Video / Foto:  21200  Pinnacle PCTV MediaCenter 100i, PCI, 1 Stk.
49,08 exkl./  58,90 inkl. Euro
Interne TV Karte von Pinnacle zum Empfang und zur Aufnahme von Analog TV
über Antenne/Kabel,
optimierte Kanalsuche inkl. Kanalnamenerkennung und Teletext, Time Shift
Funktion, inkl. Fernbedienung Videoeingänge: S-Video, Composite-Video
Audioeingänge: Stereo-Audioeingang (3,5 mm Klinkenbuchse)
TV Signal: IEC-Anschluss (PAL/SECAM)
Audioausgang: Stereo-Audioeingang (3,5 mm Klinkenbuchse)
Stereo-Audiounterstützung: Audiokabel (Länge ca. 30cm, 2 x 3,5 mm
Stereobuchse) für Verbindung mit einer Soundkarte
Unterstützte Betriebssysteme: MS Windows ME/2000/XP
Unterstützte Dateiformate:
Videowiedergabe: MPEG-1/2/4, Xvid, WMV9, ASF, DV-AVI
Musikwiedergabe: MP3, WMA, WAV
TV-Aufnahme: Aufnahme von Analog-TV auf Festplatte im MPEG-1 und
MPEG-2-Format in sechs voreingestellten Qualitätsstufen für VCD, S-VCD,
DVD-Longplay, MPEG-2 D1 voll, MPEG-2-Longplay (2/3 D1, 1,5 Mbit/s,
kompatibel für SC WiFi-Streaming)

CD / DVD Laufwerke:  20480  Plextor DVD PX-130A 16x/50x (Beige), 1 Stk.
26,58 exkl./  31,90 inkl. Euro
beiges internes ATAPI 16fachSpeed DVD-Rom und 50fachSpeed CD-Rom
Laufwerk, in Bulk-Ausführung.

CD / DVD Laufwerke:  19903  Plextor PlexWriter PX-716A DVD+/-RW,
(Beige-Schwarz) (RTL), 1 Stk.  93,25 exkl./  111,90 inkl. Euro
Interner DVD +/- Brenner mit ATA Schnittstelle, 16x DVD+R/6x DVD-R/8x
DVD+RW/4xDVD-RW/16x DVD-Rom/4x DVD+R Duallayer/48x CD-R/24x CD-RW/48x
CD-Rom, mit beiger Blende und zusätzlicher schwarzer Blende inkl.
Software und Zubehör, in Retailverpackung.

Gehäuse:  15817  Schallschluck - "be quiet!" für Chieftec DX, 1 Stk.
23,25 exkl./  27,90 inkl. Euro
Basismaterial: 1. Bitumpappe. 2. S30 FR besteht aus einem
PUR-Ester-Spezialschaum. Flächengewicht: 1.4 kg/m3. Abdeckung
Klebeseite: Silikonpapier. Dicke: Bitumpappe 1.4mm. S30 FR 8.0mm.
Schaumfarbe S30 FR: dunkelgrau. Oberfläche S30 FR: strukturiert und
luftdurchlässig versiegelt. Luftschalldämmung bei 100 Hz: (Daten für
Bitumpappe) Körperschall erregt 4.0 dB. Lautsprecher erregt 1.5 dB.
Luftschallabsorption: (gemäß DIN 52 215 63 S30 FR) 800Hz=20%,
1000Hz=25%, 2000Hz=65%, 4000Hz=80%. Temperaturbeständigkeit:
(Gebrauchstemperatur) von -30°C bis +90°C. Wärmeleitfähigkeit S30 FR:
0.033 W/mK - DIN 52612. Brennbarkeit Bitumpappe: DIN 4102 - B2.
Brandverhalten S30 FR: FMVSS 302, DIN 75200 erfüllt.
Empfohlene Lagertemperatur: 15°C bis 25°C. Verarbeitungstemperatur:
+20°C bis 25°C

Harddisk:  17761  Seagate Barracuda Serial ATA 7200.7 ST3200822AS
(200GB), 3 Stk.  262,26 exkl./  314,71 inkl. Euro
3.5" Serial ATA150 Harddisk mit 200 GB, 8,5ms, 8 MB Cache und 7.200 RPM.

Harddisk:  20555  Seagate Barracuda Serial ATA 7200.7 ST380817AS NCQ
(80GB), 1 Stk.  51,58 exkl./  61,90 inkl. Euro
3.5" Serial ATA150 Harddisk mit 80 GB, 8,5ms, 8 MB Cache und 7.200 RPM.
mit NCQ Unterstützung
**************************************

Thank you again,
Thomas.
Back off haters - strictly love we deal with.

New computer for audio-purposes

Reply #20 –
How about an out of the box solution:

Get a laptop (Intel Centrino) with the largest available drive and an external usb sound card.

It will be quiet and have great sound.  With the right software you have a portable recording studio.  Plus, you don't have to go through all of the techno geek loops of building it.

New computer for audio-purposes

Reply #21 –
Well, i think the most important things for an hi-fi computer are the coolers.

Get a low-noise power supply:





...and if you get a Turion-64 

Anyway, you must have a cool (in every sense) case like this: 

Anyway, get a good (or, better, a mervellous) audio card:

New computer for audio-purposes

Reply #22 –
Quote
How about an out of the box solution:

Get a laptop (Intel Centrino) with the largest available drive and an external usb sound card.

It will be quiet and have great sound.  With the right software you have a portable recording studio.  Plus, you don't have to go through all of the techno geek loops of building it.
[a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=305508"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]


I have thought about a laptop-solution too... but the new computer should host a large Audiothek (approx 300 GB plus and growing) and it will also be used to watch TV (analog cabel-TV that is). Also, I wanted to use my M-Audio card and a Plextor Premium in the new system...

Tom.
Back off haters - strictly love we deal with.

New computer for audio-purposes

Reply #23 –
I am happy with the noise (rather lack of it) of my Maxtor Diamond Plus drive, which is used in a fanless machine. As for case fans, try to get a Papst or a NoiseBlocker, I think they are the best at the job. Ball bearings are a bit more noisy but the fans last much longer.
For heatsinks I heard mostly of Zalman. A safe choice.

New computer for audio-purposes

Reply #24 –
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Problem: I am very computer-challenged and different people recommend different components... plus, very few people in computer-shops do know about PCs for audio-purposes.


If I were in your position I'd buy a ready build machine for audio. That way you will get suitable components and an enclosure built for quietness.

I would recommend you talk to http://www.carillonusa.com.  It will cost slightly more but you'll get a machine better suited to your needs and you will get audio specific help and support.

Carillon will also be able to sell you the correct audio interface and software for your needs.