I've just owned a 3 channel mixer and 2 decks
Now I've got 1000 € left to spend on my new PC. The things I'd like to do with it are:
record my mixes to HD
play files from PC (->program to adjust pitch needed)
realtime edit audio (would be cool to have sth like this: input->effect->output)

So here are the components I have got already:
LiteOn LDW 451 S DVD Burner
IBM (???) 120 GB HD

What I actually need (recommandations please):
Soundcard for Audio editing, recording, output (can it be done with one/is it better/possible with two? PCI or AGP?
(Onboard) 100 MBit LAN (getting DSL )
graphics card (not high end, but fast enough to play some new games like GTA X)
Processor (Intel vs AMD) and Board (what features are important here?)
RAM

Could you please help me

When it comes to soundcards you might want to check out M-Audio's, E-MU's and Terratec's semi-pro products.

BTW: There is no such thing as a AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) Soundcard.

If you're serious about making music, you'll probably also need more HD storage (120GB is not a lot).

The first requirement for a recording PC is silence, so go to SPCR for info on parts. AMD 64s with cool and quiet-supporting motherboards are good. There are lots of sources of noise: cpu cooler, hard disc, psu, case fans. Care needs to be taken about all these. Get 512mb ram. 120gb can store about 400 hours of 16/44 recording with lossless compression, over 100 of 24/96 so may well be adequate. If you need more, I'd wait for the drives that are about to come out.
The sound card will depend on what inputs you need for recording. Just one from your mixer, or do you need mic inputs. What connections: balanced/unbalanced?

Wonder why this is moved to off-topic. Seems like audio hardware to me.

512 MB DDR RAM is clear, but which type?
I may connect a Mic to my Soundcard + 1 channel input for mixer or 2 channels from my decks (???) + 1 mic, I already have different cards in mind. Which one has quite good quality/low latency?
May I stick to GeForce graphics?
Which features of the motherboard are important for my system's performance?

Thanks so far

Made my first decisions:

RAM: DDR 512 MB 400
MB: Chaintech ZNF3-150 Zenith
Processor: Athlon 64 3200+ (What does "boxed" mean?)

undecided on the following products:
Soundcard: DMX 6FIRE 24/96
EWX 24/96
both Aureon -> Aureon's MidiKit can be connected

Audiophile 2496
Delta 66/44
Omni Studio (my favourite, seems to have all features would be great if it would be available with Delta 44)
-> All M-Audio (do they have really such a short latency?)

E-Mu 1212M (really only 2 Analogue In? how much analog Out?)
Do the others also have effect processors? If not can I use tools with them (websites tell me yes, what experiences did you make?)

Graphic card: no idea at all...
LAN: What do I need for connection to DSL splitter,simply a 100 Mbit (full duplex?) card?

BTW: I also need some stuff (cooler,chipsets(?),powersupply,etc) What is important here?

Thanks

If you buy a new case for your new PC, there are many that come with power supply included. Be sure to get a power supply with enough power for all the components you are planning to use inside the case (I guess 300W is more than enough, but you might need more).Try to buy a big case if you can.The more space inside, the better.What might be really important to you is getting a very silent power supply.(Read below)

The chipset is included on the motherboard, you don´t have to buy it .They´re a couple of microchips called North Bridge and South Bridge included in every motherboard.Of course different motherboards have different chipsets (some chipsets work with AMD processors and others work with Intel processors). You don´t have to worry at all about the chipset but about a correct and reliable motherboard that works with your processor of choice.

If you´re planning to record from a mic near the PC you should really think about getting a noiseless cooling solution (search this forum, there are a few posts about it, try searching for ´silent PC´ or something similar).

A ´boxed´ processor means the processor is delivered to you in it´s original box as it came out of the factory.At the time of PIII the box used to come with a fan and fan heatsink (cooling solution), a manual and the warranty (I can´t tell about current processors...).
An ´OEM´ processor on the other hand is not delivered in a box, is cheaper and may come with a shorter warranty or no warranty at all.

About the video card, I have a GeForce4 MX440 64MB SDRAM AGP, it works very well with GTAIII and similar games, and with newer games too. It is a really cheap, low budget card for the current standard of gamers, but works great if you´re not anal about gaming. Anyway, try to get a video card with DDR RAM if you can.Also get an AGP card, they work faster than PCI cards because the AGP port is faster.

You should probably spend less on your video card and more on your soundcard and noiseless cooling solution. You also need a really silent hard drive. The Barracuda line from Seagate is known for its silent operation.

Can´t tell about a HQ soundard or DSL, sorry

Anyone correct me if I´m wrong

Graphics: radeon 9200 and 9600 are low-power and normally fanless. For all the non-sound card stuff go to SPCR as I said.


I don't understand this. If you want to connect a mic directly to the sound card you need a good internal preamp - I don't think the E-MU cards have one. Are you wanting to record more than two channels to the pc? (I.e. have the inputs recorded to different files to be mixed later?)

Can't say anything about soundcard, but the A64 and Chaintech board should be great. However, if the 3200+ is a Clawhammer (1024KB L2 cache, 2GHz), you may as well get the 3000+ Newcastle (512KB L2 cache, 2GHz), as the performance difference is quite minimal. If it is a Newcastle 3200+ (512KB L2 cache, 2.2GHz), then awesome. The additional 200MHz gives more performance than the extra cache.

The motherboard you've selected should be fine. I'm rather partial to SiS for instanely reliable drivers, but currently there are no really nice mobos with their chipsets for AMD CPUs, so the NF3.

-Video: A Built by ATI 9600 (fanless) would be good, or a Sapphire Ultimate (Zalman heatpipe cooler, fanless), OR a low-end/midrange Leadtek if you want NVidia, also fanless (others are fine, too, but Leadtek uses bigger heatsinks on the fanless ones than most). If you are a gamer, a Sapphire 9600 Pro Ultimate would be the perfect card for quiet at a nice price. Passive, not too expensive, and good mid-range performance. You get what you pay for going for more, but if you aren't into high resolutions (1280x1024+) or anti-aliasing and anisotropic filtering, it should be enough.

-Case: Antec SLK3700-AMB or Sonata, for ease. The Evercase E4252 is great as well, but does require some work to quiet down. Not a terrible lot of work, but a little more than replacing case fans.

-PSU: If you go with the Evercase or another case, (check out SPCR forums for more on the cases), get a better PSU than they come with. A good quiet one would be the Fortron/Sparkle FSP-300-???. You can spend more and get truly silent ones, if you wish. Also, wattage means jack. A nice 300w like the Fortron, Enermax, Antec, etc. will be much more capable than the cheap 550w ones you can find around. Again, check Silent PC Review.

-Case fans: Panaflo L or Papst. If these are too loud, a fan controller to undervolt them.

-Internet: if you have an external cable or DSL modem, the onboard LAN from the motherboard will do. HOWEVER, you want to get a router. A router will have a basic firewall built in, which is practically a necessity for internet-connected machines now.

-HDD: Whenever it comes to a new drive, forget IBM. Seagates are pretty quiet, and now have 5-year warranties. Just FYI .

-CPU HS/F. The retail heatsinks aren't bad for AMD anymore, but hardly quiet, either. A Zalman radial flower (any of them that work with the A64s) would be a great choice (but will not fit in a lot of cases), or a Thermalright or Alpha heatsink and Panaflo L, but generally you'll get better performance at lower fan voltages with the Zalman. The exception to this appears to be the Coolermaster Hyper6, but it is heavy and would give a lot of torque to the motherboard, and to top that off, would cost more ($50 USD + ~$7 USD for quiet fan vs. $35 USD for any but the newest Zalman radial flower) and be harder to install.