questions about a new (used) computer

[trndkllr666]

Hey guys my mother just gave me her old computer I went in and cleaned up all the bs off of it and am thinkin about using it to record my band. Let me know if what I have will be suffecent (please keep in mind that this is all my existing equip and the cpu was free)

CPU is

Compac Presario w/intel pent 4 processor
1024 Memory
HD 160GB
DVD burner
Intel Graphics accelerator
OS Vista Home Basic

Hardware is
Lexicon Omega 6 inputs

Software
CuBase LE 4.0
Guitar Rig
Peavey Revalver III
Ampiltube 2.0 + Metal

Please let me know if this will be decent for what I am wanting to do.

Thanks,
Jerrod

[String7th]

You will need to upgrade the ram to at least 2 gigs of memory. Most people say 4 or more, but with Cubase Le and those amp sims, you prob won't have a prob. If you notice latency issues or crashes, bump it up to 3 gigs.

The pentium 4 is good for now. Once you start getting more and more plug ins going and more tracks (I quickly fill all 48 of my Cubase LE) going at once, start pricing around a faster processor like a quad core around $200 or less..

For personal recording of your band, 160 gigs will be enough for maybe 5-6 songs at 24-bit files, depending on how you record and if you clear out your file poole. I own 1 Terrabyte and it's about 1/3 full, and I've completed 4 bands at 5 songs each, with no deleting yet.

[String7th]

Oh, and get a copy of Windows XP from a friend, or pay to downgrade. Vista doesnt like audio software and a lot of interfaces.

[garww]

I would go with what you got. Keep a tab on your video card and try to estimate "memory loss" from the plug-ins you use. But, more memory is always a good idea. Cleaning the OS is good but if you do a clean install, that is much, much better - your registry will be clean and you can do some partitioning to keep important things off of MicroSofts crash (c drive.

[fortyseven]

The pc you have is adequate. Maybe up the memory and definitely get rid of Vista and install XP.

[trndkllr666]

Thanks guys after figuring out how to run Cubase again it ran fine last night no bogging down and it picked p each track with great sound.

[TonyB]

Vista + 3GB RAM = Workable

Vista + 2GB RAM = Pray

[TD5_23]

Originally Posted by String7th

You will need to upgrade the ram to at least 2 gigs of memory. Most people say 4 or more, but with Cubase Le and those amp sims, you prob won't have a prob. If you notice latency issues or crashes, bump it up to 3 gigs.

Just a note to those considering an upgrade to 4 gigs. 32-bit Windows operating systems are only able to allocate just over 3 gigs of memory. So if you add 4 gigs, that's fine, but windows won't be able to see all of it. There is still an advantage of running two equal sticks of ram on newer computer, however. When installed in equal pairs you can run the memory in dual channel which means your ram bandwidth doubles. Because of this, 2x2GB of ram may be worth it.

If you're on a tight budget, and an old computer (that doesn't support dual-channel), 4GB is just not worth it. You can check to see if your computer supports dual-channel memory at crucial.com .

[TonyB]

Originally Posted by TD5_23

Just a note to those considering an upgrade to 4 gigs. 32-bit Windows operating systems are only able to allocate just over 3 gigs of memory. So if you add 4 gigs, that's fine, but windows won't be able to see all of it. There is still an advantage of running two equal sticks of ram on newer computer, however. When installed in equal pairs you can run the memory in dual channel which means your ram bandwidth doubles. Because of this, 2x2GB of ram may be worth it.

If you're on a tight budget, and an old computer (that doesn't support dual-channel), 4GB is just not worth it. You can check to see if your computer supports dual-channel memory at crucial.com .

Spot on. That's why I mentioned "3GB" instead of "4GB" in my previous post.

More than likely an upgrade will require 2x2GB sticks, but with Vista 32 just over 3GB is usable.

I recently upgraded my Vista 32 from 2GB to 4GB and noticed an improved difference in Sonar performance.

[fmw]

What you have will work fine. Don't worry about it. Just go do some recording.