dual core ????

[wavey]

I am about to start building my recording PC and would like to know if Dual core is worth going for in terms of proccessor, if not there are a lot of good deals around for the old type

Cheers

[richiebee]

What software will you be using with it?

In general I would suggest you go for something like a Pentium D940 which is half the price of a Core 2 Duo but a lot more efficient than a single processor Pentium 4.

If nothing else it will run cooler and therefore probably quieter.

However, if your software can't make use of it, then it might be a waste of money!


R.

[wavey]

Im just running cubasesx with a lot midi, plugins and proteus

[richiebee]

Then you want as powerful as you can get. Cubase can use a dual core processor. I'd definitely go for it as a starting point.

I use a Pentium D920 (dual core 2.8Ghz) and its a big improvement on the Pentium 4 3Ghz I have at work.

[brandondrury]

If nothing else it will run cooler and therefore probably quieter.

This only applies if your BIOS is setup to adjust the speed of the fans according to the temperature in the computer. Most systems have the fans setup at a fixed rate and therefore the RPM is fixed as well. I must admit that I have never really played with this feature, however.

I've noticed the biggest difference in the noise of the computer coming from buying the right fans in the first place. It's not uncommon to see a 12dB swing in noise level from fans rated for a given processor. 12dB is ENORMOUS. It's worth paying a little extra to make sure the fan isn't making that much noise in the first place.

Im just running cubasesx with a lot midi, plugins and proteus

Assuming that "a lot" means the same thing to you as it does to me, you should max out this rig the best you can.

If "a lot" really means "not that much" than you can get by with substantially less processing power.

Brandon

[wavey]

Well I dont know if it really is a lot of midi or not but its certainly enough to overwhelm my current processor (AMD 1.2ghz) After 4 or 5 tracks of midi instruments from proteus say it starts popping and crackling and even on one instrument, say a big fat string sound, I have been having problems, Could my problem lie elswhere do you think

Cheers

[richiebee]

It depends on what kind of instruments you use. Sample playback tends to require more RAM than processor power. Synth based VI's on the other hand tend to require more processing power.

Crackling could come from maxing out either, but you should be able to see whether you're maxing out your processor.

When you say Proteus, I assume you're referring to the software version. If you check out EMU's web site, you'll see that minimum memory requirements are 512Mb of RAM and AMD 1.5Ghz processor. Your system clearly doesn't meet even the basic requirements for this software.

[brandondrury]

Could my problem lie elswhere do you think

The only other possible way to get a little more CPU power is to bump up the latency one notch. Be careful with this. If the latency effects your playing, then this won't help. However, I'd try turning up the latency until you notice it and then back down some.

You may get quite a bit more power out of your rig this way. It's a tradeoff.

Your rig is about 6 years old. If you had $200-300 to blow you could exponentially increase the power of your computer. A $75 motherboard, a $70 processor, and $150 in RAM installed in your currentc computer would be a staggering improvement.

Just a thought.

Brandon

[wavey]

Food for thought indeed, I do like the idea of building a pc and for about £7-800 it looks like i can get a lot of computer this way, also i want to have three hard drives so i reckon i may as well start from scratch. My main concern to be honest is the o/s loading, what do you do if it just don't work??

The adjustment of latency is a good tip in the meantime thanks for that.

[brandondrury]

My main concern to be honest is the o/s loading, what do you do if it just don't work??

I'm not exactly sure what you are asking here. Could you go into more detail?

Brandon