PC specifications...

[charliemantica]

So, I´m planning on buying a pc for schoolwork and other needs...
I would like to use this pc for recording as well...
So, here are my questions...
I plan on using a laptop, is there any problem with recording on laptops?
Of course, i would change from Vista to XP...
How much RAM do i need? is 2GB good?
How fast does my processor need to be?? I´m looking at about 1.7-8 GHZ..
is this good??
How much hard drive would i need...I plan to record one project at a time and then burn it on a cd and delete it..Im looking at about 80GB to 120GB..
I plan to try a few softwares out, for example Cubase and Audition which i hear dont require too much...which fo you recommend??
I dont plan on recording too much at a time, just 1-2 tracks at a time. I would like a pc that can give me some freedom to try plugins and things like that....
Any suggestions? Anyone have a pc like this??? my budget is about up to $700, can be a bit more...

[Electriclight]

One factor in laptops to consider is hard drive speed which is typically 5400. this is a bit slow for recording purposes. try to find one with a 7200 RPM hard drive.

Also, you plan to record a project and delete it. Easier said than done. Personally, I grow attached to my music and as my skills in mixing grow I often go back to old projects to remix my music. I have a hard time deleting anything. I would advise you to save the project files somehow, rather than deleting them.

[charliemantica]

you misunderstand, i dont plan to delete it, just make a backup on a cd to free up hard drive space...

[charliemantica]

thanks, though, ill look into the hard drive speed, the problem is that there are so many factors to consider...

[charliemantica]

another question, does anyone know which is better?
AMD or Intel?

[fivewest]

AMD or Intel?

There is no correct answer to this question. AMD is will definitely be less expensive, and I would start there since you have a budget. Personally, I have used both, and have had no problems with either.

[charliemantica]

I have heard that AMD is a lot better than Intel at least the athlon compared to the pentium...and other people tell me to get Intel...
I have absolutely no clue...
The thing is I can get two laptops, both the same model (Toshiba Satellite) at the same price...One uses AMD and the other Intel...The AMD has 2GB RAM and the Intel has 1GB RAM, all other specifications are the same...
Im guessint the AMD because it has more RAM, but is this a trade-off??
Also, has anyone used a Toshiba Satellite for recording? It´s right for my budget but i have heard of many problems with these...
anyone?

[Electriclight]

For Laptops Hard Drive RPM is probably the most critical factor - and I didn't see a 7200 RPM option for the Satellites (didn't look at every model).

The second most critical factor is RAM.

Intel vs. AMD would be way down on my list of worries.

[MetalDave]

Remember with a laptop you wont be able to add PCI or PCIE cards to the formula. Also try to get one with serial ATA also known as SATA hard drive. The bigger the cache the better. Idealy you want 8 MB cache. I know from expreience once you get over 8 tracks you will need 1 CD for each session saved. So It may be a good idea to get a DVD burner also. Get the AMD TURON... It screams! Intel can't catch it for speed. Other than that I guess listen to what everyone on here has to say and weed it out...

[charliemantica]

the problem is that most pc´s in my budget only have 1 MB cache...
remember im not planning on doing anything fancy on this pc...
just connect it to an audio interface..
is this gonna be a problem?? will it eat a lot of speed?