Reusing a MSI 6950 Twin Frozr III Power Edition

[DJai]

I'm making a PC for use with an electronic drum kit from old hardware I had in storage. I want the case to be as small as possible and this card is quite large.

Does anyone know the minimum PSU required for this card and what types of cases this fits in?

I'm trying to keep the power drain as low as possible whilst also looking at introducing an Intel i7 2.5ghz+ processor (4th generation+).

Thanks for your help.

 

[Armageus]

Unless you specifically need a dedicated GPU, then why not just use the CPU onboard graphics?

 

[DJai]

I was looking to make use of existing hardware. I've got three unused graphics cards, two unused sound cards, three ethernet plugs, four PCI/E USB cards amongst other hardware collecting dust.

Do you know the answers to my original questions and/or do you have a rig for playing electronic drums?

 

[Armageus]

Do you know the answers to my original questions and/or do you have a rig for playing electronic drums?

Whilst I don't have a rig for playing electronic drums, I do know the answers to your original questions, but you aren't asking the right ones.

I was looking to make use of existing hardware. I've got three unused graphics cards, two unused sound cards, three ethernet plugs, four PCI/E USB cards amongst other hardware collecting dust.

Of which there's little point in just using hardware for the sake of it.


Does your electronic drum software actually need a powerful graphics card (not that a 6950 is particularly powerful these days)?

If the answer is no, then using the integrated CPU graphics on all desktop intel chips, would allow you to buy a smaller case, and less powerful psu (e.g. 350-400W would be plenty without a dedicated graphics card)

 

[DJai]

Thanks for confirming. Might be time to sell my old kit.

What hardware would you recommend for a small PC? For example, what motherboard and RAM? Which specific intel CPU would have enough power for processing and graphics? It's been a long time since I built a PC.

 

[CuriousTomCat]

Which specific intel CPU would have enough power for processing and graphics?

Your first post suggests that you already have an Intel i7 4th gen? This CPU has integrated graphics. That's why Armageus suggested it.

 

[DJai]

I don't have a CPU or board. Found a Mini PC Intel i7-4600U with Windows 10 PRO 16GB RAM 1TBGB SSD 4K HDMI DP + OFFICE for £399. Good price?

 

[CuriousTomCat]

No, the U = ultra low voltage. A normal i7 from that era is 4 core, 8 thread. The 4600U however is only 2 core, 4 thread. It's slower than a i3. It's not worth £399.

 

[DJai]

What would it be worth?

Also, I am looking for something that isn't power hungry so it can be ready to go at all times but do want it to be able to deal with low latency signals from a midi module to VST software.

 

[DJai]

Also, what i7 should I ideally use instead? It's going to be dedicated to use with eDrums so doesn't need to be a gaming machine.

 

[varkanoid]

For £399 if thats your budget probably better off picking up a second hand Dell 3060 mff if you can with an i5 8500T 6 core. Not sure why you would need an i7 ? Just seen one 2nd hand.

 

[DJai]

Thanks for your reply. I don't necessarily need an i7, those were being thrown in with the micro PC's.

Is there an easy way to tell how many cores a CPU has based on the numbers without searching?

I'm starting to understand that cores means more inputs being dealt with simultaneously, which would be important when lots is going on and inputs need instant processing without bottlenecking for minimal latency.