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My current computer is a P4

dado said:
I will regret not buying the i7 if it turns out I need more power and I won't need more than 4gb memory so I won't need vista correct?

I asume i7 runs fine on windows xp home edition?
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The issue is not whether you'll need Vista, the issue is whether you'll need a 64-bit operating system. XP 32-bit or Vista 32-bit max out on RAM at 4gb, and any other memory in the system (e.g. graphics card) gets subtracted from that. So for the above setup you'll likely only see 3-3.5gb unless you run XP or Vista 64-bit.

dado said:
Killari that graphic card Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 4350 says HDMI yet doesn't have the neccesary HDMI connector on the back of it, what gives?
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They usually come with a DVI to HDMI dongle in the box.
 
I wouldnt even consider touching Vista with a music production system, nor would 95% of the people using their computer as a DAW.

If you have to go 64-bit, go with XP or Windows 7 when it is released. The performance of audio applications in Vista is absolutely appalling compared to XP/7. The performance issues are down to Vista, and not 32-bit/64-bit varients of it.

We have a new i7 DAW at work, used for music/post stuff, and we use XP/XP64 on all our PC basd systems, new or old.

Edit: Cubase 5 now has a fully supported x64 varient of the application, which means the memory limitations are no longer an issue if you pair it up with a 64-bit O/S. It's the only other application apart from Sonar to have a fully operate 64-bit version.
 
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Will this setup run ok on XP home for now?


basket.jpg
 
It should do, apart from i'd get this video card instead, saving you £20+ (comments suggest it does come with an adapter)

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-177-SP&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=168

As the motherboard is dual channel by the look of it, i'd go for 2x2gb sticks, leaving you 2 slots free for up to 8gb.

The cheapest 4gb (2x2gb) DDR3 kit seems to be this:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-109-OC&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=1387.

That should then be a pretty sweet setup. :)
 
It will work fine as long as it runs 1.65v or lower. You just won't see all of it - 3 to 3.5gb I would estimate.
 
Sorry about the lack of reply.

The gfx card I showed you does support HDMI. It comes packaged with a DVI to HDMI converter dongle.

As for the RAM I'd suggest the 6GB kit I picked out earlier. Its only a tenner or so more expensive than the 4GB kit and twice as expensive than the 2GB kit (lower cost per GB) so just stick in 2 sticks and once you get a 64bit OS put the last stick in.

In terms of price it can't be beaten for what you get. It also overclocks well.

I'd recommend downgrading the gfx card you chose in favour of picking the Corsair 650w power supply. Gives you more headroom for future upgrades.
 
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You definitely need a new PSU, and I would strongly suggest a new hard disk as well. Both will only come to about £80.
 
dado said:
I'm getting worried about my electricity bill now, lol.
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Don't worry about it - just because a PSU is x00W doesn't mean it draws that much at the wall. It will only take what it needs to: it just means that for the few seconds your hard drive is spinning up and you're applying an effect on a big file, it might need a bit more power and the PSU can supply it. Most of the time it's on it'll run at 100W or less. Even running 24hour that's £90 per year. If you have it on for 8 hours a day, £30. 100W is a ballpark estimate figuring that it's idling most of the time, but still; hardly bank-busting over the course of a year.

With no real graphics card to speak of, 400W should be plenty for your system: i7s aren't particularly power hungry.

To save yourself some cash - can you not just remove the 500GB drive from the external hdd?
 
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What Audigex meant was that if you opened up the casing of your external HDD you'd find an ordinary 500GB 3.5" HDD.

However chances are its an IDE drive. I don't like them :p
 
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