A low cost step before a core 2 duo?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Bob Savage
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redrol":adb3a said:
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For recording setups, you don't want a non-intel chipset. PERIOD. Doesnt matter of it gives you blowjobs. INTEL ONLY for recording.
FWIW, up until the Core2 Duo I woulda taken an AMD over Intel any day on my recording machines.
 
Those processors BARELY cost less than the cheapest Core 2 Duo. Look it up on Newegg.
 
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degenaro":4e6d4 said:
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FWIW, up until the Core2 Duo I woulda taken an AMD over Intel any day on my recording machines.

Just trust me when I say that you run a major risk of headaches using anything other then an Intel chipset. The reason for this is ALL the recording cards and equipment are tested and verified on Intel stuff.

Keep in mind the CPU's sucked before the Core Duo but then again, that makes absolutely no difference if you are experiencing pops, clicks, blue screens, or other garbage.

When you are dealing win a pro-quality recording rig, the CPU actually is not very important compared to a quality motherboard, intel chipset, and good quality recording card with good drivers.

I am a computer consultant and have had to deal with plenty of chipset issues. Trust me they do happen and when you spend more on your recording equipment than the processor... yeah you get the point.

Bottom line, Intel has the best Q/A checking in the industry PERIOD.
 
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redrol":5b3af said:
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When you are dealing win a pro-quality recording rig, the CPU actually is not very important compared to a quality motherboard, intel chipset, and good quality recording card with good drivers.

I think this is true. I've used plenty of not-so-great computers to do psychotic things with bazillions of tracks and plug-ins, but I've never actually had any problems with a computer just not being able to handle it.

Stability issues, on the other hand, can be quite common, and can happen no matter how good your computer is.
 
Yeah, generally you want a really stable platform. The one thing Intel has done right consistently is good chipsets. Stability issues can come from other things too which are generally not considered like skimping on a good power supply. First off, whatever hardware you use should be fed from a good supply providing not just enough wattage but amps too. A lot of people overlook this and go with the cheaper stuff. I've seen computers go to waste due to bad power supplies.
 
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CoachZ":0baca said:
Yeah, generally you want a really stable platform. The one thing Intel has done right consistently is good chipsets. Stability issues can come from other things too which are generally not considered like skimping on a good power supply. First off, whatever hardware you use should be fed from a good supply providing not just enough wattage but amps too. A lot of people overlook this and go with the cheaper stuff. I've seen computers go to waste due to bad power supplies.

I've seen a whole lot too. Replacing PSU's is one of the things I end up doing all the damn time.
 
I run a AMD 4400 x2 dual core CPU with 2 GBs ram.
That system is a dedicated DAW - no antivius, office etc. It is stable as hell.
I usually have about 40 audio tracks, and BFD drums running in ultimate mode (another 20 tracks), software synths, and as many eq and compressor plug ins as I want. I use Cubase Sx, and run:
IDE C: for winXP and other aps.
SATA Raptor D: Audio project files
IDE E: samples and backup

I know my AMD dual core is no longer top dog (nothing is for very long) but I haven't needed anything more than this beast delivers.

Like others have said, the motherboard and it's chipset is important. Some chipsets won't run UAD or Powercore cards. Keep that in mind when shopping (I run a TC Powercore Card- for reverbs mostly). Like I said, my AMD DAW is awesome.
 
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Digital Jams":eafb6 said:
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Nvidia chipsets are destroying the Intel ones in the highend department, no worries about that. Tom's Hardware has a good shoot-out write up. Performance is about the same but the Nvidia sets have way more options for the power user.

Unless said power user runs Linux. Then they're complete crap. Intel all the way.
 
Nvidia has the best linux video drivers though, sucks for me and my ATI card when I try to use Wine to run System Shock 2 :P
 
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shredhead666":d10a7 said:
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You're right. I have a Centrino Duo laptop, and it's slower than the recent Pentium 4s. Not my first choice, and I couldnt'recommend it to anyone else.

I also have a Centrino Duo laptop and mine destroys P4's. I know it wouldn't come close to the core 2 duo, but my benchmarks for graphics and processing power (Matlab) smoke the P4's. I also have 2 gigs of ram, so I'm sure that helps. Maybe I just got lucky.
 
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gravfed":da921 said:
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I also have a Centrino Duo laptop and mine destroys P4's. I know it wouldn't come close to the core 2 duo, but my benchmarks for graphics and processing power (Matlab) smoke the P4's. I also have 2 gigs of ram, so I'm sure that helps. Maybe I just got lucky.
It's a little more than that. A lot of it has to do with how well you clean up the laptops too. A friend of mine got an HP, my family has an HP desktop from 3 years ago. The thing is slow as fuck. I pretty much wiped it clean and it works. The laptop's performance goes to waste when you have a shitload of threads bogging down the system. Also, it's definite that the Pentium M architecture is far MORE superior than NetBurst (Pentium 4), much more so that Intel based the Core architecture on the Pentium M because it was more efficient, had less thermal output and a higher IPC (Instructions Per Clock, same reason why a 1.8ghz AthlonXP could perform with a 2.2ghz P4). Two gigs of RAM does make a difference and also the crap that runs.
 
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redrol":27045 said:
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Just trust me when I say that you run a major risk of headaches using anything other then an Intel chipset. The reason for this is ALL the recording cards and equipment are tested and verified on Intel stuff.

Keep in mind the CPU's sucked before the Core Duo but then again, that makes absolutely no difference if you are experiencing pops, clicks, blue screens, or other garbage.

When you are dealing win a pro-quality recording rig, the CPU actually is not very important compared to a quality motherboard, intel chipset, and good quality recording card with good drivers.

I am a computer consultant and have had to deal with plenty of chipset issues. Trust me they do happen and when you spend more on your recording equipment than the processor... yeah you get the point.

Bottom line, Intel has the best Q/A checking in the industry PERIOD.
Again, I will take an AMD Athlon over a P4. Regardless of what any audio card is optimized to.
That said, I did just order a Core 2 Duo desk top as well after I dug my lap top that much.
 
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shredhead666":11a87 said:
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Unless said power user runs Linux. Then they're complete crap. Intel all the way.

Always someone chiming in with some other OS :P

I just checked my EMU stuff and the card is cool with the 680 chipset so I am still going Nvidia.
 
 
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