Hello all,
I will be ordering parts for a new computer for music composition within the next few days (I had posted a thread a few weeks ago, but I was suddenly bombarded with crap and didn't have a chance to respond in a timely manner. As I've revised my budget etc., I thought it would be better to simply start a new thread rather than bumping the old, but I'd first like to thank all of those who offered their advice and expertise in that thread.)
The setup will be used primarily for music composition, using programs like Pro Tools etc. which can end up being fairly CPU and memory intensive, and my current rig just can't handle it. I'd like to order components ASAP and have this up and running by the end of next week.
Anyway, I've raised my budget to around $600 and have pretty much decided on the following configuration, but I have several questions.
CPU - AMD Phenom II X6 1055T Thuban 2.8GHz $200
Motherboard - ASUS M4A89GTD PRO/USB3 AM3 AMD 890GX HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard $110 with cpu mobo combo
Video - Integrated
Memory - 8gb G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL8D-4GBRM 103 x2 = $206
Storage = Western Digital Caviar Green WD5000AADS 500GB 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive - $55
NEC DVD-RW from old system
Power Supply -
This is the main thing I'm concerned about and would like suggestions on. I don't plan on overloading the system with components, so I don't really think I need a super high end PSU, but I realize it's not something I should skimp on. I've been using an FSP 500W Blue Storm in this system since 2005 or so, which is being run far below its capacity, and as it was one of the higher quality PSUs when I bought it, I had been planning on using it for this setup. However, I've noticed that it only has a 4pin 12v connector, while the motherboard requires 8pin.
I was wondering if a 4-8 pin adapter would be a good solution, or if I should just purchase an entirely new power supply. I'd like to continue using this power supply if possible, as it was about $80 when I bought it, and I assume it still has at least a couple of years left in it. But obviously, risking damage to the rest of my components isn't worth trying to save what I would on a new power supply, so if you guys think there is an actual risk, I'll gladly stretch my budget a bit and just buy a new one. I assume the SATA connectors will still be the same.
I was considering the Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W Continuous Power ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
I was wondering if this would work with the two 4pin connectors. I was looking at this model because there is a deal with the memory I wanted to purchase making it about $35, but I'll happily consider other suggestions.
I don't really think I should require a huge amount of power. I don't plan on using any video other than the integrated, nor do I have any other cards. I plan on doing light overclocking (I'll probably try for 3.2 or 3.4 on stock cooling, but I'll keep it lower if necessary, as I don't really want to increase voltage. I'm not looking for a heavy overclock, just something that will be safe and give me a boost.)
Oh, one final question. The ram bundled with that PSU runs by default at 7-8-7-24 timings and is set up for Intel, but it is not on the certified memory list as the other model number (same everything other than timing) that is setup at 8-8-8-24 is. Is it safe to assume that any problems I would encounter with the C7 memory could be solved by changing the timings to 8-8-8-24?
Well, thanks for reading! I greatly appreciate any feedback.
I will be ordering parts for a new computer for music composition within the next few days (I had posted a thread a few weeks ago, but I was suddenly bombarded with crap and didn't have a chance to respond in a timely manner. As I've revised my budget etc., I thought it would be better to simply start a new thread rather than bumping the old, but I'd first like to thank all of those who offered their advice and expertise in that thread.)
The setup will be used primarily for music composition, using programs like Pro Tools etc. which can end up being fairly CPU and memory intensive, and my current rig just can't handle it. I'd like to order components ASAP and have this up and running by the end of next week.
Anyway, I've raised my budget to around $600 and have pretty much decided on the following configuration, but I have several questions.
CPU - AMD Phenom II X6 1055T Thuban 2.8GHz $200
Motherboard - ASUS M4A89GTD PRO/USB3 AM3 AMD 890GX HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard $110 with cpu mobo combo
Video - Integrated
Memory - 8gb G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL8D-4GBRM 103 x2 = $206
Storage = Western Digital Caviar Green WD5000AADS 500GB 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive - $55
NEC DVD-RW from old system
Power Supply -
This is the main thing I'm concerned about and would like suggestions on. I don't plan on overloading the system with components, so I don't really think I need a super high end PSU, but I realize it's not something I should skimp on. I've been using an FSP 500W Blue Storm in this system since 2005 or so, which is being run far below its capacity, and as it was one of the higher quality PSUs when I bought it, I had been planning on using it for this setup. However, I've noticed that it only has a 4pin 12v connector, while the motherboard requires 8pin.
I was wondering if a 4-8 pin adapter would be a good solution, or if I should just purchase an entirely new power supply. I'd like to continue using this power supply if possible, as it was about $80 when I bought it, and I assume it still has at least a couple of years left in it. But obviously, risking damage to the rest of my components isn't worth trying to save what I would on a new power supply, so if you guys think there is an actual risk, I'll gladly stretch my budget a bit and just buy a new one. I assume the SATA connectors will still be the same.
I was considering the Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W Continuous Power ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
I was wondering if this would work with the two 4pin connectors. I was looking at this model because there is a deal with the memory I wanted to purchase making it about $35, but I'll happily consider other suggestions.
I don't really think I should require a huge amount of power. I don't plan on using any video other than the integrated, nor do I have any other cards. I plan on doing light overclocking (I'll probably try for 3.2 or 3.4 on stock cooling, but I'll keep it lower if necessary, as I don't really want to increase voltage. I'm not looking for a heavy overclock, just something that will be safe and give me a boost.)
Oh, one final question. The ram bundled with that PSU runs by default at 7-8-7-24 timings and is set up for Intel, but it is not on the certified memory list as the other model number (same everything other than timing) that is setup at 8-8-8-24 is. Is it safe to assume that any problems I would encounter with the C7 memory could be solved by changing the timings to 8-8-8-24?
Well, thanks for reading! I greatly appreciate any feedback.
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