Computer systems for recording: The Numbers

[padavis]

I am gonna build a PC for recording eventually and I want to know some of the numbers you guys are playing with. What processor speeds are you guys using? What processor in general? How much RAM? What video cards, sound cards, and just any info you can give me would be awesome! Lets not worry about software or interfaces just yet, I just want you guys to focus on your actual computer.
Thanks in advance,
Patrick

[jefesq]

Try going to the site of the company that manufactures the software you're going to use. They usually list minimums and some list preferences. Usually there's a forum at that site as well, where you'll get this question answered pretty quickly and accurately.

[Rusty G.]

Yeah, I was going to suggest chosing the software first.

You didn't mention how much coin you have to spend. That's a big deal. There are also so many ways to go, depending on what you want to do. Here's a good website: www.tweakheadz.com
It has to do with recording gear, things like PCI vs. USB vs. Firewire connections for your audio/midi interfaces. They also talk about the major software platforms over there, such as Logic, Digital Performer, Cubase, Sonar and, of course, ProTools.

You've got work to do!

Oh, I just went up and read your first post again, and saw you don't want to focus on software or interfaces. . .Well, you still need to think about what you want to do. Here's what I mean. I'm running an older ProTools TDM MixPlus system on a standard issue Mac G4. I use ProTools interfaces (888-24I/O) and high end Mic Pres (Great River) along with some consumer mic pres (RNP). I use a RockStor for dumping storage and have about 1 GB in RAM.

On the other hand, I've got a new MacBook (about 2 months old) along with a new ProTools M-Box Pro (It's firewire as opposed to USB), and it sounds O.K. I don't think it sounds as good as my TDM system. . .a little more digital (read sterile). Anyway, it's a standard MacBook I picked up from Best Buy. . .The specs are nothing special. . .I use the same RocStor for both systems.

[in a little row]

One thing to consider is the speed of your hard drive, I have found that this is the most overlooked factor in computer performance in regard to recording audio