A couple of things worth considering for DAW builds:
1) Dual core Athlon/Opteron is the way to go as they have better FPU performance than Pentiums (important in Cubase etc). Cubase also benefits from the Opterons extra L2 cache.
2) Pro audio interfaces don't get on well with PCI-E based AMD boards. The same goes for some DSP cards... The Asus A8V is one firm favourite amongst DAW builders.
Look at Rocc Howse's spec - he knows whats he's doing - i.e. max performance, max thermal efficiency and max compatibility. Forget about the upgradability of the S939/AGP format. Stick to the tried and tested; you're asking for trouble if you decide to guinea pig a setup not known to be good for use as a DAW.
My future Rock Solid, Rock Silent DAW : Advices needed !
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Not that much in the real world :Nat wrote:Dual core Athlon/Opteron is the way to go as they have better FPU performance than Pentiums (important in Cubase etc).
http://www.aavimt.com.au/dawbench/blofelds1.htm (a link posted in the cubase.net forum)
Doesn't the Intel D 900 series have 2x2Mb of L2 Cache ? Cubase doesn't take it ?Nat wrote:Cubase also benefits from the Opterons extra L2 cache
It's not true anymore as far as I read know. I read this on the Cubase Forum (didn't find the thread, but I think it's in the Cubase SX / SE / SL for XP Topic).Nat wrote:Pro audio interfaces don't get on well with PCI-E based AMD boards.
I know there's some issues with FireWire chipset (only the TexasInstruments work without a doubt).
Thanx ! I'll look at his posts, it's always interesting to know what just works for sure.Nat wrote:Look at Rocc Howse's spec - he knows whats he's doing - i.e. max performance, max thermal efficiency and max compatibility
I love taking risks ^^. But in this case, it's more about the fact that I don't wanna find myself 6 month later with an already totally outdated setup you know what I mean ?Nat wrote:you're asking for trouble if you decide to guinea pig a setup not known to be good for use as a DAW.
Thank you for you help Nat ! What do you work on except Cubase SX ?
--Cheers from France
I've not seen those head-to-head blofelds results before. Yeah, it does look pretty close! The X2 4200 v. D 940 isn't a fair comparison either as they are not at the same price-point. The 940s extra cache goes some way to compensate for the Pentium 4/D's lower FPU performance. Still, the Athlons provide very similar performance with a much lower TDP...
The PCI-E issue is still somewhat there on the AMD setups, but the emergence of the X2 has done alot to 'mask' the problem. I've seen the dual core results with the revised Thonex test and it seems the NF4 based boards can are much closer to the Via based boards when a dually is added to the equation. However, DSP cards still have trouble. For example, I can't see TC ever fixing the PCI-E issues with the Powercore PCI cards, given their track record.
Yes, some people have trouble with Via's firewire implementation on the A8V Deluxe, but both the NEC and Texas chips work fine AFAIK.
I built a DAW for a guy who insisted on PCI-E and we were still have trouble 6 months later! Albeit, that was without a dual core cpu. A dual core setup gives you an immense amount of headroom in Cubase; why worry about forward compatibility, unless you're considering looking at future soundcards etc. based on the PCI-E architecture... (?)
Saying that I recently built a portable recording PC based on a GeForce 6150 board and a Venice 3000 (at 2.25GHz) and the guy I built it for is really happy with it. The effect of PCI-E issues were evident in the tests I ran, but the rig was never intended to cope with anything but actual recording.
I don't do much audio work myself. I build audio and video editing rigs for my mates. My housemate is the musician whilst I do the hardware
The PCI-E issue is still somewhat there on the AMD setups, but the emergence of the X2 has done alot to 'mask' the problem. I've seen the dual core results with the revised Thonex test and it seems the NF4 based boards can are much closer to the Via based boards when a dually is added to the equation. However, DSP cards still have trouble. For example, I can't see TC ever fixing the PCI-E issues with the Powercore PCI cards, given their track record.
Yes, some people have trouble with Via's firewire implementation on the A8V Deluxe, but both the NEC and Texas chips work fine AFAIK.
I built a DAW for a guy who insisted on PCI-E and we were still have trouble 6 months later! Albeit, that was without a dual core cpu. A dual core setup gives you an immense amount of headroom in Cubase; why worry about forward compatibility, unless you're considering looking at future soundcards etc. based on the PCI-E architecture... (?)
Saying that I recently built a portable recording PC based on a GeForce 6150 board and a Venice 3000 (at 2.25GHz) and the guy I built it for is really happy with it. The effect of PCI-E issues were evident in the tests I ran, but the rig was never intended to cope with anything but actual recording.
I don't do much audio work myself. I build audio and video editing rigs for my mates. My housemate is the musician whilst I do the hardware
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NamJangNamJa
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Re: My future Rock Solid, Rock Silent DAW : Advices needed !
The dude was talking about XP-120, not SI-120. How do I know? I am the dude.Zacchino wrote:- Processor Fan/Heatsink Combo
Zalman CNPS9500 LED
http://www.zalman.co.kr/eng/product/vie ... 5&code=005
OR
Thermalright SI-120 + Nexus Silent Case Fan 120mm
http://www.thermalright.com/a_page/main ... _si120.htm + http://www.nexustek.nl/120mmcasefan.htm
PS (2) : Someone at the NorthernSoundSource forum told me that Nexus Fan needs to be cut a little bit to be fit on Thermalright 120. And that the Zalman 9500 might be noisier than Zalman 7000. (http://www.northernsounds.com/forum/sho ... hp?t=44485). Can you guys confirm this ?
