Stereo Tool

$1000?! I think you can get a decent box to run ST for streaming for less than 1/3rd of that!

Bear in mind I'm looking for a replacement computer, not just a dedicated box for streaming. What I have is 9 years old.


Fractal Design Define R4 Black Pearl w/ USB 3.0 ATX Mid Tower Silent PC Computer Case
Item #: N82E16811352020
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

-$20.00 Instant
$119.99
$99.99

Western Digital WD Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
Item #: N82E16822136533
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$94.99

High Current Pro HCP-750 750W TX12V v2.3 / EPS12V v2.92 SLI Certified CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular ...
Item #: N82E16817371052
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$179.99

ASUS Maximus V FORMULA LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Extended ATX Intel Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813131854
Return Policy: Limited Replacement Only Return Policy
$299.99

Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Profile Desktop Memory Model BLS8G3D1609ES2LX0
Item #: N82E16820148661
Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy

-$64.99 Saving
$64.99
$0.00

Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 64-bit - OEM
Item #: N82E16832116992
Return Policy: Software Standard Return Policy
$139.99

Intel Core i3-3225 Ivy Bridge 3.3GHz LGA 1155 55W Dual-Core Desktop Processor ...
Item #: N82E16819116774
Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy

ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM
Item #: N82E16827135204
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

-$11.00 Combo



$162.98
$151.98

Subtotal: $966.93

I posted everything in the newegg cart above. The LE PLUS is OK, but I liked the idea of having built-in WiFi so that I could start familiarizing myself with supporting / troubleshooting (like in a job) WiFi, plus it has better power construction / distribution, and a better on-board audio. That said, it is a $150 difference, so something to think about.

Since you would need your know your needs better. Still in an attempt to try to help you assemble the best system that your budget permits.

I don't fully understand the need for going for a top-notch ROG motherboard. If it's the durability and usage of premium components that driving this decision, I believe there are other substantially mid-priced offerings. I am assuming you will not be interested in games(do you plan to use a high end graphics card?) or overclock your system. So, the need for a ROG motherboard and 750W power supply somehow sound superfluous to me.

Or are you in to something really esoteric - as in GPGPU, OpenCL/CUDA. Still 500 W with a mid-priced MB should suffice.

Also bear in mind, ASUS Maxiumus V Formula does not have PCI. Or are you dumping your Creative Audigy too?

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@Brian: You might be able to get something at a MUCH better price if you just buy a complete system. I know, you have no choice in components (or little, if they can make adjustments). But usually it's a lot cheaper. So much that you can probably buy almost 2 for the same price. And my experience with custom build PC's is pretty bad (they are often unstable and you have to go back a lot of times before they run properly - When I'm going to buy my next PC I'll probably go for a standard model).

At the first site I'm looking at I find an i3 (3220), 8 GB memory, 2 TB HDD, Windows 7 Home Premium or Windows 8 (ok you probably don't want that) for 499 euro - that's including 21% VAT. I don't know if you have VAT where you live, anyway the price without VAT is 412 euro, about $535. Looking at a price comparison site, prices for i5 systems start at this same price, if you want an i7 it starts at 570 euro ex VAT ($740 for an i7-3770, 3.9 GHz, with 2 TB HDD and 8 MB memory). Usually prices in the US are lower than in Europe and this is the first site I clicked on, so with a bit of searching you should easily be able to get below $500.

Answering both of you with one post:

Current system is overclocked, and I would be a "casual gamer", but more of a "business performance" / "enthusiast".

In other words, if I had money, I'd be building a Sandy Bridge-E system. Since I don't, and this is even still hypothetical money, I've cut into what I would get on Ivy Bridge significantly.

With respect to the motherboard, that is the specific item that Microsoft is picky about with OEM licensing. I did my research, and that's the one I decided that had the most longevity. Yes, I can go cheaper, but is that really cheaper long-term?

Secondly, yes, I did participate in distributed computing in the past. Ever since the money became tight / non-existent, I stopped, so as to reduce power consumption and lower the electric bill. That was a future thought, but it could be scrubbed in favor of a mid-range video card down the road. I had already pretty much given up on anything above a HD 7850.

As for the sound card, I do not know the quality of embedded audio solutions, but I have read articles that suggest that they are at least approaching the quality of discrete solutions. Going with the motherboard that Bojcha mentioned would save $150 and enable me to transplant the X-Fi, so that is something I've been thinking about, but there's also the Recon3D PCIe that's only $80ish, and the newer Z cards. The question is what would I do with my current system. It still works, and if given free of charge to someone (charity), it would probably be better as a complete system. This is a "think about it" item for me.

The OS choice, that absolutely will be Windows 7 PROFESSIONAL. Home Premium does not provide a licensed copy of 32-bit Windows XP that you can run in a VM for any applications that don't like Win 7 / 64-bit. Further, the vast majority of businesses (translate: potential employers) will not run Win 8, or Home Premium of any flavor, so the decision on Professional is made on those factors and is pretty much locked.

Finally, yes, I am comparing pricing to what I can get at Dell. Going with a pre-built may be the better option, but only so long as they continue to offer Windows 7 Pro. Many either offer Home Premium or 8.

As for being able to "easily get below $500" otherwise, I think that you're over-optimistic. There are some basic things that cannot be changed:

Windows 7 Pro - $140
i3 - 120-130
Motherboard - $80-100 bare minimum

With just those 3 items, that is already $340, minimum. More realistic for the motherboard is $120-150, so that is now $380 at a minimum. To be able to get everything else for $120 or less, I think that's a bit of a dream. Either that or I'd hate to put my hand in the sheet metal case without wearing protection against cuts.

If I spend $1000 and use for 6 years, but you build / buy 3 systems at $500 and use for 2 years a piece, who spent more money?

If it's not 2 but 3 years, both pay the same but one has a much faster system in those last 3 years.

Why does it matter what employers use?

Today I took my mothers old pc (E5200) that she bought for 300 euro (and that's including VAT) 4 or 5 years ago to my office to try it out - I was able to run full processing including composite clipping at quality 50!

Clearly advanced Economics and Financial Management concepts were not on your mind. Think: NPV vs. NFV with respect to inflation. Given that the economic trend towards further recession and/or depression has not reversed, future money will likely technically "cost more" than present money with respect to overall budget. That second $500 may be "more expensive" at a future date, as the CPI (Consumer Price Index), aka "inflation", has gone up for everything, including essentials of food, gas, water, electricity.
Ah, to be non-jaded by the employment market.

Experience. It's all about experience. It doesn't matter diddly squat to most people that you are intelligent and can learn something fairly quickly. They don't want that. They don't want to have to train. They want you to walk in with vast amounts of knowledge and bust your butt for only 2/3rds to 3/4ths of the pay that you should get if the economy was better and they had less of a choice of people.

Technically, what I'd like to have is a system with a SSD and 16GB memory so that I could set up a VM, get Visual Studio Express and work on designing some sort of database for myself to catalog an album (LP) / tape (including reel) / CD / DVD collection, so that enabled me to have VM experience and SQL Server experience.

Hopefully, if I can get this job, even though it is part time, they have Exchange and use Active Directory. Again, this is an experience thing. I administered a Lotus Domino server, which included checking on any mail backlogs and spam filtering, as well as creating new user accounts and removing the accounts when the person left. However, since it is not Exchange and AD / Group Policy, employers ignore you because you "don't have the experience", despite having equivalent experience in a different product.

Like I said, how great it is to not be jaded / woken up to the real world of job hunting...
I have different expectations. What I have to decide is how much, if any, of those expectations I can keep, given my situation. I may end up in bargain-basement territory, but that's not where I'd like to be. I've already dropped 50% of the price of what I'd truly like. Going further is becoming harder to justify, which could turn out to be a decision to not buy anything until this thing completely dies.

XP...Is there a need for Pro or is a lesser version just as good for ST?

@ Brian

Display ?

Anyway (most probably you use a monitor newer than your 9 year old computer).

What resolution do you want to use (the next 2 years !) ?

If 1920x1080 then something like a Radeon 7850 is a good choice (for casual gaming).

Of course if you have ambitions (the next 2 years !) for higher resolutions you should buy a high-end videocard plus a high-end monitor (end up overall approx. 1500 up to 2000 $).

Anything above 500 W power for a 1920x1080 system would be waste of money.

Conclusion:
I agree with most of Hans and phoenix arguments here.

Finally, it is your decision Brian and you have to go your own way.

I also have plans to replace my five year old system:
IMO the best balance (value for money) would be something like this:

Core i5
500 W power supply
Radeon 7850
Windows 7 Pro
16 GB RAM
mainboard of your choice (this really depends on your individual needs)

Finally you have to decide if you need 100 $ (€) more or less for something else (a short vacation with your girl friend, friends, family or whatever).

My most important reason to replace my old system (XP Pro, AMD X2 6000+, ATI 4850, 2 GB RAM) is based on my wish to be able to use SVP not only for SD but also for full HD video content.

SVP is freeware !

http://www.svp-team.com/