Thanks for the replies! I'm sorry, but I forgot to post that I live in Hong Kong, but I'll see how much the dealers (
wow so many dealers) you guys provided would ship to HK.
Please note that I care most for
Sound Quality when I'm looking in PSU's, the mainboard and the CD drives. I do want it to be quiet, but quiet is not SQ. My system is actually really quiet already, the noise outdoors covers the PC's noise. Speed is second, but that'll be about the Hard drive and CPU......is that right?
Actually I want to make a half dedicated music station like Iron_dreamer, and they've noticed how the CD ROM and power supply could affect the SQ, so as many other components I've just posted above.
Quote:
Scrith:
Cheap motherboard. There are some great deals out there, but I'd be tempted to stick with a well-known manufacturer, such as Asus or ABit. |
Would my cheap motherboard make the power supply to my E-MU unclean?
Quote:
fredpb:
As far as your DVD ROM goes, since it is "going", just replace it. You can get DVD writers for under $200 now that are 4x writing. |
And what about the hype on the NEC MultiSpin's? They're cheap but they're slow, but I'm reading audio CD's anyway, so speed is not a matter, just as long as the NEC can give me good SQ as a transport.
DVD R is too expensive for me, but I'd like a fast DVD ROM....it depends if the price between both is large. If it isnt, of course I'll buy the DVD R/W.
Quote:
Scrith:
...External DVD ROM........... |
Umm...I just need an external CD ROM, so the NEC MultiSpin 3xp will do...I've checked the external DVD ROMs, a bit off budget.
So for my CD's, would it be: One NEC MultiSpin 3XP I'm ordering, One CD-RW Liteon 48x replaced by a DVD RW, or should I buy a new and cheap DVD ROM and keep the original CD RW?
Quote:
zachary80:
Is this a plan for a new PC or for upgrading your current? |
I'm going to upgrade my current, or at least keep my E-MU 1212 m and Hard drives to the next PC I'm building. BTW, I like my PC case....^0^.
Quote:
zachary80:
For hard drives, the Seagate 5400 RPM drives are supposedly among the most quiet, at the cost of speed of course. |
Great! Another option other than the Samsung, which is too new to the market. I'll see which is cheaper. (speed is not an issue as it's not my gaming/ system hard drive)
Quote:
Scrith:
.......Monarch Computer, which also has great prices and is located in Georgia (meaning no sales tax if you are in California). Monarch sells individual parts like NewEgg (with comparable prices), but can also build a custom system for you....... |
I doubt that would be any use for me, as I think shipping a huge PC to Asia would cost me a million......
Quote:
Scrith:
Very Quiet PSU. Silent PC Review is an outstanding source of information about quiet PC components, such as power supplies. I recommend you go there are check their recommendations. |
My PSU is almost inaudible within 1 feet, so I guess its a good one, plus its already quite expensive. I've compared it to an Antec, mines was much more quiet. But the main thing I'm concerned is
whether I'll need a REALLY good power suppy thats more than $50 (mine's price) to bring the most out of, say, my E-MU 1212m + a HD650.
Quote:
Scrith:
3) Processor. Go to PriceWatch to find the best CPU you can afford.
4) Memory. More = better. I'd try to get at least 512MB. I've been building systems with at least 1GB for at least the last 3 years.
5) Hard Drive. Look for a deal on a hard drive with an 8MB cache. On most computers, the hard drive is the component that slows down the computer the most. Check someplace like Anandtech's Hot Deals Forum for a deal.
7) If you care about SQ, disable onboard audio, don't buy a soundblaster, and get an E-MU 1212M, though it is kind of expensive. |
Thanks Scrith for your time...I do wish you could follow up a bit
...anyways, here it goes:
1) Memory: I agree on that one.
2) Is 8MB Cache more important? Coz my system drive is already 7,200 RPM. Maybe I should upgrade to my hdd's brother, the Baruccada V...which has more cache. But is my Seagate really too slow? I also feel it's a weak link speed-wise, but according to silentpcreview, its also the coolest and quietest hard drive at this disk size.
Desicions~~~~~
3) The E-MU is almost here, I bought it through eBay....
Last Question:
Q: So, since I want to listen to both FLAC and using the external CD ROM as a transport, I wonder what I could do to boost my SQ. Is the USB-to-IDE adapter the weakest link? Or the faulty internal DVD ROM put externally? Plz advise (and rip my wallet)
edit: forgot to say: no amp, and no good headphone. I wanted to buy the CD3000, BUT ITS ALL SOLD OUT IN HK! damn, they tell me that it's discontinued (?) and the end stocks are all sold. What!
so, I WILL BUY something better than the HD600 for sure (I've even taken out the cash for the CD3K, damnit), just finding out for now. I'll settle with my lovable (ick) Senn 497's for now. Or maybe my speakers.