[ninja95]

Don't get a PC... Macbook PRO and you will not regret it.

 

[.Sup]

The problem with Netbook is you can forget Asio. The usb ports on Netbook are of lower quality than on standard laptops and so jittery, that playback with ASIO enabled will get interrupted every several seconds.

 

[JMURRAY16]

Parts wise I am looking for something that will excel for audio - no gaming, etc. Just want something to hold my songs safely and be able to put them in lossless on there.
Otherwise, just something that will run well, and allow me to organize my library effectively and get the music out to my DAP's.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shark50521 /img/forum/go_quote.gif It depends how well versed with electronics you are, but its mostly just plugging part A into part B or putting part A into slot B, that is if you are building a desktop, building laptops gets a little more complicated. I am currently on a Samsung NC10 netbook and I have experienced no problems with it other than getting used to the keyboard, it starts fast, runs fast enough, and the keyboard is decently spacious, but is still an adjustment from a full size keyboard. Now onto parts, it depends how much you want the computer to be able to do, will you be doing a lot of encoding? Will you use it to play games also? All of these things factor into the part choices you will make.

 

[Punnisher]

Quote:

Originally Posted by .Sup /img/forum/go_quote.gif The problem with Netbook is you can forget Asio. The usb ports on Netbook are of lower quality than on standard laptops and so jittery, that playback with ASIO enabled will get interrupted every several seconds.

Do you have any data to support this? That's a very broad generalization.

 

[gbacic]

I'd say build your own tower.

Here's something I'd do:
Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, Digital Cameras and more!

Newegg.com - SIIG IC-710012-S2 7.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI Interface SoundWave - Sound Cards <use the coaxial out to a DAC (best sound)

Newegg.com - Sony Optiarc Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD/CD Rewritable Drive - CD / DVD Burners (or a blu-ray player if you wanna go all out)

Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100283-2L Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cardsto hook up to a monitor with DVI or tv with HDMI

Newegg.com - Noctua NH-U12P SE2 120mm SSO CPU Cooler - CPU Fans & Heatsinks extremely silent fans

Newegg.com - Rosewill R363-M-BK Black Ultra High Gloss Finished MicroATX Computer Case with 400W ATX 2.2 12V Power Supply - Computer Cases case with power supply

Newegg.com - SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3EG HD203WI 2TB 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive I'd think that 2TB whould be plenty for just music and fubar

Newegg.com - G.SKILL HK 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL4D-4GBHK - Desktop Memory

and a copy of windows if you want windows, or you could use linux

so it comes to about 820 USD without windows and 1000 USD with home premium Windows 7

I don't know which internal sound cards are good if you don't have a DAC, I just put the one up there that was cheap with coaxial. If you look around you can probably find a cheaper one with Optical/coaxial. You can scale back the hard drive, too, if you think that 2 tb is too much

 

[.Sup]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Punnisher /img/forum/go_quote.gif Do you have any data to support this? That's a very broad generalization.

I'm just warning the guy. I've tried all my DACs with it and have issues with all on a Netbook.

 

[jonhapimp]

Quote:

Originally Posted by .Sup /img/forum/go_quote.gif The problem with Netbook is you can forget Asio. The usb ports on Netbook are of lower quality than on standard laptops and so jittery, that playback with ASIO enabled will get interrupted every several seconds.

?Proof
maybe it's just your netbook maybe you should get that checked out

 

[.Sup]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonhapimp /img/forum/go_quote.gif ?Proof maybe it's just your netbook maybe you should get that checked out

maybe...

 

[Deep Funk]

For the long term a dual core laptop could be enough. A good processor with enough speed accompagnied with enough RAM will do. At least 100gb harddisk could suffice.

I'm on Windows Vista which is stable now. XP and 7 are supposed to be better. Apple could work too, but is very expensive.

Good luck working out your wishes.

 

[eriktous]

If you're going to be using it for audio playback, put a lot of thought into the noise the pc or laptop itself will be making. If possible, go with passive cooling of components, instead of active with fans. If you go for a laptop, see if you can test a display model or something first. My brother has one which sounds like a jet airplane taking of, immediately when he starts it. Very annoying.

 

[jeycam]

If you don't care about portability and would like to have a small, good looking computer to pair with your audio system - I highly recommend a Mac Mini. I can't imagine a better piece of hardware and software to be an audio transport.

 

[elcarajo]

But does the netbook package have good quality internals? I've been enjoying a Toshiba NT250 (?) for the last few months, but build quality seems short in most respects. Is the ASUS that much better?

 

[Uncle Erik]

I'd recommend finding a used PowerMac tower.

Recently, I picked up a dual 1.8GHz G5 tower for $125. I gave it to my father (he needed it) but it's a sweet machine. I added 2GB of RAM and a 500GB WD drive for another $150 and it hums right along. These come with bitperfect optical out and you can add any of a number of pro audio cards if you like. It'll hold several drives, too, in case you want to add storage or RAID your drives.

Personally, I think the gorgeous aluminum case was worth $125 by itself.

You can't run OS X 10.6 on a G5 machine, but 10.5 is eminently stable and will serve you well. I don't worry about breakdowns, either. I've been using Macs for over 20 years and still haven't had one completely die - even the vintage ones I still keep around.

For the expandability, good looks and solid OS, I don't think you can go wrong with an older G5 tower. I don't have the space to set up a music server yet, however, I plan to pick up another G5 tower when the time comes.

 

[derek800]

I would also definitely recommend getting a mac. I've been using mac's for about 7 years now and I love them. I have an Imac and two macbook's and haven't had any problems with them at all. I am actually thinking about taking the suggestion from Uncle Erik and looking into getting a PowerMac tower if I can find one for that cheap.

 

[DanD]

For audio only PC I suggest built a fanless PC with small SSD (32GB) and stream everything from your storage network, somewhere in another room. Your goal is something silent. Forget laptop they're not silent enough.