[Stonekiller]

Hey first post, not a musician or anyone that uses these types of systems but I do build them and I have some idea's and questions.

The only thing I would change is the Windows XP Home, as it does not support Dual Core CPU's, XP Home supports only Hyperthreading, XP Pro would be the way to maximize the performance of that cpu.

If that's not a choice then save your self some money and go AMD64 CPU on an Asus A8N-E Motherboard and keep the rest the same.

Someone also asked about cases I have used Lian Li cases and recommend them as sturdy cases though you will need to switch some fans out and or turn them off as they are not quiet systems. The best so far has to be the Antec Take 4 4u rackmount case. This case is dead silent and rack mountable. The case comes with a 450 watt smart psu, and two large fans that are silent yet move a decent ammount of air. The only problem with the antec case is that it is $260.00 Cdn which is less than Lian-li cases but still on the steep side. But if you want the best rack mountable workstation the Antec Case is the way to go.

When I build the systems for my customers, I configure windows and I wonder if anyone has any additional tips for performance other than what I am doing.

I do the following,

1) Set the system for best performance in the system properties - performance tab, this turns off all the Windows XP GUI effects.

2) Set the Page file to 1 1/2 times the ammount of physical memory and put it on a seperate drive.

3) Turn off auto updates, windows firewall (system is internet disabled) and anti-virus notification in the Windows Security applet in the control panel.

4) Enable DMA on the hard disks, though this is usally enabled by default.

Any additional things I could be doing to maximize performance?

This is the system that is currently being built.

AMD 64X2 4400 with 2x1MB L2 Cache
2 GB of PC3200 DDR (Kingston)
Gigabyte GA-K8NF-9 motherboard
1 - 160 GB WD SATA2 HDD
1 - 320 GB WS SATA1 HDD
MSI Geforce 6600 LE 256MB PCIE Graphics
Antec 4U Rack Mount Case with 450W Silent PSU
LG 16X Dual Layer DVD+-/RW DVD Burner

I hope this system will be fast enough.... It better be