Help needed for a windows set up

[jimilowe]

Hello sorry this may be in the wrong place but, I have no problem in using pro tools iv used it for years now in uni and college but im now setting up my own rig for home use iv done my reaserch and took aload of info into my local novertech, they wernt that helpfull, they sent me away with info on a desktop they seem to think will do the job, ill be running windows 7 and getting rid of explorer. Ill be using pro tools 8 le with an mbox2 mini.
This is the spec can some on please tell me if it will do the job, if not is there anything i can add to do it, ill be adding another hdd and 4 more usb ports i know that much, if some one cant point me in the right direction it will be great, thanks in advance.
Technical Specification

OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64bit - English
Processor

Description Intel Core 2 Quad Q8300
Architecture Features 45nm
Cache 4Mb
Clockspeed 2.50Ghz
Performance Index
Manufacturer Intel
Supports Virtualisation No
No. of Cores 4

Memory

Description 2 x 2GB DDR3 1333Mhz
Speed 1333Mhz

Harddrive

Description 500GB 3.5" 7200rpm SATA Hard Drive
Interface SATA

Case

Description Micro ATX Tower Case With 350w PSU
Colour Black
Dimensions 180 (W) x 360 (H) x 390 (D)
Drive Bays 3 1/2" 3
Drive Bays 5 1/4" 2
Form Factor Micro ATX

Optical Drives

Description 22x DVD Writer
Interface SATA

Motherboard

Form Factor Micro ATX (9.6"x 7.7")
CPU Support Supports LGA 775 for Intel Core 2 Quad, Core 2 Duo, Pentium Dual-Core processors,Supports Intel 45nm multi-core CPU
Chipset Intel G41 & ICH7
Audio 5.1 channel by Realtek ALC662
IO 1 x PS/2 keyboard port
1 x PS/2 mouse port
1 x VGA port
1 x Parallel port
1 x Audio jack supports 3 jacks
4 x USB 2.0 ports
1 x RJ45 LAN port
1 x Serial port
LAN Gigabit LAN by Realtek 8111DL
Socket Type 775
USB 4
SATA Ports 4
IDE Ports 1
PCI 2
PCI-EX 1* PCIe x16 slot
# 1* PCIe x1 slot
Memory Slots 2
Max Memory Capacity 8GB

im also looking at this system too

OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64bit - English
PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ 2 Quad-Core Q8300 Processor (2.50GHz, 4MB cache, 1333MHz FSB)
MEMORY 6144MB Dual Channel DDR3 [2x2048 + 2x1024] Memory
HARD DRIVE 1TB (7200rpm) SATA Hard Drive
GRAPHICS CARD ATI Radeon™ HD 5450 1GB DDR3 graphics
OPTICAL DRIVE DVD +/- RW Drive (read/write CD & DVD) with DVD Burn software
SOUND SOFTWARE Integrated 7.1 channel audio
FLOPPY/MEDIA DRIVES 19-in-1 Media Card reader
MODEMS No Modem
Order Information Inspiron Desktop 560 Minitower Order - UK
Dell System Media Kit Inspiron Desktop 560 Resource DVD (Diagnostic & Drivers)
Cable 2 Meter Power Cord - UK



will either one do the job, if so which one is better.
if not can any one tell me what i need to change or recomend one for about £500 ideally with the operating system.

[jimilowe]

iv edited it to add another pc otion,

[albee1952]

Dells in general are not a great choice for Pro Tools. Besides, you can build a much better rig for the same money(most likely). Tell us what your budget is so we can help you with parts choices. What you have listed is about at the bottom of the ladder of quad core machines. Some other details:
You MUST use a separate drive for recording
Why bother with extra USB ports(you can't use USB drives for recording)
You can use a much smaller/cheaper video card for Pro Tools
Most of us use 500watt and larger power supplies

Your info listed doesn't really give enough info to help decide if either will be compatible. Micro-ATX in general is not a great choice for audio(just fine for day to day computing). I would be tempted to recommend you buy a used Lenovo T61 laptop with dedicated graphics and a second hard drive for somewhere around $500US. Other opinions are welcome(no way am I the last word on this stuff).

[jimilowe]

hello, thanks for your reply,
my budget is about £500british sterling but as cheap as possible but without cheaping out on the important bits.
this rig will mainly be used for just mixing as its going to be in my bed room, I plan to bring my sessions home with me from uni, does that help at all? if it done would the dell be ok with the new drived added?
cheers

[Murt]

Have you tried your local Digital Village (Southampton). I found them very helpful when I was setting up my rig. They stock the new Synergy PC which is already set up for audio recording - £549.99 is their cheapest model if you can stretch to it. Even if you just want some info on setting up they're very accomodating.

[jimilowe]

hello cheers for your reply,
yer i have asked them a few questions, im getting my mbox2 mini from them so they have been happy to help, i didnt know about the Synergy pc so thanks for that but iv been told by a lecturer from my uni that the dell should be fine providing i add a second hdd.

[TOM@METRO]

Dell's are a little chancy. Some have good luck with some models and some do not. Typically qualified firewire controllers need to be added and yes, a second audio will be needed. If you are stuck on a Dell, I would recommend a clean re-install of the OS eliminating all of the Dell bloatware (unneeded junk software) that is typically included. Then be sure to do all of the Avid recommended optimizations. Ideally you will want at least 6GB of RAM to take some advantage of a 64-bit system

[jimilowe]

thanks for the advice, what typicly is wrong with dells working with pro tools?

[DigiTechSupt]

Certain Dell workstations (meaning the ones Dell dubs actual 'Workstations') are what we qualify for use with HD systems and will work well with LE or M-Powered.

The problem with the lower end models is that there's often custom changes made to motherboards and other design implementations used that lower the cost of manufacturing, but which can cause problems for Pro Tools.

It's typically better (and sometimes less expensive) to go with stock components, rather than taking a chance that the pre-built model you're getting is going to work. Because we can't test every model of computer out there, there's no way to know exactly what each one is going to do, or where they will fall short.