Best Desktops for Pro Tools LE

[smudge]

Hi All

Tubthumper I'd say it's very likely you do have the 512k cache. I spoke to quite a few vendors trying to source the 3400 2.2 and only one of them was even aware of the difference. Most had to go look at the box and it would have been very easy to have unknowingly ended up with this chip. Either way your Davec results are still pretty impressive and would be more than enough for my needs.

Anyway I've taken the plunge and ordered the 3500 and A8V board. Like Ben I'm starting to think that socket 754 may be nearing the end and socket 939 looks like the next big thing. With a little luck I should have the system running sometime over the weekend and will post results as soon as possible for anyone who is intersted.

[Mindcrack]

smudge - good decision on the A8V. Just got mine up & running last week. Tracked for 3 days solid over the weekend + here and there during the week and it hasn't missed a beat. I haven't had time to do the davec thing - but in general it's one hell of a setup - worth the extra $ for sure. ~dave

[Solaris]

Hi Allen – and all of you.

First of all, thank you so much for all the invaluable information you, Allen (and the rest of you, of course) have put forth on this thread!

I’m planning on buying a ’Danish’ version of the legendary Allenstein computer, since a complete duplication of every part is impossible to obtain from any Danish retailer. Besides, I need my pc as soon as possible.

I’m a newbie to this forum, so please bear with me if my questions seem a bit self-evident. So far I’ve used my Digi 001 with v. 5.3.1 due to a small Win XP-computer, but now I want to upgrade to v. 6.4. Therefore, I’d like to know if:

1) It’s necessary to have two separate hard drives, i.e. one for start-up, Word, Explorer etc. and one specifically dedicated to Pro Tools, when using v. 6.4? If it is, is there something I should be aware of when setting up my new pc?

2) It’s possible to use an additional, separate audio card for streaming on-line radio, playing games (that require DirectSound capabilities) etc., without it causing problems when using Pro Tools? And again, it if is, then what should I be aware of when setting up the new pc?


Anyway, here’s what I’m considering:

Case:
Antec LifeStyle Sonata Quiet LS138 MidiTower (I’ve heard it is very quiet)

Motherboard:
Asus K8V/SE-Deluxe (like most of you)

Processor:
AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Box (512 kb)

Ram:
either a) the retailer’s own, Primetech 1024 MB DDR400 pc3200
or b) 2 x Kingston 512 MB DDR400 pc3200 CL3.0

Graphics:
either a) Albatron GeForce FX5200 128 MB (AGP)
or b) Asus A9550GE/TD MB 128 (AGP)
or c) Asus Extreme EAX300/TD 128 MB (PCI-Express)

Hard drive(s?):
Seagate 160 GB, 7200 rpm, Serial ATA, ST280013AS Barracuda 7200.7

DVD-burner:
Lite-On 8x4x12 Dual layer DVD+RW IDE

Cooling:
either NorthQ Silent Ice II K8 (19dB)
or Zalman CNPS600-ALCU (AMD copper cooler)

Power supply: NorthQ 4001 400 Watt Low-noise PSU

As far as I know, all of these components should be fully compatible (internally and) with Digi 001 with v. 6.4. for Win XP. Obviously, I’d be happy to use cheaper components if that wouldn’t compromise the system’s stability. Please give me your opinion and let me know if I can save money somewhere, and if there are any problems with the above-mentioned.

Again, thank you all very much for your time and help.

-Sol

[toddamo]

Hey All,

Thanks to the wisdom of Allen and others here
I'm very excited to be in market to purchase
an Allenstein machine.

Not being (anywhere near) qualified to
put such a machine together myself, I decided
to find someone to build it for me.

I first contacted Andrew at United Micro
as recommended on page one of this thread.

Sorry to say...I have not had a very good
impression of this salesperson or this company.

He doesn't seem to be that familiar with Allen's
machine. I sent him the specs. He sent me a list
back with a very good price ($915), but many of
the items on Allen's machine weren't there. So
I told him...please look at Allen's specs (again)
and give me a quote on that one. A bit frustrating.

I never heard back from him. I emailed him again
about four days later and asked him the same question.
He responded write back but answered a question
that I had asked him last week. (IE he never read
my email which I sent him twice.) So I responded
again and said...please read my email and answer
those questions. He wrote me back. "Call me."

Now on that day I was swamped and didn't have the
time. So I wrote back and said...sorry, swamped, just
please answer these questions and send me the revised
quote. That was two days ago. Still no response.

I don't get this. Here I am trying to give my money
to a company...really ready to pull the trigger...
and I have to chase the guy to get answers.

United Micro's rating and comments on resellerratings.com
also raised some flags for me.

Half the reason I'm going through a company
like this is because of their "customer support".
I'm no sales genius...but at least for the
duration of the sale...pretend that you're
interested in my business. Once you get my money...
then laugh and say "sucker!". I just don't get it.

So then I emailed NTSI.com for a quote on the system.
I tell them the exact specs I want. So I get an email
back..."So what's your budget for this system?"

Now what does that have to do with anything? This is
like car salesman tactics. So I respond back...
and say...here's the exact specs...so I just need
to know how much you charge for this system. An
email comes right back...Sure, but how much
did you intend to spend for this? I write
him back, essentially the same email. No, just
give me the price you guys charge. Two days
later...no response.

I've got $1000 in my hand. I'm trying to give it away.
And I'm chasing people to give me a price on a system!

So can anyone recommend a company/individual that
they've had good experiences with? One with good
communication skills? Good customer service?
Good prices? Does such a thing exist?

Anyway...just venting a bit and relaying my
experience. Thanks much for any thoughts/suggestions.

-todd amodeo

[jamtheguitarman]

Hi all. new hear so here goes.

Does anyone know where i can get the allenstein machine built for me in Britain, preferably Scotland?
I cant seem to find anybody who has all the parts.
I am to stupid to put it together myself so i need someone to do it for me.
Any suggestions?
Has anybody else hear got this computer in britain? how much did it cost?

Thanks, you are helping me greatly.

Jamie

[Captain_Pants]

Alright, I got a new 3500+ 64 chip coming in the mail, and I was wondering if anyone had a good board for me to use? its a socket 939 also, remember that.


Just curious, any performance difference in the socket 754 3400+s and the Socket 939 3400s?

[Ralph K]

Hey guys, i can get the amd 64 but they dont sell Asus Boards in here, so u think it will make a big difference if i use another board?

[markus44uk]

Hi all. new hear so here goes.

Does anyone know where i can get the allenstein machine built for me in Britain, preferably Scotland?
I cant seem to find anybody who has all the parts.
I am to stupid to put it together myself so i need someone to do it for me.
Any suggestions?
Has anybody else hear got this computer in britain? how much did it cost?

Thanks, you are helping me greatly.

Jamie

Hi Jamie....I built three Allensteins for people in London. I go back to the USA a few times a year and bring the parts over with me. I don't have any plans for going back to the US the rest of this year but if you drop me an email, I'll keep in touch with you and let you know.

[jamtheguitarman]

What operating system does anyone recommend for this machine?

[cool247]

I finally bought the parts and built the Allenstein machine. A message "NO Hard Disk Detected" displays when the machine turns on. I swapped SATA cables and tried PRI SATA and SATA1 but continue to get the error message. Bios detects the Lite-On but not the drive.

(The last thing I tried doing was using an old boot up floopy to see if it made any difference. It does displays the name of the hard drive. But that's as far as I got.)

Until my 2nd drive comes in, I'm only installing one drive into the machine.

Does anyone know what can be done to get this hard drive detected and how? Thanks.



ASPIRE X-Dreamer II Purple Silver ATX Mid-Tower Case with 350W Power Supply, Model "ATXB4KLW/350"
Lite-On CDRW
Western Digital 80GB 7200 SATA WD800JD
ASUS K8V SE Deluxe
AMD Athlon 64 3400+, 1MB L2 Cache, 64-bit Processor
Microsoft Windows XP Pro
Enermax EG365P-VE (FMA) 350W PSU
Zalman Quiet Heatsink/Fan
Crucial

*Allen thanks for this amazing thread.