Computer build for a musician

[TimTheEnchanter]

My friend is studying in music, composition actually. He never had a good computer and now really needs. He asked me if i could help him. Problem is i don't know much for computer for musicians. Can you guys helped me?

He's gonna work with lots of wave files, will convert audio files, use mixing programs, and record.

His budget is about 1300$, max 1400$, with taxes.

I suggested him this :
-Antec 300
-Corsair TX 750W
-Intel Q6600
-Asus P5Q Pro
-4gb G Skill DDR2
-1tb WD (he already has an 500gb external hdd)
-Some simple keyboard/mice
-Samsung 2243wm 22' lcd


I'll install Windows 7 RC 64 bit. I give him two dvd drives. He wants it pre built, so the aftermarket heatsink will be bought another time. He does not need a gpu right now, he'll buy one later along with another monitor.

Two questions :
Does this build look allright?
He probably needs a sound card, right? What sound card is good for music composers? I suppose a 5.1/7.1 sound card is useless for his needs.

[CMetaphor]

Use an M-Audio sound card for audio recording.

Is the system going to be anywhere near the recording(microphones)? If so, you may want to consider rebudgeting for some silent heatsinks/fans/etc.

[TimTheEnchanter]

Woot, CMetaphor, here to help me again! Silence for recording, haven't been thinking of this. I cannot say, i'll have to talk to him about this issue.

M-Audio, like this? NCIX.com - Buy M-AUDIO Delta 44 4-IN/4-OUT PCI Audio Card 24BIT/96KHZ Full Duplex Retail Box - 9900-50757-00 In Canada.

And for creating audio files and exporting, i suppose sound cards do not affect this, right?

[CMetaphor]

No, the sound card won't really affect the audio recording quality, provided you have a decent recording program to record with. That m-Audio should serve nicely, but remember if he needs more inputs of is Going to need more inputs in the future the 10/10 vesion may be better suited.

[Prof. Dr. Silver]

Originally Posted by TimTheEnchanter

I suggested him this :
-Antec 300
-Corsair TX 750W
-Intel Q6600
-Asus P5Q Pro
-4gb G Skill DDR2
-1tb WD (he already has an 500gb external hdd)
-Some simple keyboard/mice
-Samsung 2243wm 22' lcd

He does not need a gpu right now, he'll buy one later along with another monitor.

Does he have a GPU ready to be put in the system for now? Because that mobo does not have onboard video AFAIK. You might want to check that out. Other than that.... this machine will be a nice workhorse!

[CanadaRox]

As Dr. Silver said, that motherboard does not have onboard video so you WILL require a graphics card. You can easily just get a low end one as it will have plenty of power as long as he isn't doing any high end gaming. HD4350's go for around $50 and will easily do anything they need, and maybe even some low end gaming.

[TimTheEnchanter]

The 10/10 version... can you give me a link, couldn't find it. But i suppose it costs a little fortune, so the card i suggested is the best thing to fit his budget, right?

Right, no onboard video, forgot about that. Well i do have ye old 8600gt i could give him... but that would let me with no gpu, in case my 4870 breaks down. The 8600gt is a little loud though, if he needs silence...

HD 4350, you said? How about this? http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=39266&vpn=EAH4350%20Silent%2FDI%2F512MD2(LP)& manufacture=ASUS Ok for dual monitor, i suppose.

Other thing : He does not want to game at all (except snes/psx emulation), should i stay with tx 750w? I supposed it was good in case he wants to upgrade to a newer processor technology and have more hdds.

[Synth]

If he plans on converting audio, mixing and using high-grade studio software, maybe an I7 setup (multi-thread + HT) could prove to be a better investment than a Q6600...

[TimTheEnchanter]

It would be better of course, but not fit his budget. He is a musician, therefore, poor.

And i forgot : p5q pro compared to p5q... is it only the second pci-e express? If so, should i switch to p5q?

[CanadaRox]

Unless he plans on getting more than two monitors, I'd suggest getting the P5Q over the Pro just to save the money (you could even get a PCI graphics card if he changed his mind later). They should both overclock the Q6600 well if you choose to do so. I'd suggest overclocking at least with stock voltages as it will give him a noticable performance increase, even on the stock cooler (though $30 for some aftermarket heatsink would be well spent). And don't forget to pricematch all the prices at NCIX using www.pricecanada.com. That should save him a few more bucks as well. About the actual recording, I can't help you there as I've never done anything that just plugging my guitar amp into my soundcard's line-in.