Hello everyone.

I am currently in the processing of building a computer, and I thought it would be nice to share the experience with the nerds around here.  As the name suggest, the computer build is mainly for music and perhaps a bit of photo-editing once in a while.

Here are the current specifications of things I expect in a few days time: (Please bear in mind, a few things may change)

Motherboard
Gigabyte GA-MA770T-UD3 AMD 770 (Socket AM3) Motherboard

Processor
AMD Athlon II X4 640 Quad Core 3.0GHz Socket AM3

Graphics Card
ATI Radeon 5450 512MB GDDR3 PCI-Express

Power Supply Unit
PowerStation Gaming 500W Silent ATX2 Modular Power Supply

Hard drive (x2)
Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 16MB Cache Hard Drive SATA 6Gb/s <8.9ms 7200rpm

RAM (x2)
4 Gig DDR3 PC3-10666C9 1333MHz Single Channel Kit

CPU Fan/Cooler
Arctic Cooling Freezer 13 CPU Cooler

Operating system
Windows 7 64bits.


Other added bits includes

An Optical drive
Wifi Pci card
A tower case
24inch Full HD lcd monitor


I have opted to put all of these together myself, even though my last build was about three years ago or so. Wish me luck.


Once the items are delivered, I will post a picture and update this thread as the build goes along.

I will appreciate tips and what not from experienced people. Thanks.

what soundcard are you getting.The soundcard is the most important thing in a computer music system.The midiman audiophile 2496 is very good and cheap but judging by your specs you should be able to afford something pricier.
Whatever you do, get a dedicated music soundcard and dont stick with the onboard sound.Good luck.

^^^ Thanks. Apologies for the over sight.

I already have the sound card covered. In fact, I recently ordered a Focusrite Pro 14 (See details below)

I also happen to have the M-Audio Audiophile 2496 in my old music computer. Due to have having more inputs - NI Maschine (Groove machine, drum machine etc) and a Roland Juno G work station, plus a Pro studio mic - I had to upgrade from it.


Here is the Forcusrite pro 14

http://www.focusrite.com/products/audio_interfaces/saffire_pro_14

Key features

Two high-quality award-winning Focusrite preamps
The best sounding interface in its class. Focusrite's 25-year legacy forms the foundation of this new interface, with two award-winning preamps.

High-quality 24-bit/96kHz FireWire interface
Features professional conversion and JetPLL™ jitter elimination technology, guaranteeing pristine audio quality and reliable synchronization.

Total I/O count of 8 inputs and 6 outputs
A host of I/O options are provided, including a unique Loopback facility for routing audio between software applications via Saffire MixControl.

Saffire MixControl ultra-low-latency DSP mixer/router
Provides an 18 x 6 DSP mixer with excellent routing flexibility, intuitive one-click configurations, and lower than 1.4ms latency (less than the time it takes sound to travel two feet through air!).

Focusrite VST/AU Plug-in Suite, for use in the mix
Upgrade your standard sequencer effects and bring a touch of class to your session with Focusrite Compression, Reverb, Gating and EQ VST/AU plug-ins.

Xcite+ Software Bundle
Featuring a host of royalty-free loops and samples, a full-fledged soft-synth and Ableton Live Lite 8, providing an affordable upgrade path to Ableton Live.


Secondary features

Two Hi-Z instrument inputs
No need for a separate DI. The first two channels feature high-gain instrument inputs.

Bus-powered for a tidy mobile recording rig
Saffire PRO 14 can be powered via FireWire, or via its own power supply.

Dedicated front-panel headphone bus
Providing a fully customised monitor mix, with tactile level control available on the front panel.

Tactile Monitor dial
A front panel volume dial provides immediate control over the main stereo outputs.

Switchable phantom power
Across both mic pre inputs, globally switchable direct from the front fascia.

Software PFL
Allows the mix engineer to easily monitor a single mixer channel or complete mix.

Focusrite Plug-in SuiteBack top
Saffire PRO 24 includes the Focusrite Plug-in Suite, produced by the same team that who developed Novation's nio FX rack and Saffire PRO 40 Control. They provide the perfect upgrade from your standard sequencer effects with all-new Focusrite Compression, Reverb, Gating and EQ VST/AU plug-ins, for use in the mix.



Each plug-in has a host of presets that provide a reasonable starting point, delivering suitable solutions for the chosen sound source. Having selected a preset, you can then go on to finely tune these settings.

The compressor and gate have been modeled on the Focusrite's hardware devices, using the measurement of custom optos to achieve the signature Focusrite sound. (All Focusrite optos are tuned by ear, just like in the old days of analog design, ensuring a faithful recreation of those classic vintage 1960s optical compressors.)

With the same signature as the original Focusrite EQ curves. Focusrite's R& team used state-of-the-art numerical transform techniques to create an authentic response across the entire audible frequency spectrum for this software EQ.

Simply put, it is able to take all the inputs I currently have and may be more.

Thanks. It was an oversight on my part! I currently have Saffire Pro 14 sound card.

I also have the Audiophile2496 in my old music pc.


By the way, my music pc is finished now, I would post photo updates as it was been built.

ElRazur:

Thanks. It was an oversight on my part! I currently have Saffire Pro 14 sound card.

I also have the Audiophile2496 in my old music pc.


By the way, my music pc is finished now, I would post photo updates as it was been built.

Fingers crossed . . .

Right, I am starting to upload pictures in a minute.

Is it possible for a mod to please put this as a sticky? It may help those who want to built a PC too. Thanks.

How I build my music pc

After taking time off work to have the parcel delivered, I waited all day and no one turned up. I was mad and the geek in me was even madder! Needless to say, I phoned up the delivery office and I was given the option to come and pick it up. Before you could say El f****ng Razur, I jumped in my car and drove down. Heck, I was weaving in and out of traffic like james bond (Kids, don't try this at home  ).   All in hope of catching my parcel before the delivery office shuts for the day!

Anyway, I made it on time and duly signed for my parcel and loaded it into the car. Jeez, it was one heavy box!




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More post to follow,



All of a sudden, the geek in me started to smile and as I begin my journey back home, I found myself nodding to the music playing from the stereo.


When I got home, I flipped open the package and there it was! All brand new, well packaged and smiling at me.




Everything was tight-packed and all was well protected, at least that explained why the package was a bit heavy.




It must be mentioned that I was tired at this point - due to doing some stuff and preparing for a photo-shoot, I have to do for someone the next day, but I couldn't resist emptying the package and just to make sure all my orders were up to date.



Damn, they all look beautiful.

Like I said, I was really tired. But the moment I put everything out, I just couldn't resist the building any more. The geek in me was screaming like a little boy with joy and asking me to do it. So I obliged!

So to get things started (after checking and I was happy all was as ordered and intact) I whipped out the PC case.



It is a CoolMaster system. Well built, durable and appears to be what I want exactly.





The next thing to do from here is to discharge myself of any "Electricity" (static) that may be present on me and hence damage the computer during installation, so I touched the sides of the PC case so as to "discharge" me of any static.  It should be mentioned, that one could buy a wire (can't remember the name) to do this, but I did it the easy and cheap way to achieve same result.




Anyway, below is the PSU (Power supply unit). I opted for a silent one so that, when I am recording vocals, the microphone won't be picking up frequencies or vibrations from the PC. (This was something I didn't do on my old computer pc)




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This is what it looks like after putting it together.



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More photos and thoughts to follow. . . .

Up next, is the motherboard.



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Before fitting the motherboard into the PC case, it is important to put little screws called "spacers" into the motherboard section inside the PC case, this would make sure there is no back flow of electricity and hence not short-circuit your computer's motherboard when you plug it in the first time.

These tiny "spacers" screws would lift the mother up and stop it from been in contact with the pc case which is all metal. Again, when I didn't do this on my old pc, the computer just would not start. Period.



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And here is what the motherboard looks like after fitting it into the PC case.



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Here is what it looks like from the back.



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Before I forget, there is a cover at the back of the PC case that one have to remove, so that all the inputs connectors can then slot into place. A gentle push and this cover would come right off. See below.












Here is the main brain of the computer - The processor. It is where everything takes place.

This one is a Quad-core processor. With each processor running at 3.0mhz. So thats a whopping 4 cores of beauty to play with.



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Fitting the processor is simple, but one have to be careful so as not to put it the wrong way round! This may damage the pin.  The image below shows where the processor would be going on the motherboard inside the PC case.



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Processor.



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Where it is going on the Motherboard.



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Fitted!


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After fitting the processor, the CPU COOLING FAN was next on the item. Just for comparison sake, here the two fans that I bought - Well one came with the Processor and I bought an after]market one so as to give better cooling performance.



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I originally opted for liquid cooling (different from fan cooling) but I found out that it is more nosier, so I opted for the FREEZER 13 giant CPU cooler. I mean, it is clear to see that it is better than the one that was supplied with the AMD Processor.

I swear I did not see any pics,wondering If its just me or cos Im using my phone
Na only one yeye frog wit[i]h Imageshackus[/i] i dey see.

CPU fan fitted.



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It should be noted that there is a paste on the CPU. It is called "Thermal paste" and I believe it helps to make sure there is an even contact on the CPU or something. (Please look this up as I am not an expert, I may be wrong)



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It is a massive fan as you can see, but it is needed and would be kept for future use when I am upgrading.








Here is my Graphics card! (see below)
Ideally, the On-board graphics card (the one on the motherboard) is more than enough but, I opted to have one  installed as I would be using dual monitor output at some point in the near future. This card is therefore more than adequate as I am only doing Music (and to a lesser extent, Photo editing in photoshop)



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ifyalways:

I swear I did not see any pics,wondering If its just me or cos Im using my phone
Na only one yeye frog wit[i]h Imageshackus[/i] i dey see.

That's out of my hand. Maybe you should use a PC? I have no idea to be honest as to why you ain't seeing anything. I have loaded close to 20 photos or so.

Ok,wud use my Lappy when I get home.
Congrats.
Which time u go throw the next owambe?I wan come dance alanta.

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Fitted Graphics card.





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Wifi card.



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The mess I made lol.



I am starting to get tired and there isn't much photos as I wanted to finish things up.  Here other tit bits



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Windows 7 32 and 64bit. I installed the 64bit version as it enables me to use the 8gig of ram I have on board.



The last photo is when I put it all together - fitted the 500g (x2) hard drive and the 8 gig ram.

Time to switch it on. . . .


I was a bit apprehensive, because it may all fry up and never work.

So I took a deep breathe, connected it to the TV (monitor still in the box, but I was really tired) and boy, it was all worth it when She came alive and breathe.




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Any question, make una fire away. 


Here is what my PC based music studio looks like now.



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Here is my sound card and the external Optical drive I use.



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Here is my PC information page.



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My window index is low simply because I used a lesser grade Graphics card. Every other thing was 5.0 and above. (See photo below)




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Can a mod please sticky this? Ejo sir or ma. Thanks.

ifyalways:

Ok,wud use my Lappy when I get home.
Congrats.
Which time u go throw the next owambe?I wan come dance alanta.

Once I save up enough for a good owambe party.

@Elrazur
There's a bit of a problem with the images you attached. Are you using plixi.com or nl's file attachment button?
Can't find no pictures.
Glad to know you didn't screw things up

Weird. I used image shack.

Are you browsing from a fone? Looks like it may not be optimised for fone?

I'm on a pc and all is fine on my end.


Can anyone using a pc confirm please if they are able to see the images?

^
I'm using my laptop ATM
Try re-uploading using the NL file upload button or are the images above 200kb(size)?

Weird. It is showing on my phone.

I hope you don't have "load forum image" turned off by default?

Who do these crusty toes belong to?

Nigerian men and their ashy body sha lol joking.

^^ Thanks for the confirmation.

I Can see the Pictures and i'm using a Mobile Phone sef. . . . I Can See Real Money Sha

I Can see the Pictures and i'm using a Mobile Phone sef. . . . I Can See Real Money Sha

^^^ Thanks for the confirmation.

Check your mail for the completed works.

My laptop shits on your pc.

Beautiful combinations!!!! But why did you use AMD microprocessor? I would have love to see Intel rather than AMD,   What's the total cost? 

life_style:

Beautiful combinations!!!! But why did you use AMD microprocessor? I would have love to see Intel rather than AMD,   What's the total cost? 

AMD gives you more bang for your money.

Just a quick illustration, is it worth paying say 3million for a car with say "intel engine that sprint from 0-62mph in 5 seconds and same car but with an "amd" engine that goes from 0-62mph in 5.9 seconds and cost 1.5milla?

You see, for what I want to achieve the AMD is more than enough.

Please, Dose anyone knows where I can get an Audiophile 2496 - 4-In/4-Out soundcard in Nigeria