[andy_e]

I've got an old knackered computer which is going to donate its case, PSU and motherboard to a new computer. I've got very little money to spend and want to get the best for as little money as possible.

Processor: The old 995 mHz was taken out and swapped for a new ~2gHz processor so that's OK... (running windows 98 was fun, when I clicked shut down it took 0.5 seconds to do so!

Sound card: As it's going to be a music production computer this is going to need to be beastly...

Video card: Are these necessary to be powerful?

Cheers

[Jim]

I have 2 pentium 4 2.4 boxes for sale at around £50. not sure what size hard drives are in them.
For this money you aren't going to get a beastly computer but will be a good starting base and a more expensive sound card can be added latter on when you get more funds.

Spec is

Asrock stata2 motherboard microATX onboard sound & graphics
pentium 4 2.4 533FSB
512 ddr400 ram
floppy drive if you want
cd rom or maybe writer, depends whats lying around or in them already
big case with pentium4 approved psu

can supply all software but will not be legit

[Bubba]

Video card: Are these necessary to be powerful?

Only if you're gaming or doing a load of intense graphics work. I guess you're not because a good gaming PC is not a cheap option.

[Karl]

Get plenty of ram in it Andi, what software you going to be running on it? I can get hold of m-box's quite cheap if you ever fancy using pro tools....

I would recommend pro tools, amazingly good for audio and midi. Contrary to what people may say, it beats Cubase SX for midi these days. And you can get some amazing soft synths for it.

Also, as you're running a pc set up, if you do get pro tools i can score you thousands [literally] of plug-ins for it

Ps. you doing this at degree level mate?

K

[Bubba]

Propellerhead Reason is a lot of fun too, and doesn't require an amazing PC to run it.

[GCW]

I use a combination of Reason, ReBirth and Cubase with other stuff like WaveLab etc etc.  Reason is very powerful, especially when you link it with ReBirth and start doing full looped samples.
Don't have much time for it nowadays, which is a shame.

[Bubba]

I've only really dabbled but need to sit down and start using it in anger some time.

I notice that Rebirth has been discontinued - is that because the functionality is now inside Reason?

[GCW]

It's combined with something else now, isn't it?
I got it 5 or 6 years ago.  Fantastic program but has some irritations during programming, like reverting knobs to previous settings if you stop a recording.
If you have a free week, sit down and play around with Reason.  Once you have 20 bits of kit in your rack it gets fun.  And play around with the connections on the back (press Tab) for even more good stuff.   

[Drew]

I've got an old knackered computer which is going to donate its...PSU

I did this with my old computer. I had to upgrade the PSU fairly sharpish. I went from a super cheap, flimsy piece of shit, to a gaming computer (not excessively hardcore), with a pretty decent setup. The PSU just couldn't cope.

Also, look into quiet hardware. I got a Seagate Barracuda (this was several years ago now), and a few other quiet pieces, and it was still fairly noisy. It's a right arse if you're gonna watch DVD's at all.

[andy_e]

The PSU I've got at the moment is more than capable of handling the components in the computer, that's not a problem.

The production setup I've got is fine at the moment (Cubase SX3, z3ta+, kontakt 2, l3-16 multimaximiser and various other bits and bobs GCW bombarded me with), cheers Karl! I do geology at uni, nothing to do with uni, just for fun...

I need a new midi keyboard since mine dropped on the floor

[Karl]

Get an M-Audio controller set up, i got the Keystation 49e for about £50. Not bad, actually works off the USB with the new version of 'tools.

Anyone got any RTAS Mac plug-in's out there? In particular the MOOG stuff?

[andy_e]

Keystation 49e for about £50.

That's what I had. tip for you- don't drop it on the floor.

[Karl]

Cheers Andi, i'll bear that in mind.

[Drew]

One question you've got to ask, is can I do it for less than this:

http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.202-2819.aspx
http://www.trustedreviews.com/pcs/news/2007/12/29/Tesco-Sells-Quad-Core-1TB-Desktop-For-Under-600/p1

[GCW]

Good processor.  2GB RAM, unknown speed.  Good HDD capacity.  OK graphics (8600GT is 256MB), not sure about soundcard (sounds like on-board).
Yeah, it's a good price.  Depends what you want, but you could build it cheaper I think- see the motherboard thread for more details.
Plus, I don't fancy Vista- going to stick with XP for now.

EDIT: 
Case inc PSU               £30
Mobo      Asustek S775 Intel P35 ATX (P5KC)   £76
Processor   Intel Q6600 Core 2 Quad 2.4GHz   £164
2GB Memory   2GB                                  £29
Graphics 512 Gigabyte GeForce 8600GT      £76
Keyboard   Microsoft and mouse         £15
500GB HDD   WD Caviar S300 16MB 7200rpm   £63 x2
DVD RW                  £22

Total=  £538 but I reckon you could go for a much cheaper mobo, I went for future proofing there.

Plus Vista (£197 for Premium), or less for a copy of XP.
So 579 looks like a good deal- and less hassle.  Plus you get clubcard points.

If only you could find one....... 

[Jim]

yeah, vista is shite

[Drew]

Cheers GCW  I've actually wondered how much it would cost to build a system. I did build my previous one, but I stole so many bits from elsewhere that I got a really distorted view on the price

[GCW]

At least when you build your own you can upgrade bits here and there as time goes on.  I'm waiting for DDR3 to get cheaper, although I'm going to sort my RAM shortly.
One of the problems with pre-built stuff is you get shit you don't need, and lose out on stuff you do.  You mentioned gaming, so the 8800GT (512MB) would serve you better than the 8600GT (256MB, yeah I didn't edit my last post) in that respect.
And for gaming, make sure your PSU and fans/cooling are up to the job.
But seriously, I'd avoid Vista like the buboes.