Best Turnkey Vegas/Sound Forge Vista64 PC for $2K?

PixelStuff wrote on 8/4/2008, 11:45 PM
Where is the best place to get a turnkey system (not something I have to build myself) with Vista 64bit preinstalled? The most CPU, most RAM, and decent Motherboard for $2,000 (monitor not included in price).

I plan to use it for running Vegas (for video editing) and Sound Forge (for live multi-track audio recording), and Photoshop (for hi res photos). When the 64bit versions of those become available I don't want to have to upgrade the OS.

Where would you buy such a system for $2,000? It doesn't have to be the fastest in the world, but I"m looking for the most bang for the buck. I looked at the Sweetwater systems because of the quiet factor, but they don't seem to have any 64bit or Vista anything.

Comments

UlfLaursen wrote on 8/5/2008, 12:11 AM
Hi

Not sure where to buy in the US, but maybe I would wait until the applications you want to run is in 64bit. By then you would probably get better hardware for your $2K, but I don't know if you can wait.

I think that 'Blink' is running Vista 64bit and is happy about it. Do a search for him and see his config. Not sure if he build it himself og bought a turnkey, but he might post here himself.

/Ulf
PixelStuff wrote on 8/5/2008, 1:06 AM
I have a one month purchase goal / deadline.

Really I'll be running the 32bit software for the moment. But I don't want to have to buy a new OS and reinstall everything come December or whenever Photoshop and Vegas are released in 64 bit versions. Upgrading a single application is usually pretty easy, but upgrading an entire OS along with a reinstall of everything being used in production is a time consuming pain.
blink3times wrote on 8/5/2008, 3:07 AM
Intel 975XBX2 mobo
8 gig corsair ram
Q6600 Quad core
ATI 950 Pro video card
Soundblaster Elite Pro Sound card
4 Sata HDDs
Plextor dvd Writer
LG H20L BD writer

The problem with buying pre-made computers is that usually they're not very expandable. For example the PSU that comes installed has usually been calculated for that particular set up and if you want to expand, you end up having to buy a new PSU.

HP is great for saving money on their premade systems. They'll create mobos with only the jacks/outputs relative to the system that they're building so if you want to expand, you're out of luck.

You're much better building one yourself. If you lack the experience then that's not a problem. Head off to the computer store, tell them what you want, and they'll build it for you.

http://www.intel.com/products/desktop/motherboards/D975XBX2/D975XBX2-overview.htm

http://us.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=209&subcategory=669&product=14064

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2643933
GaryAshorn wrote on 8/5/2008, 7:12 AM
I have been doing my research now for 2 months and finally bit the bullet. Compared built versus order the parts myself etc, etc, etc. Finally went with Ibuypower. Took the prebuilt 780sc gamer and modified it some for what I wanted. Delivered price will be just under $1,500.00. I went for a system that I could add to with local parts instead of some of theirs but can work right out of the box to get going. NOTE: there are others to check out like Tiger Direct, CyberpowerPC and the list goes on. Some had tech issues or services issues and most do. Ibuypower so far have been responsive to me and I can fix most things as I usually do my own builds. But the price was right. Check it out.

Q9450
4gig ram
eVGA Nvidia nForce 780i SLI Chipset w/7.1 Sound, Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0, 3-Way PCI-E MB 3-Way SLI
Case - Thermaltake Xaser VI Gaming Case
800 watt psu
NVIDIA GeForce 8800GT 512MB
1 HD - 500 GB HARD DRIVE [Serial-ATA-II, 3Gb, 7200 RPM, 16M Cache
Vista 64
20X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive
Comes with other stuff too that I don't care about but the base system is what counts.

I figure I will add my own Bluray drives etc. More Hard drives as wanted and such. The Case I chose has great expansion ability and cooling. System came with liquid cooling already. MB has good reviews and lots to expand for what I want.

You are right that standard HP, Dell, Acer, Gateway etc don't have the MB or case for expansion. I also just ordered a HannsG 28"

So when I get it all going in another week I will add in my other stuff and give it a whirl. Should beat my P4 2.8hz machine with 512mb ram by a long ways!

Gary.
nedski wrote on 8/5/2008, 7:32 PM
A friend of mine, with a EE Masters degree, didn't want to put together a PC like quite a few of us here on the forum do. So he bought the following PC from HP. I think it was an excellent deal, though I would have added a Blu-Ray burner and a second hard drive.

HP Pavilion Elite d5000t ATX customizable Desktop PC
KT608AV#ABA – Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium (64-bit) w/ SP 1
– Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Quad processor Q9450 (2.66GHz)
– 8GB DDR2-800MHz dual channel SDRAM (4x2048)
– 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 9500GS, DVI-I, VGA, HDMI
– 802.11 a/b/g/n Wireless LAN card
– 1TB 7200 rpm SATA 3Gb/s hard drive
– LightScribe 16X max. DVD+/-R/RW SuperMulti drive
– 15-in-1 memory card reader, 2 USB, 1394, TV video
– ATSC-NTSC TV tuner with PVR, FM tuner, remote
– Integrated 7.1 channel sound w/front audio ports
– Norton Internet Security(TM) 2008 - 15 month
– Microsoft(R) Works 9.0
– HP multimedia keyboard and HP optical mouse
– HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope
$1,759.99

Nedski
JohnnyRoy wrote on 8/5/2008, 7:50 PM
If you're going to consider HP buy from their Quad-Core Workstations line and not the consumer Pavilion line. You'll get better parts.

~jr
nedski wrote on 8/5/2008, 8:18 PM
Hey JohnnyRoy, what "parts"are better and how are they better. Really, I'd like to know. I mean do they state exactly which parts they use? Please be specific!

Looking at HP's description of their XW4600 workstation, the only difference I can see is that they use ECC RAM. They don't give any real details about what/why their workstation would be a better choice.

The reason I'm so very skeptical is because I worked in a company where some of the people would say "Any workstation is better than any PC..." When I asked them to give some evidence for this claim they NEVER gave any rational response! One guy, with a doctorate in computer science no less, said "Because this computer says "workstation" on it, that's why it's better."

I knew why some computers are "better" than others. Most people don't have a clue.

Sorry for the rant, I'm just looking for people who have useful knowledge and are willing to share it.


Nedski

P.S. This reminds me a comical TV commercial from many years ago, the person in it said over and over "Parts is parts...." ;-)



JohnnyRoy wrote on 8/6/2008, 7:05 AM
> Hey JohnnyRoy, what "parts"are better and how are they better. Really, I'd like to know. I mean do they state exactly which parts they use? Please be specific!

They use Xeon server processors, ECC memory and workstation motherboards which are all built to run 24/7. They may even use enterprise class hard drives which are also rated to run 24/7 with higher MTBF than consumer versions. So they are definitely built with higher grade parts.

I can tell you from personal experience that companies like Dell contract parts makers like Creative and nVidia and have them build inferior versions of their cards (i.e., slower memory and clock speeds) and pass them off to the public as the "real" thing (i.e., they maintain the same model number!). They do not do this with their workstation class PC's.

I don't know if HP does this or not (I have never owned an HP) but I did stop by their booth at NAB 2008 this year to check out their 8-core workstations (i.e., physically poke my nose inside one) and they were very well built. If I didn't build my own, wouldn't mind having one myself.

~jr
nedski wrote on 8/6/2008, 9:08 AM
JohnnyRoy, well you certainly know more that most people and you're right, a server/workstation class computer is certainly better in many respects, especially in a high usage environment, but forum member "Pixelstuff" had a budget of $2,000.

HP's workstations and even Apple's Mac Pro (a workstation class PC with a Unix variant OS) starting price is well over $2K, closer to $5K when well equipped.

That's why I, and apparently you as well, choose to build our own, this way we get what we really want/need/ or can afford!

The HP my friend got was their top of the line consumer grade PC. It seemed reasonably well equipped for a consumer wanting good performance.

Nedski
ingvarai wrote on 8/6/2008, 10:24 AM
When the 64bit versions of those become available

When will this happen? For Sony Vegas / Sound Forge, Photoshop, Cakewalk Sonar - for Acme Soft? It really takes some time before 64 bit apps enter the scene, doesn't it?

ingvarai
zcus wrote on 8/6/2008, 1:03 PM
Boxx make the best turn key systems.. here is a link:

http://www.boxxtech.com/
GaryAshorn wrote on 8/22/2008, 5:49 AM
UPDATE:
Well, I got my new system in last Monday. Been spending the days learning to tweak Vista 64, updating drivers and bios systems, checking out how I can next move forward to other additions etc. I ordered an IBUYPOWER modified 780sc model items listed above. Came in and checked it out. Well layed out and cabling installed nicely. Checked the seating and fired it up. All works great. Had questions and sent e-mails to the tech guy that was helping me make decisions before I bought. Got answers every day back on what I needed to know. I had another question and he called me. I did not call him, he called me and asked instead of e-mails would I like to discuss other issues that he could help me with. Now that was good! I only had a few other questions, minor ones, but we talked, he answered and I am very happy.

The case is fantastic. The LCS is nicely installed and all packaged very well. I hope to have it all setup and ready to take on Vegas this weekend. I have never even opened my packaged VV8. I have the downloaded upgrades so I will just install from the updated file and use the codes from the package I guess.

Only issue to solve now is the EDID pass for my KVM between this computer and my other computer to my Hanns-G 28". Hard to boot up and sometimes losing the screen due to the EDID being lost. Still working on that one with StarTech. May have to go with a Gefen Detector on the cables to solve it.

I did call Boxx and way too expensive for what I needed. They were very responsive as well however and I know they have a good reputation. IBUYPOWER like any company may not serve everyone good on any one day but I will say mine experience was a good one.

Gary Ashorn