christiand Posted April 26, 2008 Share Posted April 26, 2008 I've been surfing this forum and reading the HCL list for quite some time. I've been wanting to put together a new desktop, and figured why not get specs that will be compatible with OSx86 since my regular windows needs are not steep (i'm not trying to play crysis) my main goal is to get garageband working with my guitar exactly like it does on a mac. and output through my 5.1 speaker system. All these prices are from directcanada.com. they are a pretty decently priced canadian retailer. sadly, newegg still won't ship here. Motherboard: GA P35 DS3L - $87.80 from what i read it works. it's cheap. has support for 5.1 speakers. sound in and out are functional with patching. Processor: Q6600 - $228.88 people here seem to like it. I'm not sure of going quadcore or dual core.. will i benefit from 4cores? It will cost on average $30-40 less to get a dual core. any suggestions? RAM: I need help here. There's a million different types it seems, with almost identical specs. I think i'll be fine with a dual channel 2x1GB kit. With my previous motherboard choice i'm limited at 3.5gig, i've read. Will 1066 run exceptionally better than 800 or even 667? Corsair 667 i can get for like 45 bucks, while their 1066 is about $160... And OCZ has about 20 different styles/names of memory, i got lost. Case/PSU: i'll find something Video card: Something not too pricey, in the $100-200 range. I don't do intense gaming, but every now and then it'd be nice to hop on UT3 or something like that. Any suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks. Christian Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/101664-building-mid-range-hack-audio-in-mobo/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
JedixJarf Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 Hey, Ram wise, I went with G.SKill. It works great and it is only 40 bucks for 2GB of ddr2 800 from new egg. The 4 cores is definitely worth it for the extra cash, I recently upgraded from dual-core to quad and it is a night and day difference. As for a video card I would reccomend the nvidia 8800GT. Great performance from a card for under 150$ Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/101664-building-mid-range-hack-audio-in-mobo/#findComment-725517 Share on other sites More sharing options...
knewsom Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 When it comes to RAM, I always say get the fastest you can afford. As for CPU, Quad for sure. Just remember, if you plan on OCing the 6600, you should get an aftermarket CPU cooler. That's what I had planned to do, but I found an OEM 9300 (45nm, 2.5 ghz) for not much more, as it didn't come with the stock cooler. I'm not sure if your MOBO will support 45nm, tho. Doesn't Garage band only output in Stereo? Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/101664-building-mid-range-hack-audio-in-mobo/#findComment-725554 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hagar Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 double-check that mobo.. I think the "l" has an alc888 rather than the alc889a, and may not work as well. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/101664-building-mid-range-hack-audio-in-mobo/#findComment-725995 Share on other sites More sharing options...
christiand Posted April 27, 2008 Author Share Posted April 27, 2008 It does have the 888 rather than 889a. The wiki said the audio doesn't work, but i figured that meant out of the box because it said it worked with a patch. Hm, just to be safe, are there any other boards in the 80-130 range to mount the quad-core that will deliver? Also, Jedi, thanks for the gskill reccommendation. It'll cost me $60, but it seems solid. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/101664-building-mid-range-hack-audio-in-mobo/#findComment-726554 Share on other sites More sharing options...
christiand Posted April 28, 2008 Author Share Posted April 28, 2008 So i think i may scratch that motherboard and spend a little more. From what i read on the HCL, P5W DH Deluxe: the audio IN works pretty confidently on 10.4.8 as a start. which version i use doesn't really matter, as long as garage band will input/output sound. Only problem is.. that board is mostly out of stock at all canadian retailers.. any substitutes? The Audio Input is the purpose i am building this machine for. thanks for all the help so far, christian Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/101664-building-mid-range-hack-audio-in-mobo/#findComment-726999 Share on other sites More sharing options...
knewsom Posted April 28, 2008 Share Posted April 28, 2008 If you're serious about capturing high-quality audio, then don't use the onboard of ANY mobo. Get a purpose-made component, either via firewire, usb, or a pci slot. and then, it don't matter what board you have! Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/101664-building-mid-range-hack-audio-in-mobo/#findComment-727214 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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