Topic: .::.::::...::..:Dell Dimension 3000 recommendations.::.:.::

[T.J.]

looking for a little help from some computer savvy people out there.

okay i'm purchasing a dell dimension 3000 for christmas, but i want to make sure this cpu will be able to perform everything i need it to. here's the link to customize:
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&oc=D30PF2&s=dhs

basically i'm planning on buying this computer, adding an audiophile 2496 soundcard, and using cdwave to transfer shows from my M1->CPU ( I know, shoulda went with a JB3  ) i'm concerned about having enough memory, hard drive space, and anything else i may have overlooked. keep in mind i definitely will be converting wav to flac, so i'm sure this will require additional memory/hard drive space.   

the system requirements for the audiophile 2496 are:
• Windows 95, 98,NT, 2000, ME, or XP
• Pentium III 500Mhz - (96kHz operation)
• Pentium II 400 - (48kHz operation)
• 128 MB of PC100 RAM - (96kHz operation)
• 64 MB of SDRAM - (48kHz operation)
• UDMA EIDE or ATA 33/66 HDD
System Requirements (Mac):
• G4 or G3
• MacOS 8.6 or higher
• 128 MB RAM - (96kHz operation)
• 64 MB RAM - (48kHz operation)
• OMS 2.3.8 for MIDI operation

i also plan on adding wavelab 4.0 if my funds can hold up. it's system requirements are as follows:
*Processor Pentium II 200 MHz or AMD K7 (Pentium III 500 MHz or AMD K7 recommended)
*   RAM 128 MB RAM (256 MB RAM recommended)
*   Free disc space 60 MB
*   Operating System Windows 98/ME/2000/XP
*   Sound Card approved MME- or ASIO-compliant Audio Card

i think i should be okay but i still am not certain this CPU will be able to do what i want it to do (for lack of better terms  )  having enough memory and hard drive space is my main concern.  on dell's website (link above) it allows you to pick both memory and hard drive space. i'm leaning towards 1 GB (memory) and 80 GB (hard drive space) does anyone have any experience and/or knowhow that could help me out? muchas gracious in advance to anyone who can help

[BJ]

if you get 1gb/80gb  you will be fine....
any processor will work if you are ordering from dell..i would try to stay away from celeron...but if you must.it will work...

[T.J.]

no i'm definitely going pentium 4, but they do offer pentium 4 HT, which i don't really understand the difference b/w the two. i don't think HT really matters

[dnsacks]

my recommendations -0-

a) for $18, get the htt processor upgrade, (2.8g 533mhz fsb>3g/800mhz fsb) -- it's worth it for the faster processor speed and fsb speed -- i.e. quicker flac compressions, etc.

b) drop an extra $18 on the 80gb hard drive too -- and, when you buy your soundcard, pick up a cheap 160gb internal hard drive from somewhere else (should be well under $100 after rebates) to install while it's open.

c) downgrade the dvd reader to the cd reader and save $18 -- buy a 16x double density nec dvd burner from newegg for $65 and install it in place of the cd reader (i.e. DON'T buy a burner from dell) -- these dvd burners will also burn cdrs at 32x.

d) 19" crt moniter instead of the "free" 15" lcd moniter? (your call) -- I love the size and clarity of my dell 19" crt, but it takes up a LOT of space.

e) stick with 512mb of ram for now (you can always upgrade to 1gb later for less$$$)

f) any chance you're buying a jb3?  If so, have 'em install the ieee 1394 (firewire card) for you-- $27 for firewire isn't too bad.


your processor speed, memory size and hard drive size are all fine for x-fering shows -- I was able to perform bit-perfect transfers using an old p2/400 with 256mb of ram using an audiophile 2496 without problem. 
fwiw

[T.J.]

+t for the both of you for the insight

dnsacks,
a couple quick questions:

b) would it be simpler to just grab the 160 GB hard drive from dell insted of get 80GB now, and upgrading later?  i do have a maxtor one touch extrenal hard drive (120GB), so i think i'll be okay with 80GB

c) are dell burners unreliable? i'm a little confused on what to do here. i'll be using my harman/kardon cdr burner to duplicate shows after i've finished x-fering. given the fact i have a reliable way to burn shows after x-fer, i will probably be sticking with a single tray burner. i'm not sure whether to get a cdr or dvd burner....thoughts? 

[dnsacks]

no problem --

re the hdd issue -- would it be simpler to get 160gb now -- sure, but not nearly as cost effective.  For $72 (the upgrade price of the 160gb hdd), you could easily buy a new 160gb drive and add it to the pc (about a 10 minute process) along with the drive already there (or add storage space with more external usb2 drives).  Plus, it's better to store your shows on a seperate drive than that holding your programs and os (i.e. don't store tunes on your "c" drive).  OTOH, $18 for a 40mb upgrade is "chump change"

re dell burners and reliability -- no, I'm sure the burners dell is offering a're fine, just not competitively priced.  If you upgrade to the cdrw burner you'll spend an additional $18 and not have the ability to play dvds (or read data dvd-r disks).  If you downgrade to the cd reader, you'll spend $36 less than you'd spend for the cd burner.  Kick in another $30 to buy a dual layer nec dvd+-r/w burner (from a third party and install it yourself) and you have the capacity to burn and read cds/dvds (up to 8+gigs per disk) -- imho a LOT of bang for your buck (and easy to do).  Heck, for the price they're asking for their single layer 8x internal dvd, you could pick up the nec dual layer dvd drive I'm recommending as well as  5.25" usb 2 external case and run the dvd drive externally.

finally -- duplicating shows after the fact -- the setup I'm recommending will allow you to reliably  burn audio cds from the flac/wav files on your hard drive (or extracted from archive dvd-r) at 30x speed (i.e. around 3 minutes per 80 minutes of music).  Once up and running, I'd suspect you'll have no use for your harman/kardon standalone burner.

The setup you're considering (in whatever format you eventually decide to go with) will suit your needs really well.  Feel free to follow-up with more

[T.J.]

good deal, you have definitely been a huge help to my computer illiteracy problem...i may have another question or two shorty.
thanks again for the help