Help - Is My OLD PC Still Viable? Music Production.

[Deactivated] on 14/12/2021 - 20:52

Hey all,

I'm hoping some tech savvy people can help me as I'm a bit out of touch with tech these days.

11 years ago, maybe less I built a 2-3k PC and I actually never took it out the box, my job basically took over my life.

Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz LGA1366 Quad-Core CPU With 8MB Cache
Corsair XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) PC3-12800 (1600Mhz) DDR3 DIMM Memory Kit - CL9
Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD5 IntelX58 LGA1366 DDR3 ATX Mainboard With SATAII/RAID/FireWire & Dual Gigabit LAN
Antec P182
Corsair TX650W 650W ATX Power Supply
Lite-On iHAS220 20/8X Dual-Layer SATA DVD±R/RW Kit With LightScribe (Black)
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-Bit DVD
Gigabyte GV-R485MC-1GH Radeon HD 4850 1GB PCI-Express2.0 Graphics Card
Western Digital VelociRaptor WD1500HLFS 150GB SATAII Hard Drive, 10,000RPM With 16MB Cache
WD Green 2TB
Noctua NH-U12P SE1366 LGA1366 Heatsink & Fan

I built this for music production, and to be honest I would be using most the same software these days as back then, so I assume this would still do the job? Not sure if I can even upgrade the ram.

I guess it sucks I may throw it out, I assume I can built a pretty good PC these days for a reasonable price(Excluding GPU)

Thoughts?

Thank you!

Computing Computer Desktop Computer

Comments

  • HairyChickens on 14/12/2021 - 20:55

    Vista……..

    Tasty

  • AndyC1 on 14/12/2021 - 21:02
    +1

    Where is the MIDI interface? Do you haev any MIDI equipment are you going to use?

    Ask your friends if any of them have an old PC where you can get memory from as you will need more memory.

    I would install Linux on it and give it a go. Way way back I knew professional musicians that used Atari ST computers (68000 16 bit computers) to do music production in the 1990's and as you have not used it I would NOT advise spending any money until you know if music production is for you. Save your money and use Linux and music apps on Linux until you figure out what you really need or want to do.

    As for is the computer worth using now days for allot of things the answer will be NO, but in your case it should be okay for getting started with music composition etc.
    It will be crap for any video production, but you want music.

  • Transient on 14/12/2021 - 21:03

    Only way to tell is to crank up the beast and let her rip. You will either say, "Cool, I can live with that" or "nope, too slow". Some of the solder joints may have dried up, capacitors leaked, etc, so may no longer work. Some of the software you used back then may not be compatible with new systems / OS these days and vice versa. Are you still using a CRT monitor? Would make a cool retro games machine. There are some games I played on Win 95 / Win 3.1 that don't work with newer OS.

  • [Deactivated] on 14/12/2021 - 21:13

    It's not that old, 2010, saying that I didn't even realise Cubase is up to 11. I think I have the full version of 5 LOL

    Operating systems (Windows)
    64-bit Windows 10 Version 1909, 64-bit Windows 10 Version 2004, 64-bit Windows 10 Version 20H2, 64-bit Windows 11 Version 21H2

    CPU minimum
    Intel Core i series or AMD Ryzen multi-core

    CPU recommended
    Intel i5 or faster

    RAM minimum
    4 GB, Recommend 8GB

    Is there anything I could rip out to use in a new system? Power Supply? Heatsink? HDDs ETC
    I'm wondering if I can buy a new motherboard, and CPU and everything else should work? Upgrade another SSD etc

    • ddhar on 14/12/2021 - 21:20
      +2

      You can pretty much replace the CPU, motherboard and RAM with new ones and re-use everything else.

      Get something with integrated GPU though; the HD4850 is way too obsolete (and runs hot).
      Also, get an SSD.

      • [Deactivated] on 14/12/2021 - 21:22

        It has an SSD 150GB, but I can use that just to run Windows and get another SSD>

        I think thats my best option, buy a new cpu, motherboard and ram! yeah, get rid of the GPU and I dont really need one due to being for music only.

        THANKS

  • Presence on 14/12/2021 - 21:42
    +1

    I'd get 16GB RAM secondhand, new bigger SSD, install Win10 and see how it goes.

    It's a terrible time to build a PC, especially if you want a graphics card so you're gonna save a fortune if you can make do with what you've got for a little while.

    • [Deactivated] on 14/12/2021 - 21:54
      +2

      Music only, I don't need a GPU:D

    • ddhar on 15/12/2021 - 00:12
      -1

      Personally I wouldn't sink more money into long-dead DDR3 modules, and especially when you have to buy 3 of them.

      Depending on your budget, you should be able to get a CPU, Motherboard & DDR4 RAM for around $500.

      • ItsMeAgro on 15/12/2021 - 09:24
        -1

        Sink money? What? DDR3 is cheap as chips these days, especially second hand. If he bought a $2000 PC he can probably afford $80 to upgrade the RAM.

  • dubfonik on 14/12/2021 - 21:54
    +2

    I think you'll be fine, depending on how you're doing music (if it's sample based or using lots of VSTs). I'd say do these two things, in order of preference:

    • Use an SSD instead of a HDD for the main drive. HDD can be used to store samples
    • Upgrade the RAM to 16GB

    You haven't mentioned if you have an audio interface. If you don't have one, you'll definitely need one rather than using the onboard soundcard. Look for a used Focusrite interface.

    Also you could try and upgrade to Windows 7, too.

    • [Deactivated] on 14/12/2021 - 23:28

      I have to see if I can upgrade the ram, if I could use this system as it is I would.

      Definitely need to update to Windows 7.

      Other than Cubase 11, most VSTS are the same which I use to use 10 years ago.

      • Presence on 15/12/2021 - 07:49
        +2

        Windows 7 is no longer supported. This will run 10 fine.

      • Haydos90 on 15/12/2021 - 09:02

        If you do decide to just upgrade the RAM on your current system, I've got 16GB of GSkill DDR3 RAM I'd be willing to sell cheap

      • WT on 15/12/2021 - 11:06

        if you want to stay with windows I would say 10 is the lowest. Trying to keep dads old pc alive on XP has too many holes in it so I have to keep it off line

        • [Deactivated] on 15/12/2021 - 12:06

          My laptop is running 7? I have no issues.

          I would definitely need to upgrade the OS tho, like I said from what I can see other than the MIDI sequencer most the software that audio engineers are using today is the same software that we using 10-15 years ago.

          I just bought the recent laptop deal for a thousand bucks, which obviously is more powerful than this PC but I just don't want it to go to waste.

          This PC would only be running in my studio for music, no other use.

          It's basically just looking what I need to upgrade, RAM + HDD. Do I need a new Motherboard, CPU? Otherwise this will run Windows 10 fine and Cubase etc

          • ddhar on 15/12/2021 - 14:05
            +1

            @[Deactivated]: "It's basically just looking what I need to upgrade, RAM + HDD. Do I need a new Motherboard, CPU?"
            If you're just adding more RAM (DDR3), then no. Try to get identical modules (at least with same speed and latencies) to avoid compatibility issues. Don't go for generic/unknown brands.

  • SpottedAle on 14/12/2021 - 23:50

    Have you turned it on and tried using it?
    Its gonna be slow, its 13 years old (Intel Core i7 920 was released in 2008), which is nearly a million years old for computers (my Samsung S20 FE phone would give your processor a run for its money). A side note, new audio files are also a LOT larger than they used to be, higher quality audio because of higher standards from new MUCH more powerful devices. So its not just a matter of 'it was able to do it then, so it can still do it now'.
    If it's just a hobby, yeah, you can do it, but your system is less powerful than a current entry-level laptop CPU https://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i7-920-vs-A… .

    As for parts or a rebuild, try the metal recyclers.
    Everything there is obsolete in a new build, DDR4 is standard and is currently been replaced with DDR5, Motherboard and CPU… no comment, you might be able to reuse the WD Green, SATA II does use the same connection as modern SATA III drives - but is half the speed, the PSU and Case can be reused, but if you're going to build a new system you might as well spend the extra money and get new parts.

    If your job paid you well enough to give up your $2-3K investment in your music production hobby, you should be able to build yourself a decent system 11 years later.

    • dubfonik on 15/12/2021 - 08:42
      +1

      new audio files are also a LOT larger than they used to be

      I don't think this is the case. A 24-bit WAV (the standard for DAW use internally) is the same 10 years ago as it is now. The DAW will stream it from your hard drive, so as long as you have a SSD or fast enough HDD it should be fine.

      If OP is using lots of VST instruments or effects, then that will put more strain on the CPU. But there are workarounds to that, like bouncing down to audio (which will use the WAV file), so it's not the end of the world.

      If your job paid you well enough to give up your $2-3K investment in your music production hobby, you should be able to build yourself a decent system 11 years later.

      +1. That said, you wouldn't need to spend that much now. I spent $1600 on build for audio production back in 2015 which still works great today

  • Richardc on 15/12/2021 - 00:18
    +1

    Why you want to upgrade? Anything wrong?
    Simple upgrade you can just get another SSD to replace the HDD, further you can add more ram or even change the cpu to 970(six core).

  • barge-in hunter on 15/12/2021 - 08:41

    I agree with the idea of a new cpu/mb/ram.

    Eg, a Ryzen 5 5600g ($350), b550 board ($120), 16gb RAM ($100) could bring it up to a reasonable system… Only nice to have would be an m2 ssd for a boot/caching drive ($120 will get you 1tb).

    Having said that, you could probably go down the Intel route a bit cheaper again

  • AndyC1 on 15/12/2021 - 09:01

    See OP's other post for a new PC:
    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/671617

    • [Deactivated] on 15/12/2021 - 12:08
      -2

      Yeah, my cat took a dump on my laptop. So, I need another workstation laptop.

      But I could use that laptop for music too, but if upgrading basics on this is cheap I would rather keep this solely for music!

      If I wasn't going to study again, I wouldn't need another laptop. I'm using mine with a USB keyboard ATM, as half the keys don't work and it's just annoying! It's over 10 years old anyways, bound for an upgrade. I prefer using a laptop than my phone for most things aka browsing, downloads etc

  • garetz on 15/12/2021 - 09:02
    +2

    Look at the minimum specifications required by all the programs you intend to use. If your pc meets these minimum specifications then you are good to go.

  • [Deactivated] on 15/12/2021 - 12:09

    Basically I'm buying a whole new PC, other than GPU it seems parts are very reasonable these days.

    To be fair, I don't know how to build a PC! It's not rocket science, but I've never done it lol.

    Otherwise, do I consider selling this box for a cheap price maybe for a kid looking to start out? Probably worth nothing. I look at it as I've lost money anyways.

  • peteru on 15/12/2021 - 14:37
    +4

    With a few minor ugrades, this will make an excellent music editing and sequencing workstation, aka DAW. I use a Core-i5 750 with 4GB RAM as a DAW and it performs great.

    If you are going to dedicate this to music production (and web browsing with some word processing and simple graphics art, like designing album covers) and don't plan on playing latest games, your best bet is to scrap Vista and instead install one of the Linux distributions targeted towards multimedia production. You'll probably want to use Ardour as your DAW software - it's good stuff.

    In terms of hardware, you should get yourself a decent audio interface. Behringer U-PHORIA UMC404HD is surprisingly good for the price and much better than the older Behringer products. There are many other options in this space. When choosing, you ideally want an audio interface that does not require any special vendor specific drivers to make it work with Mac or Android - that implies (most of the time) that it will also work with Linux. Windows is a mess and almost all audio interfaces tend to require installation of some additional software.

    As far as the upgrades to the PC are concerned, you'll be fine with 6GB RAM for most DAW stuff. Adding more RAM, if required, won't be hard. I'd probably ditch the 150GB drive and opt for an SSD somewhere in the 1-2TB range. SSDs are affordable and will make a noticeable difference.

    Even without these upgrades, you have a perfectly adequate PC for digital audio workstation use.

    • [Deactivated] on 15/12/2021 - 14:50

      Thank you

      This is music only, I will have a laptop for everything else(which is probably more powerful than this)

      I run Cubase, will probably upgrade to latest version and VSTS. I mainly use to produce house music, electronic music.

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