Are you squeamish about building your own PC from scratch?

It's not as hard as you might think. If you are really mechanically-challenged, or don't know your RAM from your SCSI, then maybe this isn't the task for you. But if you've ever replaced a hard drive, added RAM, or installed a new PCI card, then you'll probably find that building your own PC is really pretty easy, and can usually be completed in just over an hour or so following our easy instructions.

Now, one word of caution: we are assuming here that you know how to install Windows from scratch, format your drives, and install your software. If you can build the box, but don't know what to do with it, then you'll need help. Your best bet is to get a friend over and let them help you. Be sure to follow the recipe as closely as possible.

What are the disadvantages to building your own PC? Two, really. First off, you do the work. This will take about an hour and a half, plus all the preparation of ordering and unpacking all the hardware, and probably a trip or two to the computer store to get the stuff you forgot. Secondly, you become responsible for making sure everything works, and troubleshooting what doesn't. Normally, this would make building your own audio PC a bad idea, so that's why we're providing you with this recipe. Still, you are responsible if something doesn't work.

What are the advantages to building your own PC? Two. First off, you do the work! Seriously, learning to build and maintain your own audio PC is a valuable studio skill just like learning soldering and tape head alignment used to be. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. Secondly, you can get more performance for less money. The recipe we will provide you is absolutely the most performance you can get at a rock-bottom price.

Before you begin building your new Roll Your Own Thunderbird, be sure to get all of the parts in order. Nothing sucks like getting halfway into the project and having to stop and order the RAM you forgot to order. For this recipe we will specify an exact parts listing for a state-of-the-art high-performance DAW with dedicated 20 GB OS disk, two removable 60 GB audio disks, dual-head video adapter, high-speed CDRW, and 512 MB RAM. This is a recipe that has been proven to work very well with a number of audio cards and software packages. For the best results, stick exactly to this recipe. Any deviation from the recipe will take you further into uncharted territory.

Everything you need

Before You Begin: Here's What You Need: AMD 1.4 GHz Thunderbird AMD-approved CPU heatsink for 1.4 GHz processor (recommended GlobalWin WBK-68) Iwill KK266 motherboard (NOT KK266R) Rackmount case w/out power supply Enermax 430 watt "Whisper Quiet" power supply Matrox G450 16MB dual-head video adapter 512 MB premium brand (eg. Toshiba or Micron) PC166 CAS 2 SDRAMs (2x256 MB sticks) Maxtor 7200 RPM 20 GB drive (for the OS and apps) One or more Maxtor 7200 RPM drives (for audio). We're using 2 60 GB drives here. UDMA 66/100-ready IDE cables (80 wire cables, should ship with hard disks) (optional) Inclose removable hard disk drive bays, 1 per audio disk Yamaha 16x10x40 CDRW floppy drive and cable (optional) Bay Networks 10/100 Ethernet card your PCI-based soundcard (tested hardware includes RME Hammerfall, MOTU 324-series, Yamaha DSP Factory, M-Audio Delta 1010, and others (optional) bag of extra computer peripheral screws, available at any computer parts store, just in case (optional) nylon cable ties medium sized phillips-head and flat screwdrivers

Depending on shipping costs, this premium DAW can be built for about $1600. If you need to save money, the cost can be reduced to about $1100 if you use only one disk for both OS and audio (save about $350), forego the removable drive bays (save about $50), use a cheaper tower case and power supply (save about $100), and don't install a network adapter (save about $20). Don't skimp on the CPU, RAM, motherboard, or video adapter. It just isn't worth it.

Almost all of the parts for this premium DAW except the case and CDRW were purcased through http://www.advanceddesignky.com. Advanced Design has a good reputation for servicing overclockers and can even get you pretested overclockable CPUs and motherboards at a great price. They will also build the PC for you if you wish. Also, if you buy all of your components from the same company you can save a little on shipping. Other reputable dealers for most if not all of these components are http://www.advpc.com and http://www.micropro.com among others.

OK, you've got everything together, right?

Let's begin!! >>