Hey Bonestonne

Cheers for the input.
bonestonne wrote:
I have never bothered to install any motherboard software outside of drivers because it's problematic, especially for DAWs.
This is basically how I feel... I see it as untidy and not really necessary. Like I said, the older FanXpert software for my current Asus board didn't even do it's job properly. But... call me curious

I might stick the up to date software on my new machine just to see what it's like. I'll probably build it to a basic degree first, get the OS updated, then image it and play with additional bits afterwards. Then I can always just 'go back in time' to that image if I'm not happy with any changes.
bonestonne wrote:
If the hardware is set up right, you shouldn't need extra software. Hardware PWM control has come a long way. Not perfect, and some motherboards have poor control, but those typically aren't the boards used in DAWs..
By this do you mean you wouldn't generally use a board with PWM fan control, or that poor PWM control co-relates to a cheap board, and you wouldn't use a cheap board? Just wondering. I've gone for an Asus mid-range board which I'm happy is of decent quality, but in any case... I wouldn't have expected the more budget Asus Z87 boards to have worse PWM control? Maybe I'm wrong though. What current boards would you choose for a DAW build?
bonestonne wrote:
I'm partial to MSI and used their boards for a long time in my personal builds until recently. I moved to Asus because MSI no longer provided quite what I was looking for, and that's fine.
Yeah, honestly, I'm sure MSI are likely fine. I just got a bit scared off by a few things I read. Happier sticking with what I know I guess this time

What was it Asus offered that MSI no longer did?
bonestonne wrote:
I don't particularly see the point in dual booting the same OS and isolating one install just for music...if you keep regular backups and exercise even a marginal amount of caution on the internet, it doesn't really make much difference. If you were dual booting with a linux distro I would understand better, but that's just me. I have a single 8.1 install for audio and video work, as well as my general use. I keep installed programs to a minimum, and specifically trusted ones at that to reduce problems. Since I updated to a SSD, I make full backups on a regular basis (incremental, on a spare drive).
It's just me I guess... I'm a control freak

I tend to have my production OS streamlined, with any windows services, hardware, etc disabled unless they're absolutely necessary. This might have been more beneficial with older machines, like my current 7 year old core 2 duo PC running XP with standard HDDs... just to get that extra bit of juice/speed out of it, but I'll stil work this way until I'm satisfied otherwise. Plus, I always tend to think there's less chance of anything like driver conflicts if the only things running are the things that need to be. It might be engrained in me from my days at uni... I studied music and at that time I had ideas drummed into me such as how you shouldn't have your studio machine connected to the net if it didn't absolutely need to be. But this is going back over 10 years. Basically I feel more content knowing I've effectively got one dedicated studio machine and one 'youtube funny cat videos and everything else' PC.
As for backing up, I'm obsessed with it

When I build a machine I take an image of it at the point where I've got the OS installed and up to date, AV maybe, and my basic applications that's I know I'll always need (adobe reader, office, etc). I use that as my 'ground level backup'. Then I make another when the rest of my software is installed.
THEN I make continuing back ups each time I add more. It makes me feel all warm and safe

Aside from the OS drive, I also have all of my audio and other media stored on a 3TB RAID 1 NAS box, so that's all protected from a hardware failure. I don't back that up, but to be honest, I'm more worried about losing the lot to a dead drive than I am losing something because I accidentally delete it, and the RAID mirror covers that.
bonestonne wrote:
Phanteks actually makes pretty nice stuff, I took a gamble on a fan when I saw them starting to come out, and I'm glad I did.
Good to know, cheers. Reviews are pretty good, glad I found them. Out of interest, did you use the bundled thermal paste, or an aftermarket paste when fitting yours? I've used aftermarket in the past, but have seen suggestions recently that it's better to use whatever comes with the cooler since this is what the manufacturer will have tested their product with. Which makes sense. One place I saw that said was on an Asus video regarding overclocking Z87 boards.
bonestonne wrote:
]The case looks okay, not really my cup of tea with the door on the front, but cases are all preference anyway.
Yeah, I guess so. I'm not really into 'gamer cases', and like the more sleek, minimalist look much more. The thing that really sold this case though is that it's reviewed as having great cable management and it's oh so quiet.

bonestonne wrote:
My only question is why every defaults to the K model CPUs...
Just because I feel like having a go at OCing. I know it's not a necessity.. is it ever for anyone? But I figured I'd like to have a go and see what difference it makes for myself. If the answer is not much, then I'll likely not leave it that way eventually. Like I said though... I'm just curious natured!
bonestonne wrote:
+1 with Steve about the PSU...
I used to do tech support with M-Audio for their interfaces before InMusic bought them from Avid. Bus powered interfaces really don't affect the draw of the machine so drastically, plenty of laptops still have reasonable life on battery while using an interface. In most cases, you'd want to pick bus power or 12V for the interface. Depending on the interface, sometimes you'd NEVER use both, and with others at times using both is no problem. Totally depends on the interface. I have several M-Audio interfaces, and use a C400 with my laptop, and my 2626 with my desktop primarily, but with the laptop as well for bigger jobs on the go.
Now this is interesting, since it's one of the things I just really didn't know and had wondered about. The fact I'm using a USB bus powered interface was a factor in going for a slightly more meaty PSU. But if the draw isn't much, great. I've placed the order now, but it's still good to know. As it happens I'm using an M-Audio Fast Track Ultra, which I believe is covered by Avid now in terms of support, drivers, etc. It can be hooked up to the mains, but if I can run it without yet another plug trailing under my desk, then all the better as far as I'm concerned.
Thanks again
