Not only is the latency of my audio projects greatly improved, it's even improved while running the second most powerful chess engine (Stockfish) in the background. Everything is noticeably faster. And, even at its loudest, my machine is quieter than its environment at its quietest. The noise floor ...

Yeah, except for this incident, Newegg has been great.

So I've been maxing out the CPU and memory as much as I can for over an hour now. I can barely hear the fans. Sys Fan: 1480RPM. CPU Fan: 1319RPM. System: 29C. CPU: 50C. Cores: ~70C. GPU: 35C.

And the BIOS is set to standard, not silent.

The RAM came in today. As it turns out, yeah, the original RAM they sent wasn't even low profile. I'm glad that ordeal is over. The upgrade was largely painless. The only problem I encountered was a single mobo screw that I couldn't get in, and can't get out. Seven secure screws should be just fine....

Apparently "Next Day Air" means taking two and a half days to package an item, shipping it on Friday, and then letting it sit in Philly over the weekend. I just can't get a break. It wouldn't be quite so bad if it wasn't summer and my soon-to-be-upgraded computer wasn't acting as a space heater.

Finally some good news: Newegg is shipping my replacement next-day.

Okay, now I'm getting pissed off. Newegg's instructions were to email them once I dropped off the return with UPS. I did that. They sent an automated response saying they'd contact me within 24 hours. It's been 36 hours and no response. I intend to call them tomorrow and demand express shipment of m...

Good news: My shipment arrived two days earlier than expected. Bad news: The dual channel RAM came with only one stick. Newegg originally wanted me to ship it back, then after they received it, process for 1-2 business days, then ship a replacement that would take 3-7 business days. That's up to 9 b...

I know all about small spaces. My apartment is under 300 square feet. And I'm not single, so that's shared space. At least I have a large wooden desk, or rather, a large piece of plywood resting on two big speakers. Amazingly, it's just the right height and everything is sturdy. The package's estima...

HappyJack96 wrote:I stand on a thick sheet of glass placed onto carpet

Wouldn't that increase static? I thought glass conducted a moderate degree of electricity since it's mostly silicon dioxide. Remember science class when the teacher rubbed a glass rod with silk to charge it?

CA_Steve wrote:The cheap method: I usually work on my builds on my wood floor or my wood desk.

What about wood coated in polyurethane? From what I've read, human hands are positively charged, wood is close to neutral, but polyurethane is negatively charged.

Thanks for the advice and information, QUIET!

I think it's time to place my order...

One final concern: static. I learned to simply keep touching the PSU to discharge any static. That's the way I've always handled computers (that and keep off the carpet, of course). However, I'm considering antistatic gloves or a wristband this time. While researching ESD precautions, I've come acro...

CA_Steve wrote:Here's a Skyrim benchmark review from Nov '11. Look at the HD 5770 results (it's about equal to the HD 7750). Very playable at 1080p medium and high quality.

Thanks. I'd found one that showed the HD 5770 averaging 35fps with ultra settings and HD textures. I'm sold.

The Xeon gives you a lot of potential...maybe more than you need right now...but might be something that you grow into if you start using a LOT of VSTs and recorded tracks. Exactly. I'm thinking long-term. And this helped convinced me. That's a powerful CPU at a very reasonable price. As for postpo...

Russell: I was editing while you were replying. I think I'm sticking with the Xeon.

I'm going to take a break, review my list on Sunday, and place my order(s) Sunday night. I'll be sure to post an update once everything's installed and tested.

Unless you must buy from Newegg only... I don't. They just have a very easy shopping interface, and I have a $100 gift card. Plus, fewer packages. :) You really seem bent on getting heat spreader RAM. It was only $4 more. Still, a penny saved... As far as CAS latency is concerned, I think you're ri...

...sometimes it means they opted to use lower priced components. Well that's something I would probably want to avoid. I did a side-by-side comparison of the ASUS P8Z77-M and the ASRock Z77 Pro3. I think the dealbreaker is that the latter only supports one 4-pin chassis fan (compared to three on th...

Russell: Thanks for the processor updates! It's no wonder I didn't notice the Crucial 16GB kit you recommended. It's out of stock on Newegg. Hmm... The Crucial kit's CAS latency is 11, while the Mushkins are 9. In general, 1.35V low profile are good. There's Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) fo...

ASUS motherboards are highly recommended, but the cheapest one I could find that meets my specs is $20 more than the MSI board , and it has a lot of bad reviews because it has a short qualified memory list and customers were having RAM compatibility problems (also, it doesn't support enough fans). I...

How long will you keep the system? As long as possible. I've bought a new mobo about every 4 years. I've also made some bad hardware decisions. Trying not to do that this time around... ...Somewhat over your target $100... That's fine if the price of another component drops, which is the case here....

James: Unfortunately that motherboard is a bit too pricey for me. I'm trying to stay at $100 or lower since I'm already over-budget. Pappnaas: B75's only support one SATA III device, right? I already have one. So if I got another, I'd need a new motherboard. Someone on another forum recommended that...

I think this debate would be more productive with specific hardware comparisons. If there's an AMD version of my proposed build that costs less and is at least as efficient and quiet, I'm interested.

I have an Intel dz75ml-45k and it seems fine. It was cheap, $80. I'll definitely take a look, especially with a price like that. Edit: It's out of stock on Newegg, $101 on Amazon, and $85 (plus $12 shipping) on eBay. The eBay seller is only a half hour from me. I could pick it up if s/he was okay w...

I did some more reading on the MSI Z77A-G41. Apparently the USB issue has been fixed with a BIOS update. From MSI: "This issue was caused by a glitch when OC genie is activated but it had been resolved in E7758IMS.291 (Ver 2.9b1)." Regardless, I'll take a look at the full spectrum of H77, Z75, and Z...

Someone at homerecording.com pointed out that the MSI Z77A-G41 has a lot of complaints about the USB ports failing, which I verified. Doing some more mobo research... CA_Steve recommended H77 and low-end Z77 boards. Is there good reason to avoid Z75 boards? I see that they lack SRT. Does that make a...

Not a single response from Gearslutz yet (despite over 400 views). Trying HomeRecording.com... 3 responses in 10 minutes.

Thanks for clarifying. Google wasn't helpful.

All registered at Gearslutz now. Let's see what they think...

Ah, yes, Gearslutz is probably the best audio hardware site on the internet. It's been a while since I've visited. I see that they have a forum dedicated to computers. I'll get an account and post there shortly. Downside is loss of iGP and Quick Sync... no overclocking IGP as in interior gateway pro...

What's the benefit of the Asus P8Z77-M over the MSI Z77A-G41? I'm assuming it has better fan control, since you mentioned that MSI's fan control may be weak. I'm not sure I need Turbo Boost overclocking. I'll consider a passive HD 7750. Only $10 more. Thanks for the link. Do I need 16GB of RAM? Well...

What I already own: Case: Antec Sonata III Case Cooling: Recommendation to install intake fan (I have two extra 120mm fans.) PSU: Antec EarthWatts EA-500 Green Drives: 128GB Crucial RealSSD C300 (for OS and some sample libraries), 2 x 500GB HDDs Audio Interface: Audio Kontrol 1 USB 2.0 What I'm cons...