Thanks for taking the time to write, Mahlon - I appreciate it!
My plan is to have most of my music apps (Cubase 5, VSE (complete), Vienna Ensemble, Notion 3, Sound Forge, Finale) on the new machine, while running GigaStudio on my XP, with some kind of Midi-over-lan and audio cable connecting the two. I'm guessing that having my sequencer on the new machine will make that the Master, and XP the slave. Do you think that will have any negative effect on the setup that you cite?
Beyond that, I guess the main questions remaining for me are:
- Is it likely that we'll be needing more than 24GB to run full libraries, etc, in, say, five years?
- If so, is it less expensive, in the long run, to buy a machine that has the capacity for far more RAM now, rather than have to buy a new machine in five years?
- Is ECC worth the investment, in terms of system stability and - ultimately - a more hassle-free music computer experience?
Thanks again!
That sounds like a setup that would work. Not sure about the MOL as I've never used it. Yes, your machine with the sequencer on it would be your master. I'm guessing you'd probably also have VE Pro set up on your slave running beside Giga?
I wouldn't necessarily think about building a computer for 5 years' insurance. So many things will change between now and then with processors, in/out, busses etc. that you'd be upgrading your motherboard most likely before then. 24 gigs of RAM is certainly plenty to run a large orchestral setup with room to spare. If I were you I'd start there, or maybe even at 12 gigs (3 x 4 gig modules) and add another 12 gigs later if you see that you need it. One point to consider is that when buying your memory, if you do buy it 12 gigs now, 12 gigs, later that the memory you buy later is the same brand and product number as the first 12. It's not absolutely critical, but it just helps cut down on compatibility headaches, perhaps.
I don't know about ECC, but for sample playback and streaming applications, I can't imagine that it would add benefits.
Best,
Mahlon