Hi All, first time poster here.
I don't have VEP yet, about to buy one. So I need recommendations on the new slave PC that I will built.
Currently I'm using a single i7 32bit Win7 and can't (and WILL NOT) get 64bit due to legacy hardware that I use in this machine. Therefore, I'm stuck with 32bit limitations that are all memory related. I'm hoping to solve that by getting VEP.
I use tons of guitar emulators (Guitar Rig, Amplitube etc.), Toontrack Superior Drummer and EZ Drummer, and old Gigastudio version of Vienna Symphonic Orchestra. I'm planning to switch to Epic Orchestra and maybe other VEP based orchestra bundles. So all that (guitar VSTs, Toontrack, Vienna orchestra packages) will need to be used on the slave machine, fully or partially.
1. As I understand it, I will need lots of memory on the slave PC (like 32gb?) But what about CPU? Do I need i7 or it can be an i5??? In my current machine CPU usage never rises above 20% but memory maxes out very quickly (which is obvious). So, Do I need a i7 for tasks mentioned above or it can be i5? i3?
2. What about network? Do I really need dedicated network cards? Do switches and routers add latency? Right now I'm using an old Linksys WRT54G router with 4 LAN plugs that are all being used. Can I just plug the new slave PC to that router via a switch?
Thanks!