Looking for a very cheap computer for recording

[Featherstone]

My friend is looking to buy a computer for recording music. He is basically looking for a good reliable computer that will be reliable and very cheap. It doesn't need to be fast or be able to run games (he will probably play warcraft III, but just about any card will run that game). The main goal is CHEAP. He isn't very computer savvy so a pre-built from dell or something would probably be the best. But I don't really know anything about prebuilts. I have played with some dells and they seem to be extremely bogged down with apps the second you start them up. If you go with dell should you just do a fresh windows install first thing? Anyway, anyone that knows of any deals going on or any specific brands to go with would be great. The price range is sub $400. No monitor needed.

thanks for any help.

Is buying a computer used a terrible idea? Where would I look? ebay?

 

[proof]

Proc: AMD
Mobo: MSI
HDD: Seagate
Optical: Generic DVD-R/RW
Case: Take your pick.

When ever someone asks about a slow branded computer I tell them to disable the many unneccsary services, remove unneeded software, and if they feel like it, re-install a retail version of Window$. I re-install Window$ every three months.

 

[g-paw]

When you say recording music, do you mean he is a musician and wants to record performances? If so, does he plan to edit the music? Will he want multitrack recording? My son is looking at a computer for recording and editing multitracks using wav files and found out to do this right is a fairly expensive proposition, e.g., the computer comes out to around $800 to $900 plus the recording equipment sound cars, etc

 

[Featherstone]

Yes, he will be doing multi tracking recording. He already has an external soundcard that was $200, and a $180 mic. so I guess if you add that to the $400 box then it will end up around 800. I have a system that is priced out at $320, but it is parts that he would have to find someone to help him assemble because I live so far away. Here is the parts list that I have for it.

GIGABYTE GA-M61PM-S2 Socket AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 6100 Micro ATX $70
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128029

Rosewill R604TBLK-N ATX Mid Tower Computer Case+450W Power Supply $55
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16811147030

250GB WD Hard Drive $75
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16822144701

A-DATA 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) $69
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211064

ARCTIC COOLING ALPINE64 92mm CPU Cooler $10
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16835186010

ASUS Black 16X DVD+R $30
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135141

AMD Athlon 64 X2 3600+ Brisbane 1.9GHz $70
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103036

Total: $379

 

[g-paw]

Would suggest 2 hdd, one around 40GB or so for the OS and programs and a second large one, preferably 320GB or at least 250GB for storage. If he is working with multi track wav files, they are large and require a lot of storage. Also, putting them on a 2nd drive will mean that if naything happened to the drive with the OS and programs, he will not have to hassle with backing up data and be less likely to lose it. Also would suggest 2GB of memory, again my understanding is that working with these files is very resource intensive. AMD is supposed to have a price drop in a couple of weeks, the X2 4200 is all ready down to $100 and the X2 4600 down to $126. Also, ASUS and Abit both have 6150 onboard video with passive cooling, i.e., no fan, making them really quiet, I have the ASUS and if he is working with audio, I would imagine he would want the system as quiet as possible. While the above would add a bit to the cost, it would be worth while if he is serious about what he wants to do.