[MPA] Groove Agent and CPU upgrades

[Scott Jacob Loehr]

>Also, I'm in desperate need of a CPU upgrade.  My box is a single
>550MHz, 1GB, G4 with several SCSI160 drives.  It's essentially a Digital
>Audio with some customizations.  The CPU is killing me though -- it
>often pegs during busy mix downs and I have to bump tracks, which kind
>of defeats the purpose of a DAW, y'know? :)

I know what you mean... I've been running Digital Performer on a 500 
mHz, 1.5 GB G4 with Ultra 160 drives.  The main CPU killer is 
reverb... the two that I use the most are RealVerb and AltiVerb.  I 
can get a couple of RealVerbs going with a bunch of EQs and some 
delay/mod effects, and most of the time, I can get one AltiVerb by 
itself.  There are a couple of Impulse Responses that I can't run. 
On mixes like these, I'm regularly bouncing tracks with lots of 
plug-ins to free up the CPU.  It doesn't bother me too much, 
considering what we're getting today for our $$$.
	However, I did break down and order a Dual 2 gHz G5 the day 
they were announced... should arrive by September 2nd.  Between 
AltiVerb and GigaSampler files, I'll bring it to its knees!!!  :)

>I've been eyeing the price drops on chip upgrades and the price points
>are getting attractive.  But I'm unsure exactly which way to go,
>especially when my main app is Cubase SX.  I've been looking at the
>Powerlogix chips as they seem to have a fairly good rep from what I can
>tell.

I can't remember who it was... might've been either Mackie or TC 
Works (I've got both of their PCI cards) or MOTU... but someone 
advised against getting a processor upgrade card.  Check with all 
your DAW/plug-ins/hardware makers to make sure a CPU card will work.

>Is it better to get a single 1.2GHz chip or shoot for say a dual 867 or
>933?  Can SX take full advantage of the dual processors?  I'm not sure I
>can spend the bucks for a dual 1.2 upgrade.

Everyone I've talked with says to get the dual processor.  I don't 
know about Cubase, but if the software is optimized for it, you'll 
see substantial speed increases/plug-in count with a DP machine.

>I'm also worried about heat output.  Already, my G4 bakes my room pretty
>well after a few hours.  While I suppose the internal fans in the G4
>will keep the box itself cool, I'm worried about my A/C bills :).
>
>Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
>
>-Barry

Are you using a CRT monitor or an LCD?  A CRT will put out tons of 
heat... I've got a 21" Apple CRT display, and it's like having an 
extra space heater after it's been on for a while.  I turn off the 
display all the time when I've got something else to take care of at 
the house, even if it's just for a couple of minutes.  The LCD 
monitors put out a lot less heat and use less A/C.
	The hard drives are the next culprit... makes me wonder if 
there's something behind those TV shows and movies that show the 
Save-The-World-With-My-Computer kids putting their hard drives in a 
cooler with dry ice.  I've just put together an 8-bay external 
tower... right now, it's got four 73 GB Ultra 160 SCSI drives, and it 
gets way warm after a few hours of usage.  The case has two fans in 
it; I'm wondering if it might be a good idea to put more fans inside 
the box and to separate the drives a bit... right now, they're in the 
top four bays.  I've thought about putting them in bays 1, 3, 5, and 
7 to give them a little room in between....

Scott Jacob Loehr