calling PC building know-it-alls!

[BobTheDog]

Ah, I thought he/she was going for the 1366, might as well just get DDR2 RAM then, wouldn't that be cheaper?

[Ashe37]

1156 uses DDR3.... the memory controller is built onto the processor.

[BobTheDog]

So it needs DDR3 but can only use 2 channels?

[Ashe37]

yep, 2 channels of DDR3-1066, iirc

[jksuperstar]

Also, the 1156 series don't technically *need* perfect pairs anymore. Things are better for sure with dual channels of paired up RAM, but it's not a requirement. The new cache and memory management unit can optimize things on it's own now.

So, you can take that left over DDR3 that you have laying around for 3 years now, and stick together an ad-hoc system to calculate the size of the expanding universe, or decode SETI receptions at blazing speed

It should be noted for the original poster, that whatever you get, choose the chip in the family with the largest size cache. The more data in cache, the less you access RAM anyway. And the new cache in the 1156 has more sharing between the cores, so efficiency of multi-track mixing can require less use of external memory if your tool spreads tracks out across cores.

[Rykhaard]

[jksuperstar]

You can always run a connection to the internet from your upstairs PC, and use something like VNC to remote into that computer from your studio PC inorder to do browsing.

That's to say: you will have wifi enabled in your studio only while web browsing. Otherwise, it's off. However, the studio PC will talk to your "normal" computer, which then talks to the internet. That keeps your studio computer safer. VNC is extremely easy to use, and fast over a local internet.

[Uncle Krunkus]

Rykh,
I can't see anything wrong with AMD, they've served me well for the last 10 years or so.
And definitely get a separate video card. You don't want to be sharing any RAM with the video system. Keep as much as possible freed up for your music.