Buying new Computer for Worship Center for use with Media Shout 4.5

[joshg]

Afternoon all,

I'm the part-time music/tech guy at our small church. Music is more my expertise than tech. We're in the process of upgrading some A/V equipment part of that is a new desktop to run (already purchased) MS 4.5 on. I'm trying to sort through the options and get the best equipment for the best price. We're looking to spend at the most $950-$1,000


I hear people saying Intel i5 or i7 are the best....could we get the job done with an i3 550 processor as well? or possibly an AMD?

It looks like I am going to need to install aftermarket video card(s) in whatever I purchase. We're going to use a VDA to go to 2 front projectors and then a rear projector for stage display. So what is the best video card to buy? I am told I'll need three outputs total from the computer in order to run the stage display as well?

Any suggestions from those of you who have a little more knowledge are appreciated.

[joshg]

Looking at a Dell Desktop:
Product Features

• Intel® Core™ i7-870 processor
  Features an 8MB cache and 2.93GHz processor speed.
• Intel® Core™ i7 processor
  Features 8-way processing for ultimate smart performance. Intel® Turbo Boost Technology automatically speeds up your processor when your PC needs extra performance.
• 8GB DDR3 SDRAM
  For multitasking power, expandable to 16GB.
• Multiformat DVD±RW/CD-RW drive
  Create custom DVDs and CDs.
• 1.5TB Serial ATA hard drive (7200 rpm)
  For fast read/write times.
• ATI Radeon HD 5770 graphics
  Feature 1GB GDDR5 dedicated video memory for lush images with stunning detail.
• 19-in-1 media card reader
  Supports Secure Digital, miniSD, microSD, Secure Digital High Capacity, MultiMediaCard, Reduced-Size MultiMediaCard, MultiMediaCard Plus, Reduced-Size MultiMediaCard Plus and MultiMediaCard micro formats.
• Also supports Memory Stick, Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick PRO, Memory Stick PRO Duo, Memory Stick micro, CompactFlash I/II, SmartMedia, Microdrive and xD-Picture Card formats.
• IEEE 1394 (FireWire) interface and 8 high-speed USB 2.0 ports
  For fast digital data transfer and easy peripheral connectivity.
• Built-in Dell 1525N wireless networking mini card
  Connect to the Internet without wires.
• Built-in Ethernet LAN
  For flexible wired Web connectivity options.
• Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64-bit operating system preinstalled
  Provides a stable computing platform.

I was wondering if this graphics card would work without additional cards for all three outputs: controller display, congregation view and stage display. The specs state that it can handle three independent displays. ATI HD Radeon 5770.

Any input would be helpful

[bggowing]

Specs look pretty good. If the graphics card can handle 3 outputs then you should be good to go. Unfortunately sometimes with MediaShout the only way to ensure that it works with the video card is to test it on it. Especially on videos.

[bcastle]

I have been burned by dell computers, so i stay away from them, they are generally underpowered with the power supply unit. I'm looking at replacing our aging computers, but I can build a computer cheaper and better than I can buy one. There should be at least one person that could build you a computer.

My set up that I'm looking at is the following:

intel i5 2500
lga 1155 P67 motherboard (i have a graphics card already)
1tb seagate hard drive
500w psu
cd/dvd burner
8 gb 1600 mhz ram
new case

i've spec'd this out and it is right around 550-600 before i add win 7 and office 2010, but i'm doing another build and so im splitting the cost of that with the family license versions of win 7 and office

i would look at the new second generation i series chipsets. the new sandy bridge mother boards are pretty awesome the lga 1155 H67 board has 1080 dual graphics on it, the P67 version does not have a graphics card.

your dell computer shows the max ram is 16 gb, where as if you built one, you could max out at 32gb. I know its over kill and you couldnt even put 32 gb in there if you wanted too. im looking to future proof my system so i only need to swap out components. i need this to last a min 5 yrs.

remember if you buy a computer to have them uninstall all the crapware.

[[Admin] osborn4]

Originally Posted by bcastle

...im splitting the cost of that with the family license versions of win 7 and office

Be careful with that. The family licenses for Office are very specifically for non-commercial use only. Non-profit licenses are available and are very cheap.

The main differences between i5 and i7 are enterprise level control and configuration that you need a third party tool to use. So I'd stick with an i5 for a power machine or i3 for basic office machines.

Oh, and I've only had trouble with two of the 2 dells we've had as projection machines.

[northerntech]

I'll echo the reservations about Dell; although my personal computer (which I use with MS 4.5 at home) is a Dell I would look elsewhere next time. Our church projection computer is an HP with Windows 7, Intel Quad processor, 8 GB of RAM and an nVidia card with 1 GB dedicated memory - about $800 CAD ($820 USD - sorry) on-sale at Best Buy. It has never let us down. The important differences over its predecessor is the quad processor (the ability to do multiple functions simultaneously vs. speed) and the nVidia card (better with MS than the Radeon we had). Your mileage may vary...

You'll need one output from the video card for your control room monitor, then a decent distribution amp to split the other one for the projectors. Two-output video cards are pretty standard in off-the-shelf computers in that price range, but you may have to dig for the data since some stores don't consider it an important enough feature to list. Stage display requires a separate adapter such as the USB one MediaComplete recommends (which can be acquired from several manufacturers) or another video card or a virtual adapter such as this one http://www.maxivista.com/.

[blonborg]

Since most of the comments are bullish on Dell - count me as a satisfied customer. At home, I've been building my own pc's for 25+ years. But, businesses, including my church, want a minimum on a next business day on site warranty, even if they never have to place the call.

Given my satisfaction I bought a $5k Dell server for the church at the end of the year. It's running VMware's ESX4i with several virtual servers.

Given that you mention Windows 7 Home Premium, I presume you're looking at their consumer desktops. Rather than that, look at the Optiplex line (or their Precision Workstations) and put Windows 7 Pro on it. It'll give you a few additional features like the ability to make RDP (remote desktop connections) to it and add it to a Windows domain.

Bill

[jameshorsley197]

Might want to check with the folks at Media Shout. i think they also sell computers compatible with MS

[[Director] Joseph B]

I'm not happy with Dell myself (due to the last machine I got from them) seems as if there service has gone downhill.
I'm very happy with my MAC now and will be switching over to MACS on all future purchases.

[Mustangnaz]

I also have not been happy with Dell computers, or their business practices. For basic office machines I go with HP, but for presentation computers I always custom build.
That video card should work, that's pretty sweet it supports three independent displays, most are only two.

[northerntech]

Be cautious of video cards that support three types of displays. For example mine has DVI, VGA and HDMI connections - but just any two can be used at the same time. Other than the Matrox Triple-header (which is discussed frequently in these forums) I don't think there are a lot of cards that support three distinct displays simultaneously.

[bcastle]

I haven't used matrox triple header before and I'm kinda new to multiple monitors, but it seems that the triple header uses your existing GPU to work. If thats the case you better have an awesome stock graphics card. wouldnt it just be easier to run 2 separate graphics cards so you could effectively run 4 monitors (not including adding splitters/amp)

again i this is just from a quick read through from the matrox site.