I’ll add in another approach, and it’s one that will give you everything you want with fewer or, no compromises, and a maximum level of ‘upgradability’ (to use a slightly loaded term).
Consider building your own computer, to your own configuration preferences.
If you really want upgrade options in the future I think this is the best way to go. You’ll be working with industry standards, and not the ‘Proprietary’ Standards which are set and so common with the name brand manufacturers.
But don’t go into this thinking you’ll be saving a lot of money, that wouldn’t be the case!!
What you’ll be getting is exactly what you want - without having to compromise your component’s to the set of Dell’s Limited Options.
You’ll also be able to offset some of the cost involved to a ‘small extent’ (and that will be clear later if it’s not already now).
Your biggest benefit from a computer upgrade (as A Sibelius User) will come from having a good… CPU, Sufficient Memory, and a Soundcard installed on a Quality Motherboard.
These are the Key Components of almost any Computer System, and collectively they make up The major part of an upgrade - The better they are, the better your computer will be. And I’d also consider a High Quality Power Supply to be among these items (Clean, Regulated, and Consistent Power is very important in electronics. It shouldn’t be overlooked (but it almost always is). And it doesn’t come preinstalled on any of the big name manufactured computer systems for sale today.
My idea or methodology is basically this. . . The more money you can ‘Focus’ upon the ‘Quality’ of the Key Components-- the better the System you’ll actually be buying, owning, and using.
An upgrade in your optical (CD, DVD) drives will not be noticed in the day to day operation of Sibelius, as such it’s an upgrade you can postpone for a later date (you can use your old drives in your new set-up for now – and upgrade later).
Likewise, depending upon your needs the video card is also something you could upgrade later on. So you could start off by getting a modest version of that, or. . . it’s very likely that you won’t even need to buy one. Because the motherboard you choose might already have one on it. You can just use that, until your needs require a better solution.
As far as the Hard Drive goes you could use the one(s) from your old computer again. But be forewarned here. Installing Software takes a little time, and swapping out Hard Drives is a little different from the quick change around of optical drives, or adding in more memory. So if you postpone this for a later date then you might be spending a little time in making this change, so keep that in mind.
Speakers are easily added, and you always get what you pay for. In and of themselves they really stand apart from a computer upgrade, and should be treated that way.
If you need to free up a little money to focus on a better CPU for example, you can always work your way up concerning memory. You don’t have to start off with 8GB. Follow Daniels recommendation of 4GB and then go up from there. You might not need 8GB for another year or so. It’s very easy to add this in at a later date.
Well, as is typical with me I’ve written another long reply, and I was even trying to give a quick outline of the ‘Build your own Computer Option’. I’ve left out a few VERY Important issues above, but I’ll mention them by name, because if you do go this route you’ll need to know what they are if you want things to turn out right. They are. . . ‘Device Drivers’, ‘Form Factors’, and ‘Quality Components’.
‘Device Drivers’ – are sets of software that basically allow a piece of hardware to communicate with the OS. And in the examples I gave above, the following applies. . . If you can’t find a ‘device driver’ for a piece of hardware you have from your old system that will work with your new OS (i.e. Windows 7), then you won’t be able to use that item in the new system. This isn’t too likely to happen with the examples I used but it could. Microsoft has always been good about backward compatibility, But it’s best to check first.
** When you see things like a Soundcard that will have a ‘Windows 7 Ready’ sticker on the box. What they’re really saying is we have written ‘drivers’ for this device that work with Windows 7.
Another thing to look out for would be an incompatible ‘Form Factor’ between a hardware device and the motherboard sockets it connects to. . .
‘Form Factors’ - Control the standard by which the various components connect together (on the motherboard), it’s not complicated really. You just have to be aware that these things exist before you start buying your parts. Do a little research on the topic. It will have some affect upon what your choices are once you start to decide upon options.
** Most Sockets have keyed connections so it’s actually pretty difficult to mess things up here because when you have a memory module that’s not designed for a particular motherboard, it just won’t fit. And that’s the likely scenario using a very ‘reckless approach of buying memory’ without first checking to see what works with your motherboard in the first place.
‘Quality Components’ - these are basically the right parts for your computer; it’s hard to go wrong when you buy quality products. Don’t skimp on the important stuff.
Building your own System is not hard, and it shouldn’t be something that you shy away from because you're not familiar with the process. It’s an easy process to learn now actually.
In the past things were a little harder, but the same can’t be said for today. Unless you try to go really cheap where poor quality hardware, and badly written device drivers can cause a few problems.
Rob's comments on 'future proofing' are very good. The future is a shooting target, and nobody knows what path hardware development is going to take us along. That's true. Also remember, the software you're using now is not designed to take advantage of the great innovations of the future hardware. It only designed to work with today's current technology. And It's unlikely you'll even want to run 'Sibelius 6' on a computer design based 6-10 years into our future.
One Big benefit from building your own system, is that you can offset some of the costs over incremental upgrades, as you come to need them. You are also going to learn some very worthwhile information in the process. Information that in the long run can and likely will save you money, because You'll be able to troubleshot your own problems.
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I'll stop here, oh yes I can keep going, but it's best to know that your writing to someone who's interested in the idea. I hope you consider this approach as something very possible because it is. But that doesn't mean that it's right for you.
Take Care, Jim
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Sib. 5.x: upgrade - infoseeker, 07 Jan 02:48PM