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I'm mostly a mobile workstation kind of guy, but the opportunity to play with the latest and greatest in consumer CPUs was too tempting, so I agreed to receive a dual-dual core workstation into my home studio for the holidays. The 50+ pound rackmount unit that I found on my doorstep did not put my mind at ease, however. As soon as I picked it up I knew this thing was serious. When I pulled it out of the box, I had a minor breakdown. It seems the bulk of the weight is due to the ridiculously overbuilt pcAudioLabs case this thing is housed in.
I'm not sure who decided that audio computers have to have gigantic steel cases with locked gates, but it's not high on my list of priorities for a workstation. Regardless, the first challenge was finding a place to put this behemoth. At this weight, it would crush my SKB racks, even if they were deep enough to contain this beast, which they're not. A weekend woodshop session resulted in a piece of furniture suitable for the dual-dual and I was off to the races.
Powering up is a mystical experience, similar to that scene in Frankenstein when Herr Doctor throws the giant switch to bring the creature to life. My hair was raised in anticipation as the machine's many fans kicked in. Given that I have a one-room studio, the sound proved to be...