What are the processors/chipsets of people having problems with ak1?

Hi all
I'm researching regarding getting an ak-1. For what i've read so far it seems that many of the people reporting crackling problems have AMD processors AND some first generation Core Duo.

Maybe we can figure out what's going on. What processors/chipsets do you have? Are you running any resident software (antivirus, etc, etc)? Are you on a laptop or desktop? Mac/win?

Any details may help figuring out what are "good" and what are "bad" configurations for the ak1. That way we can help both current and prospective users and the tech support of ni.

Thanks.

 

Not a bad idea. I'll chime in here with what works here as well and why it probably does.

I've had AK 1 working fine on three desktop systems; all AMD. The first is a 3500+ with a nF4 chipset. The second's another 3500+ with a 6100 GPU/430 southbridge chipset (nF4 based). The third is a 4600+ dual core with a nF570 SLI chipset (it's in a rackmount; I use that instead of a laptop for live stuff).

They're all multi-purpose systems (even my rackmount's online; in fact, I'm using it to type this), so they run antivirus and the like.

One of the big problems with audio apps and the nF4 and up chipsets is the way the PCI-e graphics cards eat up bandwidth. The solution's fairly simple- DON'T use a high-end graphics card in your system. I use a phased out Chaintech in my systems (a 6600LE with 256 MB of RAM); it (when it was in production) was a lower-end card (about $120 in most places) with enough RAM to handle most of the things you'd throw at it. Plus, if you REALLY need to go SLI, they're SLI compatible. Note that I still use a Chaintech in my 6100/430 system; avoid onboard graphics if you can.

Another reason for cheap graphics cards- the high-end ones use LOTS of power; over 100 watts in some cases. See the power section below...

RAM. If your machine can use RAM in a dual channel configuration, do so; there's a very noticeable difference. Remember that when you're using RAM in a dual channel configuration, they MUST be the same vendor, size and model. Using RAM made in the same batch helps, too- ALWAYS buy your RAM in matched pairs. Also, with nF4 boards, having all four RAM slots filled will step the memory clock down to the next lower RAM speed- if you're using DDR400 RAM and have all four slots filled, the RAM clock will step down to 166 MHz (333 MHz actual RAM speed) instead of being at 200 MHz (400 MHz actual RAM speed). Use two larger sticks of RAM instead of four smaller ones. I don't know if this is true for the nF570 or not- with that one I just have twin 1 GB sticks of DDR2 667 RAM in a dual channel config.

Power. The AK 1 needs CONSISTENT power. Use a good quality power supply (Antec gets my vote here) that puts out AT LEAST 350 watts. With a laptop, ALWAYS run your laptop off AC when using AK 1. My 3500+ sysyems use a 350 watt Antec, and my dual core uses a 450 watter.

Turn off power management to the hubs and perform system maintenance (dumping temp files and defragging) on at least a weekly basis; I do it daily.

ew

 

Thanks for sharing. Very detailed info and some interesting "all purpose" tips for tweaking the system.

So, in your opinion most of the AK-1 problems are related to power consumption, right? In fact this reminds me of another poster who said that after changing his desktop to a different electricity socket solved all his problems regarding noises...

Unfortunately it seems really difficult for anyone to predict how the card will work with his/her particular system configuration, specially laptops...So it's mainly a hit-or-miss situation. Some laptops will have enough juice for it to run ok, others won't.

 

The two problems are I/O throughput and power. And yes, they're related to a certain degree. The graphics and RAM advice is all about I/O throughput, as is giving the USB ports enough power to run correctly.

The problem with most pre-configured systems is that the components used are right on the edge of what they can handle. If say a Dell has a 300 watt PS built into it, you can be sure that under normal operating conditions, it's using about 290 watts or so. There just isn't any headroom built in.

ew

 

I had a lot of trouble on my lap with the AK1. Today i bought a PCMCIA USB 2 Card with NEC Chipset AND a own Power Supply. The AK 1 runs smoother now. Its connected to the PCMCIA Card on one Port, an M-Audio Midair Controller is connected to the other Port. Runs smooth on 48khz with 1ms USB buffer and 6-10ms latency. still remaining is the bug, that it crackles using 44,1khz. that should be fixed!!!