Hi Guys. I’m sure there used to be a section on the website that said the minimum specs required for mAirList to function correctly, has it been removed?
Reason for asking, I’m in the process of replacing the box that runs mAirList for us and wondered what is better, a i7 processor or a Xeon processor (or 2 if the motherboard has the potential). I’m looking at around 8GB minimum of RAM and then adding more if required at a later date. I think the box it is running on currently is from 2002 so it’s about time we upgrade!
This will be a 24/7 running instance which will be playing for that duration also if that helps!
Any input is much appreciated! ;D
The requirements for mAirList are not very high, so I think if you focus on good Quality 24/7 Hardware, any quite recent Intel based platform should be OK. The choice of Xeon or i7 does not make any difference for mAirList. When I chose my platform I even went one genration back because that was available with PCI Slots and I was sure all drivers work smooth.
Such things are much more important than fastest and latest CPU.
Especially for SSDs and powersupply don’t cut the budget too short on a 24/7 machine. I saw cheap chinese 24/7 parts dieng a lot in my IT life.
Might stick with my original idea of Xeon then, it is better for 24/7 use anyway!
Yeah we’ve got a SSD on it now! Which was a recent addition because It’s getting to that stage where tbe software is locking up or songs start stuttering when searching databases for example. The SSD hardly helped so have decided it’s time to upgrade the lot now!
I’ve built a lot of 24/7 radio station systems in my time, and echo what Shorty said.
My personal preference is workstation grade hardware, or server grade if the budget stretches.
Failing that, SSD primary, Western Digital RED for storage if you’re using a single system setup.
I mostly build and manage complete network setups for radio, in which the playout system is really just a terminal. Storage is handled at server level using multi disk arrays, and a 1-2Gbps network backbone over CAT6 or better cable, and business grade network switches. But that’s over kill for most small end setups…well unless you’re like me, and have that setup in the house lol.
But yeah, can’t go wrong with Xeon and a good SSD. I would consider looking at a HP Workstation for a per-built ready to go setup, or if you self-build consider using ECC memory if your motherboard supports it, and look at a reliable Gold rated PSU.
In 24/7 situations I’ve found that PSU’s can last up to about a year, sometimes longer, so it is worth looking at putting in a fail over system to take over if the worst happens.
I was planning on using a HP workstation to be honest so at least I’m not alone with that thought! Everything else is HP so I’d like to keep it the same.
At the moment we have a thin client in the studio which loads a RemoteApp which is running on this old server box (the aim to keep the computer fans out of the studio and to give mAirList more power), although I’m tempted to upgrade that as well as it’s only WES2009 and is a bit sluggish. I like to make things like this over kill, like a project/challenge!
I wouldn’t remote control it myself personally, as it adds latency and additional network traffic.
Most of the new workstations, and even some of the B stock HP ones, like the powerful Z800 you can pick up on eBay for cheap, come with incredibly quiet, yet efficient cooling.
It’s is well worth looking into that.
I must admit, I self built for my own one, but that was only because I had the spare parts left over from a previous studio installation job, and a sound proof gaming case. Matter of fact, if it wasn’t for the Hard Drive light, you wouldn’t know it was switch on 
But if I had to upgrade, I would use HP too, and have done in the past for client jobs.
I did have those concerns myself but didn’t think too much of it. The rack room is literally nextdoor to the studio so I might just run a long VGA or use a KVM… Not sure on that one yet though.