Building a music production PC

[svenh]

Dear fellow producers with PC knowledge, I am getting signs that my computer (7 years old) is about to give in, so I will have to replace it in the near future. I want to plan my new build in time before the old one breaks and now I am seeking your input:

I don't want to spend more money than needed, but I also don't want to be forced to buy another computer in a year or two because of upgrading to more cpu hungry REs and DAW versions. I want to reach some kind of sweetspot of value for money - I hope to be able to use my next computer for at least five years.

* Maybe an Intel Core i7 4790K processor - good value for money? Maybe even i7 6700K, or is it worth the extra cost (with accompanying requirements on motherboard and RAM)?

* 16 Gb of RAM

* Since this computer will be mainly for music production (i.e. not gaming), I guess that I don't need an additional graphics card, but can rather use the GC built in to the processor - this will lead to lower cost, lower power consumption and less noise of cooling fans?

* Speaking of noise, I have read that there are less noisy coolers than the stock intels, like cooler master. Is this true? Does it make a difference?

* I will need a case and a power supply too, but I don't need to buy HDDs (I have a few new SSDs). Do my rough thoughs make sense? Have I forgotten anything? (I already have a good keyboard, mouse, and monitor.)

Grateful for input, Sven

[Loque]

A good mainboard and soundcard. Check the bundeling of RAM for burst modes. If you want SSD in RAID, check the controller is fast enough.

You need a good and quiet CPU cooler and also for the case/tower.

If you want to use 2 monitors in full HD or more you need good gfx card.

Enough USB ports.

[orthodox]

Even an office-type card like GF 710/720 can handle 3 displays nowadays. I have one myself. Silent, no fan, just a radiator.

[Carly(Poohbear)]

Work out your budget first...

Then work out what you can afford, with regards to CPU, have a good read (yes it's several pages long) of this, the CPU stress test, http://www.reasontalk.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=7263897

With regards to memory, just make sure you match it to your mother board..

Yes, Onboard graphics can lead to lower cost, lower power and less noise but less outputs, a cheap graphics card may meet your needs..

There are many different ways to cool the computer, a lot of new fans are very quiet, they just get noisy over time with the bearings wearing, very cheap to replace them if needed. I do use cooler master fans, they are not bad fans, I also have a variable speed one on the CPU with manual override, but I also use my system for gaming so I only have to turn it up when gaming..

With regards to power supply, just think about if in the future if you will add a graphics card or overclock the system etc...

[Olivier]

Did you take a look in http://reasontalk.com/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=7494636 ?
Did you consider going for a socket 2011-3 motherboard ? They will support cpu's with 6 and 8 core i7 or even Xeon's. Even an older i7 5820 might be a very good choice, and the motherboard will even support the new Broadwell 4+ cores.

Very decent coolers are available from for example Noctua. Recently build a new PC with one of those and its pretty silent.

Case-wise there are good resources and lists available for example here: http://www.silentpcreview.com/article75-page1.html

i like my corsair RM650i PSU. It has a fan, but its seldom on.

[Dante]

* Maybe an Intel Core i7 4790K processor - good value for money?
* 16 Gb of RAM

I can vouch for these - I'm running i74790 and 16GB RAM - and SSD (don't forget this). Awesome system even though almost 2 years old, it runs 80 tracks in Reason @96Khz. Details here :

http://www.hitfoundry.com/issue_25/daw_mast.htm

[svenh]

Thanks for a lot of good advice (and links)! I am currently leaning towards the i7 6700K processor. It does not cost a lot more than the 4790K, but is more modern so it may last me a few more years.

[boobytrap]

I suggest AMD. AMD is way too faster than intel all the time. all overclocking world records own by AMD so far
http://hwbot.org/benchmark/cpu_frequency/halloffame

and its very cheap.

intel I7 (4 core)- 331USD

https://www.amazon.com/Intel-BX80646I74 ... e+i7+4790K

AMD FX 8350 (8 core) - 159USD

https://www.amazon.com/AMD-FD8350FRHKBO ... amd+8+core

both 8MB cache

[svenh]

I suggest AMD. AMD is way too faster than intel all the time. all overclocking world records own by AMD so far
http://hwbot.org/benchmark/cpu_frequency/halloffame

and its very cheap.

intel I7 (4 core)- 331USD

https://www.amazon.com/Intel-BX80646I74 ... e+i7+4790K

AMD FX 8350 (8 core) - 159USD

https://www.amazon.com/AMD-FD8350FRHKBO ... amd+8+core

both 8MB cache

According to this page, intel is faster in practice (i.e. not only comparing fq):

http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core-i7-4 ... MD-FX-8350

[boobytrap]

I suggest AMD. AMD is way too faster than intel all the time. all overclocking world records own by AMD so far
http://hwbot.org/benchmark/cpu_frequency/halloffame

and its very cheap.

intel I7 (4 core)- 331USD

https://www.amazon.com/Intel-BX80646I74 ... e+i7+4790K

AMD FX 8350 (8 core) - 159USD

https://www.amazon.com/AMD-FD8350FRHKBO ... amd+8+core

both 8MB cache

According to this page, intel is faster in practice (i.e. not only comparing fq):

http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core-i7-4 ... MD-FX-8350

theoretically ! but practically AMD Is too fast. I know that by my experience. I'm a computer hardware technician. most people use intel thou.
AMD is just fast. I also wish to build a PC for music production. look at my first chart. not any of intel i series hit that clock speed practically.

[svenh]

I suggest AMD. AMD is way too faster than intel all the time. all overclocking world records own by AMD so far
http://hwbot.org/benchmark/cpu_frequency/halloffame

and its very cheap.

intel I7 (4 core)- 331USD

https://www.amazon.com/Intel-BX80646I74 ... e+i7+4790K

AMD FX 8350 (8 core) - 159USD

https://www.amazon.com/AMD-FD8350FRHKBO ... amd+8+core

both 8MB cache

According to this page, intel is faster in practice (i.e. not only comparing fq):

http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core-i7-4 ... MD-FX-8350

theoretically ! but practically AMD Is too fast. I know that by my experience. I'm a computer hardware technician. most people use intel thou.
AMD is just fast. I also wish to build a PC for music production. look at my first chart. not any of intel i series hit that clock speed practically.

I am not sure I understand your chart. Doesn't this show the *fastest* processors you can get? Even if AMD make the fastest processors in the world, that does not necessarily mean that AMD FX 8350 is faster than Intel i7 4790K? Note, I am not saying that you are wrong, I would just like to see proof before I reassess my strategy.

[boobytrap]

theoretically ! but practically AMD Is too fast. I know that by my experience. I'm a computer hardware technician. most people use intel thou.
AMD is just fast. I also wish to build a PC for music production. look at my first chart. not any of intel i series hit that clock speed practically.

I am not sure I understand your chart. Doesn't this show the *fastest* processors you can get? Even if AMD make the fastest processors in the world, that does not necessarily mean that AMD FX 8350 is faster than Intel i7 4790K? Note, I am not saying that you are wrong, I would just like to see proof before I reassess my strategy. [/quote]

what I'm saying is AMD is Fast and Half of the intel price. that's a cheaper way to build a better PC. AMD has 8 cores but that i7 got 4. that's pretty fast. but the importhent part is the price. motherboard and processor of AMD cost only 160 $(6 core and ASUS)

https://www.amazon.com/Asus-Micro-Mothe ... QW84QTCTHJ

mostly this isn't about animation, gaming or graphic designe or Gaming. I think not to spend over 500$ for MB & Proc. I work with thousands of computers. 90% of them are intel but AMD is just fast..

[boobytrap]

I am not sure I understand your chart. Doesn't this show the *fastest* processors you can get? Even if AMD make the fastest processors in the world, that does not necessarily mean that AMD FX 8350 is faster than Intel i7 4790K? Note, I am not saying that you are wrong, I would just like to see proof before I reassess my strategy.

what I'm saying is AMD is Fast and Half of the intel price. that's a cheaper way to build a better PC. AMD has 8 cores but that i7 got 4. that's pretty fast. but the importhent part is the price. motherboard and processor of AMD cost only 160 $(6 core and ASUS)

https://www.amazon.com/Asus-Micro-Mothe ... QW84QTCTHJ

mostly this isn't about animation, gaming or graphic designe or Gaming. I think not to spend over 500$ for MB & Proc. I work with thousands of computers. 90% of them are intel but AMD is just fast..

[svenh]

I see, thanks for your reply! I guess you are running Reason on an AMD and that you are happy with that?

[boobytrap]

I see, thanks for your reply! I guess you are running Reason on an AMD and that you are happy with that?

I'm willing to run reason on AMD. now its Pentium G . Wish you build a better PC.

[pushedbutton]

I've been PC shopping today.
I've attached the best quote I've found so far but I have people on with trying to beat it so I'll come back with more info tomorrow.
Personally I'd put a more powerful PSU in it, a 450 wont last long if I upgrade the graphics card.
You could go with a lower spec but I think this one will last longer before it feels old.

[GRIFTY]

I would suggest a cheap graphics card.

AMD is a great choice but so are your Intel's

Don't shy away from considering 32 GB RAM

[avasopht]

what I'm saying is AMD is Fast and Half of the intel price. that's a cheaper way to build a better PC. AMD has 8 cores but that i7 got 4. that's pretty fast. but the importhent part is the price. motherboard and processor of AMD cost only 160 $(6 core and ASUS)

https://www.amazon.com/Asus-Micro-Mothe ... QW84QTCTHJ

mostly this isn't about animation, gaming or graphic designe or Gaming. I think not to spend over 500$ for MB & Proc. I work with thousands of computers. 90% of them are intel but AMD is just fast..

When I compared AMD to Intel at the same price I found Intel processors outperforming AMD's time and time again. Has this changed? Might be worth checking out the Reason 8.1 CPU Stress Test results to confirm for certain. Always bear in mind that clock speed alone does not determine performance, nor does virtual cores. Virtual core performance differs between CPUs and IIRC Steinberg advised against it as it can sometimes give worse performance for audio DSP.

In short, performance for same priced CPU in a benchmark is the only telling comparison of which CPU is generally faster in practice - unless of course you are buying the absolute top of the range CPU, in which case you will just want a benchmark of the best of the best!

[svenh]

I've been PC shopping today.
I've attached the best quote I've found so far but I have people on with trying to beat it so I'll come back with more info tomorrow.
Personally I'd put a more powerful PSU in it, a 450 wont last long if I upgrade the graphics card.
You could go with a lower spec but I think this one will last longer before it feels old.

Thanks for sharing this, I will study and compare to my own preliminary plan!

[svenh]

I would suggest a cheap graphics card.

Why? Do you think that using the "processor graphics" will impact the performance?

Don't shy away from considering 32 GB RAM

Having given it a second thought, I will probably go for 32 GB initially and get a MoBo that can hold at least 64 GB.

[Last Alternative]

NZXT makes really nice and quiet cases. Mine is silent as a mouse. In fact when I built my computer and first turned it on I thought it wasn't working!

[XysteR]

6 or 8 cores is always better than a quad core i7. I'd choose a 5820k on X99 over a 4790k any day of the week. I just recently posted about my friend having to sell his 4790k, mainboard and memory just to upgrade to a CPU with more cores, because he was tired of it funking out with reasonably complicated tracks. More cores is key here, I can't stress this enough. Yes they are a bit more expensive, but they're so important! If you go with a 4790k you'll be stuck to upgrade to a higher core count CPU, you'd have to sell on your CPU, mainboard and memory (waste of time and money) Save a little more and go with at least a six core 5820k, or if you can stretch to it, an eight core like a 5960X.

Yes the stock intel coolers are not very good, they're actually quite loud when your system is under full load. A good 3rd party cooler that will perform better and be a lot quieter is a wise choice. the Raijintek coolers are cheap, high quality and perform very well.

[GRIFTY]

i would say, of all your components, really spend on your CPU. the rest you can kind of skimp on.

i recommend the cheap gfx card because it takes load off your CPU which can be invaluable when running big projects. It won't impact your performance drastically otherwise though.

[GRIFTY]

on second thought, don't skimp on power supply, and motherboard would probably be another quality area to invest in. but you don't need an expensive GFX card, don't need expensive fast ram chips, don't need fancy water cooler nonsense, don't need a fancy expensive case, you don't even need a disc drive

[svenh]

on second thought, don't skimp on power supply, and motherboard would probably be another quality area to invest in. but you don't need an expensive GFX card, don't need expensive fast ram chips, don't need fancy water cooler nonsense, don't need a fancy expensive case, you don't even need a disc drive

Don't you think that RAM speed has any significant impact?