Guys what is the best cpu for reason?

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antic604

17 Oct 2018

Dean wrote:
17 Oct 2018
Hey guys,
I am upgrading my pc and i am wondering what kind of cpu i should get?
I’ve heard mixed opinions about it should have more cores or it should have fast single core speed. Which is best i7 8700k i9 7900x i980 xe or something like 2950x, 2970x ryzen?
Also higher RAM helps alot right?
I read mixed opinions about that too
I'd go for something standard, like the i7 8700k. We've heard here a lot of horror stories about i9 and Ryzen doesn't seem to have a great track record with DAWs in general.

Regarding RAM, obviously more is better but how much depends on what you do - if you use lots of audio or sample-heavy VSTs (like Kontakt, etc.) then 16gigs would be a minimum. I'm fine with just 8, but I barely use any samples.

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syncanonymous
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17 Oct 2018

I went the 8700K route early 2018. It definitely has removed the limitations running Reason that I was experiencing on my previous 2011 era VAIO! I haven't really stressed my system with Reason beyond an initial 30+ track song/sketch. I ponied up for 64GB RAM and an m.2 OS drive.

When you get into this research of which CPU to buy, mobo chipset and capabilities becomes the next consideration. I found PC Partpicker site really helpful in spec-ing my actual final build.
RSN 10.4d4_9878_RME UFX+_Intel Core i7-8700K 3.7 GHz__Corsair Vengeance 64GB DDR4-3000
ASRock Fatal1ty Z370__Palit GeForce GTX 1050 Ti KalmX__Samsung 960 PRO/ M.2-2280 NVME SSD
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Loque
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17 Oct 2018

AS of the actual Reason implementation i would go for a CPU with fast single core performance and multiple cores, the more the better and the faster the better. Actually a new Intel with turbo >=5ghz and +6 cores i would recommend.
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EnochLight
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18 Oct 2018

Dean wrote:
17 Oct 2018
Hey guys,
I am upgrading my pc and i am wondering what kind of cpu i should get?
I’ve heard mixed opinions about it should have more cores or it should have fast single core speed. Which is best i7 8700k i9 7900x i980 xe or something like 2950x, 2970x ryzen?
Also higher RAM helps alot right?
I read mixed opinions about that too
If money is no object, then definitely go with Intel, and definitely go with the fastest single-core performance CPU that has as many cores as possible. You've got quite a few options out there now, but Intel's new Core i9-9900K is benchmarking as a performance king when it comes to gaming (which applies to DAW like Reason as well). Its stock 3.6 Ghz cores are easily hitting 5.0 Ghz in Turbo, and can be overclocked without much difficulty if the early buzz is to be believed. It also runs at only 95 TDW, which isn't terrible when all things are considered.

As for bang-for-buck, the new Ryzen 2's aren't bad, but they're not the fastest. They also still suffer from the quirks that come with owning an AMD system (low latency audio with low sample buffers proved difficult for AMD's first gen Ryzen/Threadrippers; not sure if they sussed that out yet).

As for RAM, I wouldn't go with anything less than 16GB these days, but I tend to work with a lot of samples that need to buffer into RAM (so YMMV). And the faster the RAM, the better your system will perform.

As for storage, SSD is an absolute must in this day and age. Whether you go with an M.2/NVMe interface, SATA, or PCIe, is more a matter of preference, but some M.2/NVMe storage solutions can hit transfer rates of 3,400/2,500MB/s read/write, which is simply magical. Your Reason projects will load (especially those with lots of audio or samples) practically instantaneously.

It's a great time to build a machine, IMHO, especially if you're upgrading from older hardware.

Finally, spend some time on cpubenchmark.net and compare Passmark single thread performance of the CPU's you are considering. It's incredibly eye opening.
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Oquasec
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18 Oct 2018

I noticed if I set any machine cpu to stay at a fixed rate (doesn't matter what rate 25% etc)
Reason does not fluctuate on the dsp meter.
Balanced mode 0-25% will have that all over the place O____O
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EnochLight
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18 Oct 2018

Dean wrote:
18 Oct 2018
Yeah i agree, i just want to know which would be better for reason a cpu like i9 9900k or 8700k with 6-8 cores but fast or smth like i9 7980 xe which is...
..which is not as fast in single thread, which is what you want for a DAW (fastest single thread). Seriously, spend some time at https://www.cpubenchmark.net/ and compare your contenders. You might wait a couple of weeks for Passmark scores to officially show up for the i9 9900k, though. Core count is helpful - the more cores the better - but single thread performance is what Reason (and most other DAW) need:


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Oquasec wrote:
18 Oct 2018
I noticed if I set any machine cpu to stay at a fixed rate (doesn't matter what rate 25% etc)
Reason does not fluctuate on the dsp meter.
Balanced mode 0-25% will have that all over the place O____O
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Jmax
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19 Oct 2018

I went with the Intel Caby Lake i7 7700 and DDR4 4200ghz 32gb RAM .. I believe. Never had a single issue running anything. Running the Presonus 44VSL (not the greatest on latency) but it runs smooth with a buffer rate of 256 which is good enough for me. Of course an SSD is a most.

kitekrazy
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19 Oct 2018

I'd avoid those special edition expensive Intels. Smells like proprietary hardware which will be hard to replace if it goes bad. I tend to look at watts on a CPU since that could mean needing a hefty PSU if you run a lot of peripherals and wanting some headroom.

jlgrimes
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22 Oct 2018

Dean wrote:
17 Oct 2018
Hey guys,
I am upgrading my pc and i am wondering what kind of cpu i should get?
I’ve heard mixed opinions about it should have more cores or it should have fast single core speed. Which is best i7 8700k i9 7900x i980 xe or something like 2950x, 2970x ryzen?
Also higher RAM helps alot right?
I read mixed opinions about that too
I would think any modern quad core would work well (made in the last couple of years. Core i7). The faster the speed generally the better.

Probably good to try the CPU benchmark website to compare single core vs multi core speed.

I would be cautious of a very very high core machine like 8 or 16 like the core i9 series as some people are reporting issues that high.

I doubt much testing is done with those processors but maybe in a year or two who knows.



Chipset, video cards can also play a part as well in performance.

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fotizimo
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22 Oct 2018

Just wondering if anyone has tried the AMD Ryzen 2400 series CPUs yet, and if so, what were their experiences with performance?
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EnochLight
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22 Oct 2018

fotizimo wrote:
22 Oct 2018
Just wondering if anyone has tried the AMD Ryzen 2400 series CPUs yet, and if so, what were their experiences with performance?
Only slightly faster than the first generation, and the low latency audio issues are still present compared to Intel (which doesn't suffer from the memory controller approach AMD uses to join their Ryzen/Threadripper dies). This review is for the newer Threadripper 2's, but the same issues plague the Ryzen 2's:

http://www.scanproaudio.info/2018/08/24 ... repeating/

Whether this is an issue for you depends on whether you prefer to work at low latencies and sample buffers, use a lot of VST, or are just looking for an affordable CPU. Ryzen 2 is still a great chip.

Intel is just better. :D ;)
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fotizimo
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22 Oct 2018

EnochLight wrote:
22 Oct 2018

Only slightly faster than the first generation, and the low latency audio issues are still present compared to Intel (which doesn't suffer from the memory controller approach AMD uses to join their Ryzen/Threadripper dies). This review is for the newer Threadripper 2's, but the same issues plague the Ryzen 2's:

http://www.scanproaudio.info/2018/08/24 ... repeating/
Thanks for sending this along. I might be able to get my hands on one of these for a very good price, and wasn't sure where they fit in the scheme of things. I am currently using a Surface Pro 4 i7, so imagine the 2400 will still be better that what I am currently getting, but not sure how much.
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EnochLight
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22 Oct 2018

fotizimo wrote:
22 Oct 2018
Thanks for sending this along. I might be able to get my hands on one of these for a very good price, and wasn't sure where they fit in the scheme of things. I am currently using a Surface Pro 4 i7, so imagine the 2400 will still be better that what I am currently getting, but not sure how much.
No worries! Have you compared your current CPU to the 2400 at https://www.cpubenchmark.net/ ? Compare their Passmark scores, and most importantly, their single-thread scores...
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EnochLight
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22 Oct 2018

Slightly related... holy cow - I think I'm sold on the new i9-9900K. The improvement over my current CPU (a 6+ year old 3770K) is just staggering - the single core as well as CPU Mark (multithread):


9900k_wow.jpg
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aeox
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22 Oct 2018

EnochLight wrote:
22 Oct 2018
Slightly related... holy cow - I think I'm sold on the new i9-9900K. The improvement over my current CPU (a 6+ year old 3770K) is just staggering - the single core as well as CPU Mark (multithread):



9900k_wow.jpg
:O my single thread score is 1,573

I really need to upgrade soon!

antic604

23 Oct 2018

aeox wrote:
22 Oct 2018
EnochLight wrote:
22 Oct 2018
Slightly related... holy cow - I think I'm sold on the new i9-9900K. The improvement over my current CPU (a 6+ year old 3770K) is just staggering - the single core as well as CPU Mark (multithread):



9900k_wow.jpg
:O my single thread score is 1,573

I really need to upgrade soon!
What are you running Reason on - a potato?! ;) :P My Surface Pro 4 - which for all intents and purposes is a tablet - shows 1807 single core and I was pretty proud.

Then I compared it to the latest mobile i9...
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare/In ... 2654vs3246

:cry:

djadalaide
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23 Oct 2018

I've multiple machines on the x99 platform with a 5960x, and reason runs really well on it - utilizing all the cores (just turn hyperthreading off, its a cheap method of doubling single real cores into virtual cores anyway)

Ryzen 1700 runs just as well if not better, in fact i can push it harder with overclocking.

The cinebench scores confirm what i thought, so if comparing cpus for reason i would go with the cinebench scores.

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EnochLight
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23 Oct 2018

djadalaide wrote:
23 Oct 2018
The cinebench scores confirm what i thought, so if comparing cpus for reason i would go with the cinebench scores.
Passmark scores are just as telling. Ryzen’s a great CPU for sure - especially bang for buck. But as pointed out in the ScanPro Audio reviews, the Ryzen/Threadripper dies suffer from the aforementioned audio latency issues when pushing low sample buffers and high plugin counts. Intel is still faster - though you pay for it.
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aeox
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23 Oct 2018

antic604 wrote:
23 Oct 2018
aeox wrote:
22 Oct 2018


:O my single thread score is 1,573

I really need to upgrade soon!
What are you running Reason on - a potato?! ;) :P My Surface Pro 4 - which for all intents and purposes is a tablet - shows 1807 single core and I was pretty proud.

Then I compared it to the latest mobile i9...
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare/In ... 2654vs3246

:cry:
Well yes, but there is 16c/32t ( I turn HT off in BIOS)

So I can get a lot of tracks but can only use limited amount of effects on a single chain. I'm still happy as ever making music in Reason(even while having to REALLY manage cpu usage) It's kind of fun!

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splangie
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30 Oct 2018

Maybe a w3175x? I'd like to see the single core score but I haven't seen any tests yet. It is way beyond my price range at this time. I am still looking at the 8700k.

Breach The Sky
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30 Oct 2018

Zen 2/Ryzen 3 is coming sometimes in the first half off 2019. Apparently the rumors say that instructions per cycle is improved. Maybe it will be better for low latency audio to, who knows.

The thing is, Ryzen 2700x is almost half the prize off core i9 9900k. I could never justify Intel over Amd with that prize to performance ratio.

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EnochLight
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30 Oct 2018

Breach The Sky wrote:
30 Oct 2018
Zen 2/Ryzen 3 is coming sometimes in the first half off 2019. Apparently the rumors say that instructions per cycle is improved. Maybe it will be better for low latency audio to, who knows.

The thing is, Ryzen 2700x is almost half the prize off core i9 9900k. I could never justify Intel over Amd with that prize to performance ratio.
Unless they completely redesign the way that they connect their dies, the latency issue will likely remain.

But I get what you mean by price. But still, the 2700x is substantially slower in single core than the 9900k - like noticeably. And multi-threaded is slower as well.


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Breach The Sky
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30 Oct 2018

EnochLight wrote:
30 Oct 2018
Breach The Sky wrote:
30 Oct 2018
Zen 2/Ryzen 3 is coming sometimes in the first half off 2019. Apparently the rumors say that instructions per cycle is improved. Maybe it will be better for low latency audio to, who knows.

The thing is, Ryzen 2700x is almost half the prize off core i9 9900k. I could never justify Intel over Amd with that prize to performance ratio.
Unless they completely redesign the way that they connect their dies, the latency issue will likely remain.
Is that their "infinity fabric" thing? Yeah.. I have to think hard about this when I build my new pc next year. :|

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EnochLight
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30 Oct 2018

Breach The Sky wrote:
30 Oct 2018
EnochLight wrote:
30 Oct 2018

Unless they completely redesign the way that they connect their dies, the latency issue will likely remain.
Is that their "infinity fabric" thing? Yeah.. I have to think hard about this when I build my new pc next year. :|
Right, their "infinity fabric" blah blah blah. That said, if you don't work with really tight buffers (64-128 sample buffer), you'll be just fine. At higher buffers (256-512) the Ryzen and Threadripper line starts to get in alignment with their Intel competition (but for a lower price). It's that single-thread performance you need to look out for, though (as far as DAW/plugins are concerned).
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Boombastix
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30 Oct 2018

I don't understand why the performance discussion always focuses on CPU cores and CPU frequency but omits RAM performance. In the CFD world, computer fluid dynamics, it is all about solving mathematical equations, isn't DSP the same, a lot of math? The computer performance gurus in the CFD world really puts an emphasis on RAM performance as the CPU has to shuffle info back and forth to RAM as it is solving the equations, RAM being the bottle neck, not CPU performance. When I built my workstation some years ago I made sure I picked a MB that had four parallel RAM busses and not the typical two, dramatically increasing the math solving performance. I put in 4x 4Gb of RAM with the fastest RAM I could find. Shouldn't this be part of the discussion for how to build a fast music making machine?

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