Guys what is the best cpu for reason?

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EnochLight
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20 Nov 2018

Ostermilk wrote:
20 Nov 2018
Don't get an i5?
Correct. Don't get an i5.
Ostermilk wrote:
20 Nov 2018
It depends really if you want to impress your friends or you are after value for your money for something that actually does what is required. I don't know maybe it's because I'm used to getting a quart from a pint pot going back to the days before Sandy Bridge came out.
It's not about impressing your friends. It's about buying the best solution for a DAW, and clock for clock - i7 tends to be faster than i5. That's why the i5 line is Intel's "mid-grade" line.

I'm not saying you can't get some i5's that perform good - of course you can! But the numbers don't lie. Spend some time at cpubenchmark.net and compare Passmark scores. Single thread/core is quite telling, usually.
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Ostermilk
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20 Nov 2018

EnochLight wrote:
20 Nov 2018
Spend some time at cpubenchmark.net and compare Passmark scores. Single thread/core is quite telling, usually.
That is the trouble, folk spend too much time looking at figures, clock for clock I don't think you are far off with the 86xx over the 87xxx. Don't forget the numbers you see per core are for stock clocks and I doubt if anyone is running 8th gen i5 or i7 K's at stock speed, otherwise why did they get a K chip? You read pages of this kind of mines bigger than yours, that seems to be inevitible when some poor unsuspecting asks, and you lose persspective on what is going to do the job in the realm of what you need to get done, at a price that is sane.

Sure you can get more powerful processors and sure you can lust over figures on passmark, regardless of the chip you don't actually need the cutting edge just to run Reason well in a practical sense, regardless of what the performance mongers will tell you. A £600 box will work just fine, if money is an object. and sure a £3 grand box will work better if it isn't.

I did the test on the 6th gen, and I actually found the i5 6600 came out at better value and given the choice between the two as I was able to use both side by side I sent the 6700k back and pocketed the extra £100 or so difference in price. The biggest difference is there is no HT on the i5 and for running Reason its debatable in Reason's current state that HT is of much or any value, from my experience of having both in front of me.

So DONT overlook an i5!

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EnochLight
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20 Nov 2018

Ostermilk wrote:
20 Nov 2018
EnochLight wrote:
20 Nov 2018
Spend some time at cpubenchmark.net and compare Passmark scores. Single thread/core is quite telling, usually.
That is the trouble, folk spend too much time looking at figures, clock for clock I don't think you are far off with the 86xx over the 87xxx. Don't forget the numbers you see per core are for stock clocks and I doubt if anyone is running 8th gen i5 or i7 K's at stock speed, otherwise why did they get a K chip? You read pages of this kind of mines bigger than yours, that seems to be inevitible when some poor unsuspecting asks, and you lose persspective on what is going to do the job in the realm of what you need to get done, at a price that is sane.

Sure you can get more powerful processors and sure you can lust over figures on passmark, regardless of the chip you don't actually need the cutting edge just to run Reason well in a practical sense, regardless of what the performance mongers will tell you. A £600 box will work just fine, if money is an object. and sure a £3 grand box will work better if it isn't.

I did the test on the 6th gen, and I actually found the i5 6600 came out at better value and given the choice between the two as I was able to use both side by side I sent the 6700k back and pocketed the extra £100 or so difference in price. The biggest difference is there is no HT on the i5 and for running Reason its debatable in Reason's current state that HT is of much or any value, from my experience of having both in front of me.

So DONT overlook an i5!
Comparing Passmak scores isn't is wasting time at all; it's making an informed decision. But I feel we're talking about two different things here: your approach is value for money; my approach is fastest money will buy. That said, it's great your i5 is working out for you! You didn't do bad, BTW. Your i5 performs better than my (almost 7 year old) i7 3770k, and it costs roughly $100 USD less than what I paid for my 3770k back in mid-2012. So there's that.

But I always recommend buying the absolute fastest your money can buy, but I tend to plan for the worst (like shitty DAW efficiency and hungry plugins) and keep my builds as long as possible.
Win 10 | Ableton Live 11 Suite |  Reason 12 | i7 3770k @ 3.5 Ghz | 16 GB RAM | RME Babyface Pro | Akai MPC Live 2 & Akai Force | Roland System 8, MX1, TB3 | Dreadbox Typhon | Korg Minilogue XD

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splangie
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20 Nov 2018

The new i7-9700k is running like a beast. I cranked it to 5.1 with a Noctua NH-U14S with an addition fan but using the short spacers so the extra fan might not be helping. I'll see if it gets too hot and fiddle around with the fans and spacers. I will take it back down to stock speed after I test it for a while.

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splangie
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21 Nov 2018

Just a tip I fogot to mention and something to take into consideration if you are building your own pc. Make sure you check clearance for everyhing big like CPU cooler fan height. video card length (if you have a big one) etc... I am not using a video card but right before I screwed everything together and after I had mounted the Noctua NH-U14S on the processor and dropped the motherboard into the case I realized the case wasn't wide enough for the Noctua CPU cooler with the big fan. I was able to get another case, Themaltake F31 Suppressor and will return the Corsair Carbide SPEC-02. I have sometimes skimped on the case but won't again and I am glad it didn't fit. I have alway used Coolmaster or Corasir cases, but the Thermaltake F31 is really nice and I have not used anything as well built since a Coolmaster StormTrooper, though the Stormstrooper is a different class. The F31 case is fitted with some really nice sound proofing and with the Noctua fans I can' t hear anything. The temps are running well withing spec on all the tests so if you are having trouble with high temps in these new processors there is problably either an clocking issue or there was a problem with the applicaton of the thermal compound. I have been reading from folks having some issues but it looks like the methods are the problem not the CPU as long as an appropriate cooler is installed correctly.

imjacksmusicalego
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23 Nov 2018

Ostermilk wrote:
20 Nov 2018



Your budget will increase if you take the time to continue to save. So, save and get a higher-end i7. Also, you can always add RAM later.

Don’t get an i5.


I've been looking at the reviews and a lot of people on HackerNews are of the view that the newer Intels aren't really as good as the AMD Ryzens, and that the Ryzen 5 outperforms i7 on a bunch of tests. The AMDs are also cheaper, so I'll have to look into that as well

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EnochLight
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23 Nov 2018

imjacksmusicalego wrote:
23 Nov 2018
Ostermilk wrote:
20 Nov 2018



Your budget will increase if you take the time to continue to save. So, save and get a higher-end i7. Also, you can always add RAM later.

Don’t get an i5.


I've been looking at the reviews and a lot of people on HackerNews are of the view that the newer Intels aren't really as good as the AMD Ryzens, and that the Ryzen 5 outperforms i7 on a bunch of tests. The AMDs are also cheaper, so I'll have to look into that as well
Um... Ostermilk didn’t say that. Might want to fix your quotes. :shock:

Anyway, “HackerNews” is a poor source. Latency issues with AMD’s Ryzen and Threadrippers are well known in the pro-DAW community. Avoid.

Intel i7 (and i9) are the best chips for pro-DAW use.
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imjacksmusicalego
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23 Nov 2018

My bad - messed up the quotes.

I come from a web development background so spend a lot of time on Hackernews. Maybe it's not the ideal place to talk DAW performance after all :D

Thanks for your suggestions. I'll save up for an i7 instead of an i5!

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splangie
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23 Nov 2018

The new i5-9600k has 6 cores with no HT and is going for 240 at Microcenter. They really perform well for the price, will run on the old Z70 or new 390 MBs and has 4k video built in. It isn't an HP video option but it plays nice looking movies if you have the screen.

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EnochLight
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23 Nov 2018

Sure, there’s plenty of affordable options that offer great value for every dollar spent.

But they’re also the slower choices compared to i7/i9. If money is no object, buy the fastest, IMHO.
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S1GNL
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23 Nov 2018

I wonder why nobody's talking about Xeon...
I've got a used one (3 years old) with 16 GB and never had any performance issues since then.

I'm running "late stage" projects with tons of audio tracks, several active Omnisphere and Kontakt instances and RE/VST FX chains, plus group bus and master bus processing.

You might look into that and get a used CPU/MEM/Board combo.

Ostermilk
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23 Nov 2018

S1GNL wrote:
23 Nov 2018
I wonder why nobody's talking about Xeon...
Yes, for a significant jump in budget something x299 based would certainly provide for much more grunt than something Socket 115x based. So basically it's important to choose what platform, you are going to base a build on, be it X299, the more consumer level (Socket 1151 currently) for Intel's, or an AMD build before deciding what CPU to fit on it.

Rather than arguing the toss over whether a current i7 outperforms an i5 on an 1151 socket, more importantly an X299 platform will, at a price, give you scope to go ballistic as far as processing power goes and it is this difference in platforms where the real price/performance threshold lies.

Having said that IMO any of the current top end 8th or 9th generation Socket 1151 chips (i5 and up :D) will run Reason well enough for most right-minded folk and usually at a price most of us can live with.

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EnochLight
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23 Nov 2018

S1GNL wrote:
23 Nov 2018
I wonder why nobody's talking about Xeon...
Because most Xeons - especially the older chips - have notoriously low single-thread performance.
Ostermilk wrote:
23 Nov 2018
Having said that IMO any of the current top end 8th or 9th generation Socket 1151 chips (i5 and up :D) will run Reason well enough for most right-minded folk and usually at a price most of us can live with.
For most "right-minded" folk? I'm not familiar with this term, but it sounds as if you're suggesting those who need faster solutions aren't "right in the head"? :o :shock: :? :lol:
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Ostermilk
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23 Nov 2018

EnochLight wrote:
23 Nov 2018
S1GNL wrote:
23 Nov 2018
I wonder why nobody's talking about Xeon...
Because most Xeons - especially the older chips - have notoriously low single-thread performance.
Ostermilk wrote:
23 Nov 2018
Having said that IMO any of the current top end 8th or 9th generation Socket 1151 chips (i5 and up :D) will run Reason well enough for most right-minded folk and usually at a price most of us can live with.
For most "right-minded" folk? I'm not familiar with this term, but it sounds as if you're suggesting those who need faster solutions aren't "right in the head"? :o :shock: :? :lol:
No that would adding an intent to the text that isn't there, it's a manner of speaking, as to why I m trying to humbly suggest that nobody need to break the bank to run Reason well. Clearly that is true otherwise you would have upgraded your CPU by now... :lol:

There are many reasons to want a more powerful machine, even if it's just for the joy of owning one, but nobody "needs" to spend that amount to get productive with Reason.

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EnochLight
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23 Nov 2018

Ostermilk wrote:
23 Nov 2018
I'm trying to humbly suggest that nobody need to break the bank to run Reason well. Clearly that is true otherwise you would have upgraded your CPU by now... :lol:
Hehehe - naaaa - I just couldn't resist picking up a new 65" 4K tv for the livingroom this month, and the wife wanted a new dining room table and chair set, so my hardware upgrade budget has been spent. :lol: :lol: :lol:

But it's true, I've gotten a lot of mileage out of my almost 7 year old CPU. Because it's a decent i7. :lol:

/ducks
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S1GNL
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24 Nov 2018

EnochLight wrote:
23 Nov 2018
S1GNL wrote:
23 Nov 2018
I wonder why nobody's talking about Xeon...
Because most Xeons - especially the older chips - have notoriously low single-thread performance.
Ostermilk wrote:
23 Nov 2018
Having said that IMO any of the current top end 8th or 9th generation Socket 1151 chips (i5 and up :D) will run Reason well enough for most right-minded folk and usually at a price most of us can live with.
For most "right-minded" folk? I'm not familiar with this term, but it sounds as if you're suggesting those who need faster solutions aren't "right in the head"? :o :shock: :? :lol:
What's the deal with that single thread thing??

Reason's code is not open-source. You don't know how the software works.

I'm just saying that

A. Xeons are the best performing consumer CPUs on the market and

B. Buying a two or three year old one will definitely outrun the most current sold Core i7 CPUs for half the price or even less.

Like I said before: I didn't run into any performance issues so far and believe me that my projects are really heavy on the CPU.

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EnochLight
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25 Nov 2018

S1GNL wrote:
24 Nov 2018
What's the deal with that single thread thing??

Reason's code is not open-source. You don't know how the software works.
Actually, I know “enough”. ;) There is plenty of data out there that demonstrates Reason - like pretty much most other DAW - benefits the most from single thread performance. And while some other DAW utilize Hyperthreading pretty efficiently, Reason is hit or miss. Don’t take my word for it, though - do you’re own testing. Also, let’s not confuse “single thread” for “single core”. Obviously the more cores you have, the better!
S1GNL wrote:
24 Nov 2018
I'm just saying that

A. Xeons are the best performing consumer CPUs on the market and
Xeon are not considered “consumer CPU’s”. They’re meant for server use. Also, they tend to run at lower clock speeds - and have poor single thread performance (see above).
S1GNL wrote:
24 Nov 2018
B. Buying a two or three year old one will definitely outrun the most current sold Core i7 CPUs for half the price or even less.

Like I said before: I didn't run into any performance issues so far and believe me that my projects are really heavy on the CPU.
I’m sure. Out of curiously, what CPU did you buy exactly?
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EnochLight
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25 Nov 2018

S1GNL wrote:
23 Nov 2018
I wonder why nobody's talking about Xeon...
I've got a used one (3 years old) with 16 GB and never had any performance issues since then.
EnochLight wrote:
25 Nov 2018
Out of curiously, what CPU did you buy exactly?
I don't suppose you have the E5-2690?
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djs
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25 Nov 2018

i5 and 8gb works just fine for me.

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QVprod
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25 Nov 2018

EnochLight wrote:
25 Nov 2018
S1GNL wrote:
24 Nov 2018
I'm just saying that

A. Xeons are the best performing consumer CPUs on the market and
Xeon are not considered “consumer CPU’s”. They’re meant for server use. Also, they tend to run at lower clock speeds - and have poor single thread performance (see above).
I seem to be reading different answers regarding this. Xeons are considered a higher tier than the 'i' processors which are "consumer level" from what I've read. The main advantage an i7 has over a Xeon of similar spec is the ability to overclock and onboard graphics, otherwise they function about the same. Xeons though are said to be better at multicore operations which would include DAWs. i7s outclass Xeons for gaming though, but the single core performance of i7s with gaming doesn't transfer over to DAW performance. In a nutshell they're basically equal but the Xeons being server class have longer term benefits such as being able to use multiples of them.

From all that I would assume they're actually a sightly better option for production.

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ejanuska
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26 Nov 2018

I have an older i7 and Reason chokes on it. I don't know how anyone is using any i5, especially with Traktor and a bunch of VSTs.
I have nothing else running and songs with less then 15 tracks, all bounced to audio, minimal effects, no VSTs, and it flukes out frequently.

i9 setups are kind of pricey so I'm looking at mid-range "gaming" laptops with late gen i7, possible SSD, 16-32GB RAM.

Hopefully that will be enough for me to upgrade to Reason.

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EnochLight
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26 Nov 2018

QVprod wrote:
25 Nov 2018
i7s outclass Xeons for gaming though, but the single core performance of i7s with gaming doesn't transfer over to DAW performance.
This is the exact opposite of what I've read, as well as experienced first hand. Single-core (thread) performance in gaming is literally no different that what DAW require. DAW/plugins, like games, can chew through single-threads and benefit a great deal if the CPU has high single-core/thread performance. About the only difference I've read about is that games obviously require a fast GPU as well.
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QVprod
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26 Nov 2018

EnochLight wrote:
26 Nov 2018
QVprod wrote:
25 Nov 2018
i7s outclass Xeons for gaming though, but the single core performance of i7s with gaming doesn't transfer over to DAW performance.
This is the exact opposite of what I've read, as well as experienced first hand. Single-core (thread) performance in gaming is literally no different that what DAW require. DAW/plugins, like games, can chew through single-threads and benefit a great deal if the CPU has high single-core/thread performance. About the only difference I've read about is that games obviously require a fast GPU as well.
From what I understand, games are more reliant on single core performance. DAWs benefit more from multi core abilities. If you consider that Mac Pros have always had Xeon processors while the lesser apple models (laptops, iMacs) have had the i7 option it sort of lines up being that Pro models were aimed at markets such as video editors and pro audio.

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EnochLight
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26 Nov 2018

QVprod wrote:
26 Nov 2018
EnochLight wrote:
26 Nov 2018
This is the exact opposite of what I've read, as well as experienced first hand. Single-core (thread) performance in gaming is literally no different that what DAW require. DAW/plugins, like games, can chew through single-threads and benefit a great deal if the CPU has high single-core/thread performance. About the only difference I've read about is that games obviously require a fast GPU as well.
From what I understand, games are more reliant on single core performance. DAWs benefit more from multi core abilities. If you consider that Mac Pros have always had Xeon processors while the lesser apple models (laptops, iMacs) have had the i7 option it sort of lines up being that Pro models were aimed at markets such as video editors and pro audio.
Sure, but no matter the amount of cores, single thread performance (per core) really has a positive effect on DAW/plugin count. This often translates into game performance as well (though many games aren't optimized to utilize more than 8 cores). The bottom line is, if you look at DAW bench scores, you'll find that CPU's with the fastest single thread performance tend to offer the highest count of plugins in your DAW of choice. I'm sure we can agree on that!

Here's a popular Xeon (due to its affordability on the second hand market right now). While the mutti-threaded performance is still good by today's standards (easily trouncing my old 3770K), its single-thread performance is painfully slower. Now compare it to the latest i9-9900K...

Which one would you rather have? ;)


xeon_vs_9900k.JPG
xeon_vs_9900k.JPG (152.61 KiB) Viewed 4518 times
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QVprod
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26 Nov 2018

EnochLight wrote:
26 Nov 2018
QVprod wrote:
26 Nov 2018


From what I understand, games are more reliant on single core performance. DAWs benefit more from multi core abilities. If you consider that Mac Pros have always had Xeon processors while the lesser apple models (laptops, iMacs) have had the i7 option it sort of lines up being that Pro models were aimed at markets such as video editors and pro audio.
Sure, but no matter the amount of cores, single thread performance (per core) really has a positive effect on DAW/plugin count. This often translates into game performance as well (though many games aren't optimized to utilize more than 8 cores). The bottom line is, if you look at DAW bench scores, you'll find that CPU's with the fastest single thread performance tend to offer the highest count of plugins in your DAW of choice. I'm sure we can agree on that!

Here's a popular Xeon (due to its affordability on the second hand market right now). While the mutti-threaded performance is still good by today's standards (easily trouncing my old 3770K), its single-thread performance is painfully slower. Now compare it to the latest i9-9900K...

Which one would you rather have? ;)



Image
The Xeon in that comparison chart is a slower clock speed than the other 2 though. I would expect it to have slower performance. What would performance comparison look like with a 3.5ghz Xeon?

I'm not well versed in what comparison charts to use but I did find these; https://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/I ... 317vsm7574.

i7 3770K PassMark
Xeon E5 1650 v2 PassMark

According to that the single thread performance of the i7 is only slightly faster than the Xeon of the same generation (I'm assuming) as they're both Ivy Bridge. 2083 vs 1999 yet the xeon has 42% better multicore speed which is also important as DAWs spread the processing of multiple tracks across cores. Yes I'm also aware that the Xeon in this example is a 6 core. The price difference between them seems to be less than $200.

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