system (CPU / RAM) recommendations

Want to talk about music hardware or software that doesn't include Reason?
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talesofjenny
Posts: 4
Joined: 31 Dec 2021

31 Dec 2021

I've been sneakily running Reason off a machine belonging to my employer through lockdowns...and can't get away with that anymore...so I'm looking to build a new PC system.

I'm far from a hardware expert and wondered if folks here might be able to offer some advice?

Ideally I would like it to last for the next 7 or 8 years without the need for any significant upgrade/modification and am trying to figure out how best to futureproof myself, while also considering value for money when it comes to DDR4/5, motherboard and CPU.

I guess my questions are, do you think an i9 12900K is overkill (bearing in mind I want to keep it running for the best part of a decade if possible)?

And if that was the right route, should I be getting DDR5 for futureproofing (understanding that a) it's waaay more expensive and can be hard to get hold of, and b) it might be a couple of years before it's actually markedly 'better' than DDR4) or are returns marginal enough not to warrant the extra cost/hassle and I should just get decent DDR4?

Any help/advice gratefully received!

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littlejam
Posts: 787
Joined: 15 Jan 2015

31 Dec 2021

hello,

to help you out, you should state how much money you want to spend
how many monitors you want to run
how many ssd you want to use
etc
and what type of audio interface do you have / need

interested to see what you put together

1st post: welcome to the forum

cheers and eat well,

j
littlejamaicastudios
i7 2.8ghz / 24GB ddr3 / Quadro 4000 x 2 / ProFire 610
reason 10 / reaper / acidpro /akai mpk mini / korg padkontrol / axiom 25 / radium 49
'i get by with a lot of help from my friends'

Goriila Texas
Posts: 983
Joined: 31 Aug 2015
Location: Houston TX
Contact:

31 Dec 2021

Tbh computer benchmarks and links to builders should be a sticky or sub-forum because the question seems to get asked the most.

talesofjenny
Posts: 4
Joined: 31 Dec 2021

01 Jan 2022

littlejam wrote:
31 Dec 2021
hello,

to help you out, you should state how much money you want to spend
how many monitors you want to run
how many ssd you want to use
etc
and what type of audio interface do you have / need

interested to see what you put together

1st post: welcome to the forum

cheers and eat well,

j
I'm in the UK and am budgeting around £1,500 for the base unit (although if someone convinced me that paying £1,700 now would save me £600 5 years down the line, I'd go with that...and equally happy to spend less is £1,500 is overkill).

I plan to run three monitors (had been looking at the PNY Nvidia T400 as a cheap solution for that)
A single 1TB SSD - all other storage via external hard drives
At the moment I just have a Scarlett 2i2 (2nd gen) - may upgrade in future, although no immediate plans to

Thank you for your help!

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littlejam
Posts: 787
Joined: 15 Jan 2015

01 Jan 2022

hello,

good info

hopefully, EnochLight will see this thread and comment
he is very smart and objective on cpu stats and stuff

my guess is the first thing he'll say is 'get the cpu with the fastest single core ghz' to future proof yourself

also, if you do a deepdive into this 'hardware and other software' topic (like 20 pages deep)
you'll find other people asking on how to build a goodgood reason computer
which will be a good thing to do while waiting for other people reply

also, if you plan to overclock the cpu you need a goodgood fan (noctua)

also, if you want to build it yourself (or have someone else do it), or have the computer pre built like a dell or hp something

cheers,

j
littlejamaicastudios
i7 2.8ghz / 24GB ddr3 / Quadro 4000 x 2 / ProFire 610
reason 10 / reaper / acidpro /akai mpk mini / korg padkontrol / axiom 25 / radium 49
'i get by with a lot of help from my friends'

talesofjenny
Posts: 4
Joined: 31 Dec 2021

02 Jan 2022

littlejam wrote:
01 Jan 2022
hello,

good info

hopefully, EnochLight will see this thread and comment
he is very smart and objective on cpu stats and stuff

my guess is the first thing he'll say is 'get the cpu with the fastest single core ghz' to future proof yourself

also, if you do a deepdive into this 'hardware and other software' topic (like 20 pages deep)
you'll find other people asking on how to build a goodgood reason computer
which will be a good thing to do while waiting for other people reply

also, if you plan to overclock the cpu you need a goodgood fan (noctua)

also, if you want to build it yourself (or have someone else do it), or have the computer pre built like a dell or hp something

cheers,

j
Thank you - that's all really helpful advice.
I will do some digging on this forum.

I also spent some time in a thread on Gearspace that was very informative - in particular some comments on the importance of real time performance for DAWs - why this is particularly important for audio production and why you can often have a slow running system, pops and crackles while the DAW is only using 50% of the CPU power.
This video was excellent -


I'll let you know how I get on...and what I end up with!

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mjxl
Posts: 600
Joined: 23 Nov 2018

03 Jan 2022

talesofjenny wrote:
31 Dec 2021
Any help/advice gratefully received!
Reason can run on a lot less than what you have posted. A decent i5, 16gb ram and perhaps a sound card.
I've got a 2nd gen i5 and 8gb ram, and i've not had a hickup since i have reason.

User avatar
moofi
Posts: 1024
Joined: 19 Jan 2015
Location: hear

23 Jan 2022

Well, got an i7 3770k here along 32GB RAM. A little outdated so to speak. And while I can definitely work with reason, having arrived at using many CPU intensive RE for an advanced quality sound the system reaches it´s maximum quite easily, basically preventing me from being able to complete a full song on that level. Like e.g. I just recently created a song I had to put on hold until a new CPU arrives because its so far 4 tracks already max out the computer.

When funds are raised I´m opting for an Intel i7-12700 delivering the best price/performance from what I can tell. Aswell compared to AMD if you are talking about running applications.
Going for a 12700, not 12700F because while the ladder being even more affordable it doesn´t come with a GPU, something I find handy to have in case the videocard goes down. Looks like I could stay with that CPU for a while.

Btw here is the CPU-/Videocard- Benchmark comparison site I usually go to:

https://cpubenchmark.net/high_end_cpus.html
https://videocardbenchmark.net/high_end_gpus.html




mjxl wrote:
03 Jan 2022
talesofjenny wrote:
31 Dec 2021
Any help/advice gratefully received!
Reason can run on a lot less than what you have posted. A decent i5, 16gb ram and perhaps a sound card.
I've got a 2nd gen i5 and 8gb ram, and i've not had a hickup since i have reason.

talesofjenny
Posts: 4
Joined: 31 Dec 2021

26 Jan 2022

That's really helpful info, thank you so much...and you've arrived at the exact same conclusion as me too.
I'm gunning for the i7-12700 (and not F) for the same reason
moofi wrote:
23 Jan 2022
Well, got an i7 3770k here along 32GB RAM. A little outdated so to speak. And while I can definitely work with reason, having arrived at using many CPU intensive RE for an advanced quality sound the system reaches it´s maximum quite easily, basically preventing me from being able to complete a full song on that level. Like e.g. I just recently created a song I had to put on hold until a new CPU arrives because its so far 4 tracks already max out the computer.

When funds are raised I´m opting for an Intel i7-12700 delivering the best price/performance from what I can tell. Aswell compared to AMD if you are talking about running applications.
Going for a 12700, not 12700F because while the ladder being even more affordable it doesn´t come with a GPU, something I find handy to have in case the videocard goes down. Looks like I could stay with that CPU for a while.

Btw here is the CPU-/Videocard- Benchmark comparison site I usually go to:

https://cpubenchmark.net/high_end_cpus.html
https://videocardbenchmark.net/high_end_gpus.html




mjxl wrote:
03 Jan 2022


Reason can run on a lot less than what you have posted. A decent i5, 16gb ram and perhaps a sound card.
I've got a 2nd gen i5 and 8gb ram, and i've not had a hickup since i have reason.

User avatar
orthodox
RE Developer
Posts: 2286
Joined: 22 Jan 2015
Location: 55°09'24.5"N 37°27'41.4"E

26 Jan 2022

talesofjenny wrote:
26 Jan 2022
That's really helpful info, thank you so much...and you've arrived at the exact same conclusion as me too.
I'm gunning for the i7-12700 (and not F) for the same reason
Reason runs perfectly on the integrated GPU on three displays.

User avatar
moofi
Posts: 1024
Joined: 19 Jan 2015
Location: hear

26 Jan 2022

pleasure :-)
talesofjenny wrote:
26 Jan 2022
That's really helpful info, thank you so much...and you've arrived at the exact same conclusion as me too.
I'm gunning for the i7-12700 (and not F) for the same reason
moofi wrote:
23 Jan 2022
Well, got an i7 3770k here along 32GB RAM. A little outdated so to speak. And while I can definitely work with reason, having arrived at using many CPU intensive RE for an advanced quality sound the system reaches it´s maximum quite easily, basically preventing me from being able to complete a full song on that level. Like e.g. I just recently created a song I had to put on hold until a new CPU arrives because its so far 4 tracks already max out the computer.

When funds are raised I´m opting for an Intel i7-12700 delivering the best price/performance from what I can tell. Aswell compared to AMD if you are talking about running applications.
Going for a 12700, not 12700F because while the ladder being even more affordable it doesn´t come with a GPU, something I find handy to have in case the videocard goes down. Looks like I could stay with that CPU for a while.

Btw here is the CPU-/Videocard- Benchmark comparison site I usually go to:

https://cpubenchmark.net/high_end_cpus.html
https://videocardbenchmark.net/high_end_gpus.html






Goriila Texas
Posts: 983
Joined: 31 Aug 2015
Location: Houston TX
Contact:

26 Jan 2022

I wouldn't get nothing but a Dell Alienware as far as PC is concern, they are the Apple of the PC world imo. I own a Alienware computer and the experience has been nothing but headache free operation, good support, solid components built on speed and performance, user friendly control panel for customization for things like overclocking your ram or controlling your fan and cooling system. Connection specs like USB are always maxed out in abundance on their computers. My system is a 6 core running at 4.3 ghz with 64gb overclocked to 3200mhz, let me tell you all sample libraries load fast asf. I've seen all the M1 producers load Kontakt and think to myself like damn they shyt slow lol. If you get a computer built you're paying upfront a lot money if you got good credit you can get what you want on payments with Dell. The only thing I dislike is my motherboard doesn't have the new Windows required TPM 2.0 software and that has nothing to do with Dell.
https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/scc/sr/ ... e-desktops
talesofjenny wrote:
31 Dec 2021
I've been sneakily running Reason off a machine belonging to my employer through lockdowns...and can't get away with that anymore...so I'm looking to build a new PC system.

I'm far from a hardware expert and wondered if folks here might be able to offer some advice?

Ideally I would like it to last for the next 7 or 8 years without the need for any significant upgrade/modification and am trying to figure out how best to futureproof myself, while also considering value for money when it comes to DDR4/5, motherboard and CPU.

I guess my questions are, do you think an i9 12900K is overkill (bearing in mind I want to keep it running for the best part of a decade if possible)?

And if that was the right route, should I be getting DDR5 for futureproofing (understanding that a) it's waaay more expensive and can be hard to get hold of, and b) it might be a couple of years before it's actually markedly 'better' than DDR4) or are returns marginal enough not to warrant the extra cost/hassle and I should just get decent DDR4?

Any help/advice gratefully received!

gracehawms
Posts: 1
Joined: 16 Mar 2022

16 Mar 2022

Lack of RAM is likely to blame if you're frustrated by unresponsive programs, long load times, and a generally slow computer. RAM, or random access memory, is essential to the proper operation of your computer. This is especially true for memory-intensive applications like office programs, multimedia editing software, and graphics-intensive games.

When you factor in how much multitasking we do these days – listening to music while working, watching a movie while downloading files, editing a spreadsheet with dozens of tabs open in the background – your RAM requirements skyrocket.

So, how much RAM do you require for your computer? Is it possible to work with only 4GB of memory, or do you need to upgrade to 64GB? Let's see what we can find out!

Heater
Posts: 893
Joined: 16 Jan 2015

16 Mar 2022

Have you considered one of the new Macs?

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fullforce
Posts: 849
Joined: 18 Aug 2018

16 Mar 2022

littlejam wrote:
01 Jan 2022
also, if you plan to overclock the cpu you need a goodgood fan (noctua)
Don't overclock.
also, if you want to build it yourself (or have someone else do it), or have the computer pre built like a dell or hp something
Don't get HP or Dell. Have one built. At least a current i7 with 32Gb of RAM, don't cheap out on the motherboard, get a good one (I always go for Asus).

I'm running AMD right now for the first time but I'll be switching back to Intel, because I do notice little bits of lag in handling audio/video that I never noticed using Intel CPU's.

And of course install everything on an M2 SSD "drive", that goes without saying.
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fullforce
Posts: 849
Joined: 18 Aug 2018

16 Mar 2022

gracehawms wrote:
16 Mar 2022
So, how much RAM do you require for your computer? Is it possible to work with only 4GB of memory, or do you need to upgrade to 64GB? Let's see what we can find out!
Have you heard of this thing called task manager? It tells you exactly what you're using.
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fullforce
Posts: 849
Joined: 18 Aug 2018

16 Mar 2022

Goriila Texas wrote:
26 Jan 2022
I wouldn't get nothing but a Dell Alienware as far as PC is concern, they are the Apple of the PC world imo.
Hahaha!
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dakta
Posts: 170
Joined: 30 Aug 2021

21 Mar 2022

I built a reasonable but budget friendly pc for my creative stuff including video editing. In modern terms it's nothing special but it runs reason well:

32gb ram
Ryzen 5 3600
1tb nvme SSD and 1tb mechanical drive for storage
Nvid gtx1650 graphics
Studio24c presonus as cubasecwas iffy with onboard sound

It runs well my projects tend to consume up to about 3gb ram each max when open so r rarely goes over half utilisation in normal use and processor rarely loads up so can multitask quite easily. Just buy what you need

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