Old 09-10-2019, 12:14 PM   #1
Hellsing
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Default Hardware for new computer

Hello first post
Im about to build a computer customized for DAW-Reaper work and music making. I will buy the parts (CPU, motherboard e t c) separately as I have not found a good option when it comes to "ready to use" computers and music processing. I have called some computer stores but they have no clue what I should look for.

I have read that its more important to have a high frequency instead of more cores on the CPU e.g. I assume there are more stuff to consider here.

Has anyone a list of things to take into account before I decide or maybe you have just bought a new computer that works like a charm!? Im not a full time profesional when it comes to music making but I want to get a computer that will last some years..Got monitors, headphones, keyboard, microphone, guitars, external soundcard so its piling up

Thanks!
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Old 09-10-2019, 12:48 PM   #2
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Questions you should ask yourself:

How does your soundcard connect? USB2, USB3, firewire, Thunderbolt....?

What are you doing to make music? Recording instruments through microphones like a band? How many at a time? Are you using virtual synths? Both?

How many TV monitors do you plan to use?

Is PC noise an issue?

How many USB ports do you think you'll need in life to do what you do?

Form factor...? How about CDRW drive?

Hard drive space? How much music are you making say, monthly?

Whats the Budget?

For what it's worth, I spec'd out a PC from Cyberpower PC, saved me some money vs other DAW build sites, basically same cost as individual parts plus $50 to build plus $50 to ship, well worth it for me. Had it for over a year now, zero issues at all.
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Old 09-11-2019, 02:16 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by poetnprophet View Post
Questions you should ask yourself:

How does your soundcard connect? USB2, USB3, firewire, Thunderbolt....?

What are you doing to make music? Recording instruments through microphones like a band? How many at a time? Are you using virtual synths? Both?

How many TV monitors do you plan to use?

Is PC noise an issue?

How many USB ports do you think you'll need in life to do what you do?

Form factor...? How about CDRW drive?

Hard drive space? How much music are you making say, monthly?

Whats the Budget?

For what it's worth, I spec'd out a PC from Cyberpower PC, saved me some money vs other DAW build sites, basically same cost as individual parts plus $50 to build plus $50 to ship, well worth it for me. Had it for over a year now, zero issues at all.
Good questions indeed. I got answers to most of the them! But that still does not help me choosing e.g cpu and ram size memory :/ And the tech guys at stores does not know what aspects of the cpu that is important when it comes to audio-daw work.

Is it your latest computers spec that is stated in your signature? Maybe that will work as a starting point...Best of all would be if some nice dude just posted a simple spec of a fairly new customized daw computer.

Thanks!
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Old 09-11-2019, 03:12 PM   #4
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If you plan to be in Audio a long time
get as much RAM as you can I have 32GB
Get a robust Motherboard one to last at least 20 years
Get as many USB type outlet/inlets as possible. The new type is heaps faster than even a USB 3.
Get as many PCIE's in your compute of all types as you can.
If you need Firewire you can get cards that fit to the PCIE's.
Have a robust and strong PSU.
Use a SSD at least for your main drive.

USB is soon to have a faster type I believe, swot up on that
Think ahead a bit.

If you get scared go to a reputable audio computer manufacturer.
I know they have to make a profit but they also have the experience.
Two I have used in the past are
USA https://www.adkproaudio.com/ContactUs
Australia https://www.aavimt.com.au/
Audio Computer firms are pretty decent all round I have not heard a bad thing about any strictly audio computer firms.
Has anyone?

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Old 09-11-2019, 04:14 PM   #5
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I am in the same position (planning to build a new computer). One of the main questions I'm wondering is : to have the best performances, is it better to have a CPU with more cores, or the highest frequency ? Because AMD is currently releasing CPUs which are far better than the intel ones in multi-thread apps, but which remain less efficient in apps mainly based on one core and which are more frequency oriented. And I need the best performances possible in Reaper, mixing and real time FX.
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Old 09-12-2019, 04:41 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Iokanaan View Post
I am in the same position (planning to build a new computer). One of the main questions I'm wondering is : to have the best performances, is it better to have a CPU with more cores, or the highest frequency ? Because AMD is currently releasing CPUs which are far better than the intel ones in multi-thread apps, but which remain less efficient in apps mainly based on one core and which are more frequency oriented. And I need the best performances possible in Reaper, mixing and real time FX.
Here is a clip that might help u out. I saw some clips regarding DAW-computers and realized I need to consider other stuff compared to buying a solid home computer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFL3wOfPx9s&t=195s

And thanks everyone for the input. I'll post my setup in the forum when Im done finding all parts so other people can save some time
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Old 09-12-2019, 11:11 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Iokanaan View Post
I am in the same position (planning to build a new computer). One of the main questions I'm wondering is : to have the best performances, is it better to have a CPU with more cores, or the highest frequency ? Because AMD is currently releasing CPUs which are far better than the intel ones in multi-thread apps, but which remain less efficient in apps mainly based on one core and which are more frequency oriented. And I need the best performances possible in Reaper, mixing and real time FX.
Again, you need to ask yourself those questions and post the answers for the best help. For instance, if you're doing live recording, faster CPU speed is paramount. But, if you're using many VST synths mostly and midi, RAM is more important. if you're mostly mixing/mastering songs and albums, then you would also consider more cores. This is just one area of consideration among all the rest.
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Old 09-12-2019, 11:17 AM   #8
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Originally Posted by Hellsing View Post
Good questions indeed. I got answers to most of the them! But that still does not help me choosing e.g cpu and ram size memory :/ And the tech guys at stores does not know what aspects of the cpu that is important when it comes to audio-daw work.

Is it your latest computers spec that is stated in your signature? Maybe that will work as a starting point...Best of all would be if some nice dude just posted a simple spec of a fairly new customized daw computer.

Thanks!
Yes this is the PC I bought last year. Live recording is my main purpose so I got the fastest cpu I could afford and overclocked it. I mix a lot also so I needed stable but fast performance. I planned on making beats so I got 32gb ram. I got lots of USB ports for all my devices, and hard drives to match my storage/performance needs. Liquid cooling and sound dampening for quiet operation. And a large form factor for planned upgrades, additional hard drives or bay devices. In hindsight I should have gotten a motherboard with native thunderbolt support, but that isn't really necessary at this point in time.
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Old 09-14-2019, 01:12 PM   #9
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Thank you very much for the replies.
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Old 12-25-2019, 08:29 AM   #10
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Default new DAW desktop computer

So, I have now decided what to include in my nwe build (se enclosed as I promised to share this earlier).
I have not decided to when it comes to CPU. Intel Core i7 8700K 3.7 GHz 12MB or Intel Core i7 9700K 3.6 GHz 12MB is the question (Only Intel is my choice for this rig). The CPU:s seem to run pretty even in tests I have read depending on if its gaming or rendering graphics. Seems to be a ongoing discussion if threads or klockspeed is most important when it comes to music production.

I do both analog recording but also mix and production with a bunch of vst:s and 20-40 tracks in a project.

Anyone that has any experience from the two CPU:s and Reaper?

















Quote:
Originally Posted by Hellsing View Post
Hello first post
Im about to build a computer customized for DAW-Reaper work and music making. I will buy the parts (CPU, motherboard e t c) separately as I have not found a good option when it comes to "ready to use" computers and music processing. I have called some computer stores but they have no clue what I should look for.

I have read that its more important to have a high frequency instead of more cores on the CPU e.g. I assume there are more stuff to consider here.

Has anyone a list of things to take into account before I decide or maybe you have just bought a new computer that works like a charm!? Im not a full time profesional when it comes to music making but I want to get a computer that will last some years..Got monitors, headphones, keyboard, microphone, guitars, external soundcard so its piling up

Thanks!
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Old 12-25-2019, 11:06 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hellsing View Post
I do both analog recording but also mix and production with a bunch of vst:s and 20-40 tracks in a project.

Anyone that has any experience from the two CPU:s and Reaper?
My experience is that that (a bunch of vst:s and 20-40 tracks) is a very light weight project. An old C2D CPU machine from 2005 with a SSD in it would breeze through 20-40 track projects.

Unless we're talking about live performance through VSTi MIDI instrument plugins. (Literally playing a keyboard through the computer with the VSTi sounds or guitar amp sims and that kind of thing.)

Don't buy a whole expensive computer if you just need a new SSD!
Carry on if you do though!
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Old 12-26-2019, 03:37 AM   #12
Hellsing
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Hi there,
working from a 5 year old ROG computer today and has been for some months now. And yea I guess as I am a super noob my projects are fractions of professional production but stil...when using not very-light weight vtst such as Ozone, Analog Labs, Serum the computer is too slow for my patience. So Yes upgrade here I come.

Would be super useful if someony of you have tried any of the CPU:s with reaper so I knwo which one to choose, the store surely cant due to lack of understand of in what ways a DAW and its VSTs stresses the CPU


Quote:
Originally Posted by serr View Post
My experience is that that (a bunch of vst:s and 20-40 tracks) is a very light weight project. An old C2D CPU machine from 2005 with a SSD in it would breeze through 20-40 track projects.

Unless we're talking about live performance through VSTi MIDI instrument plugins. (Literally playing a keyboard through the computer with the VSTi sounds or guitar amp sims and that kind of thing.)

Don't buy a whole expensive computer if you just need a new SSD!
Carry on if you do though!
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Old 12-26-2019, 08:21 AM   #13
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You can't equate date made with CPU power. (Since around 2010 anyway.)
There are fast i7 computers made 8 years ago that will run circles around the budget machines made today, for example. Look at your CPU speed.

I used to have a late 2008 C2D machine with a SSD in it that would let me run live sound with Reaper with 36 inputs. 30 - 40 plugins on the input channels. 6 verbs and delays. I was simultaneously recording the multitrack. Low latency for live use and all that. It did it but it was punishing on the machine with 95% CPU use. Reaper would run like that live with no glitches though!

My 2011 quad core i7 laptop does that gig using about 30% CPU.

Unless you're using a ringer of a resource hungry instrument plugin and performing live, any modern computer with a SSD does a lot.
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Old 12-26-2019, 02:05 PM   #14
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Quite true.
I used i7 4790k CPUs in my rigs.
They just became spare 1U’s.
My newest build loads more than I need but isn’t any faster than my 4.4 OD’d i7’s.
Using a Silicon Lottery 8086k I bought a while back. It’s fast er because it hits 4.8GHz at the same temps.
Just not needed but I wanted something to hold me until a Intel responds with something other than the same 14nm designs or added core’s I just don’t need.
Core locked synths like ZebraHZ and Omnisphere love fast CPU’s.
Intel hasn’t really increased their speed since the 4790k’s.
6000, 7000, 8000, 9000 and now 10,000 series shows benched improvements but I don’t notice anything.

Great CPU’s and AMD has record stock value which means excess R & D and a chance to send Intel into panic mode.
Definitely great days ahead for us.
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Old 12-28-2019, 06:34 AM   #15
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Agreed. My wife bought a modern i7 box last year & its performance is no better on DAW work than my old i7 - 4770.
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Old 12-28-2019, 08:27 AM   #16
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Welll....I need a new desktop comp for my daw work and still have no clue to choose 8700 or 9700 (K-models). Let me know if u have any experience as mentioned

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Agreed. My wife bought a modern i7 box last year & its performance is no better on DAW work than my old i7 - 4770.
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Old 12-29-2019, 02:36 AM   #17
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First off, I am very wary of overclocking cpus for DAW work, so I have never bought a K version. Frankly, unless you plan on really testing your new system absolutely to the max, there is no point. So I would look at which is the less expensive of the 8 series or 9 series, compare the available I/O options on both & go with the cheapest one that will cope with all your current kit & allow you the most flexibility for the future. Up to a point, fastest cpu speed is very important but not THAT crucial unless you`re going to be really giving it some stick.
& Remember what Xcite & I said about our elderly 4xxx series machines!
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