# New 11900K Build



## blizzard (May 11, 2021)

Hey All,

I am about to order my new machine to replace my seven year old i7-4820k. I am going to build Intel because I need Thunderbolt, and from what I can tell Ryzen builds don't have it. I'm hoping to get another 5-7 years out of this machine like I did my last one. 

Here are the specs:

CPU: Core™ i9-11900K Processor, 3.5GHz w/ 8 Cores / 16 Threads
COOLER: Noctua NH-D15
MOTHERBOARD: ROG MAXIMUS XIII HERO w/ DDR4-3200, 7.1 Audio, Quad M.2, Dual 2.5G LAN, Wi-Fi 6E, BT v5.2, 2-Way SLI
RAM: Vengeance LPX 128GB DDR4 3600MHz CL18 (4x 32GB)
CASE: Fractal Design Define 7 ATX Case, Black Solid
OS: Western Digital WD_BLACK SN850 NVMe M.2 PCI-E v4.0 x4 SSD, 1TBTB
SAMPLES: Western Digital WD_BLACK SN850 NVMe M.2 PCI-E v4.0 x4 SSD, 2TB (for samples)
PROJECT AUDIO: Reused Evo SSD
PSU: Corsair RMx Series RM850x 80+ Gold Modular Power Supply, 850W
GPU: Currently going to use the onboard until I can actually get a decent card. The stock for video cards right now is dismal

Always interested in the thoughts of VI-Control when it comes to these builds. I will likely update how it all goes here in this thread. 

Cheers,
Blizzard


----------



## jamwerks (May 11, 2021)

You must mean the I9-10900k?


----------



## blizzard (May 11, 2021)

Nope, I'm looking at the 11900k. 









Product Specifications


quick reference guide including specifications, features, pricing, compatibility, design documentation, ordering codes, spec codes and more.




ark.intel.com


----------



## mallux (May 11, 2021)

Don’t want to discourage you, it might be perfect for your use-case, but you might want to watch the GN review of the i9-11900K before committing... Steve is rarely this scathing about a processor:


----------



## blizzard (May 11, 2021)

Yeesh. Discouraging, to say the least.

One of the factors for choosing this (still doing my research, which you have helped with!) was the 11th Gen processor allows for me to run my M.2 drives in slot 1 and 2 at PCIe 4.0 on that motherboard.


----------



## markit (May 11, 2021)

Hey @blizzard! In case you’re still considering AMD and you don’t need retro compatibility to Tb2: I just bought this Asus with Tb4 and works very well with Tb3 too!









Asus Launches First AMD B550 Thunderbolt 4 Motherboard


Thunderbolt 4 comes to AMD




www.tomshardware.com





No WiFi nor Bluetooth onboard tho, which is annoying :D


----------



## d.healey (May 11, 2021)

blizzard said:


> M.2 drives in slot 1 and 2 at PCIe 4.0 on that motherboard.


The drives also have to be PCIe 4.0 drives, and you won't notice any difference in day to day use unless you're doing something special. You will notice more heat though and probably shorter life span of your drives as a result.


----------



## blizzard (May 11, 2021)

markit said:


> Hey @blizzard! In case you’re still considering AMD and you don’t need retro compatibility to Tb2: I just bought this Asus with Tb4 and works very well with Tb3 too!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Interesting. I guess I could add wifi and bluetooth but then I'm starting to fill up my PCIe. Also, I kind of want more than two M.2 available for future upgrades. 

Also, I am using an RME UFX+ which uses TB2 I think. Currently running it on USB3 but really want to take advantage of its Thunderbolt connectivity.


----------



## blizzard (May 11, 2021)

d.healey said:


> The drives also have to be PCIe 4.0 drives, and you won't notice any difference in day to day use unless you're doing something special. You will notice more heat though and probably shorter life span of your drives as a result.


The M.2 drives I am looking at getting are PCIe 4.0. Doesn't PCIe 4.0 run twice as fast as PCIe 3.0? That to me would make a noticeable difference, but I have never used M.2 so I might be incorrect.


----------



## d.healey (May 11, 2021)

blizzard said:


> The M.2 drives I am looking at getting are PCIe 4.0. Doesn't PCIe 4.0 run twice as fast as PCIe 3.0? That to me would make a noticeable difference, but I have never used M.2 so I might be incorrect.


Theoretical speed, actual speed, and practical speed are different things. Yes it will run faster, will you notice a difference day to day, probably not - I don't even notice that much difference between my SATA SSD and my NVME drives most of the time.

In all the benchmarks I've seen the difference is very minor. For example, we're talking about 1 or 2 second improvement in loading a game, in exchange for extra cost and heat.


----------



## blizzard (May 11, 2021)

d.healey said:


> Theoretical speed, actual speed, and practical speed are different things. Yes it will run faster, will you notice a difference day to day, probably not - I don't even notice that much difference between my SATA SSD and my NVME drives most of the time.
> 
> In all the benchmarks I've seen the difference is very minor. For example, we're talking about 1 or 2 second improvement in loading a game, in exchange for extra cost and heat.


Thanks for the real-world view. I'm not hung up on making sure every component is the fastest/most powerful, so if we are talking about a very slight improvement in loading times I'm not too concerned. 

But, I really want to make sure that this machine can last and be upgraded throughout the years. I've too many times purchased a machine that was middle of the road and I outgrow it too soon.


----------



## CoffeeLover (May 11, 2021)

is it really wise to do an upgrade/invest in the latest intel 11th gen machine today?
ddr5 is just around the corner and probably will be expensive first year.
12th gen alder lake will introduce DMI 4 and pcie 4 and 5 
thunderbolt 4 and some other bells and whistles.
i wonder how fast samples will load and what low buffer settings one might achieve.
i am still on skylake 6700k, i did invest in a new awesome machine but i managed to sell,used that money to buy an apollo x8 soundcard and went back to skylake and i am waiting until ddr5 becomes the norm.


----------



## Damarus (May 13, 2021)

2nd the post above. If you don't need to upgrade now, definitely would not recommend it. Lots of new stuff coming out this year. Stuff that will put this build to absolute shame.


----------



## Pictus (May 15, 2021)

blizzard said:


> Hey All,
> 
> I am about to order my new machine to replace my seven year old i7-4820k. I am going to build Intel because I need Thunderbolt, and from what I can tell Ryzen builds don't have it.


They have Thunderbolt.



They have a new model, the B550 Vision D*-P*


BTW, you will need to add a GPU and for RAM, Crucial Ballistix is the best RAM for Ryzen.





Choose Memory







pcpartpicker.com


----------



## Alex Sopala (May 20, 2021)

Pictus said:


> They have Thunderbolt.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Another thing to add on: if I am not mistaken, Thunderbolt compatibility will be less of a problem once systems add USB4, which is happening right now with the new M1 Macs, and will proliferate with newer machines in the future.


----------



## easyrider (May 20, 2021)

Are people still buying Intel? 🤣


----------



## Alex Sopala (May 20, 2021)

easyrider said:


> Are people still buying Intel? 🤣


As of right now, that's all that's available because of the insane demand. AMD's XT refresh seeks to remedy this (which as far as knowledge is available today is the same performance chips but easier to manufacture)


----------



## mscp (May 20, 2021)

blizzard said:


> Hey All,
> 
> I am about to order my new machine to replace my seven year old i7-4820k. I am going to build Intel because I need Thunderbolt, and from what I can tell Ryzen builds don't have it. I'm hoping to get another 5-7 years out of this machine like I did my last one.
> 
> ...


Would you be able to tell what you will be using with this machine in terms of DAW, libraries, synths, etc...? I might be able to give you a very detail feedback...


----------



## blizzard (May 20, 2021)

Phil81 said:


> Would you be able to tell what you will be using with this machine in terms of DAW, libraries, synths, etc...? I might be able to give you a very detail feedback...


Good question. This will be an all-in-one DAW for composing and audio post-production. My main DAW is currently Pro Tools as I've been using it for decades for both composing and post-work (sound design).

I don't run a huge template for composing (currently using 32GB RAM) so I could easily see myself being fine with 128GB for years. Especially if I move to Cubase and run some stuff disabled. I'm using mostly EastWest and Spitfire for orchestral, with various other smaller libraries for specialty stuff. Truthfully, Omnisphere covers most of my synth needs along with NI Komplete. 

I will likely be upgrading to 5.1 in the studio within the year and hope to find a good workflow using the RME UFX+.


----------



## blizzard (May 20, 2021)

Alex Sopala said:


> As of right now, that's all that's available because of the insane demand. AMD's XT refresh seeks to remedy this (which as far as knowledge is available today is the same performance chips but easier to manufacture)





easyrider said:


> Are people still buying Intel? 🤣


I'm not sure if I'm actually going to go Intel anymore after checking out that link earlier in the thread about 11900k. Yeesh.

But it's true, so far Intel has been in stock while Ryzen has not. That might be changing though and I just put spec'd a 5900X build that almost has everything in stock.


----------



## mscp (May 20, 2021)

blizzard said:


> Good question. This will be an all-in-one DAW for composing and audio post-production. My main DAW is currently Pro Tools as I've been using it for decades for both composing and post-work (sound design).
> 
> I don't run a huge template for composing (currently using 32GB RAM) so I could easily see myself being fine with 128GB for years. Especially if I move to Cubase and run some stuff disabled. I'm using mostly EastWest and Spitfire for orchestral, with various other smaller libraries for specialty stuff. Truthfully, Omnisphere covers most of my synth needs along with NI Komplete.
> 
> I will likely be upgrading to 5.1 in the studio within the year and hope to find a good workflow using the RME UFX+.


One more question, regular PT or Ultimate? You'd be fine with regular, but for ultimate, I always recommend their X series. Also, AMD and PT are a hit and miss. I wouldn't risk it.


----------



## blizzard (May 20, 2021)

Phil81 said:


> One more question, regular PT or Ultimate? You'd be fine with regular, but for ultimate, I always recommend their X series. Also, AMD and PT are a hit and miss. I wouldn't risk it.


Regular right now, but Ultimate on this new machine for sure in the near future. 

That's one of the reasons I have always used Intel and was looking at the 11900K because historically Intel has been more stable. If you can call working on Pro Tools stable! Ha!


----------



## mscp (May 20, 2021)

blizzard said:


> Regular right now, but Ultimate on this new machine for sure in the near future.
> 
> That's one of the reasons I have always used Intel and was looking at the 11900K because historically Intel has been more stable. If you can call working on Pro Tools stable! Ha!


If you have extra $, go for their X series. PT Ultimate is great with it, and your machine will last for a LONG time.


----------



## pdelrod (May 20, 2021)

Do you use win or mac (hackintosh)? It is not very common to see composers work with Pt + win. I compose in PT too, on my 2013 iMac, but I'm considering using a pc on the next computer to update the components as needed


----------



## blizzard (May 20, 2021)

pdelrod said:


> Do you use win or mac (hackintosh)? It is not very common to see composers work with Pt + win. I compose in PT too, on my 2013 iMac, but I'm considering using a pc on the next computer to update the components as needed


I am on Win10. I started using PT on v5.1 and just kind of stayed with it over the years. I have kind of hit a point where I am frustrated with workflow though...really want to be able to use all of the newer workflow tools that are really becoming commonplace for composers (macros, midi tools, etc)


----------



## mscp (May 20, 2021)

pdelrod said:


> It is not very common to see composers work with Pt + win.


I wouldn't go as far as say it's uncommon. A lot of composers use PT on Windows. (it's super common) -- but yes, the number of PT users on Macs are greater.

Also PT is more reliable on Windows these days over here. I run PT Ultimate HDX on both. PT on Macs are sometimes flaky (DAE fest). It does crash on Windows too though...just not as frequently.


----------



## mscp (May 20, 2021)

blizzard said:


> I am on Win10. I started using PT on v5.1 and just kind of stayed with it over the years. I have kind of hit a point where I am frustrated with workflow though...really want to be able to use all of the newer workflow tools that are really becoming commonplace for composers (macros, midi tools, etc)


I love PT's true zero latency on tracking and audio editing features. It's super comfortable and snappy.


----------



## Alex Sopala (May 20, 2021)

Phil81 said:


> I wouldn't go as far as say it's uncommon. A lot of composers use PT on Windows. (it's super common) -- but yes, the number of PT users on Macs are greater.
> 
> Also PT is more reliable on Windows these days over here. I run PT Ultimate HDX on both. PT on Macs are sometimes flaky (DAE fest). It does crash on Windows too though...just not as frequently.


Not to mention not having the yearly ordeal of upgrading the OS with Macs. Cause nobody ever has anything ready on launch.


----------



## pdelrod (May 21, 2021)

blizzard said:


> I am on Win10. I started using PT on v5.1 and just kind of stayed with it over the years. I have kind of hit a point where I am frustrated with workflow though...really want to be able to use all of the newer workflow tools that are really becoming commonplace for composers (macros, midi tools, etc)


Wow! I started using PT in v7.
I see you describe Cubase!
I used cubase 5 before switching to PT and mac, but now I would have to relearn all the shortcuts. Also, I use the PT subscription and it is quite affordable on a budget level. With Cubase you would have to pay € 600, which makes it a bit inaccessible at first.


----------



## pdelrod (May 21, 2021)

Phil81 said:


> I wouldn't go as far as say it's uncommon. A lot of composers use PT on Windows. (it's super common) -- but yes, the number of PT users on Macs are greater.
> 
> Also PT is more reliable on Windows these days over here. I run PT Ultimate HDX on both. PT on Macs are sometimes flaky (DAE fest). It does crash on Windows too though...just not as frequently.


I have seen some composers (Ryan Elder (Ricky Morty) using PC + Win but not many more! Do you know more? I find it interesting to know their setups.

To build a PC to use with Pro tools for composing, what do you recommend? Intel Core? Xeon? How much RAM? ECC?


----------



## CoffeeLover (May 21, 2021)

I switched from PT ver 12 to Cubase Pro 9 in 2017
There was a crossgrade offer from any DAW and i believe it is still valid
I took good two years to try all the other DAW's before I choose the Cubase route









Products — Music Software & Audio Hardware


Steinberg is known the world over for its music and audio software and hardware solutions. Get here an overview of the latest Steinberg products.




www.steinberg.net


----------



## mscp (May 21, 2021)

pdelrod said:


> I have seen some composers (Ryan Elder (Ricky Morty) using PC + Win but not many more! Do you know more? I find it interesting to know their setups.


In Hollywood or overall? Paesano, Dern, JXL, among others from what I’ve seen online.

People close to me are either on PCs, Macs or both for a lot of reasons. It varies. Like I often say here: it’s all a preference these days. Both are capable of doing the same exact thing. But some people are evangelists and will say whatever to stick to either Macs or PCs. 




pdelrod said:


> To build a PC to use with Pro tools for composing, what do you recommend? Intel Core? Xeon? How much RAM? ECC?


Depends on which Pro Tools you want to use.


----------



## pdelrod (May 21, 2021)

Phil81 said:


> In Hollywood or overall?
> 
> Depends on which Pro Tools you want to use.


Q1: Yes, in Hollywood.

Q2: Regular Pro tools


----------



## pdelrod (May 21, 2021)

CoffeeLover said:


> I switched from PT ver 12 to Cubase Pro 9 in 2017
> There was a crossgrade offer from any DAW and i believe it is still valid
> I took good two years to try all the other DAW's before I choose the Cubase route
> 
> ...


A discount is always welcome!


----------



## mscp (May 21, 2021)

pdelrod said:


> Q1: Yes, in Hollywood.
> 
> Q2: Regular Pro tools


Q1 is in the previous post.
Q2: A well built i9 9900k will suffice.


----------



## pdelrod (May 21, 2021)

Phil81 said:


> Q1 is in the previous post.
> Q2: A well built i9 9900k will suffice.


Thanks Phil81!
I mean... Pro tools + Win ... about composers...


----------



## PaulieDC (May 21, 2021)

blizzard said:


> Hey All,
> 
> I am about to order my new machine to replace my seven year old i7-4820k. I am going to build Intel because I need Thunderbolt, and from what I can tell Ryzen builds don't have it. I'm hoping to get another 5-7 years out of this machine like I did my last one.
> 
> ...


Hey Blizz, I haven't read through all the blah blah blah but I'm sure you got hit with all of it, lol. I'm just answering your question, and your build list looks almost perfect. I just built a few PCs for churches for streaming with nearly the same specs except they only needed 32GB ram ("only", ha ha). I'm a huge fan of the Noctua coolers, I use that massive monster in everything, even my own (older i9-7940X that still flies).

My only suggestion is save some bucks and go for the i9-10900K, I've used that in the last couple builds and it smokes for $450. One church was streaming with vMix to YouTube while playing a video on a DVD and simultaneously recording the audio separately from a different feed using Soundforge, and the CPU usage was a steady 6%. The CPU Benchmark for the 10900K is only 10% less than my 14-core yet a third of the price I paid. Anyway, you asked for an assessment and without nitpicking and starting the standard CPU wars and all that, your build looks fine.


----------



## blizzard (Jul 2, 2021)

PaulieDC said:


> Hey Blizz, I haven't read through all the blah blah blah but I'm sure you got hit with all of it, lol. I'm just answering your question, and your build list looks almost perfect. I just built a few PCs for churches for streaming with nearly the same specs except they only needed 32GB ram ("only", ha ha). I'm a huge fan of the Noctua coolers, I use that massive monster in everything, even my own (older i9-7940X that still flies).
> 
> My only suggestion is save some bucks and go for the i9-10900K, I've used that in the last couple builds and it smokes for $450. One church was streaming with vMix to YouTube while playing a video on a DVD and simultaneously recording the audio separately from a different feed using Soundforge, and the CPU usage was a steady 6%. The CPU Benchmark for the 10900K is only 10% less than my 14-core yet a third of the price I paid. Anyway, you asked for an assessment and without nitpicking and starting the standard CPU wars and all that, your build looks fine.


Hey PaulieDC,

I agree that the i9-10900K really does make more sense than getting the i9-11900K. But, one of the reasons I considered the 11900K was the ability to run the first M.2 slot at PCIe 4.0, which the 10900K doesn't. Hoping to future proof as much as possible. I guess the big question is does the difference between running the M.2 drive at PCIe 3 vs PCIe 4 really make a big difference in speed? Will I notice?

Thanks for all the ideas, everyone!


----------



## easyrider (Jul 2, 2021)

blizzard said:


> Hey PaulieDC,
> 
> I agree that the i9-10900K really does make more sense than getting the i9-11900K. But, one of the reasons I considered the 11900K was the ability to run the first M.2 slot at PCIe 4.0, which the 10900K doesn't. Hoping to future proof as much as possible. I guess the big question is does the difference between running the M.2 drive at PCIe 3 vs PCIe 4 really make a big difference in speed? Will I notice?
> 
> Thanks for all the ideas, everyone!


No you won’t notice


----------



## blizzard (Jul 2, 2021)

easyrider said:


> No you won’t notice


Kind of what I've been thinking too. Might just go for the reliable 10900K for now. Paired with a Maximus XIII Hero (Z590) I should be somewhat future proof for a few years. Hopefully Intel will come out with something more impressive than the 11900K eventually that is compatible with this mobo and I can upgrade then.


----------



## Pictus (Jul 2, 2021)

blizzard said:


> Kind of what I've been thinking too. Might just go for the reliable 10900K for now. Paired with a Maximus XIII Hero (Z590) I should be somewhat future proof for a few years. Hopefully Intel will come out with something more impressive than the 11900K eventually that is compatible with this mobo and I can upgrade then.


No, the next generation will not be compatible.
The Z590 is socket LGA 1200 + DDR4, the next is LGA 1700 + DDR5








Intel 12th-Gen Alder Lake Pricing, Benchmarks, Specs and All We Know


Into the hybrid x86 era




www.tomshardware.com





AMD will launch a ZEN3 + 3D cache before the ZEN4(not compatible with current AM4)








AMD Shows New 3D V-Cache Ryzen Chiplets, up to 192MB of L3 Cache, 15% Gaming Improvement (Updated)


AMD shocks the chip world




www.tomshardware.com


----------



## blizzard (Aug 27, 2021)

Ended up going with a 5950X build instead due to available stock and other factors. Anyone interested can follow over here for updates. 





__





New 5950X Build


Hi! I finally got my new machine parts and have started working on building and installing. I hope to post some periodic updates here about any hiccups along the way and how I solved them. Most likely I won't be able to solve them on my own and I'll come knocking here for expertise, HA! Here...




vi-control.net


----------

