# Moving to PC - could use some advice



## MediaComposer88 (Jun 2, 2017)

Dear VI-Controllers,

I'm a Mac-user who will be moving to PC very soon, and I could use some advice.

My wish is to build a PC that will be reliable, future proof, and optimized for Cubase Pro + VEPro. I'm a minimalist kind of guy, so if wise/possible I'd like to make it a one-computer setup. However, I heard that with one machine, there's a limit to what can be achieved. I am using libraries like Berlin Woodwinds, CineBrass, Spitfire Percussion, Omnisphere, Arturia V-Collections, LA Scoring Strings, Cinematic Strings, Komplete, and I predominantly use Valhalla and FabFilter plugins.

So, the first question is: if going for a one machine setup, what would be the most optimal setup (as good as possible, without unnecessary overkill features) and what can I expect from the performance - are there limits I should take in account? If so, I might opt for a 2-machine setup anyway.

Then I have some additional questions:

- I am looking at some CPU options, most notably the Intel 6850K in combination with the Asus X99 Deluxe II. Would this be a good move (also keeping an eye on the number of USB 3.0 connections), or are there better options?

- How much RAM would be recommend (1-machine setup), is 64GB enough, or is it in any way effective to have 128GB? What speed/type would be overkill?

- What type of SSDs should I use? And how many TBs do you recommend? Do you recommend using multiple smaller SSDs, or lesser larger ones?

- I'm not going to connect 6 screens, but say I want to have room for 3 high resolution screens and make sure the connections are future-proof, what GPU do you recommend? Or are the onboard graphics enough?

- If I want a sturdy, silent case with enough room for future upgrades, what would you recommend?

- As for cooling fans, the priorities are safety and silence. Any advice?

- Any recommendations in the Power Supply departement (how many watts, what brand is reliable)?

Of course, I already browsed many threads on the above listed topics. However, with everybody's needs and preferences being so different, I thought I would ask these questions anyway.

Any help would be greatly appreciated! Also, if based on the things I stated above you have any recommendations for a 2-machine setup and can explain why that would be the best way to go, I'm all ears! 

Cheers!


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## Karsten Vogt (Jun 2, 2017)

You might want to consider the 6800K, the question is: are 30% higher price worth 5,5% more power?
https://ark.intel.com/compare/94188,94189
Same cache, same TDP. I went for the 6800K.

Mainboard: i went for the Asus X99-E. I didn't want Wifi and Bluetooth clutter. Every component with bad drivers can induce audio latency for the rig (hello Gigabyte grrrrr). I bought a TPLink USB Wifi dongle for 10 bucks if I need Wifi.

Noone can seriously answer the RAM question without knowing the extend of your work.

SSDs: a lot of people rely on Samsung which is a good choice. I run Samsungs and Sandisks Ultra SSDs. Both work fine.

With 6 screens onboard won't suffice. An Nvidia 1050 should work fine; fans won't spin with desktop usage. I'd rather think about switching to 4k screens before attaching 6 low resolution screens.

Case: so many choices. Lian Li builds great cases but they can be pretty expensive. If you like quiet machines check for cases with silence components. I like the Nanoxia Deep Silence series.

Cooling: Noctua ND-H15 for CPU (beware this thing is pretty big). Very quiet, very good cooling but huge. Check with the Noctua website if it fits into the case.

PSU: Corsair RMi 750 more than enough power but most importantly: no fans spinning below 40% max power. Mine runs completely silent.


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## Living Fossil (Jun 2, 2017)

Karsten Vogt said:


> You might want to consider the 6800K, the question is: are 30% higher price worth 5,5% more power?
> https://ark.intel.com/compare/94188,94189
> Same cache, same TDP. I went for the 6800K.




There's a new option:

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/processors/core/x-series/i7-7820x.html


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## Karsten Vogt (Jun 2, 2017)

Yep, looks good but $1189? Ouch. And why does intel decrease the cache size...


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## EvilDragon (Jun 2, 2017)

You should consider going with Z170 mobo and i7-7700K.

RAM: I have 64 GB (which is maximum supported by Z170 chipset) and it's been great for me. Granted, I don't use Orchestral Tools libraries, which are pretty RAM-hungry no matter what you do... 

Case: Fractal Design. Period. They're the best IMHO, and are purpose-built for silence. I have this one and couldn't be happier.

Cooling: Agreed with Noctua NH-D15. That's what I have - it's huge and you gotta have a case that can fit it (case in point - what I suggested above ), but man does it run cool and silent. Especially if you mount both fans.



Karsten Vogt said:


> With 6 screens onboard won't suffice.



He said he's NOT going to connect 6 screens, but 3. Intel's iGPU supports up to 3 screens (however you gotta combine using HDMI and DVI, and if you want to use 4K at 60 Hz, you can only do that via DisplayPort).


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## Symfoniq (Jun 2, 2017)

I agree with most of what EvilDragon wrote (Fractal Design case, Noctua cooler), but I'd recommend against buying a 4-core CPU at this point in time.

With Ryzen (and Coffee Lake later this year), six and eight cores have become mainstream, and it's not difficult to make use of them in most DAWs or VE Pro. I'd go with six cores at a minimum, and if you're really stuck on Intel's HEDT platform, wait for Skylake-X to drop, which should be happening any week now. This is a really bad time to be building an X99 system, as its replacement is literally days away.


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## Symfoniq (Jun 2, 2017)

Karsten Vogt said:


> Yep, looks good but $1189? Ouch. And why does intel decrease the cache size...



I believe Intel is reducing the L3 cache on Skylake-X and increasing the L2 cache. So while the cache size might appear to be smaller (and perhaps inferior), it's probably much faster cache than on Broadwell-E. Based on the amount of L2 cache on Skylake-X, I wouldn't be surprised if we see more of an IPC increase over Skylake than was generally expected.


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## chimuelo (Jun 2, 2017)

The X299 Chipset is pretty impressive.
Really impressed with the i7 7740k.
No GPU, bigger L2 cache and 128GBs are about as far as 14mm are going to go.
More watts. No biggie if the 30% performance claims are just 50% correct.

I would have gone with AMD Ryzen quad with 16MB cache if it overclocked to 4.5Ghz and had some 10 layer PCB motherboard.

What both of these chips have in common that appeals to me is Cache speed and size, and 4 Cores.
I prefer more polyphony over the ability to run hundreds more compressors I would never use.


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## Jeremy Spencer (Jun 2, 2017)

MediaComposer88 said:


> Dear VI-Controllers,
> 
> I'm a Mac-user who will be moving to PC very soon, and I could use some advice.
> 
> My wish is to build a PC that will be reliable, future proof, and optimized for Cubase Pro + VEPro.



For the sake of being reliable and optimized, I would probably consider a custom built PC by someone like https://www.visiondaw.com/store/pc/main.asp or http://www.studiocat.com/opencart2/

You pay a premium, but save yourself a lot of grief down the road. There are so many ways to screw up a PC build, unlike Mac where you know the guts are all compatible.


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## JohnG (Jun 2, 2017)

I dunno -- all those libraries are going to be tough on one computer, no matter how much RAM you have. I use five for playback of full orchestra-plus-synths and I have a sixth for ProTools.

In your position, I would rather have 2 64GB PCs than one 128GB just to spread the CPU load out, then use VE Pro to connect.

In other news:

1. Fastest SSD setup for many people is to use a PCIe card that has SATA ports on it, and connect your drives through that, rather than directly into the motherboard. The PCIe bus is faster. 

2. I am also a fan of "many disks" for samples instead of just one or two big ones.

Most of your questions have great answers already on this thread. Good luck!

John


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## EvilDragon (Jun 2, 2017)

JohnG said:


> 1. Fastest SSD setup for many people is to use a PCIe card that has SATA ports on it, and connect your drives through that, rather than directly into the motherboard. The PCIe bus is faster.



Except it's still limited by SATA speeds. Doesn't matter that PCIe bus is used - you're still limited by SATA transfer speeds because that's how it works. And this is easy to test, too.

For instance, my 850 Evo SSDs bench exactly the same when I connect them directly on my mobo vs when I connect them to my LSI SAS PCIe card. It's still SATA, no matter if it goes through PCIe.



JohnG said:


> 2. I am also a fan of "many disks" for samples instead of just one or two big ones.



With SSD speeds this is pretty much irrelevant.


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## Symfoniq (Jun 2, 2017)

EvilDragon said:


> Except it's still limited by SATA speeds. Doesn't matter that PCIe bus is used - you're still limited by SATA transfer speeds because that's how it works. And this is easy to test, too.
> 
> For instance, my 850 Evo SSDs bench exactly the same when I connect them directly on my mobo vs when I connect them to my LSI SAS PCIe card. It's still SATA, no matter if it goes through PCIe.
> 
> ...



This. SATA will still be the bottleneck.


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## Jeremy Spencer (Jun 2, 2017)

EvilDragon said:


> Except it's still limited by SATA speeds. Doesn't matter that PCIe bus is used - you're still limited by SATA transfer speeds because that's how it works. And this is easy to test, too.
> 
> For instance, my 850 Evo SSDs bench exactly the same when I connect them directly on my mobo vs when I connect them to my LSI SAS PCIe card. It's still SATA, no matter if it goes through PCIe.
> 
> ...



But with a PCIe SSD, it will be much faster than SATA.


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## EvilDragon (Jun 2, 2017)

That is of course true, but it's not what JohnG has said, so I corrected him


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## Living Fossil (Jun 2, 2017)

Karsten Vogt said:


> Yep, looks good but $1189? Ouch. And why does intel decrease the cache size...



What i've read the i7-7820X will cost 599 Dollars.


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## Karsten Vogt (Jun 2, 2017)

Well, in that case we have a winner!


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## heisenberg (Jun 2, 2017)

Living Fossil said:


> What i've read the i7-7820X will cost 599 Dollars.



I see it is an 8 core processor as well.


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## C-Wave (Jun 2, 2017)

Evil Dragon, does the number of memory lanes on the CPU (this one has 28 memory lanes vs 40 on the 6859k and higher CPUs) affect loading sample libraries from PCI-e SSDs? Thanks!


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## Nick Batzdorf (Jun 2, 2017)

Is the SATA speed a limitation or a bottleneck?

Really?

I know you can measure it with teenage gamer software, but in the real world?


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## EvilDragon (Jun 2, 2017)

C-Wave said:


> Evil Dragon, does the number of memory lanes on the CPU (this one has 28 memory lanes vs 40 on the 6859k and higher CPUs) affect loading sample libraries from PCI-e SSDs? Thanks!



No.



Nick Batzdorf said:


> Is the SATA speed a limitation or a bottleneck?



It's not, in practice.


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## Nick Batzdorf (Jun 2, 2017)

When I moved one of my SSDs to a 600 meg SATA 3 PCIe card (because the older Mac Pro's internal bus is 300 meg SATA 2), I timed a Quantum Leap Bösendorfer loading in :08 rather than :10. If there was any difference in streaming playback performance, it was way too subtle for me to notice it.

Since then the card crapped out and I moved the drive back to the internal bus.

The piano now loads in :08 there too.


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## JohnG (Jun 2, 2017)

Hi all,

First off, Evil Dragon knows more than I do, so these are more like students' questions, but anyway....



EvilDragon said:


> Except it's still limited by SATA speeds. Doesn't matter that PCIe bus is used - you're still limited by SATA transfer speeds because that's how it works. And this is easy to test, too.
> 
> For instance, my 850 Evo SSDs bench exactly the same when I connect them directly on my mobo vs when I connect them to my LSI SAS PCIe card. It's still SATA, no matter if it goes through PCIe.



That is true with a single disk, but I assume it's not the same story if you have multiple SSDs strapped to the PCIe card. In that case, you might get some marginal benefit from the wider pipe.

Not being fussy, but I think I have seen people report better performance with their SSDs hooked into the PCIe card. Maybe it's imaginary? The only PCIe SSD setup I have is exactly what you mentioned -- a hardware RAID of SSDs mounted on a PCIe card, so it's not the same thing.



EvilDragon said:


> With SSD speeds this is pretty much irrelevant.



I am not fully convinced of this either, because I have definitely run into limits of what SSDs can handle even on a single PC that serves my percussion samples. 

One way to look at it is this: If you take an extreme example, of having 4TB of samples on a single drive and running a really large template, that is bound to have some marginal limit compared with, say, four 1TB drives.


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## EvilDragon (Jun 2, 2017)

JohnG said:


> That is true with a single disk, but I assume it's not the same story if you have multiple SSDs strapped to the PCIe card. In that case, you might get some marginal benefit from the wider pipe.



Perhaps, yeah. Keyword there being _marginal_. Not sure if worth the extra investment (of course - if you plan on having a bunch of SSDs, of course going with a SAS controller is a good way to go - however there are also mobos with extra SATA controllers and dozens of SATA ports that can serve this purpose). And - those SATA ports on the motherboard are using up those lanes to the CPU anyways - the same ones that PCIe ports are using (this is why M.2 ports disable two SATA ports on all motherboards with Z170 chipset - they're using the same PCIe lanes!). So essentially they're the same thing, practically.



JohnG said:


> Not being fussy, but I think I have seen people report better performance with their SSDs hooked into the PCIe card. Maybe it's imaginary?



If it's a true PCIe SSD (as in, SSD on a PCIe card, no SATA connectivity at all), then that's a completely different thing - those things can be crazy fast - M.2 fast, or faster. The price is also quite a bit more expensive than SATA SSDs.


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## JohnG (Jun 2, 2017)

Thanks E.D.

Sometimes I fear confirmation bias leads people to report improvement in performance after investing in new stuff, when the purported improvement either very hard to measure or -- imaginary.

There is also the issue that if you have an older board, you may have SATA II ports on it and SATA III on the PCIe card, so it's conceivable you'd get a bit of improvement from something like that -- but in any event, thanks again for your expertise.

John


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## Nick Batzdorf (Jun 2, 2017)

John, see my post above. At first there was a difference, then there was no difference.

I'll see if there is again when the replacement card arrives.

But you have to run a *lot* of voices to saturate a 300 meg bus.


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## MediaComposer88 (Jun 3, 2017)

Wow, many thanks for all the fast and helpful replies, guys!!

A couple of follow-up questions:

- The 7820X seems like a great option. I was wondering if there would be any reason to opt for the 7800X instead (it is a 6-core with slightly lower clock-speed). In other words, would the 7800X be enough, or would the 7820X be efficient or more future-proof in any way? And how does the 7740K chimuelo mentioned compare?

- Is there actually anyone running big orchestral templates with Cubase & VEPro on a single machine without any problems? And are there people who have regretted not going the master/slave route in the first place?

- If going for 2 machines, do you need top specs for both, or does this mean other CPUs than the ones mentioned above would be better options?

- How much of a hassle is it to have a master/slave setup? Is it question of setting up and run, or does it also come with its own specific problems/challenges?

All the best!


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## JeffvR (Jun 3, 2017)

I've got a single 64GB PC setup. It's 3 years old though so I'm not really up to date with the latest stuff. I'm really happy with it, so here's my advice:

- I'd go for 64GB, if it isn't enough you can go for a second 64GB machine later. With one 128GB machine you'll run into other limitations before you run out of RAM. It really depends on what you use but I used to ran into some problems with 512 buffer size and the 2Caudio B2 reverb when around 50GB of samples loaded. Some crackles during playback. Now I use Valhalla and there's less trouble so far. 

- I've got 4 sample SSD's of 500GB, 1 boot SSD with 256GB and 2 3TB HDD for backups, audio and Cubase sessions. 
If I had to do it all over again now I'd go for 1TB or 2TB SSD drives for samples. 256GB is enough as a main boot drive, but I'd go for a 500GB now, just in case. The extra 3TB HDD's are really useful as well.

- I lately upgraded my GPU to a MSI GeForce GTX 1050 TI GAMING 4G to handle 4k at 60fps. Working fine and very silent.

- I've got a Fractal Design Define R4 tower. It's really silent and has lot's of space. Highly recommended.

- There are websites where you can calculate your power supply needs. I have a Seasonic G-650. More than enough for my needs.


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## MediaComposer88 (Jun 3, 2017)

Thanks Jeff!



JeffvR said:


> With one 128GB machine you'll run into other limitations before you run out of RAM.



Interesting point, anyone else who can support this statement?


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## JohnG (Jun 3, 2017)

MediaComposer88 said:


> Thanks Jeff!
> 
> Interesting point, anyone else who can support this statement?



I agree 100%. Some of the plugins I have been using are CPU hog-olas (tech for "very demanding").  I don't see developers dialing back on the demands they place on the system, so I think Jeff is right. I was quite surprised, for example, to find that my 3.0GHz i7 CPU was having some difficulty playing back samples -- just samples -- of the heavier string libraries. With a 4.x GHz clock CPU, they play back fine.

One can always raise the buffer and solve CPU problems but of course that makes latency more of an issue.


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## meradium (Jun 3, 2017)

I'm in the process of setting up a new heavy duty template on a single PC setup (same as in signature except for OSX which after serval final tries will make way for Win 10).

So far preliminary tests suggest I can have around 200 Orchestral Tools BB legato patches playing in parallel in VEP with Cubase running in the background. I'll see how that translates to a mix of several different vendors in the coming days. But I expect it to actually handle much more that way as OT libraries are such CPU and RAM hogs...


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## Jeremy Spencer (Jun 5, 2017)

MediaComposer88 said:


> - How much of a hassle is it to have a master/slave setup? Is it question of setting up and run, or does it also come with its own specific problems/challenges?
> 
> All the best!



It's the same as connecting to a VEPro instance on a single machine, just connect and you're good to go. Even if your main machine crashes, the slave instances all remain loaded. IMO, the slave should be the more powerful of the setup as it's the one doing all the heavy lifting.


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## Nick Batzdorf (Jun 5, 2017)

Wolfie, I think whether the slaves should be the powerful machines depends on how you work.

There are lots of reasons for my main machine (a Mac Pro) to be my main machine, but one of them is that I don't even start up any slaves most of the time. I have slaves for a little bit of overflow, and also I still have a pile of XP machines for old stuff.


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## Jeremy Spencer (Jun 5, 2017)

Absolutely. I just meant that typically you want all of your horsepower on the slave...if that's where one intends on keeping most of the VI's. Heck, if someone wants to buy me a new iMac Pro, I could go with a single machine for my template lol! Those look killer.


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## Nick Batzdorf (Jun 5, 2017)

Right, and I should have added that there are scenarios for what you're suggesting too, of course! Maybe you do most of your work on a laptop, for instance, and you only need the full regalia when you're in your studio.


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## Jeremy Spencer (Jun 5, 2017)

Well, for smaller templates I do it all on the MacBook. I was really hoping Apple would have announced a 32GB Ram option :(


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## salcar (Jun 7, 2017)

Guys, what do you think of i7 7740X?
I think that the single core performance it's better than the i7 7820X.
And, if I understand, for audio latency, it's the better choice.

http://ark.intel.com/compare/121499,123767


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## gsilbers (Jun 7, 2017)

MediaComposer88 said:


> Thanks Jeff!
> 
> 
> 
> Interesting point, anyone else who can support this statement?



I have a 128gb. for me it was great get some overhead. if you 64gb of ram then having a 60gb of ram template will be an issue. but im not running it as my main daw. only slavepc so don't know about having both together.


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## MediaComposer88 (Jun 12, 2017)

Thanks for all your helpful and interesting contributions!


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## synthnut1 (Jun 18, 2017)

EvilDragon said:


> You should consider going with Z170 mobo and i7-7700K.
> 
> RAM: I have 64 GB (which is maximum supported by Z170 chipset) and it's been great for me. Granted, I don't use Orchestral Tools libraries, which are pretty RAM-hungry no matter what you do...
> 
> ...



Evil D, 

YOu mention using a Noctua NH-D15 cooler on w/i7-7700K processor ......Everything that I read about the 7700k leads me to believe that it run's pretty darn hot , even at idle ....What kind of temps are you getting from your system ? .....Thanks for your time ...Jim


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## Jim Roseberry (Jul 18, 2017)

synthnut1 said:


> Evil D,
> 
> YOu mention using a Noctua NH-D15 cooler on w/i7-7700K processor ......Everything that I read about the 7700k leads me to believe that it run's pretty darn hot , even at idle ....What kind of temps are you getting from your system ? .....Thanks for your time ...Jim



The 7700k doesn't idle particularly hot.
Use decent 3rd-party cooling... and you're just fine (from both a temp and noise perspective).

Best Regards,
Jim Roseberry
www.studiocat.com
[email protected]


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## Jim Roseberry (Jul 18, 2017)

Talking about the 7820x:
I don't like the 28 PCIe lane limitation in a $600 CPU.
With Skylake Extreme, you've (currently) got to go to the 7900x to get 44 PCIe lanes.
If your build is simple, 28 PCIe lanes will be fine.
If you're trying to pull 4000 voices of disk-streaming polyphony from a complex build, the 28 PCIe lanes can be a drag.
ie: The m.2 slot can be dropped to half-speed when using a CPU with 28 PCIe lanes.
We've seen this with X99 motherboards... and it's not documented.

Best Regards,
Jim Roseberry
www.studiocat.com
[email protected]


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## Jim Roseberry (Jul 18, 2017)

If you're not pushing the performance envelope, it may not matter... but if you're pushing the hardware right to the edge...

With a 6850k CPU:
Running the Reaper version of DAW Bench, you can push the CPU load right up to 100% (glitch-free) at a 48-sample ASIO buffer size 44.1k.

The 7700k does an admirable job... but it's not going to make it quite that far (about 95%).

Best Regards,
Jim Roseberry
www.studiocat.com
[email protected]


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## JaikumarS (Jul 20, 2017)

How do you maintain your PCs and future proof them? Say you buy a new PC today, 4 years down the line if there are any hardware failures how would tackle the situation since the motherboard/other components may not be available that time? 

Thanks
- Jaikumar.


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## Jeremy Spencer (Jul 20, 2017)

The nice part about a PC is that you can, for example, replace the motherboard and processor a few years down the road and use the existing components (power supply, case, drives, video card, etc). And once you do that, your primary drive (where the OS is located) needs to be reformatted. The thing blows with Windows is that you need to purchase the OS, unlike Mac where you simply download the latest version for free.


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## JohnG (Jul 20, 2017)

JaikumarS said:


> How do you maintain your PCs and future proof them?



As Wolfie says, you can reuse some of the parts -- power supply, case, video card, audio card (if you have one), SSD sample drives, maybe even the boot drive depending on how much you change.

If you're talking about a new build five years later, it's can be a challenge to reuse the RAM, which seems never to be quite what is needed for the new MOBO. Same with the CPU. But of course that all depends as well; sometimes you can upgrade a single component -- but if it's Windows, you may have to spend some time with tech support getting it reauthorised.


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## chimuelo (Jul 20, 2017)

Future proof.........
You buy spare parts.

I just retired a pair of Z97/4790k 4U rigs that will be spares.
They run everything I need and are fast.
I just finished a pair of 1Us using ASRock Z and H97m WS boards I bought back in 2015.
These boards have thick PCBs absolutely no frills and designed for high heat 24/7 use.

Until I see real performance gains from Intel or AMD I'm staying with Windows 8.1 and my Pre Z170/Windows 10 PCs.
Well aware there's faster more powerful designs.
But these builds have worked so well, and 1300 bucks a box, I'm satisfied.

I'd buy two of everything.
Why take a chance.

Nothing is wrong with the 2 x PCs I just shelved.
4 years from now I might use them again and rotate the new pair..


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## JaikumarS (Jul 20, 2017)

I have got into a situation where I bought an old PC from a friend,

Quad core i7 processor 3.2 GHz
24GB RAM
Gigabyte X58AUD7

Installed Windows 10 Pro and it keeps freezing everytime while booting sometimes after booting.

The tech spent 2 days on the machine and has no clue what the issue is.

If I had to replace my motherboard and processor could you suggest what could I buy now?

I want a decent machine at 32GB RAM will be using RME UCX, Cubase 9 & VEP .

Thank you.

- JS


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## Jeremy Spencer (Jul 20, 2017)

There could be so many things going wrong, but it may have nothing to do with your mobo/processor. Something similar happened to me once on Windows 7, turned out to be bad RAM.


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## heisenberg (Jul 20, 2017)

Agreed, could very well be a bad stick of RAM. These things do go and sometimes without warning. I would try taking out sticks of RAM, maybe a in pairs, maybe not, to see if you can determine if bad RAM is the problem. You can use a RAM diagnostic app but just pulling RAM and trying out the machine will often give you quicker and definitive results.


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## chimuelo (Jul 20, 2017)

Not much of a tech if he can't isolate the problem.
Should have never installed Windows 10 on an already functioning machine.
I'd try another clean install of 8.1.
X58 Bloomdale CPUs might be incompatible.
Great i7 board though. Ultradurables are great for audio.


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## JaikumarS (Jul 20, 2017)

Thank you All. I shall try it out.

May I know how you are running Cubase 9 on Win 7 ? Cubase keeps asking me to keep changing the Hi res Desktop theme to Simple Theme.

Would you recommend Win 7 or 8.1 for Cubase 9?


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## chimuelo (Jul 21, 2017)

I use cheap old Reaper for recording and Bidule for live work.
Cubase SX is where I jumped off.
Lots of Cubase users here though, just keep asking.


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## JaikumarS (Jul 21, 2017)

@chimuelo @Wolfie2112 , @heisenberg , @JohnG

Thank you for your suggestions.

Had given my PC to the Gigabyte service center here in Mumbai, India. They had told me that they'll get back to me in two days.

In case if it's a MOBO issue, then I'll have to replace it with a new one. Could you suggest which one to go for? My requirement is a MOBO which is compatible with i7 Quad core processor,32GB RAM

Could you also tell me which Windows version works well with RME UCX and Cubase 9 (if you guys are already using)?

Thank you.

-JS


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## Jeremy Spencer (Jul 21, 2017)

Just my opinion, but that's a tough question to answer. Are you planning on using the existing processor and Ram? If so, I would just get a whole new build with the best i7 processor you can afford. PC's are finicky when is comes to compatibility, as it's difficult to interchange an older processor/Ram with a new MOBO, etc. I'd also make sure you have a good power supply, like at least 650W. Win 7 or 10 will work fine, but I'm personally not a fan of anything past Win 7 Pro (just a preference, I hate how Win 10 looks).


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## JaikumarS (Jul 21, 2017)

Are you planning on using the existing processor and Ram? 

Thanks.Thats what I'm thinking too( a new MOBO with compatible, New Gen i7 Processor and 32GB RAM on Windows 7 Pro)


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## chimuelo (Jul 21, 2017)

Go cheap and fast.
Not sure what inventory is available.
SSDs + fastest CPU + stock RAM.
Windows 8.1 is my favorite OS.
RAM Snapshots make it boot up within seconds.


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## JaikumarS (Jul 22, 2017)

Update- my MOBO's RAM slots aren't working. The tech suggests to buy the same new motherboard - Gigabyte 
GA-X58A-UD7. 

Could you suggest another motherboard which could hold 8x4 = 32GB RAM? And goes with my i7 Quad core first generation processor? Thanks


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## Jeremy Spencer (Jul 22, 2017)

What are the exact specs of the processor? Is is like an i7 2700 or something?


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## JaikumarS (Jul 22, 2017)

inte core i7 950 .. 3.06 GHz
Gigabyte GA X58A UD7
Corsair DDR3 4x6 = 24GB RAM
Corsair 650W power supply
Kingston 240 SSD OS


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## XiphiasAudio (Jul 24, 2017)

I'm actually looking at doing the same thing!

Not sure on whether it would be better to look at a dual CPU build (12 core) and spend $4k on a beast? Or will it always be better to Get 2 high performance Quad/Hexacore for $2k and VE Pro it?

Also, better to get a quad core 3.8ghz or a 6 core 3.2ghz? (As a rough idea) for orchestral mockups?


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## Jeremy Spencer (Jul 24, 2017)

JaikumarS said:


> inte core i7 950 .. 3.06 GHz
> Gigabyte GA X58A UD7
> Corsair DDR3 4x6 = 24GB RAM
> Corsair 650W power supply
> Kingston 240 SSD OS



That's a fairly old processor, I doubt any newer MOBO's would work. Honestly, you're better off with a whole new build.


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## JaikumarS (Jul 25, 2017)

Wolfie2112 said:


> That's a fairly old processor, I doubt any newer MOBO's would work. Honestly, you're better off with a whole new build.



Planning to go with the old power supply,Corsair Mid Tower CM 690 II Cabinet. The new things that I'll have to buy are below:

Intel - Core i5-7400 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor
Corsair Vengeance LED DDR4-3200 288-pin DIMM 4x16 = 64GBRAM

Could you kindly suggest a good motherboard pls?


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## JohnG (Jul 25, 2017)

JaikumarS said:


> Could you kindly suggest a good motherboard pls?



Hi Jaikumar,

I've been having good luck with ASRock motherboards. I have a Z270 Pro4 in the latest build, which I chose because it has a PCI slot in addition to all the normal stuff. I think I have three ASRocks in different slave computers.

Suggest you look at a compatibility chart on ASRock's (or Gigabyte's or whatever manufacturer website you select) to confirm for sure that your CPU and RAM are compatible. I used PCPartpicker and it did not work -- parts were not compatible in any practical, workable sense.

Kind regards,

John


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## JaikumarS (Jul 25, 2017)

JohnG said:


> Hi Jaikumar,
> 
> I've been having good luck with ASRock motherboards. I have a Z270 Pro4 in the latest build, which I chose because it has a PCI slot in addition to all the normal stuff. I think I have three ASRocks in different slave computers.
> 
> ...




Thanks for writing back John.

I did use Partpicker and it says "ASRock - H270M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard has onboard USB 3.0 headers, but the Cooler Master - CM 690 II (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case does not have front panel USB 3.0 ports."
Can I still go ahead with this MOBO with Corsair Mid Tower CM 690 II Cabinet?


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## Jeremy Spencer (Jul 25, 2017)

I would strongly recommend an i7 Quad Core instead of the i5, you will have significant performance gains.


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## JohnG (Jul 25, 2017)

JaikumarS said:


> I did use Partpicker



Well, I for one have zero faith in Partpicker after my debacle. I would email the pre-sales support people at ASRock and the case-makers if you have questions.

Also, I have four Coolermaster cases but I am not convinced they are the best at all. There is another brand that does better keeping cables out of the way and tidy -- forgot the name.


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## JaikumarS (Sep 28, 2017)

Thank you John

I am going with the below config for my old rig -
Intel - Core i5-7400 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor
Asus - STRIX B250F GAMING ATX LGA1151 Motherboard
Crucial - Ballistix Sport LT 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory
Cooler Master - CM 690 II (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case
Corsair - CXM 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply
Microsoft - Windows 10 Pro OEM 64-bit

- JS


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## Jeremy Spencer (Sep 28, 2017)

JaikumarS said:


> Thank you John
> 
> I am going with the below config for my old rig -
> Intel - Core i5-7400 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor
> ...



For what it's worth, just a couple of suggestions...

1) Definitely go with an i7, not the i5

2) The power supply is overkill


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