# What PC Specs Should I buy For Music Production/composing?



## ebirch3 (Dec 18, 2020)

So I am buying a new PC build soon as my old one had definitely seen better days and my current one sounds like a helicopter taking off when I boot up CUBASE. I am not super computer savy when it comes to new builds but I have done a bit of research but am a little confused as to what CPU I should be getting. First things first I am not really looking to cut costs at the loss of performance as I want to spend the money to get a super quick machine that can get a lot done, such as working with synths, multiple plugins, template projects consisting of maybe 100-200 tracks. And other hobbies of mine such as gaming, streaming and video editing (not necessarily at the same time). I have been told that if I want a machine that can handle a ton of tracks and plugins in a DAW that I should be looking at an 8 core minimum. I also don't really know if I should be going for an I7-9th or 10th gen or an I9 cpu with 10 cores (maybe that's overkill, I don't know). If anyone could give me some reccomendations of what CPU I should be going for that would be great! Oh and currently I have been only looking at INTEL given I have heard some compatability issues with AMD processors. (apologies if that startes a debate haha)


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## steveo42 (Dec 18, 2020)

If you want a Windows PC and keep it bang for the buck, stay one level below the current super box..That is where you will be able to make the most of your money and if you look at various performance data, you will find that in real life, the difference will be minor but the cost will be far less.

I'm Intel 100 percent and I've been rolling my own since the original IBMPC which I built on a piece of plywood from spare parts I acquired. No aftermarket cases available yet. Check out the GS board and look for Pictus's posts.. I followed his suggestions and built a monster I9 system . I know a lot of AMD fans are out there and that is fantastic because without competition prices would be insane.. AMD has lots to offer but I just prefer Intel.. Ford vs Chevy if you will... Buy a decent case, quality SSD/NVME drives and choose wisely and you will be able to reuse in your future builds. Especially for case and power supply... 

The best advice I can offer is find systems that work for other people and copy them.
Here are 2 good threads.









The "today we build our studio pc" thread - Gearspace.com


Originally Posted by Analogue Mastering The pump makes a lot of noise, partly passive system with 1 or 2 Noctua fans is so much more silent. My pump ha



www.gearslutz.com










Windows - Avid Pro Audio Community


For topics related to Pro Tools software on Microsoft's operating system. (Was "Pro Tools Software Win")



duc.avid.com





You might want to ping pictus. I think he is on this board as well.

Best wishes!


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## Justin L. Franks (Dec 19, 2020)

steveo42 said:


> I know a lot of AMD fans are out there and that is fantastic because without competition prices would be insane.. AMD has lots to offer but I just prefer Intel.



AMD's comeback has definitely helped everyone. We were stuck with quad-core CPUs on the desktop (with only marginal improvements per generation) for a decade because Intel didn't have any real competition.


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## Pictus (Dec 19, 2020)

As the Mandalorian says, "Go for AMD, this is the way!" 

CPU - AMD Ryzen 9 5900X or 5950X

CPU cooler, a BIG 420mm AIO to place in the case top position


https://pcpartpicker.com/products/cpu-cooler/#W=10420&sort=price&page=1



Case, something big enough to fit the cooler and any monster GPU


https://pcpartpicker.com/products/case/#m=106&f=3&B=1&sort=price&page=1



RAM, this is the one that gives less headaches


https://pcpartpicker.com/products/memory/#m=12&Z=65536002&S=3600,5100&sort=price&page=1



Motherboard with 2 Thunderbolt ports (only one of the NVMe SSDs is GEN*4*, not a deal breaker for me)


https://pcpartpicker.com/product/gN7p99/gigabyte-b550-vision-d-atx-am4-motherboard-b550-vision-d


or
Motherboard with Thunderbolt header(https://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-GC-Titan-2-0-Thunderbolt-Component/dp/B08BC11XW8 (can add a TB card)), but can handle 3 NVMe GEN*4* SSDs


https://pcpartpicker.com/product/QN7p99/gigabyte-b550-aorus-master-atx-am4-motherboard-b550-aorus-master


This motherboard have an interesting lanes sharing scheme, 2 NVMe SSDs share bandwidth
with the GPU, but it is not a concern when using GEN*4* GPU/SSDs.
Good that the SSDs are all connect direct to the CPU and do not pass through the chipset!

SSD, for video editing you want 2 Samsung 970 EVO Plus, but hey are GEN3
for GEN*4* SSDs go for Seagate FireCuda 520

GPU, I suspect you want to play Cyberpunk 2077, so read the review








Cyberpunk 2077: PC graphics perf benchmark review


It's probably the most hyped up title if the year, but the wait is finally over, Cyberpunk 2077 has made its way towards the PC. And yeah, what a game and what a feast for the eyes. We'll check it o... Article - Guide - Review




www.guru3d.com




For Nvidia and audio applications you should do some tweaks





Nvidia Driver, no latency anymore?


Hi all! We all know that AMD drivers have from far, less latency than Nvidia drivers, and for that reason we all recommand an AMD graphic card for audio working. But recently i have dealt with a new install on a PC with an Nvidia graphic card. And when i updated to the latest driver i saw an...




vi-control.net





PSU will depend on your GPU choice








Best Power Supplies 2022


These PSUs offer the best reliability, performance and protection for your system and its components.




www.tomshardware.com


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## ebirch3 (Dec 19, 2020)

@Pictus Thanks for the in depth reply man ! I know I said costs isn't to much of an issue my new build. But is there anything slightly cheaper than the Ryzen 9 5900X or 5950X as they are areound 650 pounds or 850 bucks. What would be the next level down from those guys ?


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## Pictus (Dec 19, 2020)

I am glad to help, the 5800X


https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/qtvqqs/amd-ryzen-7-5800x-38-ghz-8-core-processor-100-100000063wof


For the 5800X you can go fine with Noctua NH-D15 and smaller case if it fits the GPU.


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## ebirch3 (Dec 20, 2020)

@Pictus Thanks man ! The reviews for the 5800x look incredible so think I will go for that CPU. Also had has anyone had any issues with AMD CPU's interms of pluggins in DAW's as I have heard mixed reviews online. I'm guessing @Pictus you use AMD cpu for music production and it's all fine ? 

Also one other question? Do you know why like no high end GPU's are availble right now. I want to get the "ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 2060 Twin Fan 6GB GDDR6 192-bit Gaming Graphics Card" but seems to be out of stock everwhere I look. Other 2060 cards also seem to be out of stock :( Guess it's due to Covid and it being nearly christmas!


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## Pictus (Dec 20, 2020)

You are welcome!
Yes, I use AMD, but I am not from the "sound world"...
Just pass into the sound forums to help the clueless musicians. 

Very little sound test with my Ryzen 5600X, but the 5000 series are fantastic CPUs!
Generally speaking , they are the most responsive, snappy CPUs, a LOT less LAG!!
They are the king of snappiness!!!
Look here https://www.gearslutz.com/board/music-computers/1328642-amd-ryzen-5000-series-16.html#post15181952

As the NVIDIA 2000 series was replaced by 3000, I suspect that the 2000 chips are
no longer manufactured...


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## asopala (Dec 20, 2020)

Pictus said:


> As the NVIDIA 2000 series was replaced by 3000, I suspect that the 2000 chips are
> no longer manufactured...



My understanding is that because of the low stock and ridiculously high demand for computer parts over the last 35+ weeks, they're out of items. Once the 3000 series sold out instantly, people went for the previous gen stuff if it was available.


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## Robert_G (Dec 21, 2020)

Pictus said:


> As the Mandalorian says, "Go for AMD, this is the way!"
> CPU - AMD Ryzen 9 5900X or 5950X



Looking at the newest benchmarks and analysts, it seems that the 5900x series has made improvements mostly for gaming. In fact, for multitasking like DAW work, the 3900x series is just fine and will save you a few bucks....not to mention that there are more than enough motherboards for the 3900x/3950x that have generation 4.0 for those newer nvme drives. Those same MBs can also be upgraded to the 5900x series cpu later if that's what you want.


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## ebirch3 (Dec 21, 2020)

@Robert_G Thanks for the reply man. I am tossing up between the ryzen 7 - 5800x and the ryzen 9 - 3900x. Any thoughts on which one is better or are they both in similar ball park when it comes to performance?


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## Robert_G (Dec 21, 2020)

ebirch3 said:


> @Robert_G Thanks for the reply man. I am tossing up between the ryzen 7 - 5800x and the ryzen 9 - 3900x. Any thoughts on which one is better or are they both in similar ball park when it comes to performance?



One is 8 core and one is 12 core. Huge difference.


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## ebirch3 (Dec 21, 2020)

@Robert_G ahh okay looks like the 3900x will be my choice then haha


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## Robert_G (Dec 21, 2020)

ebirch3 said:


> @Robert_G ahh okay looks like the 3900x will be my choice then haha



Just so I don't look like an armchair suggestion....I just purchased the 3900x yesterday for my 2021 build. I will hopefully have it running by the new year.


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## ebirch3 (Dec 21, 2020)

@Robert_G Ahh nice man! Yeah I'm so excited to get my new build up and running. Hopefully I'll be able to get mine sometime in January, or whenever I can get my hands on a decent GPU as so many ones that I want appear to be sold out :(


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## Robert_G (Dec 21, 2020)

ebirch3 said:


> @Robert_G Ahh nice man! Yeah I'm so excited to get my new build up and running. Hopefully I'll be able to get mine sometime in January, or whenever I can get my hands on a decent GPU as so many ones that I want appear to be sold out :(



Unless you are into intense 4k gaming, you don't need to spend more than $250 U.S. on a video card. Just pick something that has enough connections for however many monitors you use.


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## ed buller (Dec 21, 2020)

If you are in the UK I would heartily recommend Carillon : https://www.carillonac1.com/

I'm on my second machine. They are fantastic and the support is wonderful

best

e


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## ebirch3 (Dec 21, 2020)

@Robert_G I'm pretty into gaming. But I mostly play world of warcraft so not that GPU intensive. I was kind of keen on getting the new raytracing stuff but again yeah not a necessity. And condisering like no RTX 2060 cards seem to be availiable I might just go for a GTX 1660 Ti


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## Pictus (Dec 21, 2020)

Robert_G said:


> Looking at the newest benchmarks and analysts, it seems that the 5900x series has made improvements mostly for gaming. In fact, for multitasking like DAW work, the 3900x series is just fine and will save you a few bucks....not to mention that there are more than enough motherboards for the 3900x/3950x that have generation 4.0 for those newer nvme drives. Those same MBs can also be upgraded to the 5900x series cpu later if that's what you want.


I had one 3600 and now have a 5600X, but not tested for audio...
Anyway, we will know how much better the 5000 series are when scan do a new test





Test Labs | Scan Pro Audio







www.scanproaudio.info




I suspect you guys will be surprised...


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## Jeremy Spencer (Dec 21, 2020)

For what it’s worth, I just had a new slave PC built, to replace my i7 2700k (served me well for ten years). I wasn’t going to go back to using a slave, but I’ve decided to hold off on a new Mac until the new versions are released.

Went with an i7 10700 with 64GB. This thing is a beast.


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## Justin L. Franks (Dec 21, 2020)

Robert_G said:


> One is 8 core and one is 12 core. Huge difference.



Zen 3 (5000 series) cannot be compared to Zen 2 (3000 series) like that. With the very large generational improvements in the 5000 series CPUs, the 5800X is mostly equivalent in performance to the 3900X despite having less cores. Some synthetic benchmarks actually give an edge to the 5800X over the 3900X.


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## Robert_G (Dec 21, 2020)

Justin L. Franks said:


> Some synthetic benchmarks actually give an edge to the 5800X over the 3900X.



I have not seen any of those benchmarks comparing those 2 like that. Any links to them?


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## Justin L. Franks (Dec 22, 2020)

Robert_G said:


> I have not seen any of those benchmarks comparing those 2 like that. Any links to them?



Synthetic benchmarks never translate 100% to real-world loads, but I've found Geekbench to be pretty adequate. Comparing the Geekbench results between my 1st iMac (2012, i7-3770) and 2nd iMac (2015, i7-6700K), and between my 2nd iMac and my current iMac (2019, i9-9900K), the difference in Geekbench scores were fairly close to how many additional tracks in a Logic project I could run simultaneously in a simple test.

The 3900X gets a Geekbench 5 score of 1282 single core / 11865 multi-core.
The 5800X gets a Geekbench 5 score of 1662 single core / 10363 multi-core.

So there's a significant edge for the 5800X in single core performance, and only a slight decrease in multi-core performance.

Ryzen processors also have typically received firmware updates a few months after release, which gave a decent boost in performance. The 3000 series have already gotten theirs, but the 5000 series have not. I expect that the multi-core performance of the 5800X will run even more neck-and-neck with the 3900X when it gets its firmware updates, and may even pull ahead.

Basically, even though the 5800X has only 8 cores, each of those cores are rather significantly more powerful than the cores in the 3900X. So, despite having four fewer cores, it still holds its own.

And, when it is in stock, the 5800X is actually cheaper than the 3900X by a not insignificant amount. The 5900X (also when it is in stock, which is an issue right now), isn't much more than a 3900X, and it _definitely_ is a *big* upgrade in performance. You get the same core count, but each of them are the more-powerful ones found in the 5800X.


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## ogrim1 (Dec 22, 2020)

ebirch3 said:


> @Robert_G I'm pretty into gaming. But I mostly play world of warcraft so not that GPU intensive. I was kind of keen on getting the new raytracing stuff but again yeah not a necessity. And condisering like no RTX 2060 cards seem to be availiable I might just go for a GTX 1660 Ti


1660 Super if it's available.


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## Synetos (Dec 22, 2020)

Jeremy Spencer said:


> For what it’s worth, I just had a new slave PC built, to replace my i7 2700k (served me well for ten years). I wasn’t going to go back to using a slave, but I’ve decided to hold off on a new Mac until the new versions are released.
> 
> Went with an i7 10700 with 64GB. This thing is a beast.


I too just built an i7 10700k with 32GB, and I agree that it runs amazingly well. I am tempted to use it as my main DAW, and use my i9 7980XE purely as a VEP node.

If I set it up right, I wouldn't need all that much power on the DAW. It would allow me to have all the sample libraries running on VEP, along with offloading non-waves plugins. Since I run soundgrid with an extreme server, all my Waves plugs are running off world on the waves server. That would mean I would need very little plugin overhead running on the DAW itself.

Why would I do that? The clock speed! Even though I overclock my 7980XE to 3.8Ghz all cores, the 10700k would run even faster! It's base clock is 3.8 and turbos up to 5.1. I might even then throttle back my 7980XE to let it run a bit cooler for longevity.

I have read other threads that suggest using the most core CPU/slowest Clock, as a VEP node, and use the less core/faster clock speed for the DAW. 

It's worth a try.


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## Jeremy Spencer (Dec 22, 2020)

Synetos said:


> I too just built an i7 10700k with 32GB, and I agree that it runs amazingly well. I am tempted to use it as my main DAW, and use my i9 7980XE purely as a VEP node.
> 
> If I set it up right, I wouldn't need all that much power on the DAW. It would allow me to have all the sample libraries running on VEP, along with offloading non-waves plugins. Since I run soundgrid with an extreme server, all my Waves plugs are running off world on the waves server. That would mean I would need very little plugin overhead running on the DAW itself.
> 
> ...



Nice! Not sure about your template sizes, but might even be able to use the i7 without a slave. I even thought about ditching the Mac and going back to using Cubase on the single machine (but the thought was short lived!). I’m sure it could easily handle it, that i7 is no slouch.


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## ZeroZero (Dec 22, 2020)

Just my 2 pennies. I built a machine this year, but its now outdated. I put the max of 64 gb in my board, but now you can get 128 gb boards - go for that. You don't need the best memory as this only makes at most a 5% difference. It's the most important thing for running lots of VSTs.
If on the other hand you just want audio four tracks for your band, then don't bother - use your iPad or your phone (lol). I assume below you want the best.
Currently AMD is way best for speed the 5800X way out performs the i9s. In fact most of he top tier of AMD do. Don't spend on graphics cards for music. I run mine of the on board graphics card and it works just fine. I do remember decades ago their were a few hyper threading issues with AMD and Cubase. All gone I expect, but do check with the Steinberg hardware forum.

Mobo wise, stick with AMD or Gigabyte or some good manufacturer. Consider if you want on baord WIFI to hook up to your phone and small devices. I dont think you need a top gaming board for music mine is a ROG Strix Z390-E. A reasonable board, not slow, but not one for gaming. I dont use water cooling here as I am worried (probably wrongly) about noise. Make sure you have enough SATA ports for your drive. Do you want blue tooth?

Case. My regret is not buying a good case. Mine is OK, but next time I would get better. I would say a see through panel is good and thumb type screws for easy access. 

Want to know what it the _best _thing I have done for my new system? I purchased 2 cheapest of cheap TV's and use these as my main monitors. It's *fantastic*. Now I have ROOM! My monitor space now measures a *Whopping 6 ft by 19 inches!* I would never go back to small monitors! Even these run off on board graphics. If you do get a graphics card consider a fanless one, if your DAW is where you do your recording. You can also tone down the noise by looking at fan options in the BIOS.

You don't need slave PC's any more, just use "Disable track" in Cubase. You don't need Vepro any more. I have it, I don't use it. With Disable my master
Use M.2 drives (I have three) check your choice of mobo for slots. Especially for the system drive. Make sure that is 1 tb or you will be crying for space. SSD's Samsung are probably the best, I have three of these and they do perform. I have an Intel Core i7 8700k (before AMD announced) and its working as if it were instantaneous.
Make sure you get plenty of USB 3 slots for your gear. I have run out and need hubs - they are OK for mice and querties, but not so good for heavy traffic. The future is type C, but for now you probably need conventional sockets.
FYI: whilst I type this I have my master template loaded, with a thousand or more disabled tracks. Ram used is 16 gb, CPU 18%. Though I can't open all the tracks at once, I can easily work with it opening a couple of hundred tracks or so at a time. What I do for music is simple "import from project" to a fresh virgin project, that way there is no load at all on the music project, apart from what is required. I religiously use Kontakt's purge function in my templates. 


Good Luck

Z


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## Jeremy Spencer (Dec 22, 2020)

ZeroZero said:


> Just my 2 pennies. I built a machine this year, but its now outdated. I put the max of 64 gb in my board, but now you can get 128 gb boards - go for that. You don't need the best memory as this only makes at most a 5% difference. It's the most important thing for running lots of VSTs.
> If on the other hand you just want audio four tracks for your band, then don't bother - use your iPad or your phone (lol). I assume below you want the best.
> Currently AMD is way best for speed the 5800X way out performs the i9s. In fact most of he top tier of AMD do. Don't spend on graphics cards for music. I run mine of the on board graphics card and it works just fine. I do remember decades ago their were a few hyper threading issues with AMD and Cubase. All gone I expect, but do check with the Steinberg hardware forum.
> 
> ...



with all due respect, do you have real world tests that show the AMD is the way to go? And what is your reasoning?

Regarding VEPro, I strongly disagree. Maybe you don’t work on multiple cues with the same templates, but for those of us that do, it’s a necessity. I can’t imagine trying to load hundreds of tracks every time I switch projects. I also don’t want to use Windows as my primary DAW, so using my MacBook as a master, along with a powerful PC slave, is a very economical alternative to a spec’d out Mac.


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## ogrim1 (Dec 22, 2020)

ZeroZero said:


> Just my 2 pennies. I built a machine this year, but its now outdated. I put the max of 64 gb in my board, but now you can get 128 gb boards - go for that. You don't need the best memory as this only makes at most a 5% difference. It's the most important thing for running lots of VSTs.
> If on the other hand you just want audio four tracks for your band, then don't bother - use your iPad or your phone (lol). I assume below you want the best.
> Currently AMD is way best for speed the 5800X way out performs the i9s. In fact most of he top tier of AMD do. Don't spend on graphics cards for music. I run mine of the on board graphics card and it works just fine. I do remember decades ago their were a few hyper threading issues with AMD and Cubase. All gone I expect, but do check with the Steinberg hardware forum.
> 
> ...



Water coolers are quieter than traditional air coolers.
When it comes to picking a mobo brand- look at the specific model not the brand (you get realistically 4 brands anyway, MSI, Gigabyte, Asus, ASRock).
OP said he wants to play games on his PC and GPUs nowadays don't engage fans until it reaches certain temp, so it's pointless to go fanless.
And unless you're blind, buying two cheapest TV's was probably the worst thing you've done to your new system lol, sorry (I'm kidding if they are 4k, and from my calculations these are 42inches so pixel density should be decent with that resolution).

Edit: I need to know the models of these TV's, from what I'm reading cheap 4k models have only 30Hz refresh rate and it might be terrible for wroking.


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## quickbrownf0x (Dec 22, 2020)

Jeremy Spencer said:


> with all due respect, do you have real world tests that show the AMD is the way to go? And what is your reasoning?
> 
> Regarding VEPro, I strongly disagree. Maybe you don’t work on multiple cues with the same templates, but for those of us that do, it’s a necessity. I can’t imagine trying to load hundreds of tracks every time I switch projects. I also don’t want to use Windows as my primary DAW, so using my MacBook as a master, along with a powerful PC slave, is a very economical alternative to a spec’d out Mac.


Maybe he means you can get by just fine without, which I guess is true, but man - I totally agree with what you're saying here. Using VEPro, a (PC) slave or two (or three or five lol) can make such a difference.


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## ZeroZero (Dec 23, 2020)

quickbrownf0x said:


> Maybe he means you can get by just fine without, which I guess is true, but man - I totally agree with what you're saying here. Using VEPro, a (PC) slave or two (or three or five lol) can make such a difference.


Well friendly like, we disagree. Remember you can get one PC now with 256 gigabytes of memory and super fast AMD 5800 and fit them with Super large M.2s.


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## ZeroZero (Dec 23, 2020)

ogrim1 said:


> Water coolers are quieter than traditional air coolers.
> When it comes to picking a mobo brand- look at the specific model not the brand (you get realistically 4 brands anyway, MSI, Gigabyte, Asus, ASRock).
> OP said he wants to play games on his PC and GPUs nowadays don't engage fans until it reaches certain temp, so it's pointless to go fanless.
> And unless you're blind, buying two cheapest TV's was probably the worst thing you've done to your new system lol, sorry (I'm kidding if they are 4k, and from my calculations these are 42inches so pixel density should be decent with that resolution).
> ...



I agree with most of that. No experience of water cooled machines, I am sure you are right. 

As for the "unless your blind" quip let me ask you this: Back in the day, you had a 19" TV in your living room, not you might have 50" or more. Would you suggest going back to the small screen? 

It feels great to me having the real estate. I would NEVER go back to a monitor, it would feel silly - to me. Why squint and peer, when you can just look and see? You see the big studios using this set up.

As for my TV's they are not even 4k they are HD. Mine are 60K refresh rate. I never game, so this aspect does not bother me. Watching VIdeos is no problem. There are a few things I set up, like enlarging fonts and icons to suit the screen. Cubase does not need high refresh rates. IfI bought today I would probably go 4k, but that would be for video definition and whim, not for Cubase.


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## ZeroZero (Dec 23, 2020)

Jeremy Spencer said:


> with all due respect, do you have real world tests that show the AMD is the way to go? And what is your reasoning?
> 
> Regarding VEPro, I strongly disagree. Maybe you don’t work on multiple cues with the same templates, but for those of us that do, it’s a necessity. I can’t imagine trying to load hundreds of tracks every time I switch projects. I also don’t want to use Windows as my primary DAW, so using my MacBook as a master, along with a powerful PC slave, is a very economical alternative to a spec’d out Mac.


 I am not on Mac, I am on PC. I do not understand Mac world. You may need VEPRO, I should have said on Windows. 

AMD versus Intel: 
Well its all over the net. E.g.
AMD take four top spots and out do same for same on prices. https://www.tomshardware.com/uk/reviews/cpu-hierarchy,4312.html


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## quickbrownf0x (Dec 23, 2020)

ZeroZero said:


> Well friendly like, we disagree. Remember you can get one PC now with 256 gigabytes of memory and super fast AMD 5800 and fit them with Super large M.2s.



Yeah, I can see where you're coming from. 👍🏻


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## Pictus (Dec 23, 2020)

ZeroZero said:


> Well friendly like, we disagree. Remember you can get one PC now with 256 gigabytes of memory and super fast AMD 5800 and fit them with Super large M.2s.


AMD 5800X max RAM is 128GB.


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## Jeremy Spencer (Dec 23, 2020)

ZeroZero said:


> I am not on Mac, I am on PC. I do not understand Mac world. You may need VEPRO, I should have said on Windows.
> 
> AMD versus Intel:
> Well its all over the net. E.g.
> AMD take four top spots and out do same for same on prices. https://www.tomshardware.com/uk/reviews/cpu-hierarchy,4312.html



I'm still using VEPro on Windows (slave), and it is a Godsend when it comes to workng on multiple cues.....zero downtime between projects (no reloading). 

Those benchmarks don't mean too much unless you're a gamer. I'm talking about real world DAW tests. I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that the latest Intel's are as fast (if not more efficient) than the AMD's when it comes to DAW performance. I think in today's world, it really comes dow to personal preference and budget. My i7 10700 processor was only $375 (complete build with 64GB was under $1500), and I can assure you, it's no slouch. I also run Cubase 10 from this machine, and she's solid.


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## Robert_G (Dec 23, 2020)

Pictus said:


> AMD 5800X max RAM is 128GB.



Its also easy to forget that Windows 10 Home maxes out at 128gb RAM....the MB and/or CPU wont increase that.


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## asopala (Dec 23, 2020)

Robert_G said:


> Its also easy to forget that Windows 10 Home maxes out at 128gb RAM....the MB and/or CPU wont increase that.



True, but considering Windows is basically free (cause the Microsoft guys are both cool with and encourage the grey market sale of Windows), it's not much of an issue.


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## Pictus (Dec 23, 2020)

Jeremy Spencer said:


> Those benchmarks don't mean too much unless you're a gamer. I'm talking about real world DAW tests.



DAWbench:






Test Labs | Scan Pro Audio







www.scanproaudio.info










Core Wars! AMD & Intel CPUs Tested


AMD's third-generation Ryzen chips have reignited the CPU arms race with Intel — but which is best for a music-production PC?




www.soundonsound.com


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## ZeroZero (Dec 23, 2020)

Pictus said:


> DAWbench:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



That's an interesting SOund on Sound Article. I have three M.2 drives and I think this is why my system is so nippy.


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## vitocorleone123 (Dec 23, 2020)

Pictus said:


> DAWbench:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Things being equal, I'd get Intel over AMD. 

*But things haven't been equal for quite awhile now*. There's very little reason, if any, right now to go Intel. If Intel doesn't rally back in the coming year or so, I think they're in trouble and should look to sell parts of the business off. Even if they do, they could still be in trouble. But that's a separate topic  

Other than adjusting for personal preferences if needed, I'd follow Pictus' recommendations.


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## Przemek K. (Dec 23, 2020)

I guess the only thing Intel has over AMD is their more flexible x299 HEDT platform.
You can put in 256gb ram in mobos featuring this chipset. The mobos aren't even too expensive and cpus are ok too price wise. With AMD you'd need to go with the Treadripper platform to have the possibility putting in 256 gb ram, but the lowest priced cpu (24core) is expensive.


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## Jeremy Spencer (Dec 23, 2020)

Pictus said:


> DAWbench:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



according to those results for virtual instrument handling, i9 is the clear winner.


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## Pictus (Dec 24, 2020)

Jeremy Spencer said:


> according to those results for virtual instrument handling, i9 is the clear winner.


For the AMD 5000 series I would add 20% more to the results...


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## Synetos (Dec 26, 2020)

I recently built a new system with 10700k (only bought that one because I couldn't get the 10900k).
This led me down a path of experimentation, and I have landed on the best configuration I have ever had in my studio.

As part of my test, I made the 10700k machine my main DAW, and I moved my 7980XE to be purely VEP slave. I own a pile of plugins and VSTs, but I kept the DAW clean with nothing installed but Studio One and Waves Soundgrid.

The real key in performance was to have three isolated network cards in each machine. I have Soundgrid, VEP, and Internet, all on separate networks. This is huge for SGS and VEP. Nothing internet related is polluting those network connections. I stopped remote controlling my VEP server, and setup a dedicated monitor, then run Synergy for sharing keyboard and mouse over the INT network. 

I can now run my DAW at 64 samples, zero buffers on VEP instances(although I usually set it to one buffer, just because I don't need to have it that tight), and it is all running smooth as butter at a RT latency of 4.8ms. All my Waves plugs run on the extreme server off the DAW using Waves StudioRack, and I have VEP for audio plugs that I want to use outside the Waves ecosystem. 

In addition, I also recently switched to Studio One from mostly running Cubase/Nuendo. I really like the workflow of Studio One. It feels like a blending of Logic and Cubase to me. I think finding the right DAW to match how you like to work is really important. I own nearly all major DAWs, except Protools, and I now feel the most at home in Studio One. 

This setup is such a joy to work on now.


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## Fredeke (Dec 26, 2020)

steveo42 said:


> If you want a Windows PC and keep it bang for the buck, stay one level below the current super box..That is where you will be able to make the most of your money and if you look at various performance data, you will find that in real life, the difference will be minor but the cost will be far less.


True. In addition, you need the most reliable parts, with the most stable and least latency-inducing drivers (that matters even for parts that have nothing to do with sound!), and those are better identified when they've been around for a while.
When I needed a PC for the studio, I went to one of the few shops I trust and told them: "I want a computer made of parts that are one year old and have proven their reliability in that time"
I bought all the parts from them and put them together myself. I'm rather happy with what I've got.
But you need to know a competent shop. Otherwise, ask around the forums, but that's a lengthier process.


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