# Need to buy new studio computer while on a deadline



## Boberg (Nov 18, 2022)

Hi.

Sorry for starting another of these threads, but I’ve been searching and reading a lot and I’m just getting confused at this point. I have a lot of questions, and if anyone can guide me in the correct direction I’d be very thankful.

My current old PC has started to give up, and I’m therefore looking for a new one. I’m also working with a game soundtrack at the moment, and therefore have a deadline to take into account, so I’d prefer to get it quite quickly. My budget for a new computer would be 1500-2000€.

I mainly write with samples and use libraries such as Cine- Strings, brass, woods and perc as my foundation for my template, I tend to also use Omnisphere quite a lot as well as some extra libraries, for example Strikeforce or something from EastWest.

*CPU*
What confuses me the most is the CPU. What should I take in extra account med judging CPUs?

As I’ve understood it the amount of cores is very important as well as the IPC together with the frequency. Is there any other part of the CPU that is critical?
Is it worth getting an i7 processor instead of an i5? Or should I go for AMD? I’ve looked at AMD Ryzen 7 5700X as an example. Would it be a viable choice?
To be able to work fluently with libraries like Omnisphere and the Cineorch, what is necessary? How good of a processor do I need? How can I judge different CPUs for this type of work?
I obviously also want to be able to use other libraries, but they are my go-to at the moment.

*RAM*
I’m also aiming for 32GB of RAM, or one with 16GB that I can upgrade with more. I have quite some ram in my current computer that I might be able to import. How much does the speed of RAM help?

*Upgrading further*
How can I check if a PC is able to be upgraded well further down the line?

Also, if anyone knows of a good site to purchase from with relatively quick delivery times, that’d be very helpful. Or if anyone know of good Black Friday sales  I’m based in Sweden.

Thank you very much in advance for any help. This came a bit quickly for me as my old computer gave up, so I’m very happy for any help.


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## Boberg (Nov 19, 2022)

I've been looking at a Lenovo Legion Tower i7 a bit now, as I've found it for 400€ off with a good delivery time. It's currently at 1900€. I am aware that it's built as a gaming PC, but I still believe it could be a good choice with the discounted price. The specs are as following:

CPU
Intel Core i7 11th gen. 11700KF
Clock frequency: 3.6 GHz
Max turbospeed: 5 GHz
Number of cores: 8
Cache: 16MB

RAM
16GB DDR4 SDRAM 3200 MHz

Storage
SSD - M.2 2280 1TB
PCI Express 3.0

GPU
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti 8GB GDDR6X SDRAM

I realise I'm probably paying a bit extra for the GPU, but as I do some video editing work and gaming occassionally I'm fine with that.

Would this be a reasonable choice? Or is there something I should think differently about?

Product page (in swedish unfortunately): https://www.komplett.se/product/120...dator-stationar/lenovo-legion-t7i#productinfo

Thanks in advance for any assistance!


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## easyrider (Nov 19, 2022)

Intel Core i7 11th gen. 11700KF

This cpu is dead tech

The whole machine you posted is a complete waste of money and a rip off.

where are you based?


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## Boberg (Nov 19, 2022)

easyrider said:


> Intel Core i7 11th gen. 11700KF
> 
> This cpu is dead tech
> 
> ...


Well, that was suprising. Thanks for letting me know! What is it that makes it so bad?

I’m based in Sweden.


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## Henu (Nov 19, 2022)

@Boberg , have you checked https://sharkgaming.se/ ? Though it seems that the stuff is quite pricey there.

If you are able to build your own rig, I'd definitely go with that option. You can basically just replace the MoBo and processor (and get enough RAM too) and your Windows installation could be still good to go.


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## easyrider (Nov 19, 2022)

Boberg said:


> Well, that was suprising. Thanks for letting me know! What is it that makes it so bad?
> 
> I’m based in Sweden.



Rubbish CPU
Only 16GB ram
Low storage

High Price.

Intel are now on the 13900K series chips to Rival the Ryzen 7000 series chips.

I would look at building a PC yourself, or getting someone to help you.

What is you Current PC spec?

Cheers xx


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## Boberg (Nov 19, 2022)

Henu said:


> @Boberg , have you checked https://sharkgaming.se/ ? Though it seems that the stuff is quite pricey there.
> 
> If you are able to build your own rig, I'd definitely go with that option. You can basically just replace the MoBo and processor (and get enough RAM too) and your Windows installation could be still good to go.


Thanks for the tip! I will check their stuff out.

I’m not really interested in building my own, as I’ve never done it and don’t have the knowledge. I’d rather get a prebuilt to be honest as I’m on a deadline and it would probably take me time to build my own. I could configure the computer myself through the website I linked above though, to swap out parts. Maybe that’s a reasonable middle-ground?



easyrider said:


> Rubbish CPU
> Only 16GB ram
> Low storage
> 
> ...


I see. I do plan on adding more RAM to it to get 32GB to it, which would be sufficient for my current needs.

Should I aim to the get the latest series of intel or Ryzen processors? Is it reasonable within my budget of 1500-2000€?

My current PC is absolutely shit, so anything I buy will be a huge upgrade really. I know building your own computer would be optimal, but I would prefer not too. I suppose it would take me a lot of time due to my limited knowledge, and I’m currently on a deadline with a project.


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## easyrider (Nov 19, 2022)

Boberg said:


> Thanks for the tip! I will check their stuff out.
> 
> I’m not really interested in building my own, as I’ve never done it and don’t have the knowledge. I’d rather get a prebuilt to be honest as I’m on a deadline and it would probably take me time to build my own. I could configure the computer myself through the website I linked above though, to swap out parts. Maybe that’s a reasonable middle-ground?
> 
> ...


Look here,



https://www.scan.co.uk/shop/music-and-pro-audio/pre-built-systems/all



i think they ship to EU.


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## Boberg (Nov 19, 2022)

easyrider said:


> Look here,
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That looks to be a great website for my purpose. Thank you! According to their customer service they do ship to Sweden if I make a personal request, so it should work.

Browsing through their products I found two alternatives that I believe could be good. But then again, I was very wrong before so I might be wrong now as well.

First alternative:


https://www.scan.co.uk/products/scan-gamer-rtx-intel-core-i7-12700f-16gb-ddr4-8gb-evga-rtx-3050-1tb-m2-ssd-win-11-see-info


Intel core i7 12700F with 12 cores seem to me to be a good option for CPU. The drawback is the 16GB of RAM, and if I understand correctly there's only 2 slots for RAM. I could upgrade it with two 32GB of RAM I suppose, which would be sufficient for me.

Second alternative:


https://www.scan.co.uk/products/3xs-project-daw-amd-ryzen-7-5800x-32gb-ddr4-500gb-m2-ssd-1tb-m2-ssd-win-11-see-info


The CPU is AMD Ryzen 7 5800X. In comparison it “only” has 8 cores but seem to have a higher speed. From CPU benchmark tests the i7 above is better. But could this also be a reasonable CPU because of the high speed?

This one also comes with 32GB ram and has empty slots so would be easier to upgrade the RAM. Though, this one seems more restricted graphics wise, but I don't do all that graphic heavy stuff, so I guess it should still work.

If the CPU is as good in the 2nd alternative as the 1st, it seems to be the better choice for music. So I suppose I wonder how big the difference in CPU power they have?

Thanks once again for all the assistance. It helps me a lot.


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## easyrider (Nov 19, 2022)

Get this



https://www.scan.co.uk/products/3xs-project-daw-intel-core-i7-12700k-32gb-ddr5-500gb-m2-ssd-1tb-m2-ssd-win11-see-info



and ask them to swap out the 12700k cpu for 

this instead…

Intel 16 Core i7 13700K Raptor Lake CPU/Processor​
difference in cost is £60


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## Boberg (Nov 19, 2022)

easyrider said:


> Get this
> 
> 
> 
> ...



That computer looks great for music production, but the Intel UHD graphics are very limited. As I’m a hobbyist I want to be able to use the PC for some other stuff as well, and not just as a studio computer even if that is the primary purpose. So that would mean I’d need to add a GPU as well, and then it would get too pricey unfortunately.

I see that the RAM is better, and the storage space. But I suppose both of these could be updated by time with the above variants, which I could do when I have the budget for it. Or is there any limitations to the motherboards for this?

How large of a change would the CPU swap really give in practice?

Thanks again for the help.


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## easyrider (Nov 19, 2022)

Boberg said:


> That computer looks great for music production, but the Intel UHD graphics are very limited. As I’m a hobbyist I want to be able to use the PC for some other stuff as well, and not just as a studio computer even if that is the primary purpose. So that would mean I’d need to add a GPU as well, and then it would get too pricey unfortunately.
> 
> I see that the RAM is better, and the storage space. But I suppose both of these could be updated by time with the above variants, which I could do when I have the budget for it. Or is there any limitations to the motherboards for this?
> 
> ...



The price difference between the 12700k and 13700k is just £60

The 13700k beats the 12900k for less.

Getting the 13700k is a no brainier.



https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/compare.html?productIds=134594,230500


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## easyrider (Nov 19, 2022)

Essentials​

Product Collection

Vertical Segment

Processor Number

Status

Launch Date

Lithography

Use Conditions

Recommended Customer Price



Product Collection
12th Generation Intel® Core™ i7 Processors13th Generation Intel® Core™ i7 Processors
Vertical Segment
DesktopDesktop
Processor Number
i7-12700Ki7-13700K
Status
LaunchedLaunched
Launch Date
Q4'21Q4'22
Lithography
Intel 7Intel 7
Use Conditions
PC/Client/Tablet, WorkstationPC/Client/Tablet, Workstation
Recommended Customer Price
$450.00 - $460.00$409.00 - $419.00
CPU Specifications​

Total Cores

# of Performance-cores

# of Efficient-cores

Total Threads

Max Turbo Frequency

Intel® Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 Frequency ‡

Performance-core Max Turbo Frequency

Efficient-core Max Turbo Frequency

Performance-core Base Frequency

Efficient-core Base Frequency

Cache

Total L2 Cache

Processor Base Power

Maximum Turbo Power



Total Cores
1216
# of Performance-cores
88
# of Efficient-cores
48
Total Threads
2024
Max Turbo Frequency
5.00 GHz5.40 GHz
Intel® Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 Frequency ‡
5.00 GHz5.40 GHz
Performance-core Max Turbo Frequency
4.90 GHz5.30 GHz
Efficient-core Max Turbo Frequency
3.80 GHz4.20 GHz
Performance-core Base Frequency
3.60 GHz3.40 GHz
Efficient-core Base Frequency
2.70 GHz2.50 GHz
Cache
25 MB Intel® Smart Cache30 MB Intel® Smart Cache
Total L2 Cache
12 MB24 MB
Processor Base Power
125 W125 W
Maximum Turbo Power
190 W253 W


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## Boberg (Nov 19, 2022)

Ok, I see. That seems like a good swap then. 

Would it be reasonable to ask them to swap out the AMD Ryzen on this one to a i7 13700? Or is Intel not compatible with the rest of the system?


https://www.scan.co.uk/products/3xs-project-daw-amd-ryzen-7-5800x-32gb-ddr4-500gb-m2-ssd-1tb-m2-ssd-win-11-see-info



That would be within my budget.


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## easyrider (Nov 19, 2022)

Boberg said:


> Ok, I see. That seems like a good swap then.
> 
> Would it be reasonable to ask them to swap out the AMD Ryzen on this one to a i7 13700? Or is Intel not compatible with the rest of the system?
> 
> ...


You can do that….the motherboard needs changing…


You can configure you own systems here



https://www.scan.co.uk/3xs/custom/daw-digital-audio-workstation-pcs/form-factors


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## easyrider (Nov 19, 2022)

easyrider said:


> You can do that….the motherboard needs changing…
> 
> 
> You can configure you own systems here
> ...


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## Boberg (Nov 19, 2022)

easyrider said:


>


Thanks for the suggestions!

I see the left one uses a i5 processor. I thought it would be better to go with a i7, am I wrong? Can an i5 processor be as powerful?


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## Technostica (Nov 19, 2022)

Will you be charged import duty and tax if you buy from the UK? 
Plus shipping might be as much as forty euros or so.


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## Boberg (Nov 19, 2022)

Technostica said:


> Will you be charged import duty and tax if you buy from the UK?
> Plus shipping might be as much as forty euros or so.


I am not sure yet, will have to check this up. 
Thanks for bringing it up!

I suppose a EU based retailer would be simpler.


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## easyrider (Nov 19, 2022)

Boberg said:


> Thanks for the suggestions!
> 
> I see the left one uses a i5 processor. I thought it would be better to go with a i7, am I wrong? Can an i5 processor be as powerful?


That was just a screen grab….you can configure what cpu you want,

I’ve told you what cpu to get…


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## Boberg (Nov 20, 2022)

easyrider said:


> That was just a screen grab….yiu can configure what cpu you want,
> 
> I’ve told you what cpu to get…


I see. I got confused, my apologies.

I've finally gotten the time to look into this more in detail, and I've decided to configure my own computer with a Swedish retailer that I trust. Though, I've tried to use the PCs suggested here as a basis for what to get. I've tried to build the PC around the Intel Core i7 13700K, but would appreciate some feedback on the choices I've made as I'm not sure about all the specifications and variables when configuring your own PC.

The following are the specs:


CaseBe quiet! Pure Base 500 BlackCPUIntel Core i7 13700K 3.4Ghz 54MB3.4Ghz
54MB
TPM: 150W (kylning)MotherboardASUS Prime Z790-A WIFIRAMKingston 32GB (2x16GB) DDR5 4800MHz CL38 FURY BeastSSDCorsair MP600 PRO LPX 1TBM.2 2280
Storage size: 1TB
Reading speed: 7100 MB/sec
Writing speed: 5800 MB/sec
PCIe Gen4 x4CPU CoolerNoctua NH-U12SCooling capacity 165WPSUCorsair RM850e 850WWattage: 850W

So,there are mainly three things I'm a bit unsure about.
-Is the general "cooperation" between the different parts good? I'm unsure about how different parts need to work together and could definitely have missed something important, even if I have tried to read up on the most important things. If anyone could guide me as to what I need to check I'd be happy to check it out myself, but right now I don't really know what to check for.

-Is the CPU Cooler enough? It has a higher cooling capacity than the TPM of the CPU, but do I need additional cooling for the rest of the system? Should I add another regular fan?

-Is the motherboard good in the long run? From what I understand, I can update the system quite a bit with it, but maybe I'm missing something. I plan to add a decent GPU and another 32GB of RAM later down the line.


The prize of this system would be 1770 EUR, and that includes the prize for them building and testing it. Is it reasonable?

Thank you very much in advance. Hopefully this is the last time I need your expertise for this purchase.


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## easyrider (Nov 20, 2022)

Looks good.

I would get the Noctua D15 instead.


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## Boberg (Nov 20, 2022)

easyrider said:


> Looks good.
> 
> I would get the Noctua D15 instead.


Thanks for the feedback! Glad to hear it seems good. 

I just checked out the Noctua D15, and it’s unfortunately no longer available at the retailer I use. From what I can see it has the same cooling power, but what is it that makes it better? Maybe I can find something else.


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## easyrider (Nov 20, 2022)

Boberg said:


> Thanks for the feedback! Glad to hear it seems good.
> 
> I just checked out the Noctua D15, and it’s unfortunately no longer available at the retailer I use. From what I can see it has the same cooling power, but what is it that makes it better? Maybe I can find something else.


The D15 beats the U12 by significant margin…many comparisons on YouTube….

What other options are there from the site?


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## Laddy (Nov 20, 2022)

That be quiet! case, have anyone used it? Beginning to plan a build myself, and it seems like the newest cpus need a lot of cooling. How important is airflow? Think the case might be a little small?


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## Laddy (Nov 20, 2022)

OP, just plot the parts in at pcpartpicker, and you should get a note if there are compatibility problems.


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## Boberg (Nov 20, 2022)

Laddy said:


> OP, just plot the parts in at pcpartpicker, and you should get a note if there are compatibility problems.


That's a great resource. Just checked it, and there seem to be no compatibility problems. Thanks a lot for linking it.


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