# Best companies for building custom music PC in UK?



## alligatorlizard (Oct 14, 2020)

Hi,

Need to replace my 11 year old music PC – just wondering if anyone can recommend any UK-based companies that specialise in audio computer builds?

The one I’m replacing was from Synergy, but they no longer exist - however my system prior to that was Carillon, and I see they’re still in business - I’ve also been looking at Inta-audio and Scan. Has anyone bought from these companies, or could recommend any others I should check out?

Am basically looking for an ASUS/i7 build (or similar) with customisable options for SSD’s/firewire connectivity etc.

Thanks!


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## pfmusic (Oct 14, 2020)

Scan computers are brilliant. I have one and it's a solid, reliable build with great warranty and support
https://www.scan.co.uk/shop/music-and-pro-audio


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## José Herring (Oct 14, 2020)

pfmusic said:


> Scan computers are brilliant.
> https://www.scan.co.uk/shop/music-and-pro-audio


I was going to suggest this too. They look like they really know what they are doing. Seems to me that everybody else is always flowing their research. I even noticed that Vision DAW seems to be a bit behind the tech curve these days where Scan Pro seems to test things as soon as release then have solutions in place for sale almost immediately. And for a lower price.


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## pfmusic (Oct 14, 2020)

José Herring said:


> I was going to suggest this too. They look like they really know what they are doing. Seems to me that everybody else is always flowing their research. I even noticed that Vision DAW seems to be a bit behind the tech curve these days where Scan Pro seems to test things as soon as release then have solutions in place for sale almost immediately. And for a lower price.


Definitely, they test their computers which are optimised for audio. Best investment I've ever done!


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## Neutron Star (Oct 14, 2020)

Build one yourself. It is easy. Save money and get the exact components you want. Endless youtube videos on how to do it. Optimising windows 10 for DAW audio takes about 15 minutes.


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## alligatorlizard (Oct 15, 2020)

Thanks for the recommendations! Scan does look good, and has a build I can customise to what I want - will likely go with them. 

Re. building it myself, I am going to price this option to see if it's considerably cheaper, but as I need the computer for work, I'm happy to pay a bit extra for peace of mind that it's properly constructed/component-matched/tested etc., plus the support.


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## stixman (Oct 15, 2020)

Scan computers communication leaves a lot to be desired...but I’m hoping the build I just got will be better!


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## fakemaxwell (Oct 15, 2020)

I specced out the basic comparison to this AMD Ryzen 7 Audio Workstation on PCPartPicker: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/xWpjXb

Conversion to euro right now would be 952.34, which is nearly £ 500 cheaper. I'm assuming a similar % difference on their more expensive models too, you can easily go throough PCPP and have a look.

I get the inclination to want somebody else to build it, but 1/3 of the price going to somebody to play with Legos for an hour or two feels like a bit much to me. May as well get a Mac at that point, big premium but there's actual service included.


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## alligatorlizard (Oct 15, 2020)

fakemaxwell said:


> I specced out the basic comparison to this AMD Ryzen 7 Audio Workstation on PCPartPicker: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/xWpjXb
> 
> Conversion to euro right now would be 952.34, which is nearly £ 500 cheaper. I'm assuming a similar % difference on their more expensive models too, you can easily go throough PCPP and have a look.
> 
> I get the inclination to want somebody else to build it, but 1/3 of the price going to somebody to play with Legos for an hour or two feels like a bit much to me. May as well get a Mac at that point, big premium but there's actual service included.



Thanks for these comparisons - on one hand I totally agree with you, on the other hand, I did build a PC before, and it didn't last long... what I really can't afford is to run into problems mid-project, and I'd just have more confidence in a machine that was pre-built/tested. 

However there is a middle ground: if I configure one from scratch from PC Specialist (who built me a gaming PC a few years back that's still going strong) then the cost goes down about £200 from the equivalent system from Scan. And I've just compared PC Specialist's price with exact same components on PCPartPicker, and it only costs about £60 more to get it built by PC Specialist. 

The question really is now, is there any reason to pay the £200 extra to get it from Scan (e.g. significantly better support or reliability?) or shall I just go with PC Specialist?

Incidentally, the build I'm looking at is ASUS PRIME Z490-P motherboard, i7-10700K chip, 16gb ram, 500GB M.2 SSD, and a couple of larger SATA SDDs.


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## fakemaxwell (Oct 15, 2020)

I don't know how the reliability will be any better, they're doing the same thing as every other custom PC maker- buying components online and sticking them together. As for support I can't speak either way. Have you checked the reviews for the support? The only thing that I can see being useful is if they have a larger stock of say, motherboards, that they can just send you to replace right away if yours goes belly up, rather than you having to contact a dealer/ manufacturer to deal with warranty. I'd check and see what/how long the replacement process is for components with each maker, as the components/builds themselves shouldn't be inherently more reliable when built by X as opposed to Y.


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## Neutron Star (Oct 15, 2020)

If you build yourself, no one will take more care and attention in doing so than you. Every component will cost less, and you will have more choice. Additionally, a fully legitimate windows 10 key will cost £7.45 instead of £100.


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## dzilizzi (Oct 15, 2020)

The thing is, things like PCpartpicker.com wasn't around when I first built a PC. All you do is check make compatible and generally, you shouldn't have a problem. There's also a great thread over on Gearslutz on building a PC. Multiple members build music PC's for a living hang out there and answer questions. Though for £60, it might be worth it for you. Depends on how busy you are and how much you make an hour.


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## JoeOss (Oct 28, 2020)

Have you looked at Inta Audio?


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## trumpoz (Oct 28, 2020)

Scan Computers have connections with Vin Curligliano of DAWBENCH (here in Australia). I cant vouch for Scan, but I ca n for Vin.


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## GNP (Oct 28, 2020)

I'd also say, build one yourself.


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