i7 Builds - Specs and Results

[Skwaidu]

Originally Posted by Wilfriedd

Hello all and thanks for your advices.


I will maybe buy it

• <li class="details-scanprotect">LN666443XS Audio Workstation Pro - TZ790
  
  
  
  • 1xFractal Design Define 7 - 233 x 465 x 543 (WxHxD mm)
  • 1xASUS Prime Z790-A WIFI
  • 1xINTEL CORE i9-13900K
  • 1xbe quiet! Silent Loop 2 280mm AIO Cooler
  • 1x96GB (2x48GB) Corsair DDR5 Vengeance 5600MHz
  • 1x2GB MSI NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 - Passive - 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 1x HDMI 2.0
  • 1x650W be quiet! Pure Power 12 M, 80 PLUS Gold - For Mid-Range GPU Support
  • 1x1TB Samsung 980 PRO - 7000MB/s Read, 5000MB/s Write
  • 1x2TB Samsung 980 PRO - 7000MB/s Read, 5000MB/s Write
  • 1xMicrosoft Windows 11 Pro 64-Bit
  Regarding the graphic card , i don't know if i should add 1 since it's not for gaming but just composition , editing and mixing.
  
  
  

I have the choice to cancel a graphic card if not needed. Tell me if this one plays an important part or not .


Thanks

You can get pretty much the same performance out of the integrated iGPU, and the same connectors on the motherboard (do check that) - so not needed unless you need more connections or GPU power (video etc), and then that is a very underpowered card.

[Wilfriedd]

Originally Posted by Skwaidu

You can get pretty much the same performance out of the integrated iGPU, and the same connectors on the motherboard (do check that) - so not needed unless you need more connections or GPU power (video etc), and then that is a very underpowered card.

I didn't really know about that. So the motherboard here has already an integrated GPU that could do the work (fluent screen for composing and editing) ?



Okay , i will erase the Nvidia one which was the cheapest from the list here.
Will save 75€ .


But what's your opinion guys overall about this ?

[DonaldM]

Originally Posted by Skwaidu

Yep. Modern Intel processors are totally crippled without Turbo Boost, and no problems with it on.

Given that Avid's Windows optimizations are out of date, what would you all suggest as the current best optimizations based on your experience with the newer systems?

[Shan]

Originally Posted by Kris75

Here is my new build!

CPU - i9 13900k
Motherboard - Gigabyte Z790 D (DDR4)
Case - Fractal Design Pop XL Silent
CPU Cooler - Noctua DH15

Recycled from old build
RAM - 32GB Corsair
Hard Drives - 1TB HP NVME, 4TB Crucial NVME, Many backup drives
Video Card - EVGA 1050TI
PSU - Corsair 750cx

Congrats on your newest Beast Build, Kris! What an amazing spec!

Shane

[DonaldM]

Well, I've postponed this project long enough. I'm ready to have a new system built (I won't be the one doing it...I don't know anywhere near enough to do that!)


I do have a couple questions:
1. What is currently the best option for an OS drive?
2. What is the best option for the PT project drive?
3. I currently have 4 additional HD's besides by OS drive. One for my PT projects, one just for my samples, and patch libraries for several of my VI's, one dedicated to all my East-West libraries. And one just for downloading files and a "catch all". What is the best option currently for all that?


Thanks

[albee1952]

Originally Posted by DonaldM

Well, I've postponed this project long enough. I'm ready to have a new system built (I won't be the one doing it...I don't know anywhere near enough to do that!)


I do have a couple questions:
1. What is currently the best option for an OS drive?
2. What is the best option for the PT project drive?
3. I currently have 4 additional HD's besides by OS drive. One for my PT projects, one just for my samples, and patch libraries for several of my VI's, one dedicated to all my East-West libraries. And one just for downloading files and a "catch all". What is the best option currently for all that?


Thanks

Just an opinion:
NVMe for OS
NVMe for sessions or sample libraries
SSD for day to day general use and spinners for backup

[DonaldM]

Originally Posted by albee1952

Just an opinion:
NVMe for OS
NVMe for sessions or sample libraries
SSD for day to day general use and spinners for backup

Thanks, Dave. Appreciate it.

Which NVME, though? Specs?



For backup, I have one of those WD My Books (10 TB).

[Skwaidu]

Originally Posted by DonaldM

Thanks, Dave. Appreciate it.

Which NVME, though? Specs?



For backup, I have one of those WD My Books (10 TB).

I would say

OS: the fastest you can get. Currently many mobos have one PCIe Gen 5.0 slot, the Crucial T700 is getting lots of recommendations as being the fastest around and it's not super expensive AFAIK. Get 1TB IMHO.

Audio / DAW sessions: depends on your preferences and session sizes, but any PCIe Gen 3.0 would be plenty fast, something like Samsung 980 or 970 Evo. Get a Gen 4.0 if you want copying and unzipping to be even faster, but for audio it's not necessary.

Samples: again depends on your performance needs, but I've been told that higher end templates benefit from the speed greatly, so go PCIe Gen 4 if possible. Samsung 980 Pro (possibly 990 if the bugs are sorted), WD Black 850 etc. Gen 3 if on a budget and need lots of space.

For Downloads, Dropbox etc a SATA SSD drive is plenty fast, but be mindful, PCIe Gen 3.0 M.2 NVMe drives are starting to be around the same price. Don't get Samsung QVO (saying this as an owner, although for my current use i.e. static data storage it works)!

And yes for mid-term and longterm backup spinners are still the best.

[DonaldM]

Thank you so much for the info. This helps a lot.



I'm thinking 32gig of ram should be more than adequate.

What RAM chips are working best these days?


For CPU I'm thinking this one: Intel Core i9-13900KS - Core i9 13th Gen Raptor Lake 24-Core (8P+16E) 3.2 GHz LGA



For MOBO - I'm not sure which one. I'm leaning to one of the ASUS ones, but which model is recommended?



I'll probably need at least 8 USB ports, with perhaps 4 on the front of the tower for ease of access. Should they all be USB 3s?



My main MIDI controller is my trusty Yamaha Motif XS8 via Firewire. I've used the FW connection over the years because, when needed, it allows me to record up to 8 stereo or 16 mono outs into PT at one time. So, I'd still want the FW port.



For graphics, I have 2 22" Dell monitors. I'd like to have at least one additional HDMI so when I do any video scoring, I'd have that 3rd screen. The monitors themselves have been just fine.



What else do I need to think about? Please bear in mind I'm not a computer tech guy, so a lot of these model numbers and letters don't mean much to me. I am going to have someone else build the system....I just want to be sure to order the right components for it.



Thanks

[DonaldM]

One other question I'll ask here. For things like my iLok key, or my WiFi USB device, and other dongles, can I use one of those powered USB hubs? Will that create any issues?