i7 Builds - Specs and Results

[russrags]

Had to take a quick time out to make some music, I'm now ready to order parts for a new machine.

My track counts generally are between 200 - 500 tracks of audio per song, not playing back all at the same time of coarse, but pretty intense setups. I've been doing this all from a single core processor and 2Gig of Ram. Not that much of a problem for me in Pro Tools until I start doing video editing with other programs.

My choices for a new machine that will improve what I do ... 4x, 6x, 8x processors .... 16Gig Ram, or 32Gig Ram ???? I know Pro Tools will run just fine on 4x/16GB RAM, but my occasional video editing, I just bought a new Nikon that shoots HD Video.

I'm certainly going with a SSD for my operating system WIN7, but that's going to be the only drive that's Internal. I'm not interested in gaining 5 seconds of startup speed, I want cool and quiet, no de-fraging. I'll have a Mother Board, Multi-Core Processor, Firewire Card, Video Card, Universal Audio Card, RAM, Power Supply ... that's about it, how concerned should I be about cooling with a setup like that, I want quiet too, and that should be quiet.

Thoughts???
Russ
Nashville

[mlange]

Our components are on the way. I will report in with results.

LGA2011 Asus P9X79 LE, 16GB Corsair 1600 RAM, SSD, and an i7-4960x.

The originally selected hs/fan from Noctua was so monsterously tall that it would not fit in our 4U rack case. I read the warnings others posted, but assumed 4u had it covered ..... and you know what happens when you assume.

This hs/fan is "low profile" and will work for this config: Noctua NH-L12

More to come......

[gtrm8kr]

Hi guys - I've been up and down this thread, and it's great, and really got me thinking about modding my HP. This would be a kind of "semi home-made build."

I think I've got most things figured out, but could use some advice on a motherboard (all I know about motherboards comes from this thread and Newegg's website - which is way more than I knew a week ago).

The Gigabyte UP4 looks pretty good, as does the Asus Sabertooth X79. But, the UP4 is about $100 less. Am I missing something? The Sabertooth price (around $350) would be fine for me, but if I don't need to spend the money...

I've got an i7 3930k, so I definitely need a 2011 motherboard. And I'm looking at the X79 chipsets exclusively. I've got an external Glyph via eSATA with my samples, and internal 2TB WD Black as the audio drive and am upgrading my system drive to a Samsung 840 Pro 120 SSD. The video card I have is an NVIDIA GeForce GT 630. So, those are the main things I'm looking to connect to the board. My projects are max 50-60 tracks, but with a good number of CPU hungry VIs (NI's Komplete synths). I may want to add a Thunderbolt port in the future via a PCI card, too, if that makes any difference.

The reason I'm looking at the motherboard upgrade is because the one I've got now is a Pegatron 2ACE, which I assume they made specifically for HP, because it's got an HP BIOS graphic on startup (shocker - no one is mentioning the 2ACE as a good mobo option in this thread).

So, what mobos would you recommend me to have as the finalists in my motherboard search?

Thanks very much in advance for your help. Much appreciated.

[mykhal c]

Originally Posted by Shan

The content of the first post gets updated regularly and kept up to date by mykhal c. :
Shane

thanks for that Shane

FWIW...the next build that i will post on page 1 will be either an Ivy Bridge-E build or a Haswell. so be on the lookout for either a i7-49xx or i7 47xx. currently IMO there are enough builds to choose from on page 1 that carry across a pretty wide time-frame and tech specs. however, i do plan to clean up some of the old info links. so just wanted to chime in with a heads-up.

to add...if there is a new mobo that comes out with say, native TB, that uses the older socket(s) and someone builds it and post the specs/results then of course i'll post that for DUCers on page 1 also. and if that build has already been done and i missed it then please post a link to the post. thanks

[cruisemates]

After a couple of hours of reading these boards and looking this is a system that seems to be the right value/performance.

Please tell me what I am missing, I haven't built a computer in over 10 years. (in truth. as I started picking certain items a "bundle" popped up in NewEgg that saved me about $100 so this is mostly that).

I know I need a video card and extra hard drives. I don't see the need to pay up for a SSD for an OS - not when a "spinner" is much cheaper.

Questions: do I need Win7 professional or is OEM home good enough?

Is there anything you would change out for a big performance boost, or cut to save a little money?

What video card is recommended?

Does anyone know if the firewire on the motherboard is good?

I would like to get easily swapable HDs - does anyone see a problem with adding that to this case:

• Intel Core i7-3820 Sandy Bridge-E 3.6GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 2011 130W Quad-Core Desktop Processor
  Item #: N82E16819115229
  
  
• ASUS P9X79 LGA 2011 Intel X79 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
  Item #: N82E16813131804
  
  
• Western Digital WD Black WD2002FAEX 2TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive - OEM
  Item #: N82E16822136792
  
  
• Kingston HyperX 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model KHX1600C9D3K4/16GX
  
  
• Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 64-bit - OEM
  Item #: N82E16832116992 $139.99
  
  
• ZALMAN CNPS9900MAX-B 135mm Long life bearing CPU Cooler Blue LED
  
  
• Rosewill ARMOR-EVO Gaming E-ATX Mid Tower Computer Case, support up to E-ATX, come with Six Fans-2x Front Red LED 120mm Fan, 2x Top 120mm Fan, 1x Side 230mm Fan, 1x Rear 120mm Fan
  
  
• Rosewill Green Series RG630-S12 630W Continuous @40°C,80 PLUS BRONZE Certified, Single 12V Rail, Active PFC "Compatible with Core i7,i5" Power Supply

[cruisemates]

Mykhal - since you seem to be"hanging around" right now could you maybe give a quick rundown on what you would recommend for someone wanting to do home recording on PT 10?

I was reading a lot and saw that for a long time Ivy-bridge did not seem to be recommended.

Any - just a few tips please - I am looking for practicality but also good performance and longevity. I don't want to go cheap, but I also don't want to overpay for small upgrades (like a SSD for the OS seems overkill to me).

I don't need model numbers - just a basic description; Value for money, but not a budget system, either. I also would appreciate it if you list includes things that work together?

processor
MB
amount of ram
graphics card type
power supply

[mykhal c]

Originally Posted by cruisemates

After a couple of hours of reading these boards and looking this is a system that seems to be the right value/performance.

Please tell me what I am missing, I haven't built a computer in over 10 years. (in truth. as I started picking certain items a "bundle" popped up in NewEgg that saved me about $100 so this is mostly that).

I know I need a video card and extra hard drives. I don't see the need to pay up for a SSD for an OS - not when a "spinner" is much cheaper.

Questions: do I need Win7 professional or is OEM home good enough?

Is there anything you would change out for a big performance boost, or cut to save a little money?

What video card is recommended?

Does anyone know if the firewire on the motherboard is good?

I would like to get easily swapable HDs - does anyone see a problem with adding that to this case:

• Intel Core i7-3820 Sandy Bridge-E 3.6GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 2011 130W Quad-Core Desktop Processor
  Item #: N82E16819115229
  
  
• ASUS P9X79 LGA 2011 Intel X79 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
  Item #: N82E16813131804
  
  
• Western Digital WD Black WD2002FAEX 2TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive - OEM
  Item #: N82E16822136792
  
  
• Kingston HyperX 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model KHX1600C9D3K4/16GX
  
  
• Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 64-bit - OEM
  Item #: N82E16832116992 $139.99
  
  
• ZALMAN CNPS9900MAX-B 135mm Long life bearing CPU Cooler Blue LED
  
  
• Rosewill ARMOR-EVO Gaming E-ATX Mid Tower Computer Case, support up to E-ATX, come with Six Fans-2x Front Red LED 120mm Fan, 2x Top 120mm Fan, 1x Side 230mm Fan, 1x Rear 120mm Fan
  
  
• Rosewill Green Series RG630-S12 630W Continuous @40°C,80 PLUS BRONZE Certified, Single 12V Rail, Active PFC "Compatible with Core i7,i5" Power Supply

your choices look good mate!!! good thing about your mobo is it will allow you to upgrade your cpu at a later date if you choose to do so. case is a choice of taste and need...so go with what you like. i have no experience with the PSU, so read the reviews. all in all looks good!!!

[mlange]

Originally Posted by mlange

Our components are on the way. I will report in with results.

LGA2011 Asus P9X79 LE, 16GB Corsair 1600 RAM, SSD, and an i7-4960x.

The originally selected hs/fan from Noctua was so monsterously tall that it would not fit in our 4U rack case. I read the warnings others posted, but assumed 4u had it covered ..... and you know what happens when you assume.

This hs/fan is "low profile" and will work for this config: Noctua NH-L12

More to come......

After a good report from another DUCer, we've ordered an Nvidia GT 640-based video card. Many fan-less models are actually two slots wide, so be sure your mb has a spare one. The model we chose was a Zotac ZT-60207-20L

[gtrm8kr]

Ok guys, I couldn't take it any more after reading all the great info in this thread. I ordered parts to convert my stock HP with a 3930k into a machine that I think will qualify me for a Pro Tools 3930k build t-shirt...

I'll run a Dverb test before and after and post the results when they're available. In the meantime, I've modded a Sandra report below to show the changes I'm making.

SiSoftware Sandra(ish)

ID
Host Name : Daddio-HP

Computer
Model : HP h8-1380t becomes “i7 3930k Club New Member”
Chassis : HP Desktop becomes Fractal Design Define R4 Black Pearl w/ USB 3.0 ATX Mid Tower Silent PC Computer Case ($99.99)

Mainboard : Pegatron 2ACE becomes ASUS P9X79 LGA 2011 Intel X79 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS ($247.99)
BIOS : AMI (OEM) 7.14 06/04/2012 (limited tinkerability) becomes Asus UEFI BIOS (with extensive tinkerability)

CPU Fan
Stock HP fan becomes ZALMAN CNPS9900MAX-B 135mm Long life bearing CPU Cooler Blue LED ($50)

PSU
Stock HP power supply becomes CORSAIR TX Series CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE ($89.99)

Processors
Processor : Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3930K CPU @ 3.20GHz (6C 12T 3.79GHz, 3.8GHz IMC, 6x 256kB L2, 12MB L3)

Memory Module(s) (keeping the same if it works - but this may be the next change…)
Memory Module : CT51264BD160B.M16 4GB DIMM DDR3-1600
Memory Module : CT51264BD160B.M16 4GB DIMM DDR3-1600
Memory Module : HMT351U6CFR8C-PB 4GB DIMM DDR3-1600
Memory Module : HMT351U6CFR8C-PB 4GB DIMM DDR3-1600

Video System & Graphics Processor
Video Adapter : NVIDIA GeForce GT 630 (192 SM5.0 1.75GHz, 2GB 1.78GHz 128-bit, PCIe 2.00 x16)

Storage Devices
SAMSUNG MZ7PC256HAFU-000H1 (256GB, SSD, System Drive) becomes Samsumg 840 Pro 128GB) (@ $120) (the stock drive will become a system image backup)
2TB WD Black (Audio drive)
hp CDDVDW SH-216ALN (SATA, DVD+-RW, CD-RW) : N/A (E:)

2TB Glyph External via eSATA (Samples drive)

Operating System
Windows System : Microsoft Windows 7 Pro x64 (HP OEM) becomes clean (non-HP recovery disc) Win 7 Pro 64 bit

[cruisemates]

This begs the question - how much better performance can one expect from the 3930 CPU?

In what situations would it make a noticeable difference? I am just curious because I really don't know.

Also - I am very tempted to just take this to FRYs and have them match the prices (which we know they will do) - then if there is an issue you can return, plus I can get started today.