Time for a new Windows computer but have a Couple of questions.

[eaglecanyon1952]

Well, The Dell XPS 8930 I"ve had for 7 years has just bit the dust and I think it is time for a new on. The Processor in the XPS I have utilized a Intel I7-8086k processor (a special intel release in 2018) running at 4.00 Ghz and 32gb of ram. So here is my big question.... looking at the new Intel I7-12700 cpu and benchmarks it doesn't really have a speed that is shown, ,they only rate it from 2.10 -4.00+ but it all comes back to "Turbo boost Speed" and honestly I am not sure how that all works out with Pro-Tools. I am looking at the Dell XPS 8950 with the I7-12700 processor, 32 GB ram 1TB ssd OS drive and then my secondary drives will be some kind of SSD's. The new system runs Windows 11 (home or Pro) I Use RME Raydat cards (2) for my interface with my Sony DMXr100 console. I am running PT, Cubase, Video Vegas (all for different engineer's).... their choice! The Raydat card is great for what I do and it connects 4 ADAT optical in and out to the Sony board with out any issues at all.

So, it comes down to my question about these new "Turbo" spec'd systems I do not play games I am strictly doing tracking sessions with multiple players in the studio.. .I don't do Loops or do any Midi... it is all live tracking at 48k in to the DAW. From the outset the system looks like under bench mark testing it's about 2x faster than the current system... But this "Turbo Boost" discussion really makes me think it's more directed at games.... which I do not do! Matter of fact I will use the onboard Video 770 and my monitor is a 1080p with display out to HDMI as it has been set up.

Any suggestions or comments is appreciated... I will stay in Windows and not looking to change that. I"m just interested in what the new CPUs will or won't do for me. Thanks in advance.

[EGS]

Originally Posted by eaglecanyon1952

.... looking at the new Intel I7-12700 cpu ...

That one is 12th gen. I'd look at 13th gen, such as i9-13900K, i7-13700K, or i5-13600K.

[leftalive]

The 12700 will be just fine for what you want to do. I built a new machine for the studio here last year, and I actually went with the 12700 over the 13th gen chips because the added power draw, heat, and price didn't seem worth it for the relatively minimal gains in performance.

That machine should be fine for your needs, but I would actually recommend getting at least a mid range GPU. You could even pick up a used 20 series or 30 series for cheap online.

The integrated gpu might work fine at 1080, but you'd still be better off offloading that work to a dedicated gpu, and it doesn't have to cost much.

[eaglecanyon1952]

Originally Posted by EGS

That one is 12th gen. I'd look at 13th gen, such as i9-13900K, i7-13700K, or i5-13600K.

Thanks for your reply... since I had been using my 8930 since 2018 and it has been performing just fine and looking at the different options I just felt the price - performance option of the 12700 would be a good option for me, from the different reports it seems like it will probably be twice as fast as my 8930!

Stepping up to the next generation would have been quite a bit more (30 to 40%) compared to the one I bought... just felt the choice I made made sense.

I may look at my GPU options once I get everything together ... but for the past 5 years the Intel 630 grahics has been just fine! We will see.

[ejinbc]

OP

Free Advice Alert

I have found that upgrading every 5 years is a good strategy. I went from a 3700K to an 8700K to a new 13900K system. You get a big enough jump in performance with these upgrades to justify the $$. I must say I am very happy with the 13900K for the projects I run.

I had a minute so I spec'd a minimum system (IMHO) for running Pro Tools in 2023. Yes, you can get cheaper but I don't think that's a good idea.

If you look at the attached, that's kind of the minimum full system. Many PC stores that sell parts will build and test a system like this for a few hundred dollars.

If you play games add a video card; if you have extra cash go for the 13900K; need more storage add a faster 2T M.2 drive; even more extra cash improve the Motherboard;...

Hope that helps.

ejinbc

[eaglecanyon1952]

Originally Posted by ejinbc

OP

Free Advice Alert

I have found that upgrading every 5 years is a good strategy. I went from a 3700K to an 8700K to a new 13900K system. You get a big enough jump in performance with these upgrades to justify the $$. I must say I am very happy with the 13900K for the projects I run.

I had a minute so I spec'd a minimum system (IMHO) for running Pro Tools in 2023. Yes, you can get cheaper but I don't think that's a good idea.

If you look at the attached, that's kind of the minimum full system. Many PC stores that sell parts will build and test a system like this for a few hundred dollars.

If you play games add a video card; if you have extra cash go for the 13900K; need more storage add a faster 2T M.2 drive; even more extra cash improve the Motherboard;...

Hope that helps.

ejinbc

Thanks for the message and thanks for taking the time to give me a suggested system... after dealing with my dead 8930 and losing a week I decided to pick up a quick prime deal on a system. I actually got a Dell xps 8950 127000 processor 32 GB ram and a 512gb ssd OS drive and a 1 TB hard drive. The onboard graphics will be just fine it will be here tomorrow. I have SSD drives from the 8930 Samsung 970 NVME 1TB I'll put on the motherboard and I have 2 2TB SSD sata drives WD drives that I can install in it. I figured for $1000 it will get me back in the game, my audio cards (Raydat Optical) will fit nicely and if I need I can just add another 32GB of ram. I figure that after 6 years the build on the 8930 worked and never ran out of power so, it looks like the 8950 will be twice the power I had. I am thinking I'll just have to open it up, put the new SSD's in and then start the long process of building the software system. I just thought the xps 8950 it was last years top of the line... .so I am sure it will be fine.

[EGS]

Originally Posted by ejinbc

... Many PC stores that sell parts will build and test a system like this for a few hundred dollars ...

Or buy a screwdriver and build it yourself. There's TONS of up-to-date PC build info out there. It's pretty easy, plus you can do your own upgrades and/or hardware maintenance in the future. Check out the last few pages of the pro tools pc build thread: https://duc.avid.com/showthread.php?t=238426&page=710

[eaglecanyon1952]

Originally Posted by EGS

Or buy a screwdriver and build it yourself. There's TONS of up-to-date PC build info out there. It's pretty easy, plus you can do your own upgrades and/or hardware maintenance in the future. Check out the last few pages of the pro tools pc build thread: https://duc.avid.com/showthread.php?t=238426&page=710

Since the system has been down for a week I wanted to get something up and running quickly and i was able to find the system and it arrived tomorrow. I think buying a base unit and building it up seemed an easy task and since I have all the additional hard drives, I'll just move my Raydat cards over to the new on, load all the apps and applications I use and probably be up and running by the end of the weekend.... Just seemed the most efficient approach to me! Thanks for your suggestion ...

[EGS]

Originally Posted by eaglecanyon1952

Since the system has been down for a week I wanted to get something up and running quickly and i was able to find the system and it arrived tomorrow. I think buying a base unit and building it up seemed an easy task and since I have all the additional hard drives, I'll just move my Raydat cards over to the new on, load all the apps and applications I use and probably be up and running by the end of the weekend.... Just seemed the most efficient approach to me! Thanks for your suggestion ...

Great! Debloat & optimize, and you'll be golden!

[eaglecanyon1952]

Originally Posted by EGS

Great! Debloat & optimize, and you'll be golden!

That's my plan! Thanks so much for your reply and suggestion...