i7 Builds - Specs and Results

[Pique Arestiuvee]

Thanks for the info, Shane! Glad to hear you've had a lot experience with both ECC and non ECC RAM and that you actually find non ECC to be beneficial in terms of performance and plugin count.

I regards to the Avid qualification, if you go to the same link you provided for the minimum system requirements and scroll down to "supported computers" they have a list of Windows "qualified" computers, and the only desktop qualified computers they have are HP Xeon workstations.

In an earlier post in this thread, #6470 by Ulisauer (post is currently on page 647 at the bottom), Ulisauer mentions that he has an i7 build and he needed support from Avid but they said they couldn't help him because it is not a supported computer.

It sounds like a lot of people are having success with I7 PCs and Pro Tools, and going with an I7 is the route that I really want to go because it seems like the performance and price blows everything else out of the water, but I am just concerned and trying to get the real deal on why there are no "qualified" or "supported" I7 desktops on that list.

Curiously, they have supported I7 laptops on there, but obviously the expectations of how far you can push a laptop are a lot lower than a desktop, so maybe they have a different qualification process for laptops?

Thanks!

[Shan]

I regards to the Avid qualification, if you go to the same link you provided for the minimum system requirements and scroll down to "supported computers" they have a list of Windows "qualified" computers, and the only desktop qualified computers they have are HP Xeon workstations.

As mentioned earlier, the i7 is very much supported by Avid. :-)

In an earlier post in this thread, #6470 by Ulisauer (post is currently on page 647 at the bottom), Ulisauer mentions that he has an i7 build and he needed support from Avid but they said they couldn't help him because it is not a supported computer.

That is a different issue and not i7 related. :-)

...I am just concerned and trying to get the real deal on why there are no "qualified" or "supported" I7 desktops on that list.

It comes down to how much money and resources Avid wants to invest in qualified systems on PC. If anything, Microsoft PCs should also be on that list in my honest opinion. If you don't want to build your own and looking for a guaranteed prebuilt i7 system that works, then I highly recommend getting in touch with Nick or Steve (http://www.pro-tools-pc.com/).

Hope that helps. :-)

Shane

[CME]

The qualified list for professionals that absolutely need their systems to never break, or when they do, be able to call avid and get it fixed asap. Cost isn't an issue for these users. They will buy whatever avid says and are willing to pay for the premium support plans.

So Avid only picks and qualifies one line of PC computers that they use and test extensively. It's impossible to rigorously test all the possible PC's out there. And then trying to help someone trouble shoot over the phone? Not going to happen unless you have a qualified system. That doesn't mean you can't build as good or an even better system. Probably for less money. You just can't call avid and complain when something isn't going quite right. Which you probably won't need to ever do anyway if you build a system recommended by these guys, or buy a preconfigured system designed for pro tools. As mentioned above.

[Pique Arestiuvee]

Cool thanks for the reply! I went back and looked at the minimum requirements page and found they actually wrote a note in there right above the Supported Computers section. Can't believe I missed it before. it says:

"It is important to note that Avid tests and qualifies specific configurations. While systems that meet the minimum requirements may operate without problems, please understand we can only provide support for qualified systems. Below you will find detailed information about qualified configurations."

I definitely like that line "while systems that meet the minimum requirements may operate without problems" part because it seems to go along with your theory about whether or not they want to spend time and money qualifying more PCs (since there are so many ways to build one). Knowing that with all the positive stuff I read in this thread it makes me feel a lot more comfortable going the I7 route.

I tried calling technical support today to see how they would handle it if I called in with a problem on on an I7 desktop build but couldn't get through. I'm gonna try again tomorrow and I'll update if I find out anything post-worthy.

Even if they don't offer support, the DUC always seems to have great solutions to problems anyways!

[YYR123]

Yes Pro tools PC are great guys...

Neil and Steve will get you a great system

[Bob Olhsson]

Yes Pro tools PC are great guys...

Neil and Steve will get you a great systemThey sure did that for me!

[guitardom]

As of a couple weeks ago, I believe every Avid supported HP machine has been discontinued or updated/changed. They are only available on the used market.

[newptbuild]

Hey everyone, I'm helping my boss put together a new PT 12 build after using OS X for many years. We're going to be running the latest version of PT HD and I just wanted to make sure the build I put together will play nicely with Pro Tools 12. All of the 'qualified' builds on the Avid site are outdated and no longer available for purchase. Here is the current build: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/hrXdgL

We have 2 monitors and 1 TV we need to output to. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[TOM@METRO]

Hey everyone, I'm helping my boss put together a new PT 12 build after using OS X for many years. We're going to be running the latest version of PT HD and I just wanted to make sure the build I put together will play nicely with Pro Tools 12. All of the 'qualified' builds on the Avid site are outdated and no longer available for purchase. Here is the current build: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/hrXdgL

We have 2 monitors and 1 TV we need to output to. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

You haven't mentioned the drive to which you will actually record.

[newptbuild]

Just a standard Western Digital 7200 rpm hard drive.

[YYR123]

FYI - SSD's have been officially blessed by avid as the record target drives

Samsung 840 and 850 Pros here and working good

[newptbuild]

Awesome, so we might just grab another larger SSD to record on as well. Did you get a chance to look at the build?

[YYR123]

Looks great, PM guitar don with Pro Tools PC

I believe he has experience with that CPU.

I know my LGA2011 chipset has flawless with PT.

So I assume the LGA2011 -3 will be stellar as well, but hit Steve up just to make sure

[gnjlee]

I'm thinking of going ...

Anybody out there running Pro Tools 12 on Windows 10 with a 6950x or 6900K? If so, is it solid? Do you use a ton of virtual instrument inserts and effect inserts and write a lot of MIDI with no problems?...



Thanks!
My new system has a 6900k. I haven't recorded with it yet, and I haven't done any MIDI or VMs at this time, but I just did a mix with it. On a project with 40 audio tracks and 120 waves and ozone plugs combined, I use about 12% CPU @ buffer around 256 on PT 12.7:eek:. Absolutely stunning performance.

[Pique Arestiuvee]

My new system has a 6900k. I haven't recorded with it yet, and I haven't done any MIDI or VMs at this time, but I just did a mix with it. On a project with 40 audio tracks and 120 waves and ozone plugs combined, I use about 12% CPU @ buffer around 256 on PT 12.7:eek:. Absolutely stunning performance.

Thanks!

[zavid]

My new system has a 6900k. I haven't recorded with it yet, and I haven't done any MIDI or VMs at this time, but I just did a mix with it. On a project with 40 audio tracks and 120 waves and ozone plugs combined, I use about 12% CPU @ buffer around 256 on PT 12.7:eek:. Absolutely stunning performance.

No pro tools HD or HDX cards on your system ?
only pro tools native and Cpu Win/Hackintosh ?

the sound is same as processing with HD or HDX cards ?
(without audio data "compression"/downsize/reduction)

z.

[gnjlee]

No pro tools HD or HDX cards on your system ?
only pro tools native and Cpu Win/Hackintosh ?

the sound is same as processing with HD or HDX cards ?
(without audio data "compression"/downsize/reduction)

z.

No HD on my system. I can't justify the cost. Just PT 12.7 Vanilla with Windows 10, build 1607.

[zavid]

No HD on my system. I can't justify the cost. Just PT 12.7 Vanilla with Windows 10, build 1607.
thanks for reply ,

then you bounce to LR only with computer cpu ?
z-

[gnjlee]

thanks for reply ,

then you bounce to LR only with computer cpu ?
z-
Only with the computer.

[zavid]

Only with the computer.

the reason why lot of used pro tools HD cards and interfaces
are for sale around ? :confused:

z.

[gnjlee]

the reason why lot of used pro tools HD cards and interfaces
are for sale around ? :confused:

z.

Not sure if that is the reason or not, but I have been mixing ITB for a decade.

[AndyMVP]

Hey champions.

My lovely old i7-920 system circa 2009 is starting to behave strangely on occasion (I think a few of the SATA ports are dying) and I'll be upgrading soon.

I'm more or less familiar with CPUs, motherboards and RAM, but can someone recommend a video card?

I currently have an old 512MB ASUS ATI Radeon 4350 which I'd almost be inclined to keep except that I do a bit of video editing sometimes (Pro Tools tip videos actually) and it's a bit slow for that.

I'm not going to spend a ton for one and don't need anything flash, just a slightly gutsier card (maybe 2GB). My main priorities are sound related:

AMD based video card, as Sony Movie Studio apparently works better with AMD
quiet of course! Passive cooling while idle would be important

Anyone got a recommendation? Cheers!

[gnjlee]

Hey champions.

My lovely old i7-920 system circa 2009 is starting to behave strangely on occasion (I think a few of the SATA ports are dying) and I'll be upgrading soon.

I'm more or less familiar with CPUs, motherboards and RAM, but can someone recommend a video card?

I currently have an old 512MB ASUS ATI Radeon 4350 which I'd almost be inclined to keep except that I do a bit of video editing sometimes (Pro Tools tip videos actually) and it's a bit slow for that.

I'm not going to spend a ton for one and don't need anything flash, just a slightly gutsier card (maybe 2GB). My main priorities are sound related:

AMD based video card, as Sony Movie Studio apparently works better with AMD
quiet of course! Passive cooling while idle would be important

Anyone got a recommendation? Cheers!
Nvidia GTX 9 or 10 series. I just picked up a 1070. Cost about 400 and is complete overkill for PT 12.7 lol.

[AndyMVP]

Nvidia GTX 9 or 10 series. I just picked up a 1070. Cost about 400 and is complete overkill for PT 12.7 lol.

Haha overkill's a good description! Great if you're also a gamer, but the closest I get to games is Solitaire. I can't see them for sale in Australia for south of $500.

I do also want an AMD based card.

[albee1952]

Haha overkill's a good description! Great if you're also a gamer, but the closest I get to games is Solitaire. I can't see them for sale in Australia for south of $500.

I do also want an AMD based card.
You will likely get better performance with an nVidia card, and an intel setup:o

[AndyMVP]

You will likely get better performance with an nVidia card, and an intel setup:o

Oh yeah when I say AMD I'm only talking about the video card, I'll definitely be going Intel for the CPU!

I've had an AMD/ATI card for 8 years and it's worked great. Has something changed since regarding compatibility?

[gnjlee]

Oh yeah when I say AMD I'm only talking about the video card, I'll definitely be going Intel for the CPU!

I've had an AMD/ATI card for 8 years and it's worked great. Has something changed since regarding compatibility?

The Nvidia VDO chipset tends to be more stable with less problems in general.

[albee1952]

Oh yeah when I say AMD I'm only talking about the video card, I'll definitely be going Intel for the CPU!

I've had an AMD/ATI card for 8 years and it's worked great. Has something changed since regarding compatibility?

Not saying it won't work. Just reminding you that avid recommends nVidia:o

[TOM@METRO]

What Dave said is true regarding Avid's recommendations. But, I have been running 3 ATI cards in the main rig (5 monitors total) with no video related issues.

[AndyMVP]

Not saying it won't work. Just reminding you that avid recommends nVidia:o

Thanks, but are you sure Dave? I'm can't see anything on Avid's site about Pro Tools still recommending nVidia. I know they did for a while but I can't see anything about it when it comes to Pro Tools 12.

Not to get caught up on details, hey, but it's what I do! :o

I have been running 3 ATI cards in the main rig (5 monitors total) with no video related issues.

I've had an ATI Radeon HD 4350 card since Pro Tools LE 8 (now on 12.7) and it's been 100% fine.

I think I'll take a punt on a newer AMD/ATI card, and I'll report back here with any ishooz. :-)

[JCBigler]

Hey guys,

I want to add a second SSD to my laptop. Looking at the Western Digital Blue and the Crucial MX300. Both in 1TB and either 2.5" SATA or the m.2 2880 form factors.

I've got an open m.2/NVMe slot (total of two, my system drive in one now), and an open 2.5" SATA slot in my laptop.

I can't afford the 512GB Samgsung 960 Pro NVMe SSD that I want to eventually put into the second m.2/NVMe slot to use as a record only drive. So, this 1TB SSD by WD or Crucial would fill that duty until I can afford the Samsung.

Both the WD and Crucial drives are within $10 of each other. Which one would you get?

[guitardom]

Hey guys,

I want to add a second SSD to my laptop. Looking at the Western Digital Blue and the Crucial MX300. Both in 1TB and either 2.5" SATA or the m.2 2880 form factors.

I've got an open m.2/NVMe slot (total of two, my system drive in one now), and an open 2.5" SATA slot in my laptop.

I can't afford the 512GB Samgsung 960 Pro NVMe SSD that I want to eventually put into the second m.2/NVMe slot to use as a record only drive. So, this 1TB SSD by WD or Crucial would fill that duty until I can afford the Samsung.

Both the WD and Crucial drives are within $10 of each other. Which one would you get?

Crucial. I have used them on some of random systems around the house that I want cheap drives for and they have been fine.

Honestly, The gained bandwidth from an HHD to an SSD is plenty. In my M.2 benchmarking tests for Pro Tools and such, we never get near those bandwidth limits with audio.

[JCBigler]

Would you get the m.2 form factor or the standard 2.5" SATA form for the SSD? I've got an open slot of each in my laptop. Eventually going to fill all of them, just trying to decide which to get first.

[guitardom]

Would you get the m.2 form factor or the standard 2.5" SATA form for the SSD? I've got an open slot of each in my laptop. Eventually going to fill all of them, just trying to decide which to get first.

Probably SSD. Their prices have been level. The M.2 will likely continue to go down some. I picked up a couple Intel M.2's recently on sale really cheap. They are smaller capacity though. Leads me to believe they are clearing them out. Seems like Samsung has stopped production on the 120GB 850's as well making the 256GB the smallest. I think we may be in the midst of some shifting around.

[soundmaster]

Hey,
just to let you know. I´m testing my new build, mainly for video production. Installed PT 9HD software just for the fun of it. Specs:
Windows 10 Pro, i7 7700k w. beQuiet BlackRock, MSI 270 Gaming Pro, Palit GTX 1080 OC 8GB, 16 GB Gskill DDR4, Firewire EX-16145 with M-Audio 1814 latest driver.
No tweeks, just after plain install of all components 500 Dverbs @ 50 track (10 each) recording with no clicks and running smooth with 7 cores @ 99%.
:-)

[YYR123]

Specs:
Windows 10 Pro, i7 7700k w. beQuiet BlackRock, MSI 270 Gaming Pro, Palit GTX 1080 OC 8GB, 16 GB Gskill DDR4, Firewire EX-16145 with M-Audio 1814 latest driver.

what motherboard?

[TOM@METRO]

what motherboard?

That would be the "MSI 270 Gaming Pro".

[YYR123]

Cool, I didn't recognize half of those parts... [emoji3]

[mossy]

hi all...so its that time of the decade

im moving from MacMini i7 quad 16ram Pt12.6

RME ufx (ver1)

it will be for PT12 Vanilla

im looking at:
Motherboard MSI Z270-A PRO
CPU Intel Core i7-7700K
Memories Gskill 4x8Go DDR4-3000
SSD PNY 960Go ( operating system )
Graphic cards Nvidia GTX 1080 GDDR5 8Go OC GAMING X
PSU Fanless Seasonic 520W modular

SSD 512 - for audio ( not sure which yet )

Win10 pro

i really want to be able to work (mix) at 24/96k...

am i mad...or can i expect that the above spec to handle 24/96k * 24trks high latency (just mixing). i can use the RME total mix for tracking if needed.

had the dual cpu beast from here long ago..and it was great but the noise and elec cost was large....so the low TDP is something im looking at.

perfare something thats somewhat future proof (5-6 years)

thanks all, M

[Simon2065]

Hi I am building a new PC for Pro Tools 12.x and UAD Apollo Thunderbolt. I am not sure if I should go for a X99 systems with a 6800K processor or a Z270 with 7700K. I need to get onboard thunderbolt 3 for Apollo and so are looking at the Gigabyte boards that have this (officially supported by UAD).

GA-Z270X-UD5 and GA-Z270X-Gaming7 fore the Z270 and
Gigabyte GA-X99-Designare EX for X99 etc

Will the X99/6800K or Z270/7700K be better for Pro Tools? Can Pro Tools use the additional cores/threads and memory available with the X99/6800K?
If so will the performance be a bit better or much better. I have read that for gaming the Z270/7700K will be better because the games are not multi treaded and clock speed is higher than 6800K. I do not game so my only interest is music production.
What about Pro Tools stability on the 2 platforms. Are they much the same or more issues on one? Price is not really an issue as the difference in price is not that great.

Pro Tools PC builds www.pro-tools-pc.com seem to indicate that the 6 core 6800K is a step up from from the 7700K.

Any help here would be appreciated.

[Bob Olhsson]

https://youtu.be/CEkMEOTFi-s

[pkmag2]

Hello all,

Looking at a new build using i7-7700K cpu. What motherboards are people using and recommending these days?

Thanks

[Steevp]

Hi all,

The damn processor in my protools box has died, I could replace it but why not have a sneaky upgrade for not much more money?

Could anyone tell me if this MB/processor combo wlil be ok with PT12?

Asus X99-E (Or Asus X99-A II), Intel X99, S 2011-3, DDR4, SATAe, M.2 (PCIe), 3-Way SLi/CrossFire, Intel Gigabit LAN, USB 3.1 C, ATX

Intel Core i7 5820K Unlocked, S 2011-3, Haswell-E, 6 Core, 3.3GHz

32GB (4x8GB) Corsair DDR4 Vengeance LPX Black PC4-17000 (2133), Non-ECC Unbuffered.


My Case/Drives/GFX card etc are all still current it's just a major organs transplant.

[AndyMVP]

Could anyone tell me if this MB/processor combo wlil be ok with PT12?

Looks good to me.

I recently did similar, replacing:

motherboard - ASUS X99A II
CPU - Intel i7-6800k
RAM - 4 x 4GB G-Skill Ripjaws DDR4-2400
video card - 4GB Sapphire Nitro Radeon RX 460
OS - Windows 10 Pro
mouse - Razer Naga Hex V2 (I've assigned a bunch of Pro Tools shortcuts to the hex buttons)


Runs beautifully.

[Steevp]

Cheers Andy,

As soon as I'm 100% sure I can't resurrect my machine I'll spring for the new stuff.

Steve

[tslaba]

I'm looking to update my PC and Pro Tools version.
I've read through this forum and other sites including Pro-Tools-PC and would just like to get some opinions/thoughts on if the machine I'm thinking of building will perform well with PT12 with Windows 10.

Here's the specs of what I'm thinking of going to ...

Chipset: Core i7-7700k (4 core, 4.2 GHz)
Motherboard: ASUS X99-Pro/USB 3.1
RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 DRAM 3000MHz (2x8GB)
Video card: GeForce GTX1050 Ti
Power supply: Antec HCG - 620M
Sys. Drive: Samsung 850 PRO - 256GB SSD
Storage: WD 1TB HDD - 7200RPM SATA6Gb/s 64MB WD1003FZEX

I have a digital console for multi-track recording that should talk to PT through USB and am looking at the Focusrite 2i2 for my daily home-studio usage.

[chrisdee]

Anybody built a PT rig with one of the the new LGA2066 motherboards.
Maby it's still a bit early?

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132990

[guitardom]

Anybody built a PT rig with one of the the new LGA2066 motherboards.
Maby it's still a bit early?

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132990

Not released yet, nor are the CPU's.

[albee1952]

I'm looking to update my PC and Pro Tools version.
I've read through this forum and other sites including Pro-Tools-PC and would just like to get some opinions/thoughts on if the machine I'm thinking of building will perform well with PT12 with Windows 10.

Here's the specs of what I'm thinking of going to ...

Chipset: Core i7-7700k (4 core, 4.2 GHz)
Motherboard: ASUS X99-Pro/USB 3.1
RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 DRAM 3000MHz (2x8GB)
Video card: GeForce GTX1050 Ti
Power supply: Antec HCG - 620M
Sys. Drive: Samsung 850 PRO - 256GB SSD
Storage: WD 1TB HDD - 7200RPM SATA6Gb/s 64MB WD1003FZEX

I have a digital console for multi-track recording that should talk to PT through USB and am looking at the Focusrite 2i2 for my daily home-studio usage.
I don't think that cpu(the i7 is a cpu, not a "chipset")will fit that motherboard. It is a socket 1151 and the motherboard is a socket 2011-3. The motherboard is a good choice, but look at the i7 6800k cpu. For RAM, if the motherboard can run quad-channel, then you might be better off with a 4x4 kit(4 sticks of RAM instead of 2). Graphics looks a bit overkill and the 750 ti will do a fine job(and run 3-4 screens). Make sure your WD 1TB drive is a BLACK series(NOT blue, green or red):o

[tslaba]

Thanks!
Yeah definitely an oversight on my part with respect to the socket/cpu compatibility.

I originally was thinking of doing the i7-6800 with the x99 motherboard but then sort of talked myself out of it and decided to go with the i7-7700 instead.

Any suggestions for a good socket 1151 motherboard?
:)

[albee1952]

Thanks!
Yeah definitely an oversight on my part with respect to the socket/cpu compatibility.

I originally was thinking of doing the i7-6800 with the x99 motherboard but then sort of talked myself out of it and decided to go with the i7-7700 instead.

Any suggestions for a good socket 1151 motherboard?
:)

My suggestion would be a socket 2011-3 motherboard and a 6-core i7 to match:o Talk yourself back into it:D

[chrisdee]

I'm looking at the ASUS PRIME X299-A LGA2066 DDR4 wich has 4133 MHz memory support.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132993&cm_re=PRIME_X299-A-_-13-132-993-_-Product

However I can't find any ram with the 4133MHz spec. The motherboard also supports 2400 MHz, 2133 MHz, 2666 MHz, 3600 MHz and 4000 MHz ram.
When bying memory does it have to match the frequencies above?

I've noticed newegg are selling 3000MHz and 3200MHz memory sticks.
Can I get these or is it not optimal?

[Bob Olhsson]

My understanding is that memory speed hasn't been an audio processing bottleneck for a long time.

[YYR123]

When bying memory does it have to match the frequencies above?



Can I get these or is it not optimal?


I've never had a problem slowing down my memory

I had a hackintosh for several years and the Gigabyte board supported 1800mghz but the Mac software did not without some work around....

I slowed my 1800 down to 1600 without an issue, in software or PT.

[YYR123]

New build just ordered.

ASUS X99 Deluxe ii
i7-6850k - 6core
Corsair 16gb at 2400 - DDR4
EVGA GTX760 - SC - Old Card.


Will probably wait till I get a stable build with PT and then jump on the M2 drives......they are decently affordable at the 256gb price point.

I have never had experience with those, but it seems like they should be reliable with PT.

Anybody had any bad experiences with those drives in PT before? It might be more data flowing from your recording target than the actual OS install. Oh well I will see.

[Pique Arestiuvee]

Thinking of switching from Mac over to Windows with a new computer, tired of waiting for new Mac Pro to come out. I was hoping someone could share some of their Pro Tools Windows wisdom. Thanks if you can!

I'm planning to run Windows 10 Pro with Pro Tools 12 vanilla (latest versions) with a TEAC UD 301 USB interface for output (as far as I can tell it should be fine, it has ASIO drivers available for Windows 10).

1) It appears Avid has qualified the nvidia m4000 but I would rather get the P4000 since it is newer. I know it might be overkill but I want a decent graphics card for other things. Do the Pascal graphics cards work well with PT12 and Windows10 Pro? Avid support portal said they think so but they couldn't guarantee it. Hoping someone out there is using a P4000 successfully.

2) Are there any plugin companies that have issues with Windows Pro Tools compatibility? I use a lot of Waves, NI, Fabfilter, SoundToys, and Izotope. Also a lot of Altiverb. Sometimes Slate, but Slate actually crashes PT on my mac a lot, wish it didn't cause I like their stuff! I also use a lot of VIs like Serum, Synthmaster, UVI workstation, Diva, etc.

3) Might be a dumb question, but is it possible to play web browser audio and system audio through the same audio interface Pro Tools is using while Pro Tools is open and running?

4) Beyond that, is it possible to route that web browser and system audio to an input in Pro Tools (like soundflower can do for Mac via aggregate devices)? If so, is this an ASIO4all thing or can it be done through WASAPI?

5) If my Teac UD 301 audio interface doesn't work, does anyone have any suggestions for a rock solid 96KHz+ xlr out audio interface (i only need output) that works flawlessly with Windows 10 and Pro Tools 12? USB would be preferred but I'll probably be getting thunderbolt in my computer so that would work too.

Thanks if anyone has any knowledge and experience they could share!

[audioman1973]

I have the Samsung 950 M2 drive installed on my Gigabyte thunderbolt motherboard and also a couple of 850 SSD drives. When you run the Samsung drive utility and check the speed the M2 smokes the SSD drive in the test. The price is not much difference. If your MB has the capability you really should use it for your OS drive. It's a monster for speed these days and I haven't had a hint of a problem with it running PT 12.4 and a bunch of Apollo hardware.

[YYR123]

I have the Samsung 950 M2 drive installed on my Gigabyte thunderbolt motherboard and also a couple of 850 SSD drives. // If your MB has the capability you really should use it for your OS drive. It's a monster for speed these days and I haven't had a hint of a problem with it running PT 12.4 and a bunch of Apollo hardware.


Nice info audio man !!! Thank you

So you use it for OS install only? Or for both the OS install and the recording drive?

[AndyMVP]

2) Are there any plugin companies that have issues with Windows Pro Tools compatibility? I use a lot of Waves, NI, Fabfilter, SoundToys, and Izotope. Also a lot of Altiverb. Sometimes Slate, but Slate actually crashes PT on my mac a lot, wish it didn't cause I like their stuff! I also use a lot of VIs like Serum, Synthmaster, UVI workstation, Diva, etc.

I use Waves, NI, Soundtoys and Izotope on PC all the time.

3)Might be a dumb question, but is it possible to play web browser audio and system audio through the same audio interface Pro Tools is using while Pro Tools is open and running?

This isn't always easy in my experience - I think it depends on the interface, but Pro Tools for me has a habit of hogging any interface I use.

4) Beyond that, is it possible to route that web browser and system audio to an input in Pro Tools (like soundflower can do for Mac via aggregate devices)? If so, is this an ASIO4all thing or can it be done through WASAPI?

Hopefully your PC motherboard audio system will have an optical (S/PDIF) output. Grab an optical (Toslink) cable and run it into the Optical In at the back of your Teac. In Windows audio settings, choose a digital output (precisely what it's called may vary) to send the audio from your motherboard to your interface. Then it should be a matter of finding your interface's Digital In in your Pro Tools I/O settings and you're good to go.

5) If my Teac UD 301 audio interface doesn't work, does anyone have any suggestions for a rock solid 96KHz+ xlr out audio interface (i only need output) that works flawlessly with Windows 10 and Pro Tools 12? USB would be preferred but I'll probably be getting thunderbolt in my computer so that would work too.

I'm a big fan of my Audient iD14, especially the 'iD' mode for the knob.

[Pique Arestiuvee]

Thanks so much for the info Andy! I checked out that audient14 looks like a good option to keep in mind in case the TEAC doesn't work out. Also great to hear you have no problems with the plugins.

I thought I was asking a dumb question about playing back system and web browser sounds through the same audio interface as Pro Tools while Pro Tools is up and running but I guess not, I'm glad I asked! Wow, I'm really surprised and bummed out about that. I'll have to investigate and see if there is a solid workaround for that, that's actually a pretty big problem for my workflow, it is important for me to have that sound coming out of the same interface and monitors.

Also bummed to hear that it takes physical digital cables to route system and web browser audio into Pro Tools. I thought ASIO4all and WASAPI were made to do those kind of things but I'm from the world of Mac so I don't know much about the two.

Thanks again for the info Andy!

[Pique Arestiuvee]

okay interesting, seems there is still hope. I found in another thread that you can play system audio and pro tools at the same time in Windows. The key is you need an interface with a multi-client ASIO driver. Here is the thread if anyone is interested (see ChuckS replies, he uses komplete Audio 6):

http://duc.avid.com/showthread.php?t=391251&page=2

[keithl]

I am currently researching putting together a new Windows machine for my Pro Tools system,

I am guessing I would put Windows 10 on it.
I would be going through a MBox Pro 3

I haven't been in the new tech loop, so any assistance or current builds that are kicking but would be helpful.

My budget is between 1500 and 1750 (US). I would be buying a new case and putting everything in there.

Thanks!

[YYR123]

I just finished my build and am installing all my plugs afresh (rainy day)

I went with a Asus Deluxe ii X99 (b/c it's been proven hassle free with PT, X99 and Broadwell CPU's that is.....)

PCIE lanes running a higher speeds than other boards. (Some lower priced boards only have 4 and the 4th shares the USB3.1 bandwidth) also it came with a TB header and TB-PCIE card.

Onboard M.2 ports (I'm using one currently)

Really nice board and I'm using the i7-6850k.

Sweet little setup.....no real world experience with it yet, but man this M.2 drive is "LEGIT"


MOBO - ASUS (https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/X99-DELUXE-II/)


CPU INTEL i7-6850k (https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i7-6850K+%40+3.60GHz&id=2800)


Memory - Corsair DDR4 (https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233740&cm_re=corsair_vengance_ddr4-_-20-233-740-_-Product)


Old GPU - EVGA GeFORCE GTX 760sc (https://www.evga.com/articles/00757/)

Samsung M.2 - SM961 - 256gb drive (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Samsung-960-Pro-Series-OEM-256GB-NVMe-M-2-NGFF-SSD-PCIe-3-0-x4-80mm-SM961-/272831564079?hash=item3f8607492f:g:J90AAOSwY71ZqYU X)

Case - View31 - Beautiful Case (https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133335&cm_re=thermal_take_view31-_-11-133-335-_-Product)


Updated for the record.

[keithl]

That's a pretty cool motherboard. Thanks for the info.
Would you mine sharing what type of memory did you get? 16gb?
And are you going with 4 drives? I am guessing you are using a SSD with that M.2 port?

(did you also grab a case?)

Thanks again for the info.

[YYR123]

Would you mine sharing what type of memory did you get? 16gb?
And are you going with 4 drives? I am guessing you are using a SSD with that M.2 port?

(did you also grab a case?)

Thanks again for the info.Yes I love this case. It's got so much room behind the mobo for cables and the like. And I wasn't even planning on a new case but I'm glad I did.

I didn't get the RGB case just the regular case.

http://www.thermaltake.com/products-model.aspx?id=C_00003012

$100 bucks. And it's got cool glass sides really heavy glass. Nice case


Corsair Vengeance 2400ghz DDR4 16gb - i couldn't justify 32gb - Quad channel board.

Right now I have 4 drives.
I burnt up 3 spinners b/c I used a thermaltake power cable to power up the spinners but I have a Coolermaster power supply- I have never had that happen to me before.

Anyway I am restoring my sample drives and backups but plan on getting another drive to back up the backups, but it won't necessarily have to go in the case, I have a USB3 tray for loading and unloading drives.

If you don't have it 3 places it's not backed up!!!!

[keithl]

Dig the case :)

Just wanted to clarify. You burnt up three hard drives?

And the reason was because of a thermal take power cable?
Was that not the right power cable? (I'm kinda new at builds!)

Did you go with any SSD drives?

Thanks again for your assistance

[keithl]

I put together a parts list for a I7-6800/ASUS X99 Deluxe II.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/x8CFVY

If anybody has experience with that combo, can you take a look and see if it looks good?
I am honestly not sure about the video card (I obviously want to go as cheap as possible with it)

Also, is there anything else I am missing?

[YYR123]

You need to get 4 sticks of 4gb to properly use all of the Quad channel rams bandwidth

I don't have experience with that video card. I use the GeForce GTX760 SC.

But it will probably work fine. The chipset and CPU combo is more critical to your PC experience


Yeah I burnt the HDD's pcb for sure - I don't understand why but I did..... probably a 12v position and HDD's run off 5v

[keithl]

You need to get 4 sticks of 4gb to properly use all of the Quad channel rams bandwidth


I am actually thinking about going 8x4 for 32gb.

I'll look your graphics card. Thanks for the suggestion!

[keithl]

Is getting this message normal for the mobo/cpu I picked on PC Parts Picker?

Some Intel X99 chipset motherboards may need a BIOS update prior to using Broadwell-E CPUs. Upgrading the BIOS may require a different CPU that is supported by older BIOS revisions.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/x8CFVY

[DonaldM]

I have a Dell XPS9000/435t running [email protected]. I've been wanting to upgrade my CPU, but the most I could do, given my MOBO is the i7-970 because of the size. (9 pins, I think).

So, now I'm wondering if I might just replace the MOBO, but I'm not sure if I can with a Dell. (I'm told they have some kind of proprietary size or something like that) Right now I have 4 HDs internal, and 1 external via USB3.
My MIDI controller is via Firewire. And the XPS has, I think, 9 USB slots.

I also need to upgrade my Nvidia, which right now is Nvidia GeForce GTS 240...a bit older!
I have 24gig ram (6slots, 4gig ram).

I have very little knowledge of how MOBOs and all that work. What might my options be? What do I need to consider?

Thanks

[albee1952]

The "latest and greatest" seems to be an X99 motherboard(socket 2011-3) with an i7 6 core(6800K in my rig) and DDR4 RAM. On a budget, a second hand X79 motherboard(socket 2011) with i7 6 core(3930K) and DDR3 RAM is a major step up from the old 920. In either case, 4x8GB(total of 32GB) of quad-channel is the sweet spot for RAM(when I upgraded my X79 rig from 32 to 64GB, I really didn't notice much improvement):o

Back to the old socket 1366, I updated mine from a i7 950 to a 980X 6 core, but your motherboard might not work for that(at the very least, would likely need to update the BIOS). I can't comment much on how much improvement that was as I had already moved that machine to backup service and never really worked it hard(have since sold to a friend for running Cubase):D

[DonaldM]

The "latest and greatest" seems to be an X99 motherboard(socket 2011-3) with an i7 6 core(6800K in my rig) and DDR4 RAM. On a budget, a second hand X79 motherboard(socket 2011) with i7 6 core(3930K) and DDR3 RAM is a major step up from the old 920. In either case, 4x8GB(total of 32GB) of quad-channel is the sweet spot for RAM(when I upgraded my X79 rig from 32 to 64GB, I really didn't notice much improvement):o

Back to the old socket 1366, I updated mine from a i7 950 to a 980X 6 core, but your motherboard might not work for that(at the very least, would likely need to update the BIOS). I can't comment much on how much improvement that was as I had already moved that machine to backup service and never really worked it hard(have since sold to a friend for running Cubase):D

Thanks for the info, Albee. My question is, though, will these fit in my Dell? I've been told that Dell uses some kind of proprietary size or screws or something like that. Do you know if that's actually the case?

[YYR123]

No you are right, your better off getting another case.

And it will be a lot cooler looking than the Dell

[DonaldM]

No you are right, your better off getting another case.

And it will be a lot cooler looking than the Dell

I don't really care how it looks...just as long as everything functions properly. In my studio, you can't see the tower, as its under the main desk.

[Bob Olhsson]

Look on the Dell site! I upgraded my Dell Precession twice.

[DonaldM]

Look on the Dell site! I upgraded my Dell Precession twice.

Bob - Were you able to get a MOBO from Dell?

[DonaldM]

So, I checked with Dell and they do not have any MOBO upgrades available for my system. :rolleyes:

[Bob Olhsson]

I didn't upgrade the MB, just the Xeon CPUs as the price dropped.

[albee1952]

If cash is really tight and you are happy with your current case, open it up and check out the screw layout. Odds are pretty good that(given its an i7 quad) that its an ATX (size) motherboard and that's a fairly standard size for a full-sized motherboard. It should have 3 screws across the top, 3 across the middle)probably lower than the exact middle) and 3 more across the lower edge.

[DonaldM]

Thanks, Dave. I'll take a peek.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[YYR123]

But this is Dell we are talking about....they can be and have been historically super proprietary in the past.

I don't know about large desktops but other smaller form factors have been super custom.

Finger crossed for you

[keithl]

Daniel/YYR123
FYI
I sent you a PM about your system config.

Thanks

[DonaldM]

Thanks, Daniel.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[guitardom]

Thanks, Daniel.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Why would you just update the motherboard?? That will do pretty much nothing without updating the CPU, ram, etc.

The chances are very slim to do what you are wanting. Considering it is from the first i7 model, most things in the system are pretty well useless moving forward. The ram is no longer compatible. Things like the PSU just need to be tossed. CPU cooler wont work, etc. At most, your cd and hard drives are about the only thing usable. That 920 is creeping up on 10 years old now! Even the lowest end new i5 is significantly faster than the i7 970.

[DonaldM]

Why would you just update the motherboard?? That will do pretty much nothing without updating the CPU, ram, etc.

The chances are very slim to do what you are wanting. Considering it is from the first i7 model, most things in the system are pretty well useless moving forward. The ram is no longer compatible. Things like the PSU just need to be tossed. CPU cooler wont work, etc. At most, your cd and hard drives are about the only thing usable. That 920 is creeping up on 10 years old now! Even the lowest end new i5 is significantly faster than the i7 970.

Yes, I am aware of all this. That's exactly what I'm looking at. I'm comparing options right now. One being swapping out the motherboard, AND adding all the other things, new CPU etc. I'm comparing prices and all that as well. What I want is not only a more powerful CPU, but also a more flexible system that I can expand in the future if needed. My current MOBO won't allow that. So, I'm looking at building a more custom system, keeping what I can from my current one, but adding whatever new stuff I need to make it all work, including CPU, memory and all that. I might be able to get some good deals on the various components, and I have someone with the technical know-how who can help build it.

The other option is to just buy a new PC, but I think I can do better building my own.

[YYR123]

The other option is to just buy a new PC, but I think I can do better building my own.


Yes you can.

[The Weed]

Or let guitardom build it for you - and give you great support.

[guitardom]

Yes, I am aware of all this. That's exactly what I'm looking at. I'm comparing options right now. One being swapping out the motherboard, AND adding all the other things, new CPU etc. I'm comparing prices and all that as well. What I want is not only a more powerful CPU, but also a more flexible system that I can expand in the future if needed. My current MOBO won't allow that. So, I'm looking at building a more custom system, keeping what I can from my current one, but adding whatever new stuff I need to make it all work, including CPU, memory and all that. I might be able to get some good deals on the various components, and I have someone with the technical know-how who can help build it.

The other option is to just buy a new PC, but I think I can do better building my own.

The case is about the cheapest part of building a system in many cases (pun intended). Pull your audio, sample, and backup drives out, maybe the CD drive and set the old system on the curb, list it in Craigslist for $50, or turn it into a spare system in the house. Nothing else is really salvageable.

[YYR123]

I just finished my build and am installing all my plugs afresh (rainy day)

I went with a Asus Deluxe ii X99 (b/c it's been proven hassle free with PT, X99 and Broadwell CPU's that is.....)

PCIE lanes running a higher speeds than other boards. (Some lower priced boards only have 4 and the 4th shares the USB3.1 bandwidth) also it came with a TB header and TB-PCIE card.

Onboard M.2 ports (I'm using one currently)

Really nice board and I'm using the i7-6850k.

Sweet little setup.....no real world experience with it yet, but man this M.2 drive is "LEGIT"


MOBO - ASUS (https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/X99-DELUXE-II/)


CPU INTEL i7-6850k (https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i7-6850K+%40+3.60GHz&id=2800)


Memory - Corsair DDR4 (https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233740&cm_re=corsair_vengance_ddr4-_-20-233-740-_-Product)


Old GPU - EVGA GeFORCE GTX 760sc (https://www.evga.com/articles/00757/)

Samsung M.2 - SM961 - 256gb drive (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Samsung-960-Pro-Series-OEM-256GB-NVMe-M-2-NGFF-SSD-PCIe-3-0-x4-80mm-SM961-/272831564079?hash=item3f8607492f:g:J90AAOSwY71ZqYU X)

Case - View31 - Beautiful Case (https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133335&cm_re=thermal_take_view31-_-11-133-335-_-Product)


Updated for the record.

For Posterity sake.

[DonaldM]

For Posterity sake.

So is that your current system? That's along the lines of what I want to do.

[YYR123]

Current system, and it feels real quick and snappy.

I didn't do a pre/post test on a session, but it feels real good.

I haven't recorded with it yet, but I was mixing at a 128 buffer setting.

It was 20% on a small session

2 Kontakt instrument
Sonivox strings

A bunch of plugs and a lot of audio....

[DonaldM]

That's kinda what I need.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[rossi68]

I planning on building a New studio pc. The one I use now I built many years ago, With i7 980x, gigabyte MB and 12 GB of ram.
It is still "ok" but I am suffering from the cpu spikes in pt 12.7
What is the situation With these New builds?
Thinking of i7 6850, With the x99 MB,s
Do you still have these errors?

Rossi

[albee1952]

I planning on building a New studio pc. The one I use now I built many years ago, With i7 980x, gigabyte MB and 12 GB of ram.
It is still "ok" but I am suffering from the cpu spikes in pt 12.7
What is the situation With these New builds?
Thinking of i7 6850, With the x99 MB,s
Do you still have these errors?

Rossi
Good parts, but I am still having spikes in 12.8 here(x99, i7 6800K, 32GB RAM):o

[YYR123]

12.5.1 no spikes !!!

We all have the same mobo chipset.

I don’t even overclock it....yet.

[rossi68]

That is interesting....
Have you tried 12.7???

[YYR123]

That is interesting....

Have you tried 12.7???



Not sure if you mean me or Dave but I myself have not tried 12.7

[rossi68]

Not sure if you mean me or Dave but I myself have not tried 12.7
Oh sorry...
I meant you YYR123:)
Still a little worried over the cpu spike problem.
I cant understand why this problem is not on AVIDS main fix-list....

[albee1952]

For me, 12.5 was awful(unusable). 12.7 and 12.8 have all been okay. Things generally run nicely until a random cpu spike which usually comes with a -9xxx error message. Clicking on the More Info button results in either nothing found, or every number EXCEPT the one I am searching for:o

[rossi68]

For me, 12.5 was awful(unusable). 12.7 and 12.8 have all been okay. Things generally run nicely until a random cpu spike which usually comes with a -9xxx error message. Clicking on the More Info button results in either nothing found, or every number EXCEPT the one I am searching for:o

I,m still on 12.7. My subscription ended just before 12.8 was released, but I saw there was an impressive improvement-list in 12.8.. Maybe worth a try.
Do you see any difference between 12.7 and 12.8?
For me also the spike,s are pretty random. But I dont get any error message.
The cpu meter just pops up to 100% for a second, producing a little glitch in the audio, and then its back to normal for a while....

[albee1952]

I,m still on 12.7. My subscription ended just before 12.8 was released, but I saw there was an impressive improvement-list in 12.8.. Maybe worth a try.
Do you see any difference between 12.7 and 12.8?
For me also the spike,s are pretty random. But I dont get any error message.
The cpu meter just pops up to 100% for a second, producing a little glitch in the audio, and then its back to normal for a while....

For me, there seems little difference in the various versions. My cpu spikes seem totally random and I get the error message if the spike happens while transport is rolling(thankfully, it seems more rare while doing a record pass, than on playback):rolleyes:

[chrisdee]

Any thoughts on the ASUS Prime X299-A, Socket-2066 + Intel Core i9-7900X Prosessor (10 core 3.3/4.5Ghz) for PT 12?

I have not been following CPU progress the last 6 months. I was suprised there is a i9-7940X 14 core cpu out. Price is a bit to high at the moment so was thinking the 10 core 7900X would be better to get price/performance wize.

[YYR123]

Maybe related maybe not.

On the UAD website we had a guy who was going through quite a hard time with his X299 build.

Probably worth a read at least

[Southsidemusic]

Maybe related maybe not.

On the UAD website we had a guy who was going through quite a hard time with his X299 build.

Probably worth a read at least

Good catch !! I didn't remember to post that info but you did :-)

Saw that too and if you use UA gear that would probably need a good research before buying.

[chrisdee]

On the UAD website we had a guy who was going through quite a hard time with his X299 build.

Probably worth a read at least

Do you have a link?

[chrisdee]

I think I found it:

http://uadforum.com/apollo-interfaces/30309-alrighty-then-who-wants-talk-about-x299-chipset-latest-cpus-4.html#post240942
http://uadforum.com/apollo-interfaces/30309-alrighty-then-who-wants-talk-about-x299-chipset-latest-cpus-4.html#post240966
http://uadforum.com/apollo-interfaces/30309-alrighty-then-who-wants-talk-about-x299-chipset-latest-cpus-4.html#post241196

It seems he solved his problems with Cubase crashing by disabling C6/C7 State Support feature in Bios.

[danickstr]

Hey guys. Looking to get some simple but meaningful input on a comparison if it's easy between a MacBook Pro 2015/16 i7 2.5 and a build for pc x97/99 i7. I read a few people saying they don't max out their plugs with even older pc builds so a build here as seen in the last 10-20 posts would most likely be plenty for me. I'm not going to do huge mixes.

My thinking is whether a Mac OS makes tweaking the system less of a hunt for issues due to so many versions of pc motherboards and chipsets, etc.

I picked that older mac book since it's price comparable to a current pc build.

I am ruling out an i9 x299 cutting edge machine not just on price but due to the amount of undiscovered issues.

PT 12.5-12.8 shouldn't matter to me but I do want to put together an order if I go pc since I want to get a working rig up.

Any thoughts welcome.

Also I would lean towards a pc because my converter is a lynx 8 pcie so a mac will need an outboard TB box that adds to complications

[albee1952]

Just my 2 cents, but a purpose built desktop is going to win out over most any laptop.
1-Room for maybe 6 or more hard drives(5 in my rig)
2-Easily run 2/3/4 screens(running 3 off a single graphics card here)
3-PCIe for expansion(you knew this one anyway)
4-more cores(6/8/10/12:eek:)
5-more RAM(32 is the normal starting point with a PT tower)

For me, the ONLY reason to by a MBP is because you MUST be portable(and this being a PC guy, I still think the MBP is a great choice for a PT laptop):o

[danickstr]

Thanks Dave all good summary points.
I know that recently some well-planned builds on pc are experiencing 9173 errors or CPU spikes that seem to be eluding easy diagnosis. I know that Avid will not offer any time frame to help pin them down so it seems to be waiting for a workaround from us.

I would be willing to go with the older mbp to sidestep these issues since mobility is a small factor as I am remodeling as a way of life. Lol. so being able to move around easily for that reason isn't a bad thing - but not essential.

I like all the pc options but the spike/errors. Not to say mbp is error free. Just seems like another point in itb daw evolution that we all have dealt with - a period of error issues that we jointly struggle to diagnose.

[albee1952]

The errors are mainly a minor annoyance. I still get plenty of work done:o

[guitardom]

Thanks Dave all good summary points.
I know that recently some well-planned builds on pc are experiencing 9173 errors or CPU spikes that seem to be eluding easy diagnosis. I know that Avid will not offer any time frame to help pin them down so it seems to be waiting for a workaround from us.

I would be willing to go with the older mbp to sidestep these issues since mobility is a small factor as I am remodeling as a way of life. Lol. so being able to move around easily for that reason isn't a bad thing - but not essential.

I like all the pc options but the spike/errors. Not to say mbp is error free. Just seems like another point in itb daw evolution that we all have dealt with - a period of error issues that we jointly struggle to diagnose.

The errors you speak of are either plugin based which typically affect both platforms or they are system configuration issues. (Not saying this to be rude) There is more than just putting the system together, and it everything after that, that causes a lot of problems for people with spiking and other performance issues.

[danickstr]

Not unhappy at all to hear that. I was actually hoping that a voice of expertise would chime in with exactly that analysis.

Since the builds are documented I guess the more minute undocumented level of driver details or subsets of asus x99 motherboards and evolution of plugin versions causing issues for example are to be attributed to the source of anomaly issues.

[YYR123]

Since the builds are documented I guess the more minute undocumented level of driver details or subsets of asus x99 motherboards and evolution of plugin versions causing issues for example are to be attributed to the source of anomaly issues.


Yep exactly, and don’t forget BIOS settings....

It makes a difference as well.

[danickstr]

Bios sure. Seems like driver offers by the Mobo makers to update various sections drivers on a weekly basis for newer mobos Is common on builds I have done before.

I see the nvme drives being offered and wondered if anyone has a solid build working that is using a mobo with these. Seems like incredible throughput on them. I mean the mobo with the dedicated port for them built into it.

[YYR123]

That’s how I use it.

My mobo and system is in my Sig.

Super stable super fast

https://www.ebay.com/i/132006916858
M.2 - wonderful experience. Took a minute to get it mounted but it wasn’t super complicated

[Bender412]

Is anyone running an HDX system on a PC using an X99 motherboard? I've only seen a couple DUC users doing so, and both are successfully using an ASUS X99-E WS.

Just wondering if there are any other motherboards that are working with HDX cards.

[Steampunk]

Hey guys, quick question for a motherboard for a
new built based on i7 7700K

I'm pretty set on Gigabyte GA-Z270x Gaming 5
is there anything better in the same price bracket or some other I should
consider?

Most important thing for me are the PCIe/PCI slots a I run on
those for audio (RME)

thank you!

[DonaldM]

What DDR4 ram do you all recommend?

[rossi68]

I am sorry if the information I ask is allready posted... but I couldnt find it, so....
I am still planning a new pc, and just wondered if anyone have tried i7 8700 coffee lake 6-core cpu?
8. generation

[SludgePanda]

I just had my iMac die on me and I'm looking into switching to a PC. I was running PT 7.4.1 with a Digi003. I know that pretty much nothing is compatible with that old stuff at this point, so I'll probably be upgrading to PT12 and hopefully still using my 003. As for a PC, I'm not knowledgeable about the tech side of things, so I'm looking for some help. How does something like this sound?

- windows 10
- i7 7700k quad 4.2Ghz
- 32Gb DDR4 SDRAM
- 256GB SSD drive
- 1TB drive
- Gforce gtx1070 graphics
- 730 watt power supply

Here's a link to the full specs: https://www.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/predator-model/UD.P01AA.578

Any help and suggestions is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[albee1952]

I would check with pro-tools-pc.com for a comparison. At first glance, I'm thinking the graphics card is overkill and it never mentions with motherboard(chipset) and that detail is really important. Plus, to keep the 003 going, you'll need an approved firewire card:o

[YYR123]

I have one for sale if interested

Siig PCIE FW Card - TI Chipset.

$35 shipped USA

[SludgePanda]

Great! Thanks. I'll check about the motherboard and I think I've got the FireWire covered anyway. Is there a certain motherboard or chipset that I should look into? Also, what graphics card may be better suited than that one, if it's overkill. I'm hoping to get something ordered next week. Thanks again.
Scott

[albee1952]

Great! Thanks. I'll check about the motherboard and I think I've got the FireWire covered anyway. Is there a certain motherboard or chipset that I should look into? Also, what graphics card may be better suited than that one, if it's overkill. I'm hoping to get something ordered next week. Thanks again.
Scott

The current "go to" chipset seems to be the X99(make certain the cpu has the same pin configuration as the motherboard). For graphics, look at nVidia GTX 750 Ti. I am running this card with 3 screens(all 1920x1080).

[SludgePanda]

Awesome, thank you. I've been looking into the i7-7700k and i7-8700k. The 8700 needs a 300 series motherboard though. I'll look into the x99s. A lot of people seem to be using that graphics card, which is great because it's way cheaper than the one I was originally looking at.
Any other suggestions are welcome! Thanks!

[gnjlee]

Awesome, thank you. I've been looking into the i7-7700k and i7-8700k. The 8700 needs a 300 series motherboard though. I'll look into the x99s. A lot of people seem to be using that graphics card, which is great because it's way cheaper than the one I was originally looking at.
Any other suggestions are welcome! Thanks!

I am running a 1070gtx. I have a 49" 4k TV for my display AND I love headroom of all sorts. Other than that, it is very much overkill. I would take the money you save on the video card and spend it on more cores. That would be the only suggestion I would make.

[jlumbreras88]

I just had my iMac die on me and I'm looking into switching to a PC. I was running PT 7.4.1 with a Digi003. I know that pretty much nothing is compatible with that old stuff at this point, so I'll probably be upgrading to PT12 and hopefully still using my 003. As for a PC, I'm not knowledgeable about the tech side of things, so I'm looking for some help. How does something like this sound?

- windows 10
- i7 7700k quad 4.2Ghz
- 32Gb DDR4 SDRAM
- 256GB SSD drive
- 1TB drive
- Gforce gtx1070 graphics
- 730 watt power supply

Here's a link to the full specs: https://www.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/predator-model/UD.P01AA.578

Any help and suggestions is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

So I JUST switched from Mac to Windows this week after 12 years. My build seems pretty solid. I haven't had any issues yet.

Asus ROG Maximus X Hero
i7 8700k delidded 5.0 OC
Noctua d15 cooler
32gb RAM 3200
960pro SSD for system and apps
850 evo for samples
850 evo for sessions
1tb HDD for storage
1080ti because I game but completely not necessary
Thunderbolt card for my Ensemble
Corsair 540 air case

[SludgePanda]

So I JUST switched from Mac to Windows this week after 12 years. My build seems pretty solid. I haven't had any issues yet.

Asus ROG Maximus X Hero
i7 8700k delidded 5.0 OC
Noctua d15 cooler
32gb RAM 3200
960pro SSD for system and apps
850 evo for samples
850 evo for sessions
1tb HDD for storage
1080ti because I game but completely not necessary
Thunderbolt card for my Ensemble
Corsair 540 air case

Awesome! This is actually pretty close to what I've been looking at building. Great to hear that it's working for you. I've been basing my build around that i7 8700k as well. I'll let you know you know what I end up with in the end. Thanks!

[AndyMVP]

Hi legends,

It's a topic that gets covered intermittently throughout this thread, but I can't see much up-to-date info about it - laptops!

My old HP Pavilion DV7 circa 2011 (nicknamed Old Wheezy) really doesn't want to take work trips with me any more and I think it's time for a new model. (When I'm in my studio I'm on an X99 system that hums along nicely.)

I mainly edit radio shows, podcasts, commercials and voice overs. Something fairly gutsy and relatively able to hold up for a few years would be nice.

I'd rather stay in PC-land if possible too - so recommendations other than MacBook Pros would be super. I read a thread from April of a DUC user happy with a Asus lappy but.. Any suggestions welcome! :D

[jlumbreras88]

Awesome! This is actually pretty close to what I've been looking at building. Great to hear that it's working for you. I've been basing my build around that i7 8700k as well. I'll let you know you know what I end up with in the end. Thanks!

Sweet! Let me know if you have any questions. I may be able to help. I didn't run into to many problems. Just had to uninstall the MOBO audio drivers. Also I have had zero issues overclocking the 8700k to 5.0 on air. But I did have mine delidded by silicon lottery and the d15 is a beast.

[PatriotsBiker]

I'm looking for a comprehensive article/publication for diagnosing a PC for ground loops and/or other electrical issues that may exist. The 'what to check and what any readings' tolerances should be. I can find bits and pieces scattered about.

fwiw - I have a lingering ground loop issue in my system. Even with it, the machine is tons more quiet across the board than it was for the past few years and even months.

[guitardom]

I'm looking for a comprehensive article/publication for diagnosing a PC for ground loops and/or other electrical issues that may exist. The 'what to check and what any readings' tolerances should be. I can find bits and pieces scattered about.

fwiw - I have a lingering ground loop issue in my system. Even with it, the machine is tons more quiet across the board than it was for the past few years and even months.

The first 2 things to try are to remove all peripherals. So remove any USB cables, firewire, ethernet, etc. Just test with the onboard audio via headphones. This is far more common source of noise problems than most people may realize

As much as people freak out, put a groundlift on the power cable and test.

I have seen this diagnose 99% of all issues. This will tell you where to start looking next, incoming power or a peripheral.

[YYR123]

The first 2 things to try are to remove all peripherals. So remove any USB cables, firewire, ethernet, etc. Just test with the onboard audio via headphones. This is far more common source of noise problems than most people may realize

As much as people freak out, put a groundlift on the power cable and test.

I have seen this diagnose 99% of all issues. This will tell you where to start looking next, incoming power or a peripheral.

Concise and accurate Troubleshooting information!!!

[emoji1417][emoji1417][emoji1417][emoji1417][emoji1417]

[PatriotsBiker]

The first 2 things to try are to remove all peripherals. So remove any USB cables, firewire, ethernet, etc. Just test with the onboard audio via headphones. This is far more common source of noise problems than most people may realize

As much as people freak out, put a groundlift on the power cable and test.

I have seen this diagnose 99% of all issues. This will tell you where to start looking next, incoming power or a peripheral.
Thanks for the response and tips.

I've not tested with everything disconnected and plugging the headphones into the onboard audio. Always with/through a connected interface. Is the test as simple as plugging in the headphones and turning the onboard audio way up?

Just to verify, should I be able to hear just a hiss at some point?

[guitardom]

Thanks for the response and tips.

I've not tested with everything disconnected and plugging the headphones into the onboard audio. Always with/through a connected interface. Is the test as simple as plugging in the headphones and turning the onboard audio way up?

Just to verify, should I be able to hear just a hiss at some point?

Test it with the onboard the same way you test it with an interface. You cant just assume its the computer itself creating the issue. You have to eliminate all possibilities first, which includes anything connected to it. I might even try keeping the ilok plugged in, install asio4all driver and check Pro Tools that way.

Also be aware of cell phones near guitars and microphones. I have went through fits before trying to find a noise, only to find out the guitarist did not put his phone away as I had asked previously. Guitars near the tower or monitors can also do it. Keep your monitor off is best practice when listening.

[albee1952]

Test it with the onboard the same way you test it with an interface. You cant just assume its the computer itself creating the issue. You have to eliminate all possibilities first, which includes anything connected to it. I might even try keeping the ilok plugged in, install asio4all driver and check Pro Tools that way.

Also be aware of cell phones near guitars and microphones. I have went through fits before trying to find a noise, only to find out the guitarist did not put his phone away as I had asked previously. Guitars near the tower or monitors can also do it. Keep your monitor off is best practice when listening.
And some wireless mice will wreak total havoc with guitar pickups nearby:eek:

[PatriotsBiker]

Test it with the onboard the same way you test it with an interface. You cant just assume its the computer itself creating the issue. You have to eliminate all possibilities first, which includes anything connected to it. I might even try keeping the ilok plugged in, install asio4all driver and check Pro Tools that way.

Also be aware of cell phones near guitars and microphones. I have went through fits before trying to find a noise, only to find out the guitarist did not put his phone away as I had asked previously. Guitars near the tower or monitors can also do it. Keep your monitor off is best practice when listening.
I'm actually testing in hopes that it is not in the computer. I want to eliminate something. I think I should now be specific with what I am testing right now. I have a big suspicion that there are ground issues with the USB lines or ports.

My normal test is to hook up a guitar to a guitar processor and create a tone strong enough to record at -18dbfs. I pass this via analog either XLR or TRS in to my Apollo Twin. Letting the guitar set still, plugged in, turned on, but not playing will show a signal at 60Hz of between -90dbfs and -75dbfs. Turning up a wide Q in the EQ to about +24db will reveal hissing. Get a little too close to another component with the guitar or use a very aggressive patch. These numbers are much improved from a few months ago when the signal would appear at -60dbfs audibly and visually. You can imagine the noises that would be recorded at that would infiltrate my audio signals in a variety of manner. Such noises were not present when printing VI tracks to audio.

With nothing armed and nothing playing, I can turn up the same Acon EQ boosts on an empty audio track and hear almost nothing. (which is also an improvement as of late, too.)

I'll attack the sound tests with everything disconnected tomorrow, hopefully, and report back. Hopefully the whole picture helps some?

[YYR123]

My normal test is to hook up a guitar to a guitar processor and create a tone strong enough to record at -18dbfs. I pass this via analog either XLR or TRS in to my Apollo Twin. Letting the guitar set still, plugged in, turned on, but not playing will show a signal at 60Hz of between -90dbfs and -75dbfs. Turning up a wide Q in the EQ to about +24db will reveal hissing.


Well that is kind of counter productive
+24 dB on an EQ will reveal lots of hissing in lots of stuff.

I would take a loop from Avid and check it out.....use that instead of the guitar.

My point is that +24 dB is going to show you things that might not be a problem under normal real world conditions

[guitardom]

I'm actually testing in hopes that it is not in the computer. I want to eliminate something. I think I should now be specific with what I am testing right now. I have a big suspicion that there are ground issues with the USB lines or ports.

My normal test is to hook up a guitar to a guitar processor and create a tone strong enough to record at -18dbfs. I pass this via analog either XLR or TRS in to my Apollo Twin. Letting the guitar set still, plugged in, turned on, but not playing will show a signal at 60Hz of between -90dbfs and -75dbfs. Turning up a wide Q in the EQ to about +24db will reveal hissing. Get a little too close to another component with the guitar or use a very aggressive patch. These numbers are much improved from a few months ago when the signal would appear at -60dbfs audibly and visually. You can imagine the noises that would be recorded at that would infiltrate my audio signals in a variety of manner. Such noises were not present when printing VI tracks to audio.

With nothing armed and nothing playing, I can turn up the same Acon EQ boosts on an empty audio track and hear almost nothing. (which is also an improvement as of late, too.)

I'll attack the sound tests with everything disconnected tomorrow, hopefully, and report back. Hopefully the whole picture helps some?

As Daniel pointed out, you are creating the problem. Turning up 24db of any frequency on any signal that is live or playing back is going to show it as having issues. But its not reality of what is actually happening. Just as you could say cutting 24db of any frequency would reduce noise.

Second, a guitar is always going to have noise, period. Its wire wrapped around magnets with no legit grounding system other than to touch it. If its passive pickups, it is not grounded until you actually touch the hardware, so there is going to be noise. A guitar cable does not assist in any sort of grounding. Depending on the "patch" you are using, it will also cause problems. If you have a patch with a compression on it for instance, it will raise the noise floor and make the "noise" appear louder than it actually is. Of course any sort of gain or overdrive will cause noise as that is what you are asking it to do.

I really don't think you have a problem. What you are seeing is completely normal. Assuming all your gear is plugged into a Furman/Monster power conditioner-filter, keeping cell phones, halogen lights, monitor, tower and such away from it, that is the best it is going to get outside of taking your guitar in and getting the electronics tidied up and getting the rf reducing material in it.

[PatriotsBiker]

Thanks, Gents! I agree that there are big limitations to my tests, such as they were. Not knowing what is signal fault and what is testing fault makes it ambiguous to say the least.

The 25db increase just sort of happened over time as the noises decreased layer by layer. I will compile a list of "fixes" the best I can remember. One thing I will say now is that I am thrilled beyond words at what I can record/track now as far as signal to noise ratio goes. I've gotta have a nasty mean patch going with the gate off to have the noise appear at -60dbfs. The whole 300Hz to 1K is brand new to me. 1K to 5K is means more now than a place to put a whole bunch of notch filters. Music just sort of magically blends together now. Happy times!

PC isolation results. I did as suggested and isolated my PC from everything else. There was no noise level coming through my headphones with the volume cranks all the way up. When I played a song from my ripped Cd collection, everything was clear as could be. Exactly as I would expect it to sound. I did the whole kill and disconnect my monitor/mouse/keyboard thing just for giggles to see if anything changed and it did not.

Next, I reconnected what I had to in order to get PT up and running, as well as installing ASIO4ALL and created an empty project. In that project, I eventually found a Big Fish audio loop with some bland space at the beginning. It was a snare fill, IIRC. This blank section did have what appeared to me as a wave form hovering around -100dbfs to -110dbfs. It was fairly even with a big drop off at 22kHz. I did increase the signal. It's much louder than I normally hear, even with a reduce Q. I raised it about 18db before noises started and it got worse from there. The noises were mostly static in nature. I raised everything up to be obvious and disconnected everything else again. Not changes in that noise. I reconnected everything and re-checked just to make sure I heard nothing before raising a bandwidth in the EQ. Again, I could not hear anything until raising it a sufficient amount in the EQ.

So, as has been pointed out, raising the EQ a ton is doing little more than inviting noises to occur, no matter the source. That is indeed what I saw. I was very surprised to hear that the blank place in a loop had a lot of static in it once it was turned up. That it was louder than my own system with purposely introduced noises is puzzling, to say the least.

Was this done as you expected and/or tell you anything, guitardom and YYR123?

[YYR123]

Once you reconnected everything - I would have imported that song you ripped, the one that sounded clear in the phones

Import that into a session....how does it sound playing back through the computer speaker?/ how does it sound when playing back via your studio monitors?

[PatriotsBiker]

Once you reconnected everything - I would have imported that song you ripped, the one that sounded clear in the phones

Import that into a session....how does it sound playing back through the computer speaker?/ how does it sound when playing back via your studio monitors?
This test came out with flying colors. Even the nearly tacet spots that had some slight audio hiss/pressure came out sounding the same.

I copied that snare loop from the previous test over to my laptop and abused it in the same fashion that I did for that test. I came up with the same static noises.

Right now, I am feeling very confident about my audio machine's ability to handle/process music signals cleanly. Monitors and headphones. The only thing I do not know for sure is tracking a signal via USB interface.

I will say this, though. My home project studio is the poster child for anyone's compilation of best practices when using non-professional gear. 3 weeks ago, I could not even wave a low voltage detector near an unplugged instrument cable in the middle of that room on my comfy chair. Now I have to get up front and close to an active piece of gear(11R, Power conditioner, PC) to get it to complain. Once I got a few things fixed inside of the computer (replaced PSU, discovered a wiring issue to front panel's portion of the sound card and reinstalled Apollo afterwards, all that other stuff I begrudgingly tried again made differences this time around. The final bit of quiet came from getting all Mogami(sp?) cables for the room.

[Darryl Ramm]

Does anybody know the state of i9/X299 builds, I've searched and not found much on DUC. I need to build a development PC and thought I would make it as Pro Tools compatible as well in case I end up using it for that as well. I was hoping for a motherboard with Thunderbolt 3, so started looking at the ASUS PRIME X299-DELUXE.

[Brandonx1]

Does anybody know the state of i9/X299 builds, I've searched and not found much on DUC. I need to build a development PC and thought I would make it as Pro Tools compatible as well in case I end up using it for that as well. I was hoping for a motherboard with Thunderbolt 3, so started looking at the ASUS PRIME X299-DELUXE.

If you do Asrock you can use a thunderbolt3 card with 2 ports and 10gbe ethernet built in. I haven't tested this board out yet but it looks like a winner.

https://www.asrock.com/MB/Intel/Fatal1ty%20X299%20Professional%20Gaming%20i9/index.asp

[Darryl Ramm]

If you do Asrock you can use a thunderbolt3 card with 2 ports and 10gbe ethernet built in. I haven't tested this board out yet but it looks like a winner.

https://www.asrock.com/MB/Intel/Fatal1ty%20X299%20Professional%20Gaming%20i9/index.asp

Thanks for that, I like the 3 x M.2 mounts.

[WilliebSR]

Will be building an i7-8700k board using AsRock Extreme 4 board. Has two additional front SATA busses and has the thunderbolt header. That processor seems to have a nice balance in increased cores and speed relative to cost when compared with the others offered right now. Parts on order. Cross your fingers.

That said, when I was surfing around looking at parts reading reviews yada, yada.. I decided to stay away from i9 and the i7-7xxx because of all the hubbub about them running really hot. Not wanting to introduce lots of fan noise; or the expense / potential tragedy of water cooling..

I could be talking out my tail feathers and the wizards of PT on this thread certainly are more qualified than me. Just sharing what my impression was after several days of snooping around, for what its worth.

[EGS]

Will be building an i7-8700k board using AsRock Extreme 4 board. Has two additional front SATA busses and has the thunderbolt header...You are looking at this motherboard

https://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z370%20Extreme4/index.asp#Specification

right?

It doesn't seem to have Thunderbolt 3. That's something I think we'll all want in the near future.

[jofprexus]

Hi everyone, first post. I'm assembling a list of parts to build a PC, (for ProTools), and wanted to know if anyone sees any issues with what I have so far...

Motherboard http://a.co/cRetEoR

CPU http://a.co/iKYDWAk

RAM http://a.co/9Rtj3UJ

Power Supply http://a.co/8U4jJtH

Cooler http://a.co/4jl7cjT

Case http://a.co/3yvwXiz

I haven't decided on storage yet,

Thanks,

Gary

[WilliebSR]

You are looking at this motherboard

https://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z370%20Extreme4/index.asp#Specification

right?

It doesn't seem to have Thunderbolt 3. That's something I think we'll all want in the near future.

That's the board. It has an internal thunderbolt header and AsRock sells a pci card (out of stock right now like pretty much every manufacturer) but I liked that board since it has more Sata ports than any other Z370 out there, as well as a nice mix of headers for other types of usb as well as plenty of pci slots.

There are other MOBO that have that thunderbolt header where you add a card. I know I saw some Z170 boards and I think there was one other, I just don't remember.. maybe X99? The thing right now though is that it has to have the header so the card will work. Some of the newer boards also sport additional pci lanes so there's even greater access I think to the processor via that route.. making it seem more doable adding m.2 cards attached to a pci expansion slot too....

Don't put too much stock in what I'm writing though, I'm not 100% sure it will actually work like that..... I'm just reporting my interpretation of the marketing mumbo jumbo.... and I've been known to be gullible once or twice.

[YYR123]

I haven't decided on storage yet,

Go with a M.2 drive.....amazing stuff

My target record drive is a SSD

[chrisdee]

When it comes to ram speed I saw a video from Linus Tech Tips refering to a JEDEC specification of 2133MHz for DDR4 Ram. Saying running anything over 2400Mhz is outside their spec for x99. Only befinit might be overclocking wich itself can lead to issues.

So when selecting ram should one go for 2133 or 2400 on x99 or x299?

[PatriotsBiker]

My machine could not handle prosperity. This test now fails. Long story short, I was recording some new bass tones when I heard something change. I eventually got back to doing the onboard audio sound file testing. Sure enough, separate and distinctive signals. One is music, one is static emptiness.

Also, with and without the test below, anything and everything inside the computer is heard through any form of audio. CPU, GPU, mouse, keyboard, etc, etc. It is visible inside of PT when looking at an EQ waveform like with Pro-Q or the Acon EQ. It made the highs a little louder and really kicks into high gear near the high-teens where it sharply grows another 30db through the end of the EQ frequency range. I have to stack two 20kHz LP filters, and my 3.3kHz notch is no longer a notch. My tone is gone. I was down to just typical guitar gain noises. I even got room on the bottom end before this latest round.

It's been a long week of configuration changing, installs, uninstalls, cable swapping, etc, etc. 6-years on this build has been nothing but issues. I've been wearing out the Sweetwater server looking at the big Creation Station and trying to get details on the latest iteration. Then I remembered the Pro Tools PC site and, well, um, a very interesting full circle back here it is. That not withstanding, Financing appears to be the only advantage to the Creation Station.

One last ditch effort this morning, though. Below is the test I discovered now fails.

The first 2 things to try are to remove all peripherals. So remove any USB cables, firewire, ethernet, etc. Just test with the onboard audio via headphones. This is far more common source of noise problems than most people may realize

As much as people freak out, put a groundlift on the power cable and test.

I have seen this diagnose 99% of all issues. This will tell you where to start looking next, incoming power or a peripheral.

[chrisdee]

I’m looking at the Gigabyte X299 DESIGNARE EX motherboard with integrated graphics.

https://www.newegg.com/global/no/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813145050

I wonder if this would be a bad or good idea for the latest Pro Tools?

I’m not a gamer and don’t care about the latest and gratest graphcs. This will be a Pro Tools rig. Also prefer integrated since less hassle. As long as it is quiet and works with Pro Tools.

[ejinbc]

I just built the 8700K system linked below - running Win 10, ProTools 2018.1, MOTU 1248 USB, Waves Gold + HEQ, Kontakt Komplete:

System Builder https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/6nmc3F - Core i7-8700K 3.7GHz 6-Core, GeForce GTX 950 2GB FTW ACX 2.0, Define R5 (Black) ATX Mid Tower - PCPartPicker Canada

If you want low latency, the 8700K system is probably the way to go because of the faster single core performance.

I overclock to 5.0 GHz. Overclocking is trivial (see YouTube e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoUtA7DKXhU) and completely stable on my system. Actually, I find overclocking gives better stability/performance for DAW work. I disable all clock and power switching in the BIOS. I setup a custom fan profile in the BIOS for quieter operation. Airflow is important for overclocking. With the Noctu cooler I reverse the normal case airflow to draw in from the back directly onto the Noctu Radiator, and exhaust out the front. This gets the coolest air over the Radiator for cooling. The CPU never goes above 70C when using ProTools on a busy project.

I am very happy with the 8700K. I had been using an overclocked 3770K (4.5 GHz) for several years waiting for a worthy upgrade. This was it. The single core performance allows me to run at 64 sample buffer 24/96 kHz for recording (16 audio, 16 midi, 6 instances of HEQ, 1 HDelay, 1 Kontakt running AR Modern Drums, 1 Kontakt running Pianos, and then other instances of Kontakt instruments as required), and the 6 cores allow me to run many more CPU intensive plugins during mixing. All good.

I did not delid my CPU; it should not be necessary for 5 GHz. Get the thermal paste right and make sure you have the coolest air possible moving over the radiators. I just used the asus overclock profile for 5 GHz on the Asus Z370 Prime A motherboard and adjusted the XMP for my memory. Once it was working, I lowered the CPU voltage from the overclock default until my system wasn't stable in a stress test then upped the CPU voltage back a few mV. Done stable and cool.

Also note, there is a big difference in CPU load (temperatures) between running a DAW with a busy project and running a Prime stress test. On a stress test the CPU temp cycles from 60 to 85 C, but with a full DAW load it only goes up to 70 C max.

Happy Camper

[TNM]

I’m looking at the Gigabyte X299 DESIGNARE EX motherboard with integrated graphics.

https://www.newegg.com/global/no/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813145050

I wonder if this would be a bad or good idea for the latest Pro Tools?

I’m not a gamer and don’t care about the latest and gratest graphcs. This will be a Pro Tools rig. Also prefer integrated since less hassle. As long as it is quiet and works with Pro Tools.

that board looks fantastic, and is the first X299 board i saw with 2 built in thunderbolt 3.

For 450 USD it should be!

That means it will be around 799 AUD in australia.

Maybe 699 if lucky

That said, i don't agree with integrated video, sorry. It can hog system ram and even if you never play games, do you do any video editing? even basic?

I would recommend getting the silent gigabyte 1050 card, why not? If you are spending that much money.. discrete graphics always a good idea IMO.

look, it will probably work just fine, but personally i'd get a dedicated card.

Either way, i'm going to talk to my pc guru friend about that board and see if he's tested it. That looks like top stuff.

[chrisdee]

That said, i don't agree with integrated video, sorry. It can hog system ram and even if you never play games, do you do any video editing? even basic?

Good point. Don't want it to hog away ram from Pro Tools. Thanks.


I would recommend getting the silent gigabyte 1050 card, why not? If you are spending that much money.. discrete graphics always a good idea IMO.


Added to the parts list:)

it will probably work just fine, but personally i'd get a dedicated card.
Don't want to take any chances. A dedicated graphics card with it's own ram sounds like the best solution for Pro Tools.

I originally thought integrated graphics was a good idea but if it doesn't have it's own ram and steals away from PT it's not such a good idea after all.

[keithl]

Hello,

I think I am going to create a new PC and install 2018.1 Budget is $1300-$1500

My most important questions are regarding the CPU/Mobo. I have been doing research (especially this thread..whew!) and looking at the I7 7740x and the 8700k. Both 6 core/12 threads.

1) First question: Would 12 threads overboard for audio?

2) Second question: Is their a preference as to which CPU to go with for Pro Tools? 7740x or the 8700k?

3) Third question: Is 6 cores enough?

4) Fourth question: Would anybody have any suggestions for a MOBO to house either the 7740x or the 8700l?

If it helps, I usually record with amp sims and drums like EZ Drummer and Superior 3. The only real audio is vocals and bass.

Any help would be appreciate. It has been several years since my last computer and I am really out of the "PC tech" loop.

Thanks in advance!

Keith

[ejinbc]

Hello,

I think I am going to create a new PC and install 2018.1

My most important questions are regarding the CPU/Mobo. I have been doing research (especially this thread..whew!) and looking at the I7 7740x and the 8700k. Both 6 core/12 threads.

1) First question: Would 12 threads overboard for audio?

2) Second question: Is their a preference as to which CPU to go with for Pro Tools? 7740x or the 8700k?

3) Third question: Is 6 cores enough?

4) Fourth question: Would anybody have any suggestions for a MOBO to house either the 7740x or the 8700l?

If it helps, I usually record with amp sims and drums like EZ Drummer and Superior 3. The only real audio is vocals and bass.

Any help would be appreciate. It has been several years since my last computer and I am really out of the "PC tech" loop.

Thanks in advance!

Keith

K

I spent way too much time pondering this. For what you are doing the build I did (see link (https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/6nmc3F)) should be best price/performance ratio for low latency recording and VIs.
Note, if money is a problem you could go cheaper on the RAM (16 Gig), the storage (spinning disk), and the case. I would not substitute anything else.

Hope that helps. 8700K (with a slight overclock) is the way to go. See my post 3 posts above.

[keithl]

Thanks for your input. Much appreciated!
I am really trying to get 32GB in my machine with a $1500 budget. Maybe that's a no-can-do!
I'll take a look at your list.
I would probably have to take a hit on memory or a lesser CPU.

Thanks again!

[ejinbc]

Thanks for your input. Much appreciated!
I am really trying to get 32GB in my machine with a $1500 budget. Maybe that's a no-can-do!
I'll take a look at your list.
I would probably have to take a hit on memory or a lesser CPU.

Thanks again!

K

While I am here...

It is doable ($1500 CDN before taxes)

Part List (https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/rqRWYr)

You can use the onboard graphics (good enough). If you have any extra cash I would suggest a SSD first, then add a video card, then ...

Cheers

[guitardom]

Thanks for your input. Much appreciated!
I am really trying to get 32GB in my machine with a $1500 budget. Maybe that's a no-can-do!
I'll take a look at your list.
I would probably have to take a hit on memory or a lesser CPU.

Thanks again!

DDR4 has doubled in price the last year and half. In last 3-4 months it has spiked 30% or better.

[guitardom]

K

I spent way too much time pondering this. For what you are doing the build I did (see link (https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/6nmc3F)) should be best price/performance ratio for low latency recording and VIs.
Note, if money is a problem you could go cheaper on the RAM (16 Gig), the storage (spinning disk), and the case. I would not substitute anything else.

Hope that helps. 8700K (with a slight overclock) is the way to go. See my post 3 posts above.

The 8700k is insanely impressive for the price. 95% of people would never need to attempt to overclock this processor. I can break over a 1000 dverbs on the dverb test at stock speeds. That is almost as powerful as the 8 core from the X series.

[PatriotsBiker]

The 8700k is insanely impressive for the price. 95% of people would never need to attempt to overclock this processor. I can break over a 1000 dverbs on the dverb test at stock speeds. That is almost as powerful as the 8 core from the X series.

I'm gonna get into sooooo many bad habits. :D

[KES2018]

Hi everyone. I am new to the forum and look forward to interacting with the group.

I am considering moving from my current Mac platform to a Windows platform via a custom build. I have built 4 Windows computers so far for friends and family and consider myself knowledgeable but not an expert. My question is will PT 2018.1 HD Native run and perform well on the I7 Core architecture? Specifically I am looking at the 8700K Coffee Lake CPU. When I look at the Pro Tools HD requirements that Avid provides it simply state “Xeon”. Not sure if that means PT HD needs a powerful multi core processor or is there something unique about the Xeon class of cpu’s for PT.

And yes I understand a custom build is unsupported by Avid.

And yes I know there is much much more to a successful build than just the CPU but first things first.

Your thoughts and comments are appreciated.

[KES2018]

Well I guess I made a new members’ mistake and didn’t search the forum well enough. Once I posted and looked at page 667 of the I7 build thread I saw the more recent posts, many talking about the 8700. Looks like people are having good success. Sorry for the question.

If anyone is interested here is my build. It’s almost final and I plan to order this week. Comments are welcome.

- I7 8700K Coffee Lake
- Gigabyte Z370AORUS Gaming 7
- Fractal Designs Define 5
- Noctua NH-D5 SSO-2 D Type
- Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1050 TI
- 2 Seagate Firecuda Gaming SSHD 2TB
- Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB DDR4 2666 (2 X 16)
- Samsung 960 EVO m.2 500MB NVMe SSD
- EVGA Super Nova 850 Watt
- Windows 10 Pro

I am still debating if I should swap one fo the Seagate HDD’s for a iTB SSD and if 32GB memory is enough.

Kirk

[steve-p]

Hi All,.. I am building a studio in the Philippines and i think i need to go with a Windows machine,. I had a Mac Pro shipped here and it is dead!! :( i cant get parts for it in the Philippines.

I need to be able to get parts for my studio computer and so far i have spent enough on shipping and parts for the dead Mac to build 2 PCs ! :( And the Mac Pro is still dead... sooo sad.


So i think i need to build a Windows machine. This will be the studio computer for running Pro Tools Only.

From reading this thread it looks like a great combo is the ASUS X99 MB and the i7-6800 or i7-6850k for the CPU.

Also open to Gigabyte MB suggestions

- Would it be ok to go with a step down from that, ? maybe an I5 CPU ? and then what MB would i use ?
- And what Graphics card would be good ? (I don't need a gaming card)

I have built PCs in the past for gaming. But that was a couple years ago. I don't know what the best MB-CPU combo is for protools.

I will be running
- Windows 7
- PT10 with 2 HD PCIe Cards for 48 D-A and 32 A-D
- 32 gig Ram (8gig sticks)
- Basic Graphics Card, dont need anything fancy.
- (Possibly SSD for System drive and another for the Recording drive)

Any suggestions are appreciated,.


Thanks guys,
Steve Perkins

[YYR123]

I have the GTX760 card. Might might be hard to find at this point in time, because it is pretty old now....but that card works great for me....mid level GPU with no issues.

They actually have updates for it quite often.....

[lesbrunn]

I just built the 8700K system linked below - running Win 10, ProTools 2018.1, MOTU 1248 USB, Waves Gold + HEQ, Kontakt Komplete:

System Builder https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/6nmc3F - Core i7-8700K 3.7GHz 6-Core, GeForce GTX 950 2GB FTW ACX 2.0, Define R5 (Black) ATX Mid Tower - PCPartPicker Canada

If you want low latency, the 8700K system is probably the way to go because of the faster single core performance.

I overclock to 5.0 GHz. Overclocking is trivial (see YouTube e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoUtA7DKXhU) and completely stable on my system. Actually, I find overclocking gives better stability/performance for DAW work. I disable all clock and power switching in the BIOS. I setup a custom fan profile in the BIOS for quieter operation. Airflow is important for overclocking. With the Noctu cooler I reverse the normal case airflow to draw in from the back directly onto the Noctu Radiator, and exhaust out the front. This gets the coolest air over the Radiator for cooling. The CPU never goes above 70C when using ProTools on a busy project.

I am very happy with the 8700K. I had been using an overclocked 3770K (4.5 GHz) for several years waiting for a worthy upgrade. This was it. The single core performance allows me to run at 64 sample buffer 24/96 kHz for recording (16 audio, 16 midi, 6 instances of HEQ, 1 HDelay, 1 Kontakt running AR Modern Drums, 1 Kontakt running Pianos, and then other instances of Kontakt instruments as required), and the 6 cores allow me to run many more CPU intensive plugins during mixing. All good.

I did not delid my CPU; it should not be necessary for 5 GHz. Get the thermal paste right and make sure you have the coolest air possible moving over the radiators. I just used the asus overclock profile for 5 GHz on the Asus Z370 Prime A motherboard and adjusted the XMP for my memory. Once it was working, I lowered the CPU voltage from the overclock default until my system wasn't stable in a stress test then upped the CPU voltage back a few mV. Done stable and cool.

Also note, there is a big difference in CPU load (temperatures) between running a DAW with a busy project and running a Prime stress test. On a stress test the CPU temp cycles from 60 to 85 C, but with a full DAW load it only goes up to 70 C max.

Happy Camper


Sweet system! The parts would be cheaper from amazon and newegg, though.

[Barney1981]

Hi There

I hope you someone can help, I am now at my wits end trying to get PT to play ball on my PC and have run out of options.

I am constantly getting CPU spikes causing 9093 errors on my PC and I have been through every combination of events I can think of. I get the errors in PT10, PT11 and PT12.4, I have tried endless hardware configurations with various video cards, even using on board GPU, same issues occur in all situations in windows 7 and 8.1 (haven't tried 10)

I have done all the recommended optimisations on the avid force page, trashed prefs etc and still the behavious is the same, even at higher buffer rates although it is reduced on 1024 and above.

There must be something PT doesn't like with my hardware but I don't want to imvest in anything unless I know 100% what the component is that is causing the issue.

I have an intel i7 6700 om an ASUS Z170M-PLUS with 16GB RAM which should be more than enough to handle the job.

If anyone can end my suffering I would be forever in your debt.


Full System Details:


Model : OEM System Product Name
Serial Number : System Ser**********
Chassis : Default string Desktop
Mainboard : ASUS Z170M-PLUS
Serial Number : 1507490********
BIOS : AMI (OEM) 3301 02/10/2017
Intel vPro : 11.08.50.3399
Total Memory : 16GB DIMM DDR4

Processors
Processor : Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-6700 CPU @ 3.40GHz (4C 8T 3.41GHz, 3.4GHz IMC/4GHz, 4x 256kB L2, 8MB L3)
Socket/Slot : FC LGA1151

Chipset
Memory Controller : ASUS Core (Skylake-D QC) Host Bridge/DRAM Registers 100MHz, 2x 8GB DIMM DDR4 2.13GHz 128-bit

Memory Module(s)
Memory Module : Kingston/Hynix (Hyundai) KHX2133C14D48G 8GB DDR4 PC4-17100U DDR4-2134 (14-14-14-35 4-50-16-5)
Memory Module : Kingston/Hynix (Hyundai) KHX2133C14D48G 8GB DDR4 PC4-17100U DDR4-2134 (14-14-14-35 4-50-16-5)

Video System
Monitor/Panel : ACI VG248
(1920x1080, 24.0")
Monitor/Panel : ACI VG248
(1920x1080, 24.0")
Video Adapter : AMD Radeon HD 7700 Series (8CU 512SP SM5.1 800MHz, 16kB L2, 1GB DDR5 4.5GHz 128-bit, PCIe 3.00 x16)
Video Adapter : AMD Radeon HD 7700 Series (8CU 512SP SM5.1 800MHz, 16kB L2, 1GB DDR5 4.5GHz 128-bit, PCIe 3.00 x16)

Graphics Processor
OpenCL : AMD Radeon HD 7700 Series (512SP 8C 800MHz, 16kB L2, 1GB DDR5 4.5GHz 128-bit)
D3D 11 : AMD Radeon HD 7700 Series (512SP 8C 800MHz, 16kB L2, 1GB DDR5 4.5GHz 128-bit)
OpenGL : AMD Radeon HD 7700 Series (512SP 8C 800MHz, 16kB L2, 1GB DDR5 4.5GHz 128-bit)
OpenGL : AMD Radeon HD 7700 Series (512SP 8C 800MHz, 16kB L2, 1GB DDR5 4.5GHz 128-bit)

Storage Devices
Crucial_CT128M550SSD1 (128GB, SATA600, 2.5", SSD, OPAL, SED) : 119GB (C:)
Samsung SSD 850 EVO 500GB (500.1GB, SATA600, SSD, OPAL) : 466GB (D:)
SAMSUNG HD204UI (2TB, SATA300, 3.5", 5400rpm, 32MB Cache) : 2TB (E:)

Logical Storage Devices
System Reserved : 350MB (NTFS, 4kB) @ Crucial_CT128M550SSD1 (128GB, SATA600, 2.5", SSD, OPAL, SED)
Data & Docs (D:) : 466GB (NTFS, 4kB) @ Samsung SSD 850 EVO 500GB (500.1GB, SATA600, SSD, OPAL)
Libraries (E:) : 2TB (NTFS, 4kB) @ SAMSUNG HD204UI (2TB, SATA300, 3.5", 5400rpm, 32MB Cache)
Hard Disk (C:) : 119GB (NTFS, 4kB) @ Crucial_CT128M550SSD1 (128GB, SATA600, 2.5", SSD, OPAL, SED)

Peripherals
LPC Hub Controller #1 : ASUS Z170 Sunrise Point-H LPC Controller
Audio Device : ASUS Sunrise Point-H HD Audio
Audio Device : AVID Tech HD Native
Serial Port(s) : 1
Parallel Port(s) : 1
Disk Controller : ASUS Sunrise Point-H SATA controller [AHCI mode]
Disk Controller : ASUS Sunrise Point-H PMC
USB Controller #1 : ASUS Sunrise Point-H USB 3.0 xHCI Controller
SMBus/i2c Controller #1 : Intel ICH SMBus

Printers and Faxes
Printer : Send to Microsoft OneNote 15 Driver (1200x1200, Colour)
Printer : Pantum P2200W Series (1200x600)
Printer : Microsoft XPS Document Writer v4 (600x600, Colour)
Fax : Microsoft Shared Fax Driver (200x200)

Network Services
Network Adapter : Intel(R) Ethernet Connection (2) I219-V (Ethernet)
Network Adapter : TAP-Windows Adapter V9 (Ethernet)
Wireless Adapter : Qualcomm Atheros AR9287 Wireless Network Adapter (802.11n (HT), AES-CCMP, 144.4Mbps)

Operating System
Windows System : Microsoft Windows 8.1 Personal 6.03.9600
Platform Compliance : x64

Performance Enhancing Tips
Warning 2513 : TPM not detected. Some security features are unavailable.
Tip 2 : Double-click tip or press Enter while a tip is selected for more information about the tip.

[Barney1981]

Good Day

I really hope someone might be able to help, I am at my wits end trying to get PT to play ball with my system. I am encountering endless CPU Spikes leading to 9093 errors and its driving me crazy.

I am getting errors in all versions of pro tools (10,11 and 12.4) on nearly all buffer sample sizes on both windows 7 and 8.1. I have tried every conceivable hardware configuation I have available to me as well as done every optimisation on the avid force page, also trash pref etc.

I am running via HD Native on an ASUS Z170M-PLUS with Intel i7 6700 3.4khz and 16GB DDR4 RAM, it should be able to handle PT. My old Core2 quad performed better with less than half the RAM.

Here is a detailed spec of my PC, if anyone can help I would forever be in your debt:



Model : OEM System Product Name
Serial Number : System Ser**********
Chassis : Default string Desktop
Mainboard : ASUS Z170M-PLUS
Serial Number : 1507490********
BIOS : AMI (OEM) 3301 02/10/2017
Intel vPro : 11.08.50.3399
Total Memory : 16GB DIMM DDR4

Processors
Processor : Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-6700 CPU @ 3.40GHz (4C 8T 3.41GHz, 3.4GHz IMC/4GHz, 4x 256kB L2, 8MB L3)
Socket/Slot : FC LGA1151

Chipset
Memory Controller : ASUS Core (Skylake-D QC) Host Bridge/DRAM Registers 100MHz, 2x 8GB DIMM DDR4 2.13GHz 128-bit

Memory Module(s)
Memory Module : Kingston/Hynix (Hyundai) KHX2133C14D48G 8GB DDR4 PC4-17100U DDR4-2134 (14-14-14-35 4-50-16-5)
Memory Module : Kingston/Hynix (Hyundai) KHX2133C14D48G 8GB DDR4 PC4-17100U DDR4-2134 (14-14-14-35 4-50-16-5)

Video System
Monitor/Panel : ACI VG248
(1920x1080, 24.0")
Monitor/Panel : ACI VG248
(1920x1080, 24.0")
Video Adapter : AMD Radeon HD 7700 Series (8CU 512SP SM5.1 800MHz, 16kB L2, 1GB DDR5 4.5GHz 128-bit, PCIe 3.00 x16)
Video Adapter : AMD Radeon HD 7700 Series (8CU 512SP SM5.1 800MHz, 16kB L2, 1GB DDR5 4.5GHz 128-bit, PCIe 3.00 x16)

Graphics Processor
OpenCL : AMD Radeon HD 7700 Series (512SP 8C 800MHz, 16kB L2, 1GB DDR5 4.5GHz 128-bit)
D3D 11 : AMD Radeon HD 7700 Series (512SP 8C 800MHz, 16kB L2, 1GB DDR5 4.5GHz 128-bit)
OpenGL : AMD Radeon HD 7700 Series (512SP 8C 800MHz, 16kB L2, 1GB DDR5 4.5GHz 128-bit)
OpenGL : AMD Radeon HD 7700 Series (512SP 8C 800MHz, 16kB L2, 1GB DDR5 4.5GHz 128-bit)

Storage Devices
Crucial_CT128M550SSD1 (128GB, SATA600, 2.5", SSD, OPAL, SED) : 119GB (C:)
Samsung SSD 850 EVO 500GB (500.1GB, SATA600, SSD, OPAL) : 466GB (D:)
SAMSUNG HD204UI (2TB, SATA300, 3.5", 5400rpm, 32MB Cache) : 2TB (E:)

Logical Storage Devices
System Reserved : 350MB (NTFS, 4kB) @ Crucial_CT128M550SSD1 (128GB, SATA600, 2.5", SSD, OPAL, SED)
Data & Docs (D:) : 466GB (NTFS, 4kB) @ Samsung SSD 850 EVO 500GB (500.1GB, SATA600, SSD, OPAL)
Libraries (E:) : 2TB (NTFS, 4kB) @ SAMSUNG HD204UI (2TB, SATA300, 3.5", 5400rpm, 32MB Cache)
Hard Disk (C:) : 119GB (NTFS, 4kB) @ Crucial_CT128M550SSD1 (128GB, SATA600, 2.5", SSD, OPAL, SED)

Peripherals
LPC Hub Controller #1 : ASUS Z170 Sunrise Point-H LPC Controller
Audio Device : ASUS Sunrise Point-H HD Audio
Audio Device : AVID Tech HD Native
Serial Port(s) : 1
Parallel Port(s) : 1
Disk Controller : ASUS Sunrise Point-H SATA controller [AHCI mode]
Disk Controller : ASUS Sunrise Point-H PMC
USB Controller #1 : ASUS Sunrise Point-H USB 3.0 xHCI Controller
SMBus/i2c Controller #1 : Intel ICH SMBus

Printers and Faxes
Printer : Send to Microsoft OneNote 15 Driver (1200x1200, Colour)
Printer : Pantum P2200W Series (1200x600)
Printer : Microsoft XPS Document Writer v4 (600x600, Colour)
Fax : Microsoft Shared Fax Driver (200x200)

Network Services
Network Adapter : Intel(R) Ethernet Connection (2) I219-V (Ethernet)
Network Adapter : TAP-Windows Adapter V9 (Ethernet)
Wireless Adapter : Qualcomm Atheros AR9287 Wireless Network Adapter (802.11n (HT), AES-CCMP, 144.4Mbps)

Operating System
Windows System : Microsoft Windows 8.1 Personal 6.03.9600
Platform Compliance : x64

Performance Enhancing Tips
Warning 2513 : TPM not detected. Some security features are unavailable.
Tip 2 : Double-click tip or press Enter while a tip is selected for more information about the tip.

[PatriotsBiker]

I received an 8700K machine built by Pro Tools PC. In a word. Wow!

I'm enjoying improvements on every single front, not just performance. Even ear fatigue, of all things.

That 8700K, though. Man oh man, is it ever smooth and quick. VERY responsive.

[YYR123]

^^ This ^^

[chrisdee]

I received an 8700K machine built by Pro Tools PC. In a word. Wow!

I'm enjoying improvements on every single front, not just performance. Even ear fatigue, of all things.

That 8700K, though. Man oh man, is it ever smooth and quick. VERY responsive.

Awsome.:cool: What's your specs (CPU, RAM, disk)?
Ehh, how does it help you against ear fatigue:confused:?

[PatriotsBiker]

Awsome.:cool: What's your specs (CPU, RAM, disk)?
Ehh, how does it help you against ear fatigue:confused:?
Keep in mind that I was a database geek in real life, not a hardware guy. :-) I my have things improperly stated.
32MB DDR4 2400 RAM
8700K LGA1151 @3700gHz (stock) and set to 4400gHz (partially overclocked) and one more BIOS setting away from 4700gHz should I need it.
System and Audio drives are both 500gb Solid State
Two other drives are WD 2TB

Machine noise and the loss of some awful hi-mid sound degradation are the two factors on ear fatigue I will commit to. I noticed decreased pain factor in all audio - mine, VI or ripped from CD - right away. I was not expecting that. Addition by subtraction is in play here, for sure. (the subtraction being my old machine.) However, at some point, I have to tip my hat to the design and implementation of the components in the new machine.

Does anyone know (or care to guess) to what extent, if at all, Avid adjusts audio in real time to enable lower powered machines to run? I've read little bits and pieces here and there, but nothing concrete. More like some generic advice in the reference guide in relation to topics like setting memory cache, etc.

[albee1952]

To Barney1981- The chipset might be the issue. AFAIK, Z170M-PLUS is an unknown for compatibility. Additionally, why Windows 8.x??? I'd say moving to 10 is a no-brainer at this point. Lastly, running samples off a 5400 rpm drive is maybe not a good idea. Another SSD would be ideal, but just moving to a 7200 rpm drive couldn't hurt:o

"Does anyone know (or care to guess) to what extent, if at all, Avid adjusts audio in real time to enable lower powered machines to run? I've read little bits and pieces here and there, but nothing concrete. More like some generic advice in the reference guide in relation to topics like setting memory cache, etc."
PT doesn't "adjust" anything. Either your computer can handle the workload or it can't. Adjusting the playback buffer higher will lighten the load on the system(at the expense of more latency). There's plenty of info on the DUC, on Sweetwater's site and all over youtube for tweaking a computer to maximize performance:o

[guitardom]

Keep in mind that I was a database geek in real life, not a hardware guy. :-) I my have things improperly stated.
32MB DDR4 2400 RAM
8700K LGA1151 @3700gHz (stock) and set to 4400gHz (partially overclocked) and one more BIOS setting away from 4700gHz should I need it.
System and Audio drives are both 500gb Solid State
Two other drives are WD 2TB

Machine noise and the loss of some awful hi-mid sound degradation are the two factors on ear fatigue I will commit to. I noticed decreased pain factor in all audio - mine, VI or ripped from CD - right away. I was not expecting that. Addition by subtraction is in play here, for sure. (the subtraction being my old machine.) However, at some point, I have to tip my hat to the design and implementation of the components in the new machine.

Does anyone know (or care to guess) to what extent, if at all, Avid adjusts audio in real time to enable lower powered machines to run? I've read little bits and pieces here and there, but nothing concrete. More like some generic advice in the reference guide in relation to topics like setting memory cache, etc.
There is nothing adjusted for what you mention. Have no worry's, your system is more powerful than an overwhelming majority. The memory cache, just set it to 5-6 GB, that should be more than enough for your workflow.

[PatriotsBiker]

There is nothing adjusted for what you mention. Have no worry's, your system is more powerful than an overwhelming majority. The memory cache, just set it to 5-6 GB, that should be more than enough for your workflow.
:D:D
No, not worried at all. Just curious about any possible effects it had on the ear fatigue front as the improvement was big and obvious. It appears that my old machine did me no favors with both ambient and signal, audibly speaking. I do NOT miss that whistling things in the signal nor in the room.

Thanks for the memory tip. :-)

@Albee152 - Thanks for your reply. Curious, as always, I found what I had read in the PT reference about performance and effects. It was only concerning automation rendering as system usage got close to maximum. (pg 102 - actually, that whole last paragraph is rather ambiguous...which really doesn't matter, either, except that helped fuel the curiosity. :-) )

[albee1952]

BTW, for me, -9093 errors almost completely go away as soon as I disconnect the network cable from my main internet switch:o

[YYR123]

BTW, for me, -9093 errors almost completely go away as soon as I disconnect the network cable from my main internet switch

Running which version of PT?

[albee1952]

Running which version of PT?

Any from 12.8.3 thru to the current release.

[Barney1981]

Thanks for the words of wisdom, just to follow up, the 9093 errors are appearing on all versions of PT (10,11 and 12) and have removed my NIC and that didn’t help.

In relation to the slower 5400 drive for samples, that is something I plan to upgrade in the future but the errors happen even when not using samples or VI’s, I guess the chipset is a possibility.

Has anyone got a micro-atx mobo they can recommend for a skylake build?

Kind Regards

[amishsixstringer]

Are you guys still doing the x99 mobo for pt18? I just hurt my z87 (i7) I think. (CPU fan slowed down to 300rpm for hours...ever since the computer runs slow with protools). I think it's time to upgrade anyhow.

Just checking what the most up to date bad ass system is.

Thanks!

Neil

[YYR123]

I think most people would go with X299 and LGA2066 Processors. But there is always a premium ($$$$$) on the newest of the new.


I have an X99 that I built this year and it’s wonderful.

[amishsixstringer]

I think most people would go with X299 and LGA2066 Processors. But there is always a premium ($$$$$) on the newest of the new.


I have an X99 that I built this year and it’s wonderful.

Thanks for the reply. I'm hoping I can limp this system along for a bit longer. However, this machine runs in a full time studio that works every day. We're actually looking to shut down in May for 3 months for some major renovations around the building.

Is there a dependable CPU test I can run to figure out what's wrong with this thing? We have a hard time tracking with less than 256 samples on the hw buffer. ProTools tends to open and close sessions pretty slowly lately as well. It seems like thread 4 is taxed much harder than the other 7 threads my i7 has.

Here's the funny part: When protools is struggling (sometimes the screen will lock for a bit) , the rest of the computer is still able to function. For example, pro tools is thinking really hard about opening slate vmr, but I can open a browser and play on the internet without lag during this state. Is that a clue?

Neil

[YYR123]

You should start a new thread about a problem

List your hardware and all drives as well as all OS’s and PT installs


Like I’m talking specs of your drives, memory and GPU.

[rossi68]

I received an 8700K machine built by Pro Tools PC. In a word. Wow!

I'm enjoying improvements on every single front, not just performance. Even ear fatigue, of all things.

That 8700K, though. Man oh man, is it ever smooth and quick. VERY responsive.

Do you experience any cpu spikes With this set up?
Looking for an Upgrade for my old i7 980 pc.....

[PatriotsBiker]

Do you experience any cpu spikes With this set up?
Looking for an Upgrade for my old i7 980 pc.....
I have not noticed anything or looked at Task Manager lately. I had some small process spikes at first, but they went away when I disabled the wireless network card in Device Manager.

I'll take a look this weekend to verify.

The BIOS overclocking is just as it was reported by someone here a few weeks ago. Extremely smooth. I reverted back as I have not come close to needing it. I'll never know first-hand how the 8700K compares to the past few years, but it's blowing the doors off my 6-year old 3rd gen machine.

[DonaldM]

I think most people would go with X299 and LGA2066 Processors. But there is always a premium ($$$$$) on the newest of the new.


I have an X99 that I built this year and it’s wonderful.

I see you system specs in your signature. I'm thinking of doing something very similar in the next couple of months. I would need to add a fast and powerful graphics card too, as I'm doing more with video/games etc.

I am curious as to how you're CPU is handling some of the more resource intensive VI's and plugins, such as Omnisphere, Dune II, or Serum. I don't which ones you have, but these are the ones that have made me decide to upgrade the system to more power. I'm tired of seeing my CPU usage meter peg into red even with a modest amount of VI's and plugins active.

[YYR123]

I am curious as to how you're CPU is handling some of the more resource intensive VI's and plugins, such as Omnisphere, Dune II, or Serum.


I don’t have any of those...

I have Kontakt and FXpansion BFD3

I also just purchased the KORG Collection.

[rossi68]

I think I will try i7 8700....
Found this upgrade-kit;
Intel® LGA1151 Core i7-8700
ASUS LGA1151 PRIME Z370-P
Crucial DDR4 2400MHz 8GB KIT
Samsung PM961 256GB M.2 SSD - 2800/1100 MB/s read/write

897$...

[PatriotsBiker]

I think I will try i7 8700....
Found this upgrade-kit;
Intel® LGA1151 Core i7-8700
ASUS LGA1151 PRIME Z370-P
Crucial DDR4 2400MHz 8GB KIT
Samsung PM961 256GB M.2 SSD - 2800/1100 MB/s read/write

897$...

Nice! I hope it all goes well for you. The M.2 SSD looks interesting, but I doubt I would ever realize its benefits. The only time I ever track anything all at once is when I "record" the Superior Drummer output to multiple tracks.

[YYR123]

M.2 benefits are felt throughout the OS.

From Copy paste to starting the computer

[PatriotsBiker]

M.2 benefits are felt throughout the OS.

From Copy paste to starting the computer
Wow!!! Steroids on steroids. :-)

[Bob Olhsson]

Is M2 faster than PCI SSDs?

[Sardi]

Is M2 faster than PCI SSDs?



An M2 SSD is a an SSD on a PCIE bus.

So yes, an M2 SSD is MUCH faster than a SATA SSD.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Bob Olhsson]

I was talking about comparing M2 with using an SSD on a PCIE card.

[Sardi]

I’ve never come across an SSD with a PCIE connection that wasn’t referred to as an M2 or NVME drive. Every SSD has been with a SATA interface.

Do you have a link for a traditional SSD with a PCIE connection?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Bob Olhsson]

https://www.corsair.com/us/en/Categories/Products/Storage/c/Cor_Products_Storage?q=%3Arelevance%3AproductCateg ories%3ACor_Products_Storage_AICSSDs%3AssdCapacity %3A400%C2%A0GB&text=

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3975110&CatId=5303

[Sardi]

Ah yep, OK.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3975110&CatId=5303

So these are just M.2 or NVMe drives. M.2 is the replacement to the mSATA drives that were being used in laptops not too long ago. They have the same small form factor but directly link into the PCIE buss.

https://www.corsair.com/us/en/Categories/Products/Storage/c/Cor_Products_Storage?q=%3Arelevance%3AproductCateg ories%3ACor_Products_Storage_AICSSDs%3AssdCapacity %3A400%C2%A0GB&text=

These ones, which I think is what you meant by PCIE SSD, are just add in cards for PCIE slots, but AFAIK, they are M.2 or NVMe drives on the card. Essentially the same as above. I assume these are used on older machines that don't have the slots on the MB for the M.2 drive to plug directly into. I think that's a (relatively) new thing on desktop machines.

IIRC, the speeds are identical as they are essentially the same drives and are both accessing the PCIE buss on the MB. They run rings around SATA SSDs, but I'm sure you're aware of that already.

If anyone sees any mistakes with what I've written (Guitardom, Darryl etc.) please feel free to correct or add extra info.

[Bob Olhsson]

I think they came out before M2 but are the same idea. The price was astronomical until recently.

[noiseboyuk]

Just found this thread (thanks guitardom) with a new rig on the way.

Dverb Tests for my current rig 4930k, RME Babyface @1024 PT 2018.3 - 82 tracks, or 410 instances.

[guitardom]

Just found this thread (thanks guitardom) with a new rig on the way.

Tests for my current rig 4930k, RME Babyface @1024 - 82 tracks, or 410 instances.

Hey Guy, be sure to specify those are Dverb test numbers so everyone understands what you are talking about. Also specify which Pro Tools version. It also helps to do a test at 64 HW Buffer and 1024. The outline and a template is here (http://www.pro-tools-pc.com/performance-testing-pro-tools/)

Your numbers seem a bit low though.

[noiseboyuk]

Good shout, amended the post. As I posted on the other thread, I did the high performance test @64 and managed zero tracks! Even one track overloaded the CPU. That is, surely, pretty poor....

The rig has actually been very solid for me and PT on 512, but it's not been performing well in Cubase, hence getting a new one.

[noiseboyuk]

Thinking a little more about my failed performance test (2nd test here - http://www.pro-tools-pc.com/performance-testing-pro-tools/ ) , perhaps its not so surprising? This test is pretty tough on single core performance, and what my result appears to show is that mine isn't at a level to run it all. If I could make one, I might well be able to make many more channels, its that it stumbles at the first hurdle as it were.

I mentioned that I have issues in Cubase and not PT, and this is largely because I don't use VIs much in PT (PT = audio post, Cubase = music composition in my world). My PT projects don't have any very demanding single channels, the load is well spread, whereas this is not the case in Cubase.

My Geekbench 4 score on the 4930k is 3500, I'd be curious to know if others on a similar score are unable to run the Performance Test 2. It's all a little moot in the sense that today my 7820x rig arrives, but knowledge is always a good thing...

[noiseboyuk]

Well, I really can't get a whole lot of sense out of Performance Test 2. On the new 7820x, I can't get a single channel out of it at 64 either. At 128 the 4930k can get 12 instances, the 7820X gets 16 - basically the number of cores / threads.

Not sure this is a very useful test.

For the Dverb test, it was the opposite problem @1024 - I maxed out the number of channels. 254x5 = 1270, compared to only 410 on the 4930k. However, there too I am suspicious. Watching the system usage was odd - when I got to 254 channels all cores and Total hit about 95%, but it would only last for a few seconds, then it would always drop to near zero, as if it were an absolute breeze. I don't know what's causing that supreme efficiency, I hadn't seen this behaviour on the 4930k.

All round, not at all sure what to make of any of it.

[guitardom]

Well, I really can't get a whole lot of sense out of Performance Test 2. On the new 7820x, I can't get a single channel out of it at 64 either. At 128 the 4930k can get 12 instances, the 7820X gets 16 - basically the number of cores / threads.

Not sure this is a very useful test.

For the Dverb test, it was the opposite problem @1024 - I maxed out the number of channels. 254x5 = 1270, compared to only 410 on the 4930k. However, there too I am suspicious. Watching the system usage was odd - when I got to 254 channels all cores and Total hit about 95%, but it would only last for a few seconds, then it would always drop to near zero, as if it were an absolute breeze. I don't know what's causing that supreme efficiency, I hadn't seen this behaviour on the 4930k.

All round, not at all sure what to make of any of it.

You have something going on. I hit over 140 tracks with the P2 test on them.

The results you are seeing on the dverb test are the opposite of what you think. When it starts dumping down like that, you are past the threshold of where the systems wants to run. You typically need to drop it down the tracks a bit to find where it stabilizes.

What interface do you run?? You have a problem that went from your first system and now on your second system. Interface driver is the most likely culprit.

[noiseboyuk]

It's in the sig - RME Babyface, with the latest drivers too. I'd be surprised if it were this as RME are known as some of the best in the business, but I do follow your logic.

EDIT - Looking at the charts here - https://www.gearslutz.com/board/music-computers/618474-audio-interface-low-latency-performance-data-base.html - the Babyface does pretty well at low latencies - for the RXC @64 it scores 123, with 149 being the very highest and 55 the lowest, so it should be able to run the test fine you'd think.

[mrpollack]

So I JUST switched from Mac to Windows this week after 12 years. My build seems pretty solid. I haven't had any issues yet.

Asus ROG Maximus X Hero
i7 8700k delidded 5.0 OC
Noctua d15 cooler
32gb RAM 3200
960pro SSD for system and apps
850 evo for samples
850 evo for sessions
1tb HDD for storage
1080ti because I game but completely not necessary
Thunderbolt card for my Ensemble
Corsair 540 air case

Hi
After reading your post some time ago ,I just bult my new PT Native system around Asus ROG Maximus X Hero and have some noise issues with this card. I've searched on internet and found out that there is some problem with this card (asus forum) ,and people get some noise and crackling at the background. Have you experienced anything like this ?
Thanks
jacek

[YYR123]

I would RMA the board

Most top end mobo companies have really good warranties for their top end products

[chrisdee]

I wonder if anybody successfully run large sessions with many different VI’s and plugins at 64 samples on their new builds?

I basically wonder if the hardware buffer can be set and forgot permanently to it’s lowest setting on the newest powerfull rigs? Or do we still have to change it between mixing and trackng?

[albee1952]

I wonder if anybody successfully run large sessions with many different VI’s and plugins at 64 samples on their new builds?

I basically wonder if the hardware buffer can be set and forgot permanently to it’s lowest setting on the newest powerfull rigs? Or do we still have to change it between mixing and trackng?

I get about 90% of my work done at 64, but there are certain plugins that force me to go to 1024. Melodyne is one and KeyScape is another(and why I track/edit with MiniGrand, then swap to Keyscape and commit the track).

[keithl]

Hello

I am doing a new build based around:

ASUS PRIME Z370-A
Intel Core i7-8700K

and just need a cheap/basic video card that can handle Pro Tools with a DVI/HDMI connection.

would anybody be able to suggest anything. Looking for <$100, but will purchase whatever is needed.

Thanks!

[Jon E.]

I wonder if anybody successfully run large sessions with many different VI’s and plugins at 64 samples on their new builds?

I basically wonder if the hardware buffer can be set and forgot permanently to it’s lowest setting on the newest powerfull rigs? Or do we still have to change it between mixing and trackng?

I have a much older build from 2012 (GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UD3H, Intel Core i7-3770K, Corsair Vengeance CMZ16GX3M4A1600C9 16GB DMM), for most of my sessions I set and forget at 128 samples. But my needs are modest, usually no more than 32 tracks, I bus my convolution reverbs and freeze/commit my virtual instruments and amp sims. That said, I usually never have my total CPU/cores peak past 20%. My point is, depending on your workflow, you certainly can do this with new hardware!

***EDIT***
Boy, did I have the wrong build, must have been a parts list I was considering. I actually looked up my post on this thread(!) to find the details of my old but still running build with one exception, I lost driver support for the video card and had to replace:

1 x Intel Core i7-3820 Sandy Bridge-E 3.6GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 2011 130W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80619i73820 $299.99
1 x GIGABYTE GA-X79-UD3 LGA 2011 Intel X79 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard $239.99
1 x G.SKILL Ripjaws Z Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2133 (PC3 17000) Desktop Memory Model F3-17000CL9Q-16GBZH $129.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 8 64-bit (Full Version) - OEM $99.99
1 x CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply $84.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - Bare Drive - OEM $84.99
1 x Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $54.99
1 x ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32XCD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS - OEM $19.99
1 x Logitech K120 Black USB Wired Standard Keyboard $15.99
1 x Logitech M100 910-001601 Black 3 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Wired Optical 1000 dpi Mouse $11.99
1 x COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2 Continuous Direct Contact 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler Compatible with latest Intel 2011/1366/1155 and AMD FM1/FM2/AM3+ $30.99
Re-used from my old AMD Opteron Quad:
1 x Western Digital Caviar RE WD1600YS 160GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM Model #: WD1600YS
2 x Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM Model #: WD2500KS
1 x BFG Tech BFGR76256GTOCE GeForce 7600GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail Model #: BFGR76256GTOCE

[zedhed]

I've just upgraded to an M.2 NVME drive which I cloned the OS to, so thought I'd share my experience here.

After doing some research I got quite excited about the M.2 form factor SSD drives capabilities, specifically the Samsung 960 series. In my excited state, I bought one. Installed it and WTF, it was a no show on my system.

As it turned out, i hadn't done my homework well enough, I'd purchased a SATA M.2 instead of a PCIe (NVME) M.2 drive. So I learned here that there are two types of M.2.
After swapping it for the right one, I duly installed it on my motherboard M.2 connection. Again WTF, I'm only getting 2x4 lane speeds instead of 3x4 (still way faster than SATAlll) but not good enough!

After doing a lot of research including reading and re-reading my Motherboard manual, I discovered its M.2 connection only supports Gen 2 not 3 so I was never going to get 3x4 out of that connection. At this stage I thought I'd wasted my money so started thinking about a motherboard upgrade...an expensive proposition.

And then after hunting around on the internet I came across M.2 to PCIe adapter cards. I knew I had two PCIe slots left so went and got one. IT WORKED!

Wow, the difference between SATAlll and NVME is outstanding. Indeed it's the most noticeable performance enhancement I've ever seen. Pro Tools is skipping through anything I throw at it as if it's on steroids on 64 buffer. I'm going to try 32 to see if I can drive PT to a stop.

I was so happy I went and bought a second drive and adapter card (same Samsung 960) to fill the other spare PCIe slot.

I wanted to share this to give a heads up to those starting out on a build or looking to pep things up a bit on a current rig.

I'll say this though, research is needed to make sure weather or not your Motherboard (and adapter card if used) supports M.2 NVME SSD's running @ 3x4 not 2x4 and that it has a UEFI Bios (needed to boot into OS on an M.2 drive).

My other SATAlll SSD's have now replaced my old WD black spinners as storage/Archives drives.

[YYR123]

Wow, the difference between SATAlll and NVME is outstanding. Indeed it's the most noticeable performance enhancement I've ever seen. Pro Tools is skipping through anything I throw at it as if it's on steroids on 64 buffer..,,.


I told you !!! It is amazing [emoji6]

I’m glad I didn’t have an issue, perhaps dumb luck idk

I probably should have mentioned it was an NVME M.2 drive.....

Cheers [emoji482]

[ulisauer]

Hi, we're planning a new workstation for our ProTools HDX rig. Does anyone have experience with Intels Xeon W-2145 processor and the ASUS WS C422 PRO/SE mainboard? Or would be the Intel i9-7900X a better choice?

[YYR123]

X99 Asus i7 6850k with HDX on Win10 Pro v1709 without issue

[DonaldM]

In looking to gather components to build my own system. The local computer shop (which are really good folks!) suggested the Gigabyte Z370XP SLI (https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/Z370XP-SLI-rev-10#kf) for the MOBO. Has anyone used this one? Will this work with PT?

[zedhed]

Hey Donald,

I'm sure that MB would be fine.

A couple of things to note though. I've highlighted the areas where potentially speed can be choked depending on what is plugged in where. That may or may not be of any consequence to you depending on what drives you're intending to use.
I would strongly urge anyone to go down the M.2 NVME route though, as per my previous post.

Expansion slots:
1 x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x16 (PCIEX16)
* For optimum performance, if only one PCI Express graphics card is to be installed, be sure to install it in the PCIEX16 slot.
1 x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x8 (PCIEX8)
* The PCIEX8 slot shares bandwidth with the PCIEX16 slot. When the PCIEX8 slot is populated, the PCIEX16 slot operates at up to x8 mode.
1 x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x4 (PCIEX4)
* The PCIEX4 slot shares bandwidth with the M2Q_32G connector. The PCIEX4 slot will become unavailable when an SSD is installed in the M2Q_32G connector.

[chrisdee]

So the conclusion from your previos post is to get a motherboard with PCI Express 3.0 x4 (NVMe) to get the full speed of an m.2 nvme drive?

[Intini]

Hi, is the OP still updating the i7 builds? Maybe someone could post a known good i7 7th and 8th generation build - and why not i9 and Xeon, maybe including dual processors if anyone has such build working well.

[sbs]

Morning,

I'm looking to replace a mid 2012 Macbook Pro, while I'd prefer to stay with MacOS, the hardware options aren't appealing to me.

This machine (https://www.quietpc.com/sys-serenity-wavestation) from www.quietpc.com is head of the bunch at the moment and I'd like to know if anyone has built on this motherboard and what the experience has been. From reading here I see the X99 and X299 boards are preferred but I'd like to explore options.

I'll spec the machine with the Intel 8th Gen Core i7-8086K, 32gb RAM and a couple of M2 drives, system and recording along with a drive for samples.

Any help appreciated, thanks!

[YYR123]

I went with the X99 from Asus

The deluxe A board - onboard TB2 with 2 M.2 slots...I went last year with the i7-6850k

Proven combo.

The 299 boards were out but I didn’t want any surprises....I wanted known stability

Couldn’t be happier, rock solid machine, running Win10Pro

[chrisdee]

The 299 boards were out but I didn’t want any surprises....I wanted known stability

Couldn’t be happier, rock solid machine, running Win10Pro




I'm saving up for a i9-7940x 14 core, 64GB DDR4 (Kingston value) built around a Gigabyte X299 DESIGNARE EX, Socket 2066 motherboard. I know it's crazy expensive and not tested with PT, but I need something really fast and powerfull for heavy VI use.

[PatriotsBiker]

I went with the X99 from Asus

The deluxe A board - onboard TB2 with 2 M.2 slots...I went last year with the i7-6850k

Proven combo.

The 299 boards were out but I didn’t want any surprises....I wanted known stability

Couldn’t be happier, rock solid machine, running Win10Pro

Did the Pro version of win-10 become more desirable with the recent Win10 updates? I'm quite apt to miss the obvious sometimes.

[sbs]

I'm saving up for a i9-7940x 14 core, 64GB DDR4 (Kingston value) built around a Gigabyte X299 DESIGNARE EX, Socket 2066 motherboard. I know it's crazy expensive and not tested with PT, but I need something really fast and powerfull for heavy VI use.

Hey Chris, how many instruments is "heavy"?

My current aging MacBook Pro is struggling with Battery, Absynth and Massive. I imagine I am far from a heavy user but I tend to run 10-20 audio tracks but lack the freedom to run as many VIs as I'd like.

[Intini]

I'm saving up for a i9-7940x 14 core, 64GB DDR4 (Kingston value) built around a Gigabyte X299 DESIGNARE EX, Socket 2066 motherboard. I know it's crazy expensive and not tested with PT, but I need something really fast and powerfull for heavy VI use.

What are the heavy VIs you are using? I am in the same situation. Got an iMac i5 2017 and it didn't work at all for me. Then was going to build the same PC (i9-7940x) but ended up returning the iMac and getting a MacBook Pro 2018 i7 (8th Gen, 6-core) 2.6GHz 15 inch 16GB RAM 512GB SSD - only physically getting it next Wednesday. BUT I am already thinking about changing it for a PC with an i9 7940x. But I guess I should wait for the MacBook Pro to arrive and test it...I love Mac OS for music....but if it doesn't work with this machine, then that is it. My whole idea was wait for the new Mac Pro 2019...but I doubt it will cost less than US$5000 and I am skeptical with regards to its modularity.

[chrisdee]

Hey Chris, how many instruments is "heavy"?

My current aging MacBook Pro is struggling with Battery, Absynth and Massive. I imagine I am far from a heavy user but I tend to run 10-20 audio tracks but lack the freedom to run as many VIs as I'd like.

Hi,
I usually have somwhere around 5-6 aux sends, 10-15 audio tracks, and 10-15 instrument tracks with VI's.

I usually use Xpand2! and Nexus2 because they are pretty CPU friendly and I can get 10-20 instrument tracks without any problems. But VI's like Hive, Sylenth, Dune2 and Spire are thougher on my CPU. 5-6 of them and the CPU usage goes up 40-50% and I find my system gets unstable and underpowered. I've experimented with freezing or bouncing tracks, but that doesn't work for me. I work with creating and arranging on the fly and need to be able to change things quick and fast.

[chrisdee]

Got an iMac i5 2017 and it didn't work at all for me. Then was going to build the same PC (i9-7940x) but ended up returning the iMac and getting a MacBook Pro 2018 i7 (8th Gen, 6-core) 2.6GHz 15 inch 16GB RAM 512GB SSD - only physically getting it next Wednesday. BUT I am already thinking about changing it for a PC with an i9 7940x. But I guess I should wait for the MacBook Pro to arrive and test it...I love Mac OS for music....but if it doesn't work with this machine, then that is it. My whole idea was wait for the new Mac Pro 2019...but I doubt it will cost less than US$5000 and I am skeptical with regards to its modularity.


The i9-7940x that I built will cost US$5000. But that's with a 43inch 4k dell screen, 64GB memory and one M.2 512GB drive.



I havent used Mac's for over 10 years so I don't have any recent experience. But if the 2017 i5 iMac you had was underpowered I would check if the 2018 i7 MacBook Pro really is much faster than the iMac was. 16GB ram and 6 core sounds on the low side, but it depends what you are going to use it for. If you want lot's of VI's in realtime (without freezing and bouncing) my thought is you can never get enough power. If you only do audio my 10 year old i7 6 core is already overkill.

[sbs]

Hi,
I usually have somwhere around 5-6 aux sends, 10-15 audio tracks, and 10-15 instrument tracks with VI's.
<snip>

Thanks for the info, I'll post a spec here when I get closer to a final to get some feedback tho it feels like this thread isn't getting so much traffic.

[sbs]

I went with the X99 from Asus

The deluxe A board - onboard TB2 with 2 M.2 slots...I went last year with the i7-6850k

Proven combo.

The 299 boards were out but I didn’t want any surprises....I wanted known stability

Couldn’t be happier, rock solid machine, running Win10Pro

Daniel, what was the budget you were working to with the X299 board?

[YYR123]

I paid $350 or $400 I believe for the X99 Deluxe ii

https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/X99-DELUXE-II/

Really nice board - 3 yr warranty I believe

[sbs]

I paid $350 or $400 I believe for the X99 Deluxe ii

https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/X99-DELUXE-II/

Really nice board - 3 yr warranty I believe

I asked the wrong question... Oops...

I meant the budget for the build. I'm price comparing builds based on x99, x299 and z370 boards.

[markus44uk]

Hi everyone...its been ages since I stopped by here. As a Control 24 owner, I am still happily using PT 10 on Win 7 Pro. Have been thinking about upgrading the PC but have some concerns:
1) Will PT 10 work fine with Win 10?
2) What is the best Mobo/Processor/Memory/VidCard currently available that will continue to be compatible with my PT10 and RST plugs?

Thanks in advance

[Geartone]

Hello everybody :-)

This is my very first post on this forum.
I was hoping to find some opinions about the parts I have put together for my future studio computer.

So let's get in to it.
I am going to be using an apollo x8.
I intend to use Windows 10 and Pro Tools 11.

So the computer parts that I have put together goes as follows:

Motherboard: ASUS TUF X299 MARK 1 (Socket-2066)
CPU: Intel Core i7-7820X Processor
RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 4000MHz 32GB
Storage: Samsung 970 EVO 1TB M.2 SSD
Cooling: Noctua NH-D15
Power: Corsair RM650x
Video card: ASUS GeForce GTX 1060 3GB Phoenix
Thunderbolt 3 card: ASUS ThunderboltEX 3

As you can tell - it's quite a little beast.
Does this look good to you guys?
Is there anything that you would change up?

Let me know!

[Geartone]

Hello everybody :-)

I am putting together a new computer for my studio and I would love to hear what you guys think of the parts that I've chosen before I commit/buy them.

I am planning on using Pro Tools 11 in conjunction with Windows 10.
The computer parts are as follows:

Motherboard: ASUS X299 MARK 1 (socket 2066)
Cpu: i7-7820x (8 core, 16 thread)
Ram: Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 4000MHz 32gb
Storage: M.2 SSD Samsung 970 EVO 1tb
Cooler: Noctua NH-D15
Power: Rm650x PSU
Video: ASUS GTX 1060 3gb
Thunderbolt Card: ASUS ThunderboltEX 3

Let me know if you think everything looks good or if you'd change anything.

Thank you!

[chrisdee]

I'm just about to order a new computer to use with Windows 10 Home (64bit) + Pro Tools 2018.7. Going to use it with my Avid Omni + HD Native PCIe card.
I'm going for raw power as I will be using quite a few VI's in realtime (no freezing).

- CPU : Intel Core i9-7940X Processor
- RAM : Crucial DDR4 2400MHz 32GB
- Disk : Samsung 970 EVO 500GB M.2 SSD
- PSU : EVGA GQ 850W Hybrid Modular 80+ PSU
- Mobo : ASUS Prime X299-A, Socket-2066
- Cab : Chieftec 19" 3U UNC-310RS-B-OP
- CPU cooler : Noctua NH-D15 CPU Cooler
- Graphics card : Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1060 3GB Mini ITX


Looks like the motherboard only has 3xPCIe-x16 lanes, but that should be fine for my setup. The graphics card above will go in one lane and the HD Native PCIe card will go in the second. So that should leave one lane free.



Just one question. Is PCIe-x16 3.0 backward compatible with the HD Native PCIe card?



Also apreciate any feedback regarding possible issues with the setup above. Thanks.

[chrisdee]

Guess nobody has tried a i9 with pro tools yet?

[chrisdee]

Is it better to avoid motherboards with two network ports when using Pro Tools?
I se alot of the x299 boards from Asus has this.

[chrisdee]

Pulled the plug.:eek:


Following coming my way :


- Intel i9-7940X
- ASUS Prime X299-A
- 2 x Samsung Evo M.2 SSD
- Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 2400MHz 32GB
- Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1060 3GB Mini ITX
- Chieftec 19" 3U UNC-310RS-B-OP
- EVGA GQ 850W Hybrid Modular 80+PSU
- Noctua NH-D15 CPU Cooler

[EGS]

Pulled the plug.:eek:


Following coming my way :


- Intel i9-7940X
- ASUS Prime X299-A
- 2 x Samsung Evo M.2 SSD
- Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 2400MHz 32GB
- Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1060 3GB Mini ITX
- Chieftec 19" 3U UNC-310RS-B-OP
- EVGA GQ 850W Hybrid Modular 80+PSU
- Noctua NH-D15 CPU Cooler
Cool. Wow - that's a really expensive CPU !!!

[chrisdee]

Cool. Wow - that's a really expensive CPU !!!

Yes. But my current rig is not giving me the power i need to run my VI’s like Hive, Dune2, Modo, etc smooth in realtime. Too many buffer size and ran out of power messages is killing my workflow. I need to work fast, with low latency and in realtime as I’m trying dfferent sounds and ideas during recording and arranging.

However I would much rather get a new compressor or mic than a computer that will be obsolete again in a few years.

[chrisdee]

Just a short update. I've had my new i9-7940X rig for some days now. It's too early to say but it seems to work ok so far.

I running Pro Tools Ultimate 2018.10. Device is HD Omni together with the HD Native PCIe card. 32GB ram, 2 x M.2 SSDs and 2 x SSDs. All samsung 970 evo and 960 evo series.

VI's : Battery4, Dune2, Nexus2, Sylenth1, Hive, Hybrid, Spire, Strike, Trilian, Pianoteq6, AmpleSound PBass, SampleTank3, Modo, Xpand2, NI (Rickenbacker, PBass, JBass, DrumLab, Strummed Acoustic, Sunburst, AliciasKeys, 80Kit), Korg (M1, Wavestation, Polysix)

But I'm not impessed with the speed of my new rig compared to my old i7-970 rig with only 12GB ram. I was expecting a much faster and more responsive system. I work at 96KHz. There is no chance of being able to work at 64 samples with live VIs. Can't even playback a second befor I get ran out of CPU messages.:confused: Also struggling with 128 and 256.:( 512 seems to work fine.:o I was expecting much more for a $3700 dollar DIY PC rig.

[sbs]

But I'm not impessed with the speed of my new rig compared to my old i7-970 rig with only 12GB ram. I was expecting a much faster and more responsive system.

Any update please Chris?

[chrisdee]

Any update please Chris?

Hi. Still not impressed with the speed of my rig. That said, it’s more powerfull than my old rig for shure. Same sessions that with old rig showed about 30-40% cpu usage now show around 15-20% usage on new rig at half the hardware buffer size. Befor i had to use minimum a hbs of atleast 1024 samples at 96k. Now i can use a hbs of 512 samples @ 96k.

I was hoping to be able to work with hbf of 64 or 128 but no chance. 512 seems to be the minimum. Any less than that i start getting messages to increase hbs.

[sbs]

Thanks for the update Chris.

Have you plans to try changing the set up (BIOS or such) to get the results you were aiming for?

[chrisdee]

Thanks for the update Chris.

Have you plans to try changing the set up (BIOS or such) to get the results you were aiming for?

You mean overclocking?

Not yet. I don't have any fancy water cooling so I'm a bit cautious about overclocking. But I'll let you know.

[EGS]

Hi. Still not impressed with the speed of my rig...Hmmmm... Have you tried killing all uneccessary startup processes? Maybe there's something running that is robbing power?

[chrisdee]

Hmmmm... Have you tried killing all uneccessary startup processes? Maybe there's something running that is robbing power?

Yes I have.