PC build help/suggestions on components.
 

Greetings community!


I've been using Ableton for quite a long time and went from studying finance to practice the wonders of audio production/mixing & mastering, which is way more satisfying (and enrolled in a sound focused degree, where we have practiced working in a studio environment using AVID S4/6 controllers and Pro Tools Ultimate paired with fantastic Genelec speakers). Since it's Black Friday, I've been saving money to finally buy a home setup (which none of my teachers probably recommend). Regardless, I have zero experience in PC builds, but have done quite a bit of research and thought it would be a good time to invest in what I am passionate about. So setup would mainly be for audio production, video production secondary (probably will be using after effects) and budget would be around €2000.



I intend to mainly build this PC for audio work (Pro Tools normal version, not ultimate + have older versions of Ableton). Some live recording, but try to sound proof my room for mainly mixing.


From the great deals I found, I managed to get hold of some KEF R3 speakers (that according to reviews, are great for sound reference - depending of the sound proofing of the room ofcourse).


I managed to get two 16GB (2 x 8GB) AORUS RGB Memory, DDR4 3333MHz, CL18, 1.35V on discount so 32GB should be good for RAM (64GB overkill since I won't be getting ultimate?).



As for other components:


CPU: Intel Core i9-9900k (€396) or an another model with higher single thread performance? AMD Ryzen 7 5800x (€400)? Apparently this AMD model has faster single, dual, quad and octa-core speed.


Graphics card: (good enough to run everything smoothly, don't need a high end one).


Motherboard: Z390 Aorus Pro WiFI ATX (€248) or any other suitable (for Ryzen or anything you have suggestions for).



RAM: 4 x 8GB (32GB) AORUS RGB Memory, DDR4 3333MHz, CL18, 1.35V


Storage 1: ?


Storage 2: ?? - Will look for good deals on storage - Atleast 1TB Solid State Drive



Power Supply: ?


CPU Cooler: ?


Case: Was thinking about the !be quiet series.


I also have a Steinberg UR22mkII audio interface I got with my MPC3000 and will hook up my turn tables, MIDI synth (my Strat guitar + bass) and stereo amp with the passive speakers. Any help is greatly appreciated as I feel like I'm getting lost in the number of tabs I have open researching this topic. Thank you all for your time and help - Happy weekend!!


Kind regards,


FL3GS (=Flegs aka Frog Legs)


P.s. I apoligize if this post is on the wrong thread - Try to bear with me as I'm new. Thank you again!!

Re: PC build help/suggestions on components.
 

Welcome to the forum.

The first decision should be the CPU, then an appropriate MB. 9th gen (i9-9900K) was a good chip. 10th & 11th gen were refinements. 12th gen is new chip technology & is awesome. If budget permits, get the latest/greatest:

19-12900K
Gigabyte Z690 MB
32 or 64GB DDR5 or DDR4
Samsung or Western Digital PCIe 4.0 or PCIe 3.0 M.2 NVMe SSD
Seasonic PRIME FANLESS TX
Nvidea GPU

(AMD Ryzen & Apple M1 are decent CPU's also, but I have no personal experience using them for Pro Tools rigs.)

Please read the last few pages of this thread: https://duc.avid.com/showthread.php?t=238426

Re: PC build help/suggestions on components.
 

Do not skimp on the power supply. Buying a power supply that can't keep up with your system can lead to all sorts of stability issues.

You would want something a gamer would use. See the following article for some suggestions on high end power supplies.

Best Power Supply for Gaming

Re: PC build help/suggestions on components.
 

+1. According to this: https://www.newegg.com/tools/power-supply-calculator/ my build components need 304 watts. I am using this Titanium fan-less PSU: https://www.newegg.com/seasonic-prim...82E16817151235 So far it seems like 700W works great for this build. I originally shopped for more watts:confused:, but ultimately went for this 700W titanium & true fan-less model. Pricey but a solid PSU with a 12-yr:eek: warranty.

Re: PC build help/suggestions on components.
 

Indeed! I used to recommend 650 watts as minimum, but these days, 750 watts is my minimum(my spare PSU is an 850 I bought on sale). I have no gripe about AMD, but these days, intel is my choice for an audio machine. 32GB is my minimum RAM too and I would(will) spend the extra $$ for Thunderbolt 3/4 on my next build. Yes, I may not use TB, but I want to be able to, regardless as the cost difference is pretty small(I expect to get at least 10 years out of any PC build, so an extra $200 now equals $20 per year):o

Re: PC build help/suggestions on components.
 

Thank you for the replies! I did some comparison and one guy suggested to buy a Intel Core i7-12700K 3.6 GHz 12-Core Processor - It's about the same price as the i9-9000k, but has around 40% faster single- to octa-core speeds: https://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compar...00K/4028vs4119


The build he sugested for my budget would be:

Intel Core i7-12700K 3.6 GHz 12-Core Processor


MSI PRO Z690-A WIFI DDR4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard


Gigabyte AORUS RGB 32 GB (4 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory


Samsung 980 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive


Noctua NH-U12S chromax.black 55 CFM CPU Cooler


Samsung 980 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive


Asus GeForce RTX 3060 Ti LHR 8 GB DUAL MINI V2 Video Card


be quiet! Pure Base 500DX ATX Mid Tower Case


Corsair RM (2019) 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply


I still need to buy a mixer, cables, mic and quite a few other items - Hope I won't go over my budget lol Waiting a good deal on Pro Tools and sound packs - I could get any version -33% off, but was wondering could I get it cheaper via a student discount. Can't wait for the KEF R3 speakers, need to sound proof my room though (wish I could afford a pro to do acoustic treatment).

Re: PC build help/suggestions on components.
 

I think the # of watts depends on the installed components i.e. what the power draw will be. PSU headroom is a good idea & so is build quality. Some new high-end video cards really suck up the juice. I agree to never skimp on the PSU. A while ago on my old/previous build, I started getting occasional BSODs. I suspected a dying 10-yr old PSU ---> upgraded the PSU and BSODs stopped.

Re: PC build help/suggestions on components.
 

Totally agree. But it also matters as to how the current is spread out. Back in the early i7 days, I had a 920/x58 setup that ran like a train. So I built a 950/x58A PC and it ran like total crap with a very "similar" PSU. After lots of chasing my tail, a beefier PSU solved all the issues. Turns out the 12V rails were under-rated for that cpu and the replacement PSU had a single 12V rail rated at over 50amps(the other PSU was multiple rails at 13 amps each for a similar total). Graphics cards(especially if you run multiples, HDX card(s) and several drives(6 in my machine) can chew up a cheap PSU quickly. Gotta read those spec sheets:D

Re: PC build help/suggestions on components.
 

Awesome. I don't know how to interpret the specs. Help! Here's the one in my build: https://seasonic.com/prime-fanless-tx#specification

Re: PC build help/suggestions on components.
 

Which version? The TX-700 looks good, but the smaller ones(for me) range from borderline(TX-600) to not enough:o