Overkill? - DAW PC build 2025

[EGS]

Originally Posted by kwall

I've flirted with Apple/Mac for my DAW, but I've been a PC/Droid guy forever. The lure to switch is overpowered by familiarity.

My Windows 11 self-build Intel i9 desktop works like a champ. But ... the new FANLESS Macbook Air M4 (15" with 32GB) - along with some of the new Mac Sequoia stuff - has got me re-thinking everything. (Notwithstanding the current M4/Pro Tools issues...)

[kwall]

Hello again.

Here's an update...roast away if you must. But I do have a question about the leftovers at the end.

The components I chose are:

Intel CORE ULTRA 7 265K
ASUS ROG STRIX Z890-E (primarily because of the robust I/O)
96G DDR5 7200
2TB NVMe (will add my current 2TB & 1TB SSDs)
No graphics card at this time but on the verge of adding one just because (criminy, there's too many choices!), and will definitely add one if I have any otherwise "un-solvable" video related issues.

I believe this will be a more than sufficient PT Studio DAW PC and it has room to grow.

Question: I'm going to be left with a decent but Windows 10 limited machine (i7-7700 XPS-8920 w/Optane on a 1TB HDD). I'm wondering about turning it into primarily a backup storage device. I have acquired some smaller misc. SSDs (less than a TB total?) and 2-3TB of 7200RPM HDDs. I wouldn't spend $ to build this, but hey, the stuff's lying around so? I read that Direct SATA Connection would be the fastest PC-PC transfer followed by Ethernet. What do you think is the best way to utilize this stuff? Thank you again for any time you spend on this .

[EGS]

Originally Posted by kwall

... Question: I'm going to be left with ... What do you think is the best way to utilize this stuff? ...

You can always pull the drives and use them for backups. Just get something like this: https://www.newegg.com/wavlink-wl-st...0VN-0069-00014

[Darryl Ramm]

Where are the hard specs, what exact NVMe SSDs, what exact memory? Details really matter here.

Make sure that the *exact* DIMM make and part number you use are on the Mobo vendor qualification list.

I'd use Samsung 990 Pro NVMe SSDs, and the first thing to do with any SSD is check the firmware is up to date. Make sure that SSD has suitable airflow/heatsink installed. At a minimum look at it's SMART temp as you first play with it.

If it was my setup old small SSD and HDD are likely to end up in the trash. Or the SSDs maybe get repurposed as transfer drives. Even to do that I'd be checking the drive health, wear level on any old SSD.

No idea what these drives are or how old they are, but slow performance or risks of data loss is likely not worth it for ~hundred dollars. High quality modern PCIe/NVMe or USB/NVMe SSDs are multiple TB for a few hundred dollars.