Pro Tool Best CPU's for 2021 Help

[OfficialLilGoony]

Hey, so I'm in need for upgrading my PC. I was wondering if anybody uses or knows if the Intel i9-10940X or the Intel Core i9-10980XE Extreme Edition is great for Pro tools and other DAWS such as Presonus Studio One and Ableton 11. My desktop as of right now has a I7 7700 CPU 24 GB of RAM and a MSI RX580 X GPU which doesn't really matter but im looking at these new specs to buy as a update to what i just mentioned. I'm just looking to see if this is the best of the best and if someone uses the same or even better setup.

OLD PC:
I7 7700 CPU
24GB Crucial RAM
Gigabyte GA-B250M-DS3H Motherboard
WIN 10 x64

Possible update PC Parts:
MSI X299 PRO Motherboard X299 LGA 2066
i9-10980XE or the i9-10940X CPU
G.SKILL Ripjaws V Series 32GB x 2 GB = 64GB G.SKILL Ripjaws RAM
I would love to hear some feedback. Thankyou!

[Obsidian Dragon]

It is difficult to assess your needs. Are you doing video or mostly audio? Do you use a ton of plugins? Are you using many virtual instruments, How many audio/MIDI tracks do you typically use? What sample rate do you use? What is the end product (Streaming, Motion Picture, Audio CD, MP3, Live Sound, Sound Design, Post, etc.).

Without know more, here is my general opinion:
The i7 that you are currently using is adequate for many Protools uses. The i9 will be a little faster (not like night and day faster). The extra RAM is useful only if you are loading sample libraries into RAM for your virtual instruments. If you are running DSP based processors (HDX, UAD, etc.) the bulk of the work is offloaded to those processors and your main CPU won't make much difference. I get that you want the latest, greatest system (we all do), but my honest opinion is that the jump from I7 to I9 is a small improvement at best. In time, processor development will make a significant leap forward, but the last few years have been only incremental improvements. AMD has made greater strides these couple years but this Protools community historically prefers Intel.

If you need a new computer anyways, go for it. If you are hoping for significantly better performance, you may be a little disappointed.

I do have an I9 Windows machine but I do my Protools tasks on my Mac (personal preference). I use the I9 for 3D design and my son uses it for gaming.

[OfficialLilGoony]

TF?! I Totally forgot to include what my objective is for this, my bad. So I'm a Mixing/Mastering Engineer. My goal is to not worried about crashing an run as many Vst/Effect needed. Im pretty much looking for the best processing power I can get for Pro Tools or any other DAW like Studio One. The problem I have with this older system is it cant handle has many plugins and effects like my Lenovo ThinkPad p53 which has the I7-9850H CPU with 32GB of RAM. Am I looking at the wrong thing??? Any Suggestions on what I should be looking for to increase Vst/Effect plugins for mixing or Mastering in 48Khz-96Khz and 24 bit.

[EGS]

Originally Posted by Obsidian Dragon

...If you need a new computer anyways, go for it. If you are hoping for significantly better performance, you may be a little disappointed...

+1. I just recently upgraded to an i9, but only because I was long overdue for an upgrade. I figured while I'm at it, I might as well go for an i9. My previous i7 rig ran PTools quite well - it was just getting really old.

[albee1952]

You might get a "new lease on life" for the old rig by upgrading the cpu and RAM. 24GB is an odd amount and I suspect maybe you have 2x8GB and 2x4GB installed. Pulling the 4GB sticks and adding 2 more 8GB sticks(as long as they are a perfect match to the other 2 sticks) might give a little boost I'm still running an x79/i7 3930K with 32GB of RAM here(but all I do these days is edit and mix)

[Obsidian Dragon]

Originally Posted by OfficialLilGoony

TF?! ...My goal is to not worried about crashing an run as many Vst/Effect needed...The problem I have with this older system is it cant handle has many plugins and effects...Any Suggestions on what I should be looking for to increase Vst/Effect plugins for mixing or Mastering in 48Khz-96Khz and 24 bit.

The I9 might get you a 10% increase in overall performance. Going from 24GB RAM to 32GBB or 64GB will only help if you are running Virtual Instrument that load samples into RAM for playback or improve disk cacheing. I guess what I'm saying is the upgrade you are looking at will yield mild improvements. It may be exactly what you are trying to get, or more likely, you will be disappointed that the money you spent only achieves minor improvements.

The Protools user base tends to favor Intel processors, but over the last few years AMD had made significant improvement to their line of processors, increasing clock speeds and number of cores. PC enthusiast and gamers seem to have adopted AMD lately over Intel, but gaming and pro audio are two different things.

To see a more dramatic improvement, you might look into DSP-based plugins that offload processing of plugins from you computers CPU and run them via a dedicated DSP chips on a processor card or outboard chassis. Avid has their line of Protools DSP cards that will also offer extended IO capabilities. Universal Audio has a popular platform of UAD plugins and hardware core processors. These are not inexpensive options, but would offer more significant improvements for plugins performance while freeing up your CPU for non-DSP plugins. It all depends on which plugins you use.

Hopefully these suggestion gives you something to think about and research. Continue to ask questions and talk to as many people as you can.

[grayter1]

I ran an i7 for a long time without issue with Pro Tools. It was a Hackintosh before I got out of that business and moved to Win 10 Pro.

I was bored during lockdown last year and decided to build an i9 10 core (specs in sig). It's overkill for audio-only music production or mixing, but my day job is Post (multiple video tracks and mix plugins) and I use a lot of VI's for music composition. This system has been THE most stable Pro Tools rig for me yet. No issues, or errors from the moment I installed it.

This system should last me for years, or until Apple delivers an M2 chip (with the memory for VI's with huge samples libraries) and I breakdown and head back to the other side.

tg

[EGS]

Originally Posted by OfficialLilGoony

...just looking to see if this is the best of the best and if someone uses the same or even better setup...

On your current i7-7700 rig, have you tried the affinity/priority switch? Buffer 1024 for mixing/mastering? All AVID optimizations? Kill unnecessary startup items? Windows and audio interface drivers and all plugs up-to-date? Do all of this before even considering upgrading. Skip just one step, and you could have a problem lurking that can rob you of power. Your current rig should run well - IF properly set up and optimized.

I just upgraded MB/CPU/RAM due to the age (11 years) of my previous i7-980X rig. I wasn't exactly running out of juice, but just wanted to upgrade before something broke! I went with an i9-11900K with 64GB DDR4-3600 RAM, running all cores at 5.1 GHz on a Gigabyte Z590 Vision D motherboard. Overkill for me really, but it can certainly run a gazillion native plugs without a whimper, even at buffer 64.

Here's a comparison of 2 CPU's:
https://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compar...700/4110vs3887

[EGS]

Originally Posted by grayter1

... decided to build an i9 ... This system has been THE most stable Pro Tools rig for me yet...

Great! Congrats!

[rossi68]

I had a i7 980x system that was getting old. Decided to upgrade to a i9 10800x.
Was not super impressed, so I returned that pc.
Ended up buying a used i7 6800x and is happy regarding cost and performance