Trying to figure out just which processor to buy for a new build. To be honest the ins and outs of processor architecture for music production isn't my strong point. The PC will mostly be running Ableton 10 and Studio One, plus quite a few VST instruments and FX in each project, but I'm not a heavy Kontakt or sample user. Combined with some hardware synths and drum machines via a USB interface.

I've always just bought the best Intel CPU that my budget would allow in the past. Yet I know that AMD's Ryzen processors have been performing strongly lately. I have read that Ryzen's aren't suited to tasks that involve low latencies though and some plugins and interfaces don't get along with them. Has this been ironed out in the most recent processors, or are they still a bit of a risky buy for audio production?

I was just going to buy an i7 8700k, but I could afford to buy the 9700k. What I don't understand is whether the absence of hyperthreading but the addition of two more physical cores on the 9700k is going to improve performance in a DAW or not? I've read a few different opinions about what this means in 'real world' situations but not much proof of what it's going to be like. It's a bit pointless spending more money for not much of a benefit.

Anyone care to comment on what CPU they're considering/bought/been using lately?

 

I would go for the ryzen 3700x instead of the 9700k.

Check this out. A DAW benchmark for the ryzen 3600, 3700x and 3900x. Even a 9700k is in this benchmark test.

 

That (Scan DAW bench) article is food for thought, thanks. Although I read in another Scan article that higher MHz RAM speed for Ryzens is pretty much a must. Add that to the fact that there's no onboard graphics, meaning I'll have to add a GPU to the cost with the more expensive RAM. Plus still some debate about how interfaces are going to perform. I'm not fully convinced just yet. May hold off for a month or two for some real world results of how things are going or not. Or just save for an i9.

I hate having to fart about with my PC to get things running smoothly, beyond basic tuning procedures. It destroys the little creativity that I have. Overbridge for Elektron being one example, it's been such a pain that I've just abandoned it and connected the Digitone to my audio interface instead, but that means that my Roland interface now doesn't have any inputs left. I was hoping that a new PC would mean that Overbridge was operational again. It would be just my luck that Overbridge would work fine with my new Ryzen PC, but then my interface developed problems.

 

Save up a bit and get the 9900k. Thinking you will save a 100$ by going with a cheaper cpu is the worst idea when assembling a DAW workstation.

 

Faster RAM is not as expensive as you think. Infact recently 2400mhz and 3000mhz 8gb ddr4 is nearly same price. The most important part in saving your money is working with the stock cooler. With Intel K series CPU, you will surely save a few bucks on RAM but what about cooler and mobo? Instead buy something like an Intel 9600 (non OC) and use it with stock cooler

 

i have an old i5-2500 and it's brutal in performance. don't feel the need to upgrade, i still suck hahh

 

I don't think I've ever built a PC without upgrading the cooler from stock. I've usually chosen a Noctua CPU cooler as they're very quiet but still efficient IMO. I'm still researching mobo's. It seems to be tricky to find good quality ones that aren't aimed at gamers. I've been looking at an MSI Z370 sli plus, as it's one of the few I've found that seems to be pitched at 'content creation' rather than playing games or turning the computer's case into a multicoloured light show. I'm not saying that money is no option, there is a kind of a budget, but reliability as well as performance is high on my list of priorities. I'll gladly pay more for something that just works well from the off. I don't like buying off the shelf PC's as the customisation options can be limited (you can't get everything you want in one place).

 

Multithread is not better for music production? Go with the Ryzen 9 3950x, 16 cores and 32 threads.

 

Windows system running an AMD Threadripper

From 2017:

August 2019
How to Build the Best PC for Music Production and Audio Editing

 

Last edited: Aug 5, 2019

I got the Ryzen 3700x with a X570 Mobo and 32GB-3600Mhz .. i came from Intel 9700K and I have to say it's hella fast!
My friend is on a 9900k and when I open a heavy plugin loaded Ableton Project my Processor has a 5-10% lower CPU usage there then his intel system.

Defo the best budget CPU you can get right now .. best bang for the buck!

 

Wrong! Many signal processing operations use multithreading.

When it comes to real high performance code, target processor matters a lot.
I have never seen anyone making a VST using AMD processor libraries but everyone uses Intel libraries.
https://software.intel.com/en-us/ipp
https://developer.amd.com/amd-open64-software-development-kit/

Conclusion: don't buy AMD

 

Last edited: Aug 5, 2019

Go to Ableton and ProSonus sites and find out what they used for testing. Use that.

 

Yes, I've bought a 9900k pc recently. Full orchestral tools symphony at 192k with all sorts of plugins no problem. I love it.

Though it's not even really professional yet.

 

Last edited: Aug 5, 2019

9900k is the best choice if you want a powerfull and last longing daw.

 

i7 8700k all day

 

The 9700K performs worse than 8700K in audio-specific workloads. The one you want to get if you're on team blue is 8700K or 9900K. I assume we're excluding enthusiast platforms, since that'd shoot the prices through the roof.

 

look i am a great example of poverty combined with some tech. using ryzen 5 2600 with gt 610. cannot game but yeah fl and ableton working without any issue with big libraries / vst like omnisphere & keyscape

 

Not a good test. A Real test is a working project, with tracks, automation, groups, routing, etc, where plugins really process the audio and then you have the audio output itself where you have to have a clean representation, no crackling or other noises and this is where AMD cpu`s come off worse, under high load in a very big project you would start hearing crackling a lot faster compared to a good pentium cpu where it can be utilized a lot further without any artifacts on the audio output.
Also pentium cpu`s, even older generations, are just better suited for DAW workstations, resource usage and the speed of communication between the motherboard, hdd, ram is faster and more stable which will mean less latency in general.

 

I've been using 6-core i7-5820K overclocked at 4.3GHz since 2015, there isn't any major leap ahead yet;

for audio workflow, basically you want a cpu with best single-core performance
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/singleThread.html
anything else is unimportant really

 

Last edited: Aug 5, 2019

That is probably the best solution. I9 is a totally different level compared to a 9700k/3700x.

Yeah, I read this ram test too. But it seems it does not make a big impact if you use 3200mhz or 3600mhz ram. AMD announced 3733mhz as "optimal" supported RAM for zen 3 in all areas from gaming to rendering. In audio work, it does not have that much of an impact it seems.