I know there are bits a peices of info scattered all over the form about which chipset to get and how much Ram is good.. but im currently saving up for my first desktop PC and my question is If you guys had $1,500 to 1,700 to build a desktop for music production what would it look like? I don't wanna have to re-do this build in 2 years wishing I had added this port or that type of processor. Because eventually I plan on exploring external hardware and other signal processors to my home studio.
And I have a friend doing the build for me. Because I'm more of a musician then a computer guy. He gave me a spec list of what I should get but he doesn't do music production and I really want it tailored to that.

 

1 a very good motherboard. With firewire or thunderbolt (depends on your soundcard or other needs)
and onboard graphics. Unless u really need that for something else like games or video's, or whatever.
2 at least an i7
3 Pcie ssd
4 (normal) ssd
5 good fans or cooling
Got one right here and it's incredible

Edit: oops.....and at least 8 gig of ram. But you got the cash for 16.

 

These days I'd skip Intel. AMD CPUs are where it's at. Just looking at GHz Intel seems stronger but AMD is able to get more done with less GHz (basically, called Instructions Per Cycle, AMD has more) Also, Intel CPUs run far hotter meaning that they can't always take advantage of their full power, because they get too hot. So they have to use less power (called thermal throttling) and not run at their full potential. AMD is really the king of the heap these days. The PC community is really excited.

!!!BUT!!! I would not recommend building a pc right this moment. AMD is about to release Ryzen 4000 series CPUs for desktop (already available in laptops) and that means that the Ryzen 3000 series CPUs will go down in price -or- you can buy a 4000 series chip for the same price you'd get a 3000 series now.

That being said if you don't care and absolutely want to build a pc right now, here's what I'd recommend for your budget.

AMD Ryzen 9 3900XT 12-Core Socket AM4 105W 100-100000277WOF Desktop Processor

MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX AM4 AMD B450 SATA 6Gb/s ATX AMD Motherboard

Western Digital WD BLACK SN750 NVMe M.2 2280 2TB PCI-Express 3.0 x4 64-layer 3D NAND Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) WDS200T3X0C

CORSAIR Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 3200 (PC4 25600) Intel XMP 2.0 Desktop Memory Model

EVGA SuperNOVA 750 G3, 220-G3-0750-X1, 80+ GOLD, 750W Fully Modular, EVGA ECO Mode with New HDB Fan

Noctua NH-U14S 140mm SSO2-Bearing (Self-stabilising oil-presure bearing) CPU Cooler

Everything is fairly subjective but what I would recommend is the Ryzen 9 3900XT, an aftermarket CPU cooler (Noctua is the best but CoolerMaster is good too and cheaper) at least 16 GB of at least 2666 MHz ram (you really don't need more if you're not working with large sample libraries) and a large SSD, whatever you do NOT an HDD. And a power supply that can accommodate it. There's tools online to figure that out. Google "how big of a power supply do I need". How much storage space you want is up to you. ALSO, if you plan to run on Wifi and not ethernet, you're going to need a Wifi card or Motherboard with built in wireless. And just make sure your computer case can fit your mother board size (make sure the ATX specs match) And you're good to go!

Hope this was helpful. There's tons of youtube videos out their with a plethora of information on the subject. Happy building, and don't forget to have fun! Lol

 

This is what I would build. Not sure if you would need Windows 10 or what storage you need.


CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 3900X 3.8 GHz 12-Core Processor ($418.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($109.99 @ B&H)
Motherboard: Asus PRIME X570-PRO ATX AM4 Motherboard ($249.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z Neo 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory ($178.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 860 Evo 1 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($136.75 @ Amazon)
Storage: Sabrent Rocket 4.0 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($199.98 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon RX 580 8 GB PULSE Video Card ($189.99 @ B&H)
Case: NZXT H510 ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Best Buy)
Power Supply: Corsair RM (2019) 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($139.99 @ Best Buy)
Total: $1694.66

 

ironic post, I just built it last night...my first computer build. I'm typing from it so i'm happy to say i didnt blow it up lol.
Couldn't make myself pay double the price for an apple mac pro. Very glad i went this route. The bang for buck is great.

Hackintosh:

cpu: Intel 10980xe-18 cores
cpu cooler: Deep cool 360ex
ram: gskill trident z neo 64gb 3600 mhz
Motherboard: Designare 10g x299x
gpu: Radeon VII
Storage: (2) m.2 ssd drives (1tb Sabrent Rocket + 2tb gigabyte Aorus)
Case: Corsair 680x
Power supply: EVGA P2 Titanium 1200
fans: 8 corsair rml pro + 3 silent wings 3

I like the suggestion of the pc above my response. Looks perfect for the budget.

 

Yeah im staying away from the whole hackintosh thing... i had a iMac a long time ago and I just prefer PC alot more i feel like Macintosh in the next 10 years will completely shy away from 3rd party applications and if macs don't make it you won't be able to use it... might be alittle extreme in my hypothesis but it will get there eventually

 

I like this.. i will be using wifi.. i want alittle more then a TB of HD space maybe a partition 1 SSD and HDD .. thats how my laptop is and I love it.. i

 

thank you guys for your ideas.. im gonna bookmark this and start buying after we get my daughter another car seat.. ill keep you guys updated though for sure

 

I'd just use components I have now, but throw it into DIY MacPro looking rack case

 

Yeah i work with alot of sample librarys I have a external SSD drive now holding all of the samples

 

just like apple

interesting

 

A nice build and a lot of value for money, but I'll butt in for a couple of recs based on what I own myself.

I've got this, and it's a very good drive, but you can usually find a Crucial MX500 for a bit cheaper and there's very little difference between the two.

Ummh, unless the computer needs a GPU I'd go for a cheap, passively cooled one like a cheap NVidia GT 1030. Why? The Sapphire Pulse is a fairly loud (and runs pretty hot) card, and while it's a good card, for audio purposes it's overkill.

The money saved from these can be used towards more storage or memory, depending, of course

 

Ummh, Gt 1030 is too old. A good PC needs good (reasonable) video!

Assuming you are using one 1920x 1080 HD Monitor, I find a Asus GeForce GTX 1650 PHOENIX OC 4GB GDDR5 PCI-Express ...or a Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1650 D6 OC 4G Graphics Card, 170mm Compact Size, 4GB 128-Bit GDDR6... or others with similar specs - around $160 best value for money.

They are new(er), support GPU render (896 CUDA cores) and consume less Power (75W)

 

Last edited: Jul 12, 2020

Here we have to disagree, OK, maybe a GT710 would be a better fit than a 1030, but age really has nothing to do with it.

A non-3D work or a non-gaming PC does not need a GPU of that caliber, what it needs is the capability to run a couple of displays, have decent DirectX and OpenGL support, low power draw and low noise. A GT instead of GTX does those, they're passive so no fans, no need to have more power than the PCI bus so no extra cables.

They're fine for HTPC use which use hardware video decoding and they're more than fine for audio usage, given that they are silent and run cool and have enough OpenGL support to draw newer plugin interfaces and decode video if one is working alongside picture.

So as good as a card a 1650 is, it still is in my opinion overkill. A GT is ~$100 less which can be used towards more important components.

 

let me share my experience with graphics cards in audio workflow environment then:

minimum no dedicated gfx = integrated Intel HD4000, which is good enough to drive one 1080p or even one 1440p monitor, it needs moderate amount of system RAM to be allocated as video memory, so if system has let's say 16GB ram (and more), integrated graphics is probably best solution for DAW build - no need for another vendor driver, PCIe lanes allocation, no problems with potential electricity noise/ground/loop issues, and contrary to what people say, there is no noticeable negative impact on overall system performance

zero noise dedicated gfx card = something like aforementioned GT 1030, GT 730, GT 740 etc.. which are reasonably powerful to give some advantages compared to integrated graphics (not always though!) and due to passive zero-noise cooling design, they are very suitable for DAW build, they are usually limited by 75W PCIe power limit, so don't expect any ultrahigh performance

beasty gaming gfx card = something like my ASUS Strix GTX 1080 Ti, it's high-end chip which can provide multiple-times higher performance, which will result in far more power consumption, far more heat, BUT if the card has properly done cooler heatsink, it can operate without fans starting to spin, so if used for general tasks, it will remain absolutely silent, and only when heavy tasks are required, fans will start to spin and keep the card reasonably cool, sure it's an overkill for a DAW build, but its versatility proves very handy for "all-purpose" build

something inbetween = can be the GTX 1650 you menationed, it indeed offers great performance/value, but I don't think it can operate without fan spinning without overheating (e.g. default fan curve kicking in by default around 60°C threshold) so from performance/noise ratio, it's somewhat compromise to me..

 

It`s ok to disagree. A friend had a similar one and I didn`t like it.It lags...
It`s not an overkill. 896 x 356 Cuda cores, 4G x 2G memory...and yes, a fan! ( Imagine a CPU without one...)

I find a GT 1030 too poor for this bild. ($85)...

A GTX 1650 will serve you well then!

So does a GTX 1650, no extra cables, no extra power. It`s not a `gaming card`, it`s just a good entry level card - they start at around $160 and up. Anything under is a compromise. Not worth the little money you`ve saved.

https://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-GeForce-Graphics-Compact-GV-N1656OC-4GD/dp/B086TSK5M3
https://www.amazon.com/ZOTAC-GeForc...L/dp/B0881YZJ45/ref=psdc_284822_t1_B086TSK5M3
- Boost Clock 1620 MHz

Here we can disagree again...A good 550W or 650W Power supply should be enough!

 

Last edited: Jul 12, 2020

Most definitely. This is the one I'm using in my current build and honestly it's very quiet. The Ryzen needs a dedicated GPU to run. Temps have been fine. I went for this decent one mainly because I use After Effects to make and render beat videos so that cuts time down very fast. But of course the GPU could be something less.

 

Yeah, a dedicated GPU is needed for sure.

I've got the Sapphire Nitro RX 580, which is pretty much the same card except for slightly higher clocks, and while it's not the hottest or loudest bastard out there you can still hear the fan even when idling. It's not too bad, but unless the graphics power is needed, a slightly cheaper passively cooled would make more sense to me.

And if you need more displays, then for the price of a RX580/GTX1650 you can get the cheapest AMD Radeon Pro W-series or NVidia Quadra which would make even more sense for an audio production workstation.

But this all boils down to what the OP needs the computer for, aside from sound stuff.

 

Yeah i edit videos from time to time but other then that its gonna be running fl studio 20 with alot of kontakt, omnisphere, and alot of fx chains.. minimal vocals I have a warm audio u47jr that runs into my zoom uac-2 audio interface... but i plan on eventually getting some behringer external rack synths and things of that nature.

 

Hey guys I just wanted to update you and see what ya think... this is the build I'm gonna probably end up going with.. im buying the processor first.. because it's the most expensive.. and its gonna take me probably 4 or 5 months to purchase all the parts.. if you have any input on any issues you see or have any input that you think I should know... this being my first PC build.. im super excited and not gonna lie im nervous..
Motherboard ASRock X570 Taichi
Processor AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, 16C/32T, 3.4GHz – 4.9GHz
CPU Cooler Noctua NH-U12S chromax.black
Memory 64GB (4x16GB) Corsair Vengeance LPX 3600MHz DDR4
Graphics Card 8GB ASUS GeForce RTX 3060 Ti DUAL OC
Power Supply 650W Seasonic Focus PX-650 - 80PLUS PLATINUM
System Drive 500GB Samsung 980 PRO M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD
Project Drive 1TB Samsung 980 PRO M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD
Operating System Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64bit
Recovery Media Recovery USB drive with system image and diagnostic software