Can someone tell me which Intel i7 CPU is the best for extensive music production?

I'm using i5-2310 on 16gb Ram and doesn't cut it for me anymore

Planning to build a new PC soon..Should i go for i7-4930k, 4770k, 3930K, 3970x or 3960x? ...I also plan to max up to 64 Gb of Ram...

I hope the new system will last me for a long long time...b4 i upgrade again..if possible at least 5 years and up....

Any thoughts and suggestion are welcome!

thanks a lot !!!

 

I just bought a new PC designed for audio. They use Intel Haswell quad core. But 5 years is a long time to expect for any electronics to not be obsolete.

 

http://www.asus.com/Commercial_Servers_Workstations/Z8NAD6/

what about TWO i7 processors?

Seriously, your computer has already some serious specs...

 

You'd want the top of the line Extreme Edition processor but in my opinion it's highly overpriced for the performance benefit. You also don't need a K processor unless you plan on overclocking. I don't particularly see the need for having that much RAM but I guess if you have that kind of money then go crazy. I mean we have people here making amazing stuff on less than you have now so the computer isn't necessarily as limiting as you think.

 

I guess my Intel Pentium E5300 @ 2.60GHz cpu is from the ark then?

 

That's right! And if he actually spend that much just to seek for reliability, then he would go better with a great mobo, a high-end cool and silent pc case(the german brand Nanoxia), a high-end silent PSU, a high-end cooling solution with custom silent fans(Such as the new Nanoxia, Noctua or Nexus), a good power stabilizer, a good UPC(like APC), a Intel 4770k CPU, just some fast 16GB RAM(or 32gb if he's really that much into it), some server grade / enterprise hard disk (for samples and other mass storage) and a good SSD for Operating System and programs and should be enough for a long lasting computer.

 

I have a laptop with an i7 (which doesn't even compare to a desktop i7) and I am planning on upgrading to a desktop with an i7, too many times I've had my CPU use at 100% then I end up having to export audio tracks, then work on the wav files to save CPU...
That being said, I have a fairly crappy laptop CPU, and even with loads of FX going on, I'm suprised how well it handled it. CPU load is usually between 60 and 90%. Given the fairly good performance of the portable i7s, I'm sure a good desktop i7 would do wonders. I don't think you need the latest most expensive one, any mid level i7 would do I think (unless you're using particularly draining VST's.
Check reviews online and see what's best for your money. i'd go for an i7 but check the prices. I don't think it's worth paying an extra 500$ for an extra 300mhz but hey if you want to go nuts, why not
PS: 16gb of RAM is only necessary if you use Kontakt libraries, otherwise it's overkill

 

The idea of 2 processor is interesting (and I plan to do), but they must be XEON because the i7 do not work together. So the price become higher...
Other alternative that are becaming cheaper are the UAD-2 that have lot of basic and good plugs.

 

Yes, but i don't see the point for achieving succes in the music industry with a overkill like that.

As Catalyst said, there's alot of people (even famous) who make all of their work on weaker computer and they do Records.

A better investment for his lots of money regarding reliability would be in the quality of the case, fans, cooling solution, PSU, power/voltage stabilizer and quality server-grade / enterprise Hard Drives (because the consumer-grade HDD usually are the first parts that falls in a computer).

Two Xenon CPUs and 64GB Ram is a purely overkill in music making practical situations.
If he really wants to improve his overall music he can save the rest of the money for a higher-end monitoring solution (if he didn't already done it), for better converters (if he didn't already done it), and for better cables and acoustic treatment (if he didn't aready done it too).

 

This here is the fastest PC at the moment: The Boston Venom 2000-7T (2xfaster then the new MacPro)
http://www.boston.co.uk/blog/2012/03/21/custom-pc-magazine-says-new-venom-workstation-is-the-fastest-we-have-ever-seen.aspx

12000 British pounds... *yes*

 

Hi All,

talent is not a matter of expensive stuff, you are right Catalyst but a fast, silent and healthy computer helps ! The point is with using a DAW you cant spend all your time to fix your computer, freeze, restart and lost your work ... The other point is your computer must be coherent. Like don't put a Ferrari motor inside à 2CV Citroen frame !! Intel core I7 seems to be the best at this time (any quad core of the past five years will be a minimum), 8 gigs of memory the minimum (DDR 2/3), a SSD Hard Drive a must have, a reliable evolving Mobo (the master piece of your comp with the proc, and a x64 bit system (safe, clean).

My species: Intel Quad [email protected] (yorkfield 45nm), Gigabyte EP45-DS3R Mobo, Noctua NH-U12P fan (silence is the point of a good musical computer), 8 gigs of DDR2 PC 6400, AMD/RADEON 7800 series 1000Mhz GPU 2Gigas GDDR5 memory (3 screens !!), Samsung 840 series SSD 240 Gigas (+ a bunch of SATA storage Hard Drives)and a (original) Windows 7 Pro x64 version (up to date) Finally a Roland Quad (UA-55) capture Sound card ... And it Rocks, its stable, fast ...

Don't forget, spending half of your time fixing your computer and your software kill the creativity ...

 

Why don't you buy an USB Storage Key, for your Hard Drives space's problems, there is a hole on the back of the duck you can put it in

 

You can still make a more powerful computer than that "fastest pc at the moment" . I checked the link you provided and that machine contains: two 8-core E5-2670 cpus, 32gb ram 1600mhz, one 128gb SSD, two 1TB HDD RAID, selectable options for number of the graphic cards installed, and alot of SH*T more weaker than the things you can build these days, and you know why?

Because if you really have the money to build THE BEST computer, then instead of E5-2670 CPUS of Venom Boston, you can select two 12-core E5-2697 CPUS (which are way more powerful, being a total of 48 working cores instead of 32 cores of the "Boston Venom 2000-7T").

Also instead of 32GB RAM 1600mhz, you can get some Kingston 64GB RAM at 2800MHZ.

For the case, you can select alot better and expensive cases than the one that Venom Boston has.

For the storage, you can get the best/fastest 500gb/1tb SSD instead of 128GB SSD of Venom Boston, and for mass storage you can make sure you buy the best enterprise HDD.

For graphics, you can get the new nVidia Tesla K40M 12GB 384-bit which is around 6 times more expensive than the K4000 solution of the Venom Boston and way better too.

So.. if you have the money, you're still able to build the REAL MOST POWERFUL PC AT THE MOMENT.

P.S.: 12k pounds??? Now that's why i always build my own custom pc by myself, because sometimes the assembling cost represents around 30-35% of the whole price of that computer, and by the way, i can give it a epic name too, i.e. Evotronium Oracle.

Vibe, if you have magic pockets and the money isn't a concern, you can take in consideration the top-notch pc parts mentioned above too. but remember... is a TOTAL OVERKILL!

 

People like this^, make me feel like I have no hope with my 2008 MacBook Pro, 2.66GHZ, 4GB RAM.... Logic Pro 9 crashes at times with the 'could not process' error, basically meaning i need more processing speed, as my CPU meter spikes a lot. Hmmm......

What IS the lowest recommended specs for running logic pro, and lots of plugins etc/ I'll be getting a new iMac form my tax rebate, so should i go for something no less than quad-core, or duo core but either i3 or i5, what about the GHZ? No less than 3(something)GHZ?

Thanks

 

here is what I got. It does a wonderful job and is Auralex rated whisper quiet. If I were going to build one of my own, I would probably want some of these components, or look what they have done and model mine on it. But it comes with serious tech and customer support. These people won my business for most stuff. http://www.sweetwater.com/creation_station/ Here is link to my photo of my portable VST rig. http://www.flickr.com/photos/117254183@N07/12522231383/ Creation Station 250, ART Tube/digital pre-amp and Presonus interface in a flight ready lockable rack, with wheels and a telescoping handle.

 

haha some of you folks here are really funny lol....

On the a more serious note I'm actually considering i7 4930k seriously...it's either between this or the 4770k...

is it worthwhile to pay for the extra power of 4930k over 4770k?....especially when the mobo price of the former is also significantly higher as well..


I use kontakt libraries quite a bit...and as some of you may know these days some of the latest released orchestral libraries have crazy specs..like the latest from spitfire audio (HZpercussion) and cinesamples , orchestral tools(berlin strings)...not to mention upcoming ones from 8dio and the likes ....spire lush 101 bfd3 Evolution world percussion etc..all really demanding on performance...Overkill? I think not...


I really hate it when I have to freeze and I really do not want to worry about maxing on the system ....although I still have a pretty decent budget ...I can't really like spend 2k on those e5 xeon processors.... my maximum budget for processor is $600 so 4930k seems to fit the bill..

Also It is almost a total system overhaul...the only components that I'll be using again are the 2 x 2tb HDD (Western Digital Caviar Black)


Anyhow thanks for all the input so far

PS: I wouldn't mind Evotronium Oracle though hehe

 

Though a few months ago i sold a old beat priced to 600 euros, and if you believe it or not, i made that song with a old ass Athlon 1-core 2200MHZ, 1GB ram, 160GB western digital HDD mounted on a ECS low-end mobo (this was actually a "assambled" computer of a friend who's not a producer, who left it on my home before traveling to another country so i thought i could use it for web browsing, facebook shit, etc. but i installed some music-production related tools too.) *yes*

I didn't used too much vsti's and i just produced the song provisionally in a pre-production form, but the main post-production i did it on my main workstation.

 

If you build a computer like "Evotronium Oracle" mentioned in a earlier post, belive me, it will really be a total OVERKILL!

 

Actually I was refering to a PC like i7 4930k 32gb ram....I don't think this is an overkill....based on specs of some the latest releases from developers and also upcoming ones...I anticipated they will get crazier and crazier in 2014 and 2015.....guess I'm getting crazy already lol