So I want to get a new pc to work on my music. Right now i'm working on a laptop (Intel core duo p8600 2.4GHz, 4GB, HDD 300gb, windows 7 64bits, ATI mobility radeon hd 3650, external drive usb 2.0 1TB).
I was think on getting a 120gb SSD and another 1TB 7200rpm Sata3, core i7 for cpu, and about 2x8GB DDR3 1600MHz. This already will probably cost me arround 600€.
But i don't know what motherboard, power source, box and graphic boad I should go for.
In the software side I usually work with cubase 5, battery 3, nexus, waves plugins.
And I have a usb interface, focusrite Scarlett 2i2.

I also will work with video/picture (Adobe Suite, Photoshop, illustrator, After effects, premiere pro, etc)

what should I do/buy?

Thanks

 

Motherboard: ASUS <--- still the best (in my opinion) on the marked!

CPU: i5 <--- i7 is extremly expensive, and the performence isnt that much better! Still 4 cores and highest performence of course!

Audiocard: <--- RME if you can afford it ..... alternative Presonus, Lexicon and a few others!

Graficcard: <--- If this is only an audio PC you dont really need something fancy! I would go far a passive cooled graficcard, because of the lack of noice! ATI could be a choice GForce also, but in this case it could be overkill!

Besides this, it all looks cool

 

Mobo:
GigaByte Z77X-D3H
Cpu:
Intel Core i5 3570
RAM:
Corsair PC3-10666 Memoria (1333 MHz, 240-poli, 2x 2GB) - TW3X4G1333C9A
HD1:
OCZ Vertex 3 MAX IOPS SATA III 2.5" SDD 120GB (O.S. only)
HD2:
WD Caviar Black HDD 1000 GB, SATA II/III, 3.5" (Data only, 2 and/or more partition)
VideoCard:
NVidia Entry level (do not use Intel chip)

P.S.
...and an external drive for data backup.

 

You may want to check the Antec cases - cheap, elegant design and reliable.

PSU: A 750w one will do just fine as you are not having any power-hungry videocards.

Motherboard ASUS Z87 (-PRO) - Whatever version fits your budget

Minimum 8GB of memory - Corsair will do just fine

Intel Core i7-4770K Haswell 3.5GHz LGA 1150 84W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics - Great processing power and with this new generation you can use the built-in video, so no need for a PCI-E new one.

SDD Samsung 840 PRO series - Same performance as Vertex, but better price-wise. Just take the PRO version, not the regular one.

Western Digital Black series for storage/backup. You can go with 2 x 1TB WD Black or 2 x 2TB, depending on your budget.

Good luck!

 

i also like asus boards, but on my most recent build, i chose an msi board, and it has been great. i would recommend this board. i actually have the previous version of this, which was designed for the third generation i3/i5/i7 cpus.

i agree with the others here about the cpu. an i7 is overkill and wasted money for an audio workstation. get this quad-core i5.

you don't need a video card unless you plan on doing video editing as well as audio. the i5's onboard graphics have served me well on my machine, and i have the previous generation. the latest generation is even more powerful.

spend the money that you saved on the cpu and the video card to buy a second ssd. i agree with the poster above who recommended the samsung 840 pro. i love mine. but i also have a crucial m4. both have been great. this component is the absolute best way to spend your money. i put the os on one disk, and my programs on the other. and then i have a 3tb traditional hard drive for storage (samples, loops, etc.).

i really don't think you need a 750 watt power supply. none of these components draw much power. i'm using a 600 watt power supply, and it is way more than enough, even with the extra fans i added.

i can tell you right now that you do not want to use the stock cooler that intel provides with the cpu. they are loud and not terribly good at cooling. this is the cpu cooler that i purchased, and i am very happy with it. it will work with the latest cpus as well as the third generation ones. you can't beat the price vs performance of this cooler. but if you want something even quieter, you will have to go to liquid cooling.

i'm not sure that 16gb is really necessary. 8gb should be good. i've never come close to using half of the 16gb that i bought. i think i would probably only buy 8gb if i was doing it over.

if you're looking for a good quality, inexpensive case - this is the one that i purchased. i have nothing bad to say about it. it has some really nice features like the x-dock and a front usb 3.0 jack that you don't usually find on cases in this price range.

 

Asus SABERTOOTH 990FX R2.0
AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8 core
Cooler Zalman FX100 (0db noise)
Kingston HyperX Red 8GB DDR3 1600MHz CL9 Dual Channel Kit
Asus GeForce GT 630 DirectCU Silent 2GB (Fanless)
(Hard drives or SSD are up to you, you can choose whatever Western Digital or Samsung for HDD, they both will do a good job)
for the rest of the pieces, is up to you, when it comes about the PSU, even a entry-level 400w will do the job if you keep these parts on their stock speeds.

 

not sure, what you want do with your new pc, but if you dont use very large sample libs like vsl etc. or , well, dunno about gaming.. i´d recomment maybe less but faster memory for same money (fastest memory for your chosen mainboard)

 

Thanks a lot for all your answers guys.
Sorry I forget to say that I also will work with video/picture (Adobe Suite, Photoshop, illustrator, After effects, premiere pro, etc). I will add it to the first post.

I'm going to check all the options you guys gave me. Now I have a question, should I go for the i7 or i5? And I was really intrigued with the AMD that Evorax mentioned, 8 core processor and 4.0GHz? and it's cheaper that the i7, how really good is it?
One Last Question, In the SSD I will install the O.S. (probably windows 7), and also will install the DAW and adobe suite. And in the 1tb HDD I will install my libraries and my plug ins. Is what I said correct? Or should I install just the O.S. in the SSD?



@GanjaRa_
Hi there, my intention with this computer is just to run the DAW and Adobe Suite to work on audio and video, and yes it will have libraries, and even video libraries, that's why I want at least a 1tb hdd running next to the ssd

 

In my Music/Game PC MS Win7 O.S. (win8 stinks) only has been installed. Software/Data in 2nd hard-disk. Why? Because I am worry about SSD firmware failure (see Murphy's Law: "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong").

 

Check out these, one by one, keeping in mind your budget,
it might very helpful for your final decision, i hope so.
components...

 

As for PSU, fairly vital part for any system. Corsair's (builder series) http://www.corsair.com/en/power-supply-units/cx-series-psu.html , or Cooler Master should be decent choices (GX listed here) http://www.coolermaster.com/product/Lines/gaming-gx-series.html . I've got a cooler master GX550 myself.

EDIT: If u hav the budget 2 spare, maybe get a case which has trays to slide in & out HDs. Makes servicing easier.

 

Hi guys thanks for all your answers.

@demian777
I checked that site is really cool and is helping me with my choices.

So far I check all the components you guys talked about, and now I have some questions.

CPU - My question here is should I go for a i7 i5 or that AMD FX-8350 that evorax mentioned?

PC CASE - I have Seen some Silent pc cases but they seem to have almost no air flow, wich can be a problem, and I'm thinking about saving some money by buying something around 60€/80€, what good options for that value? I saw the one that realitybytez got. But I'm afraid that it's to noisy

MoBo - I saw in another topic that the DAW and vsts developers advice to use gigabyte mobo, is that true?

PSU - I will probably will go with some coolmaster silent pro

Graphics - right now I'm used to work with 2 monitors (laptop and a 22" LCD), what graphic card can I buy to work like that and still have some good value/quality ratio?

Also I would like to ask you guys for a good European online store to buy these components.

 

Hi SAiNT.
I checked that site yesterday, and I found that the AMD fx 8350 is not far behind the core i7 4770K performance wise, but when it comes to price the AMD is almost 110€. Less Am I right?
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/common_cpus.html
Prices here
http://www.redcoon.pt/B446336-AMD-FX-8350-4GHz-Box_AMD
http://www.redcoon.pt/B470940-Intel-Core-i7-4770K-35Ghz-Box_Intel

in the MoBo I was thinking in this one
Asus Z87 Pro http://www.redcoon.pt/B469610-Asus-Z87-Pro-C2_Intel
this whould be for intel of course.

The case should I go for a mid tower or a grand tower? mid should be ok right?

 

Glad to hear that site is helping you...
(check out much better cases there.)
You are right about the processor,
but, if i could i would go with i7 4770K.
Personally, i think there are much better MBO's...
(if you ask me, for your budget, i'd go with asus SABERTOOTH Z77.)
Just think twice before spending your nice budget...

 

But the SABERTOOH Z77 only supports 2nd/3rd generation cpu, and the socket is 1155, while the i7 4770k is 1150. Only supports DDR3 1866/1600/1333 MHz RAM, so if in the future I want to upgrade to a faster like 2000Mhz I can't.

May I ask what you use?

I'm thinking a lot before spending any money.

 

Yes i know that...i was just thinking aloud...
(of course, in case of Z77, another CPU...)
Better don't ask - shoemaker always got the worst shoes...

 

So CPU wise I check the AMD fx 8350 and is not that amazing compared to core i5 in the same price range.

Now i'm questioning if the diference between the i7 4770k and the i5 4670k is worth the money around 70€.
Or even the core i5 3570 wich is 100€ cheaper

 

Well, i7 4770k definitely wort it, yo can't go wrong with it...
(however, evorax's advice was not bad at all...it's up to you.)