DAW Upgrade

Configure and optimize you computer for Audio.
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Hi guys,
I need to upgrade my pc dedicated entirely to music, I need a very expert opinion since I still have some little doubt!

So my current setup is as follows:

Case: Cooler Master Silencio 550
Motherboard: Asus P7P55D
Processor: Intel I7-860 (socket 1156)
Processor Heatsink: Freezer XTREME Rev. 2
Fans: 1 back, 2 front
Video Card: ATI Radeon HD 5450 (Fanless)
Ram: Corsair 16GB DDR3 1600Mhz Vengaence
HDD: OCZ Vertex Plus + HDD Seagate 500 GB 7200 (I don't remember the model)
CD and HDD hot swap drive bays on the front!


Some images:

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The upgrade regards specially the motherboard and processor socket:
the 1156 is a bit outdated now and I am not satisfied whit the 860 anymore!

The computer is used exclusively as a DAW, the CPU currently have the speedstep disabled and other optimizations for streaming audio without interruption, everything run at 100% when turned on.

I was oriented on a 6-core i7 3930k, but I still have many doubts on the motherboard.
I do not care overclocking, the system should run more quietly as possible so I can not afford to run the fans too quickly!

My choice fell on the ASUS P9X79 but I'm open to any advice. Using usually 8-10 USB ports at once, so it seemed perfect. I do not need more than 2 USB 3.0 ports.


A couple of questions: Is there something better than my setup at the moment?
I'm rather not spend more than 700 euro so I'm not interested in the 3960X (and then there are not too many advantages to justify the price), I need a minimum of 6 cores at frequencies high enough because I use a lot of Virtual Instruments!

My HeatSink will be compatible with the new socket? I don't understand if the 2011 chipset has the same size of 1155 (I don't think so). Alternatively what could I take? Even liquid is fine as long as it is not too expensive (like the cooler masters for example, but do not know how they can be good).

The new processor has a TDP of 130 compared to the 95 of 860, it is more hot? Even without overclocking then I need more dissipation right?

Thanks you in advance for the reply!

Mauro.
God save the Groove!

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Up :D
God save the Groove!

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have a read here.

the issues with x79 can be heat and ram but it was not stopping me from building one. :)


http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic ... sc&start=0

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t3toooo wrote:have a read here.

the issues with x79 can be heat and ram but it was not stopping me from building one. :)


http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic ... sc&start=0
Thanks, I saw it yesterday but I need some other recommendations...

Expecially whit the CPU cooler, I can't choose one....I can't buy a Noctua because my case can't handle it. I see that the H70 work well, but how's the noise? Also I have a silencio case, the airflow is not the best...Can the cpu cooler take the air from inside the case and work as well as normal use?

Thanks,
Mauro.
God save the Groove!

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i don't know those closed liquid coolers,possibly they work good for a amount of overclocking.
if you need to use a silent case you have to bear in mind that the parts on the motherboard are hotter if you are going to overclock the system and the cpu is also hotter.

i would recommend to buy a bigger silent case anyway and then compare the noise of the fans,e.g. noctua,h80 in google.

it's always good to cool a hard drive,to have at least one big fan for the motherboard itself and to have an airflow,one fan for air in and one fan for air out.


regarding overclocking,i think a automatic profile works the best because manually it is really hard to do on a x79 system.

for music,heat it is maybe not a big deal because the processor works always best with a bit of headroom,not at 100%,for a long period.
for video this is a another field though.
for whatever motherboard you want to decide,read about ram compatibility first and have a good psu,not a cheap one.


the new cpu generations are going to be smaller,that's why heat will not be a great concern in the future.
overall,a 4ghz overclocking with a cpu load of 50-70% a bit of airflow will not burn your components.
the noctua fans are great low noise fans and more expensive than other ones.

i bought a external fan controller and measure the system heat,then i can adjust them.

edit:
looks like you case should fit a noctua and the psu got some good reviews,airflow should be possible.
just try to cool the components around the cpu as well.

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t3toooo wrote: edit:
looks like you case should fit a noctua and the psu got some good reviews,airflow should be possible.
just try to cool the components around the cpu as well.
My case can't fit a noctua nh-d14 for 3 centimeters, sorry, that's why I ask about the Corsair Hyrdro series (H70 is better than the H80 for what I read in the net).
The PSU is the best low profile that I can find in the market 1 years ago, silent and efficient!

I can overclock my CPU easily, I'm a computer engineer, but that's not the problem, I WONT do that for silence reason!
About the HDD, I plan to buy another 256GB SSD for the sample and library (it's not too big, I use primary Virtual instrument synth), so I think that I'm going to remove one of those fans in the front!

For the ram, I have a cmz16gx3m4a1600c9 (corsair vengaence 1600 HZ overclockable and 1.5 V) and this kit figure out in this data sheet P9X79-1600-memory-QVL so I think that they will fit in the Motherboard!

Thanks for your advice, I definitely consider to wait for intel haswell new CPU and maybe the price of the 3930x come down a little bit! :D
God save the Groove!

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