KVR Audio

V0RT3X · Post by **V0RT3X** » Tue Mar 28, 2017 5:15 am

I've been in the market for a new computer for a while, and after a while of researching and updating myself with some of the latest components this is what I've decided to go with so far. It's not going to be cheap, but I did save up enough to afford this as of now.

Thoughts? I think this will work out pretty good for most applications. I'm pretty much sold on this after exploring apple-based options.

System Case: Corsair Obsidian Series 900D
https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.a ... 7RD39A9758
Note: This is a beastly, heavy thing, but it's fairly future proof.

Motherboard: ASUS X99 Deluxe II LGA2011-V3
https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.a ... -_-Product
Note: Seems like a pretty good all around motherboard for LGA2011-V3 systems. A friend recommended I go with ASUS Rampage V Edition 10, but eh I decided against it because I'm not really trying to build a dedicated gaming system here.

CPU: Intel Core i7-6850k (3.6GHz 6-core Broadwell-E)
https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.a ... 1490667188
Note: I want to overclock this to 4.0ghz!

RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB DDR4 3333
https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.a ... -_-Product

O/S : Windows 10 Pro (Or Is it better to go with Windows 7?)

CPU Watercooler: Corsair Hydro H115i
https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.a ... 1490667188
Note: Going along with this to help OC my CPU to 4.0ghz

Power Supply: Corsair HX1000i
https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.a ... 1490667188
Note: 1000Watts seems pretty future proof for when I decide to add a second GTX1080Ti for a 2x SLi config.

O/S Hard Drive: Samsung 960 Pro M.2 1TB
https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.a ... 1490667188
Note: I'll take those 32GB/s speeds over a wimpy SATA 6GB/s SSD anyday.

Video Card : EVGA GTX1080 Ti
https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.a ... 6814487335
Note: 4K gaming/video editing here we come! Now I just need to find a damn card for sale since they've all been sold out.

Optical Drive: LG Black 16X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 5X DVD-RAM 12X BD-ROM 4MB Cache SATA Blu-ray Burner WH16NS40.
https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.a ... 1490667188

For future upgrades I'll look into some U.2 NVME SSD Drives for Highspeed storage options, 64GB Ram, a 2nd GTX1080Ti, Maybe an i7 6950x?

Ph-J · Post by **Ph-J** » Tue Mar 28, 2017 10:14 am

Wow, that's quite a build !
Couldn't you change the RAM to 2x16 if you're thinking of upgrading at some point ?

V0RT3X · Post by **V0RT3X** » Tue Mar 28, 2017 10:36 am

Ph-J wrote:Wow, that's quite a build !
Couldn't you change the RAM to 2x16 if you're thinking of upgrading at some point ?

Well I was thinking I would another 4x sticks of 8GB for 64GB. Not sure I'll need anything more than that. I'm not exactly a hard-core PC hardware enthusiast, so I'm not really sure what's the better options out there right now. I know Corsair is a good brand because of what a friend told me, so I'm sticking with it to be safe. At least for now.

If I had the extra cash at some point I could maybe pick up two of these kits for 128GB. However I'm quite happy with the system setup I have right now.
https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.a ... 6820236012

Astralv · Post by **Astralv** » Tue Mar 28, 2017 11:33 am

My understanding is that Optain technology will start with kaby lake processors. There is no need to buy 6 cores processor because it has lower single core performance and audio software does not utilize all the core, it likes higher single core operation.

I would never use music computer for gaming. I have separate computer for everything nonmusic. Games take too much disk space. Your 1TB C drive will be all taken in no time plus all the conflicts... This is why it is wise to use less expansive video card.
So you will be waiting for Skylake E or buy Broadwell E? It is like 2 generations behind. I just built with kaby lake and Z270 motherboard.

nix808 · Post by **nix808** » Tue Mar 28, 2017 11:43 am

It is debatable that more cores don't help in audio.
Individual VSTs spread across all cores, and some ( I only know Lush)-
do multithreading themselves too
Something like your DAW's mixer, may however run on one core entirely,
I think I have gathered FL does that

whyterabbyt · Post by **whyterabbyt** » Tue Mar 28, 2017 11:51 am

nix808 wrote:It is debatable that more cores don't help in audio.

Indeed; multiplecore useage can be leveraged rather well past 6 and 8 real cores by various DAWs and some plugins. Its also clear that the OP doesnt want the system just for audio.

suthnear · Post by **suthnear** » Tue Mar 28, 2017 11:58 am

I haven't built a machine for a long time, but it's interesting to see that going from 3.6 -> 4.0 requires water cooling

Kaine · Post by **Kaine** » Tue Mar 28, 2017 3:12 pm

In reverse order:

suthnear wrote:I haven't built a machine for a long time, but it's interesting to see that going from 3.6 -> 4.0 requires water cooling

It doesn't, air is perfectly fine for this.

whyterabbyt wrote:
nix808 wrote:It is debatable that more cores don't help in audio.
Indeed, multiplecore usage can be leveraged rather well past 6 and 8 real cores by various DAWs and some plugins. Its also clear that the OP doesn't want the system just for audio.

Quite so, all DAW's I'm aware of can load balance and benefit from using certainly 16 if not 24 cores or more.

Anyhow, on to the spec.

V0RT3X wrote: System Case: Corsair Obsidian Series 900D
https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.a ... 7RD39A9758

Motherboard: ASUS X99 Deluxe II LGA2011-V3
https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.a ... -_-Product
Note: Seems like a pretty good all around motherboard for LGA2011-V3 systems.

CPU: Intel Core i7-6850k (3.6GHz 6-core Broadwell-E)
https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.a ... 1490667188
Note: I want to overclock this to 4.0ghz!

Only need this chip if your 100% your going to SLI at somepoint. If you're not sure, the 6800K makes more sense / overclocks as far. (I run the 6 cores at 4.2GHz, YMMV)

V0RT3X wrote: RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB DDR4 3333
https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.a ... -_-Product

The CPU is rated to 2400MHz, it gets erratic and is prone to dropping memory randomly once you go over 2600MHz. If your lucky it'll happen one in a thousand boots, if your unlukcy it'll happen often enough to make the machine unusable. I don't recommend going above spec for audio work, although video can benefit. I'd stay 2600MHz with this.

V0RT3X wrote: O/S : Windows 10 Pro (Or Is it better to go with Windows 7?)

W10 at this point, W7 drivers are fast heading out of development.

V0RT3X wrote: CPU Watercooler: Corsair Hydro H115i
https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.a ... 1490667188
Note: Going along with this to help OC my CPU to 4.0ghz

Waters good for getting the last 10% past what air can achieve. You can get 4.2GHz on those chips with ease on air cooling, so water cooling is just overkill. You can generally do it for less cost and with less noise using a reasonable air cooler.

www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA8X13526392

Now if you said you wanted to hit 4.5GHz, I'd say go with water, although I wouldn't advise trying to hit that sort of overclock on a studio system.

Astralv · Post by **Astralv** » Wed Mar 29, 2017 1:53 am

I suspect that for Audio production it does not make much difference how many cores the system has. I never saw my system (Ivy Bridge 3770K) to be fully loaded, and I run multiple software synths and effects. In fact, I switched from 3770K to 7700K Kaby and it feels exactly the same. I still have both of my computers up and running all my DAW and soft synths and I often get confused what computer I am using. My old computer has 32 Gb of memory at 1600Mhz, my new is 32 Gb at 3000 O.C. with XMP and again- I hardly can tell what computer I am on unless I look at desktop background.

I strongly recommend to have dedicated music computer and gaming computer in another case, but that requires KVM switch and those are very dramatic and traumatic- had like 7 different KVM switches over the years...

nix808 · Post by **nix808** » Wed Mar 29, 2017 2:13 am

hmmm-
as a dramatization then,
1 x 3ghz core
vs
4 x 3ghz core?

systems kill it these days I agree, I'm going to be able to have some freed up funds soon for a 2012 system.

... and also I agree that speed matters a lot- I am trying for world records as a performance instrument, so although I can get 24 logical, I am not going to do that well

It is understood that audio software companies stress speed over cores, IL being case in point. For a project though- I'm not so sure

With my Samsung monitor, it has 2 HDMI & 1 VGA, so no need for the switch. Teles usually have more than 1 HDMI AFAIK

Astralv · Post by **Astralv** » Wed Mar 29, 2017 2:58 am

kaby is 4 cores, 4.2 Mhz speed.

Monitor has multiple inputs but not the keyboard and mouse.

nix808 · Post by **nix808** » Wed Mar 29, 2017 3:53 am

oh OK, I see on the KVM-
I have 2 mice and keyboards with a multimedia/internet laptop and my DAW

I am thinking a dual Xeon w/- 6 cores each that has 2 logical each. It is 3.33ghz and turbos to 3.8 or so, maybe 3.6 (AUD$1200)
Thanks for the heads up on Kaby, but I am leaning to a dual socket, and new systems are looking like $AUD7000 or something
Maybe I should do that(a Kaby-like proposal) and buy a modern system as best I can do

ps- I hope you seriously enjoy the new system

Kaine · Post by **Kaine** » Wed Mar 29, 2017 9:21 am

Are you on about current generation Xeons here, or you looking at a second hand bargain? You take a load balancing hit over multiple physical CPU's due to in-efficient hard NUMA handling. I've yet to see a dual CPU setup for under £/$3000 (new value, second hand its a different matter) that can beat out out a £/$2000 X99 rig on raw performance for real-time handling. None real-time processing is a different story, but that's when we're talking more about video rendering than audio processing.

nix808 · Post by **nix808** » Wed Mar 29, 2017 9:39 am

OK-thanks 8D
I am more inclined to a new system then

This is what I was thinking of doing->
http://www.bargainhardware.co.uk/dell-p ... -to-order/
I would spec the best within the config offered

Otherwise- I was looking at PCAL for a new dual socket system,
but I can't jive with the price.
Maybe you guys at Scan can help me-
it will be about 2 months before I either get a new system or an RME soundcard,
or somehow wrangle both. I have issues atm with system crashes and latency.

Sorry Vortex, I hope this stuff is sorta pertinent to your build

suthnear · Post by **suthnear** » Wed Mar 29, 2017 6:38 pm

Kaine wrote:In reverse order:

suthnear wrote:I haven't built a machine for a long time, but it's interesting to see that going from 3.6 -> 4.0 requires water cooling
It doesn't, air is perfectly fine for this.

...snip...

Waters good for getting the last 10% past what air can achieve. You can get 4.2GHz on those chips with ease on air cooling, so water cooling is just overkill. You can generally do it for less cost and with less noise using a reasonable air cooler.

Thanks. Good to know

My latest custom build.