Thinking about buying a new computer. Do you think this computer is good enough?

[ATN69]

Hi folks!

I am currently on a Dell laptop with an i7 dual core, 8Gb RAM, etc. It has been okay to work with but it can't handle heavy loads such as Lush-101, Diva and some others. Sure I can get some sounds from those synths as well but as soon as there are more than one instance there will be a CPU overload. For certain presets in Diva or Lush-101 it hit 100% CPU when I even play one note. I do have a Scarlet 2i2 interface.

I am therefore thinking about going stationary and buy a desktop that is decently rated. All though I very well know how to build my own computers from parts I am reluctant to do that because of warranty of separate components, etc. Besides that I am plain lazy to do it
Dell have been great so far and that's why I am looking at this one.

I saw Dell have an offer around US$1500 with following spec,
- 7th generation Intel i7, 4,2GHz
- 16GB RAM
- 2TB HDD + 256Gb SSD
- NVIDIA GTX 1060 graphics with 6GB dedicated memory

So all you guys out there with a similar computer, how does it work for you? Will this one make the cut?
Input and suggestions are highly appreciated.

[bustedfist]

I'd check out Scan Audio or ADk, etc.

I've had luck with Dells also, still have the first I bought and it's still kicking. Recently built an i7 system and won't go back. Nothing like a system built for a specific task for many reasons.

Unless you plan on gaming, a separate video card is not necessary nowadays.

[ATN69]

I never heard about Scan Audio or ADK so thanks for the info. I will look around there and see what's on offer. My main concern here is that this is not like buying a hardware synth, effect or software plugin. A computer can't be demoed in advance before purchase, for obvious reasons. I don't care so much about the cost for the new computer. I just want to know I buy something that can run some heavy load. I don't want to spend a load of cash and then get disappointed

[bustedfist]

I never heard about Scan Audio or ADK so thanks for the info. I will look around there and see what's on offer. My main concern here is that this is not like buying a hardware synth, effect or software plugin. A computer can't be demoed in advance before purchase, for obvious reasons. I don't care so much about the cost for the new computer. I just want to know I buy something that can run some heavy load. I don't want to spend a load of cash and then get disappointed

Understood, that's why I recommended audio workstation builders. All their systems are built and tested specifically for the task. Best bet for instant gratification.

DAWBench is a good source to research CPU performance and interfaces.

[nIGhT-SoN]

If you really want Intel, wait. Next week Intel will release the next generation of cpus Coffee Lake.

[ATN69]

Thanks for the heads up. I didn't know that Intel will release the next generation at this time. Quite typical because I did order a new computer earlier today. It is a i7-7700 3,6 - 4,2GHz turbo with 32GB RAM, 512 GB Solid state drive plus a 2TB HDD. Some other stuff like decent graphics, wifi, Windows 10 Pro 64-bit and other things were included. I just hope it will not disappoint me once I installed everything.

[Steve Bolivar]

Be sure to do the basic Windows 10 optimisations for DAWs. Just Google "windows 10 daw optimization" and you'll get a few good lists. Run LatencyMon to see if there are any trouble spots.
http://www.resplendence.com/latencymon

[ATN69]

Be sure to do the basic Windows 10 optimisations for DAWs. Just Google "windows 10 daw optimization" and you'll get a few good lists. Run LatencyMon to see if there are any trouble spots.
http://www.resplendence.com/latencymon

Thanks Steve! I will check out the link. I have a Focusrite 2i2 (old version) which works fine now when I turned off fastboot in Win 10. I did some optimizations in the past but this LatencyMon is new for me. I will sure use it