KVR Audio

monsterbeetle · Post by **monsterbeetle** » Sat Jun 16, 2018 7:33 pm

Hi,
I just received an XPS 15 9570 and after benchmarking it for two days it appears to have unfixable DPC latency issues, I'm returning it to Dell.

So now I am looking for user advice on 2018 latpops with 8th gen intel (4 to 6 cores) suitable for low latency audio (HP, lenovo, asus, msi, huawei ?)

Thank in advance for any advice

Short · Post by **Short** » Fri Jun 22, 2018 11:32 am

I'm curious to know this answer too. Currently shopping for a laptop and low latency is top priority.

What exact CPU were you running?

BertKoor · Post by **BertKoor** » Sat Jun 23, 2018 6:58 am

You can save yourself a lot of headaches by getting one from ADK or scan.co.uk.
These guys do their homework properly. Performance guaranteed, but comes at a price.

dellboy · Post by **dellboy** » Sat Jun 23, 2018 7:43 am

I am amazed to hear that this issue is still alive and well in 2018. I thought it was something that went away 20 years ago. Back then it was common to have to solve interrupt and driver issues

So are we talking about using the onboard audio to record with ?

Or does this happen with a USB interface as well ?

One assumes that you have disabled everything possible in the bios to find out what driver is causing the issue ?

Tried out a bootable Linux to see if it still happens ?

vmishka · Post by **vmishka** » Sat Jun 23, 2018 6:37 pm

I am particularly interested in this issue as well.

A nearby Microsoft store allowed me to test a Microsoft Surface Book 2 with LatencyMon and it passed as long as no other software was running at the same time.

I am also looking at the new Razer Blade 15 (since Razer gives away a free copy of FL Studio and advertises their computers for music production). I have asked the OwnorDisown Youtube channel to test the Razer Blade 15 with LatencyMon.

SurfaceProAudio.com has some tweaks that should be performed on any laptop for Windows 10 (mostly dealing with power profiles). It is not clear to me whether or not people are performing those as part of their troubleshooting for DPC latency.

dellboy · Post by **dellboy** » Sat Jun 23, 2018 7:23 pm

monsterbeetle wrote:Hi,
I just received an XPS 15 9570 and after benchmarking it for two days it appears to have unfixable DPC latency issues, I'm returning it to Dell.

As you have already returned it, its too late to ask what you have tried to do to fix it. But just out of interest,and for the benefit of others,what did you try ?

Winstontaneous · Post by **Winstontaneous** » Sat Jun 23, 2018 8:00 pm

BertKoor wrote:You can save yourself a lot of headaches by getting one from ADK or scan.co.uk.
These guys do their homework properly. Performance guaranteed, but comes at a price.

I am by no means a Mac fanboi but the reason I bought a MacBook Pro was threads like this (and the "why can't I get my fancy new Dell/HP/Toshiba/Lenovo/whatever laptop to stop crackling") threads. The only solid answer I could find to "How can I be sure to get a Windows laptop that's guaranteed to work with all pro interfaces and do low latency without glitches" seems to be "get a machine from ADK or scan.co.uk".

By the time you do that you're in the Apple price range and (at least when I was shopping) getting a heavier machine with shorter battery life. Again, not trolling or fanboi-ing here as I would love to get a reasonably-priced Windows laptop that's a sure bet for low-latency audio.

zosterops · Post by **zosterops** » Tue Aug 07, 2018 4:22 am

Monsterbeetle, did you decide on a laptop and, if so, how's it working for you?

I'm also shopping for a laptop and ended up ruling out the XPS 15 because of your post and a thread in the Dell subreddit.

For off the shelf machines, my own research has led me to the ASUS ROG GL703GS w/ i7-8750H. It appears to have the right mix of reputation, workmanship, and performance for my needs.

Purpose built machines are kinda tough to research. ADK is no longer in business and Scan is in the UK. All the PcAudioLabs laptops look cool, especially the MC m7 S (for me), but there isn't a lot of info about them online. They've been super responsive to my emails and have thoughtfully answered all of my questions, which I consider a good sign.

Then there's Eluktronics, which sells ready built and custom built machines as well as build-your-own starter kits. I'm considering this as well, but am afraid of spending the next ten years fussing with drivers or something. If I build my own, that is.

Kaine · Post by **Kaine** » Tue Aug 07, 2018 9:05 am

dellboy wrote:I am amazed to hear that this issue is still alive and well in 2018. I thought it was something that went away 20 years ago. Back then it was common to have to solve interrupt and driver issues

So are we talking about using the onboard audio to record with ?

Or does this happen with a USB interface as well ?

It's not quite the same as an interrupt issue which by and large are distant history as you suggest. DPC Latency is total time for a command to gain access to the CPU and action.

MS best practice suggests that 1000μs should be the maximum amount of time for any given driver to action within a sequence.

Requirements for audio dictate that 1000μs is the maximum allowed for all drivers to action in a sequence, otherwise, dropouts and glitching will occur.

When you have maybe 30 or 40 processes running at any given time, then it fast becomes apparent that if only 2 or 3 of them are running at 250us or above... well, the total time to complete a processing cycle will end up on being the wrong side of that 1000μs total figure.

As it's the total within the system, then it will affect anything that is being handled by the system. So that means that both the onboard and any external interface will be affected equally, at least until the problematic device is disabled.

Please recommend 8th gen intel laptop with acceptable DPC latency