"Safe" chipset for audio interface on new AMD-based PC?

[Caroozo]

I'd like to ask about Your experience with audio interfaces on AMD platform and maybe a hint about building desktop computer for lighter "home recording", arranging and composing, using VSTi (Spectrasonics, Roland, Korg and several others). I know there were issues with many USB interfaces on AMD platform, and everyone says "buy Intel", but the prices are SICK for decent 8C/16T Intel CPU, AMD is almost there if it comes to IPC and I'd like to simply use AMD as I was over a decade in blue camp - even today I use 4C/8T Haswell-based notebook with possible OC over 4 GHz so there's no reason to change it for anything. Sadly, Ryzen 2500U/2700U are NOT good enough for professional usage on the stage - limited TDP, NUMA latency, 4MB cache vs 6/8 MB (Intel) and lack of professional-grade notebooks equipped with those CPU. Not to mention soldered single-chain RAM . As I play mainly live, I need very solid solution. Intel is (still) the king of mobile workstations - period. But there's another story for desktop.

In DAW Bench it's clear AMD have problems around 70-80% CPU load with low-buffer audio (Intel is around 90%) - they fixed it a bit in Zen+ and I have high hopes for Zen2 as my next desktop. But I'm afraid about backward compatibility - my workflow is based on using recent OS for everything (games included), but when it comes to music, I'd like to make second OS, fine-tuned (even heavily modded ) just for music. In this "mode", I don't need WiFi/BT/GPU drivers - just audio interface and raw performance. I'm afraid that after changing platform I'd be stuck in Win10.

For now I use quad core laptop, but I'm planning to change platform for AMD, as the platform matured. I use Zoom UAC2 audio interface and heard there were many problems with different chipsets. As I want to buy something for several years, I wonder if there are "safe" chipsets which are main problem-makers with AMD (even Intel, in some cases, has it too!).

I'd like to build my platform based on my old PC - Core2Quad, quite good PSU (560W 80+ gold), Radeon HD4890 (it was a monster back then ) and Audigy audio-card (FireWire build-in!), old HDD etc. I want to start from the motherboard and it HAS to be good - especially for audio. OC potential is also welcome. I like to play games from time to time, but I don't plan anything more powerful than GTX1060 or RX590 or to use LN2 on CPU, so I don't need overkill of mobo .

Based on the funds, I'd like to buy new mobo (or used one) + 8GB RAM stick and used 4-core 1st gen Ryzen just for testing. For the same money I can be "safe" and buy 4790K OC with cheap DDR3, but as I use i7 4810MQ in my laptop and it's enough for my live workloads, I'd like to invest at least in 8C/16T desktop config for years to come. If it works, I'd like to buy another 8GB (16 GB for me is enough) and wait for Ryzen 3xxx series - after initial release with tuned-up AGESA and UEFI and after DAW Benchmarks - propably just in sale season in november/december .

I'm veeeery happy with my ZOOM UAC2 - it gives me fantastic latency, great quality (comparable with RME) - I made measures 1:1 in studio and for my and audio engineer ears they were very close. I mainly play live and I'd like to use it for several years (before I used Tascam US-122L for about decade ) - and want to be sure my desktop WILL be compatible with my interface.

I know it's impossible to check every configuration - it's the reason I don't want to risk and start with good motherboard. It wouldn't matter if I put there cheapest Athlon or high-end AM4-based octa-core CPU - it's the chipset that matters if audio interface works, right? As I work now on OC Q6600 which is somewhat limited by 8 GB RAM and my mobile CPU is 200% faster in single-thread benchmark it's time to upgrade. As proud user of Duron->Athlon (15 years ago or so ), I'd like to give AMD a chance.

1) Are there "better" AMD chipsets, or there's a lottery which interface should or shouldn't work?
2) Audio glitching depends ONLY on mobo's USB controller, right? If so, is there a possibility to add 3rd party PCI controller to avoid this, or it's more complicated?
3) I'd like to have UEFI/LegacyBIOS. It's still possible, or newer mobos are UEFI-only?
4) What about RAM in scenario where I'd use above-average CPU (8C/16T Zen2) paired with mid-range GPU - should I buy standard-clock or the fast ones?

[RexXx]

I'm veeeery happy with my Tascam UAC2 - it gives me fantastic latency, great quality (comparable with RME)

Guess you mean Zoom UAC-2.

[Caroozo]

Yeah, you're right fixed!

[Alan]

Just avoid the USB 3.0 inputs that use the Asmedia chipset and just use USB 2.0. I know the Zoom is USB 3.0 but it doesn't matter, you'll still get the same latency etc.

[Caroozo]

I believe there are more motherboards with issues, at least some for Intel 8th gen - it doesn't matter if it's connected through USB 3.0 or 2.0 - at the end it's unusable. Maybe there is a "black list" of no-go mobos? Or certain controllers which are safe?

For my needs the B350 is sweet spot (or B450, due to StoreMI). But it's sometimes hard to tell what kind of controller is used - the hard way is to check it by myself. The second is to check website for drivers - unless next revision change it for another .

[Caroozo]

Just avoid the USB 3.0 inputs that use the Asmedia chipset and just use USB 2.0. I know the Zoom is USB 3.0 but it doesn't matter, you'll still get the same latency etc.

You're almost right - by using USB 3.0 connection, the RTL in extreme cases (96kHz/24 samples) is under 2ms and beats even fastest RME interfaces. Of course, it's unusable if paired with demanding project, but there's a slight difference between USB 3.0 and 2.0 . It's true that on bigger buffers it's almost on par with USB 2.0. But as 3.0 is superior to 2.0 (900 mA vs 500 mA, better bandwith etc) it's better to use it. As I posted above, I know one case when someone connected UAC-2 to Intel motherboard (Kaby Lake notebook) and no matter where ZOOM was connected - it just won't work. So there's a problem with USB controller, maybe chipset.

It reminds me days of FireWire, where Texas Instrument>RICOH>NEC>VIA. In some cases even TI-based chipset, which was the best, has minor issues, RICOH being the sweetspot (I had once Acer notebook and my Tascam Fireone - luckily - worked flawlessly). NEC worked so-so, and VIA was the worst.

[Caroozo]

If anyone reads it - I tested yesterday ZOOM UAC2 on desktop with B450 chipset - it's NOT working, even in Class Compilant mode. It's chipset fault, 'cause it works like a charm even on old Intel-based laptop.