Should I buy a new PC or new iMac?

[No_Use]

I5 is two generations back. That's imho too old. You want to have it as fast as possible because of latency times. So best is to use the actual generation.

CPU vs latency

[vstdls]

I5 is two generations back. That's imho too old. You want to have it as fast as possible because of latency times. So best is to use the actual generation.

...no.

[Tiles]

Now i remember why i was so quiet for many years here ... -.-

[tlr]

Now i remember why i was so quiet for many years here ... -.-

... latency?

Seriously though, CPU performance does not directly affect latency although it will allow you to run smaller buffer sizes with more plugins if you have a higher performance CPU. In my experience most problems with setting a small buffer size arise from glitches introduced by unwanted operating system activities like background updating, virus scanning and the likes.

[Tiles]

... latency?

Definitely ! Some people here have a very high latency ^^

Seriously, it's about the processor speed. Older cpu's have slower single core speed. Which affects the latency. I have already explained that i mixed it. I am just human, and make mistakes. I thought the gen 5 is two generations back. But it is not. It is "just" the weakest cpu in the current intel generation.

What you cover is the single core problem. Which i think is also mentioned in the above video. It can be better to have fewer cores and an overal weaker cpu when the single core speed is higher. But that's another story then. And in most cases the faster multicore cpu is really the faster one.

[tlr]

Seriously, it's about the processor speed. Older cpu's have slower single core speed. Which affects the latency. I have already explained that i mixed it. I am just human, and make mistakes. I thought the gen 5 is two generations back. But it is not. It is "just" the weakest cpu in the current intel generation.

What you cover is the single core problem. Which i think is also mentioned in the above video. It can be better to have fewer cores and an overal weaker cpu when the single core speed is higher. But that's another story then. And in most cases the faster multicore cpu is really the faster one.

I'm not so sure about this conclusion, but I wont rule it out. I do know quite a lot about CPU design, but we also have the OS on top so it's not so easy to predict how to best be able to minimize buffer size.

As a data point, for my normal use case on a 13700K, CPU usage is really, really low. I still get occasional glitches with 32 sample buffer size (48K) on my Focusrite 3rd gen. I'm pretty sure this is due to some windows background stuff I've failed to disable.

[keyman_sam]

PC from a DAW builder is probably as good as a Mac. I had a PC from VisionDAW that just worked.
If you go with a Mac, you don't have to worry about the config too much. The recent ones all do a great job.

[Pictus]

CPU vs latency

It is a very good video!
For anyone interested, Windows default settings are designed to save
battery/power, which is detrimental to real-time audio.
A proper tweaked/de-bloated Windows is more snappier/faster with less
DPC(Deferred Procedure Call) spikes that can cause clicks&pops.
To achieve the lowest possible Windows DPC check
viewtopic.php?p=8820694#p8820694

And to achieve the lowest RTL(Round Trip Latency), the audio interface/drivers also count.
Check this https://gearspace.com/board/music-compu ... -base.html
And the videos at

BTW, if you are using ASRock motherboard, plug the USB audio interface
in one of the yellow/orange rear USB ports.

[Tiles]

... CPU usage is really, really low. ...

This is what i meant with the single core problem.

In FL Studio you can find dedicated cpu usage UI element in the toolbar. Which can be at 100%, with audio completely crackling and audio playback completely breaking down. While the Windows task manager still tells you happily that your pc is idling. Audio is processed a bit different than the rest of the data. And in such a case one core is most likely at its limits to process an audio part, and is slowing down the whole rest. This is why for audio single core power counts more than multicore.

Imageline has a chapter in the manual that explains what it is about. It's a bit shorter than the video above ^^

https://www.image-line.com/fl-studio-le ... #panel_cpu

[tlr]

... CPU usage is really, really low. ...

This is what i meant with the single core problem.

In FL Studio you can find dedicated cpu usage UI element in the toolbar. Which can be at 100%, with audio completely crackling and audio playback completely breaking down. While the Windows task manager still tells you happily that your pc is idling. Audio is processed a bit different than the rest of the data. And in such a case one core is most likely at its limits to process an audio part, and is slowing down the whole rest. This is why for audio single core power counts more than multicore.

Good point, although I'm still not convinced it's what I'm seeing in my instance. I should be pretty far from maxing out a single core. I get the issue with low buffer sizes even when running just a single NI super 8 in reaper.

[Tiles]

Yeah what you described is more that something slows down the whole process. But you do not see it in the task manager, that's the problem. As told, audio is processed a bit different. When the cpu meter in FL goes 100% then it's not that the task manager shows one core going crazy and up to the max. It shows this core still as nearly idling.

[vstdls]

There are while host of variables in both Mac and PC systems that affect the topics of this discussion - but ultimately, any i5 from the last 8 years (when paired with an audio interface) will perform fantastic for almost all audio PC needs.

[havran]

If you want to use Logic, Mac is the only choice.

If you want to use Pro Tools or Digital Performer, AVID and MOTU prioritize Macs in their software development.

If you are not an orchestral composer (for any medium) using dozens of tracks and lots of instrument samples that need to be loaded into RAM, 16 GB should be more than plenty -- but maybe the cost of increasing RAM in the future should still be a consideration, if not for music apps, then maybe for other apps (e.g., in the graphics domain).

[Jim Roseberry]

Hi Clint,
There are numerous reasons to stick with a PC.
- Performance - 9950x and Core Ultra 9 285K are higher performance CPUs
- Configuration - you have exact choice of every component, you can easily add RAM, swap out components, etc.
- Logistics - you can run six internal M.2 SSDs at full speed (not tethered outside the machine at reduced performance)

We have stock specs listed with i5 and now Core Ultra 5 CPUs... but most of the machines we build are using Core Ultra 7/9 or the 9950x (for higher performance).

Based on what you describe, I'd want 32GB DDR5. 16GB would be running a bit lean.

[uOpt]

- Logistics - you can run six internal M.2 SSDs at full speed (not tethered outside the machine at reduced performance)

On consumer hardware you run out of PCIe lanes, though.

Once you use M.2 or PCIe slots going through the chipset you lose the speed advantage over Thunderbolt and USB4.