About that time, looking to upgrade PC

[seamoss]

Its been since 2020 since I have upgraded my PC and looking to do it again over the next month or so.

Currently running i9-9900k on a Gigabyte Z390 AORUS Pro

Pictus helped me pick this out back then and it has ran great. I would like to stay with Intel and possibly Gigabyte. I am not sure if any of the latest Intel generations are having issues?

Just looking for some suggestions for CPU, MB, and RAM

[_leras]

You didn't say how much RAM you have now, but... why do you feel you need a new PC? That should be a very decent spec PC for music even today.

My PC is an i7-7700k (?) 32gb RAM from perhaps 2017. I do have UAD cards that take some load off of it, but I'm still not really finding the PC itself to be an issue for performance.

FWIW I've had Asus mobos in my last few PCs, which I've needed to house the two UAD cards to work properly.

[_leras]

The last couple of audio pcs I've got from here. Worth checking what they are specing.
e.g.
https://www.scan.co.uk/products/3xs-pro ... ssd-win-11

[CrystalWizard]

You didn't say how much RAM you have now, but... why do you feel you need a new PC? That should be a very decent spec PC for music even today.

I second this question, why upgrade the whole machine?

[Pictus]

Just looking for some suggestions for CPU, MB, and RAM

Hi,
Intel or AMD, check viewtopic.php?p=9039987#p9039987

AMD parts https://pcpartpicker.com/list/dYkjBq

Intel parts https://pcpartpicker.com/list/LrG3Wc

Make sure to update the BIOS.
In the BIOS disable what you are not going to use like maybe WiFi or onboard audio.
Install only what you really need and not all the crap in the Gigabyte/MSI download
site like the GIGABYTE Control Center Full Installation or MSI Center.

Best cooling:
https://hwbusters.com/best_picks/best-c ... e-busters/

Best PSUs:
https://hwbusters.com/best_picks/best-a ... e-busters/

You can create a Windows 11 installation ISO without the bloatware.
https://schneegans.de/windows/unattend-generator/
(Do not disable UAC and do not enable WDAC policy!)

The video guide


And do some tweaks viewtopic.php?p=8820694#p8820694
Good luck!

[uOpt]

Yeah, it would help if you stated what exactly you want to improve over your existing system.

[seamoss]

Sorry, I just posted this quickly before I left for work and didnt elaborate much

To answer the question about why I want to upgrade....

Yes, my current setup is totally fine and I am having no issues with it at all. That said, its close to 5 years old and I typically like to upgrade my music studio computer about every 4 years or so. I then take my current CPU, MB, and Ram and upgrade the other computer in my house.

So to clarify, I only want to upgrade the CPU, MB and Ram.

Current setup is:
i9-9900K
Gigabyte Z390 AORUS Pro
32gb ram
RTX 3070
a bunch of drives (NVMe, SSD, HDD)

From the little research I have done, it seems the benchmarks for the latest i7 & i9s would be a significant upgrade from my i9-9900k.

Cubase 14 is my main DAW, I also do a lot of SolidWorks, AutoCAD, as well as some games.

So hope that explains it better. This wasnt meant as a question where I am having trouble running 52 hungry vsts or anything like that. Just looking to upgrade.

[seamoss]

Just looking for some suggestions for CPU, MB, and RAM

Hi,
Intel or AMD, check viewtopic.php?p=9039987#p9039987

AMD parts https://pcpartpicker.com/list/dYkjBq

Intel parts https://pcpartpicker.com/list/LrG3Wc

Make sure to update the BIOS.
In the BIOS disable what you are not going to use like maybe WiFi or onboard audio.
Install only what you really need and not all the crap in the Gigabyte/MSI download
site like the GIGABYTE Control Center Full Installation or MSI Center.

Best cooling:
https://hwbusters.com/best_picks/best-c ... e-busters/

Best PSUs:
https://hwbusters.com/best_picks/best-a ... e-busters/

You can create a Windows 11 installation ISO without the bloatware.
https://schneegans.de/windows/unattend-generator/
(Do not disable UAC and do not enable WDAC policy!)

The video guide


And do some tweaks viewtopic.php?p=8820694#p8820694
Good luck!

Thanks Pictus, this is exactly what I was looking for. Maybe a little higher $$ than I had planned to spend but considering it anyway.

What would be the next step down, in your opinion, from this i9 ($600 CPU) staying with Intel?

[Pictus]

Thanks Pictus, this is exactly what I was looking for. Maybe a little higher $$ than I had planned to spend but considering it anyway.

What would be the next step down, in your opinion, from this i9 ($600 CPU) staying with Intel?

You are welcome.
It is the Intel Core i9-14900K, but I do not trust(time bombs) Intel 13/14Th GEN.
Then that leaves the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K.
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/mBsV3C ... x80768265k
IF you want a less expensive Intel motherboard, check

[seamoss]

Hey Pictus, went ahead and ordered the parts (https://pcpartpicker.com/list/LrG3Wc) today of what you suggested. Rather than upgrade my current PC, I realized pretty quick that there were going to be other things I needed to upgrade so I am doing a complete new build.

One of the things I am going to run into is the available SATA connections on the MB. It seems its going to have less than what I current have and need. Currently I am running 1X NVMe, 4X SATA SSD, and 1X SATA HDD

Can you suggest a PCIe card that can add additional internal SATA ports?

Thanks again for your help!

[uOpt]

Can you suggest a PCIe card that can add additional internal SATA ports?

How many ports? For 2 ports use some random card that does AHCI (that's important, you don't want to risk your system stability with random third-party Windows drivers).

If you need more ports buy an LSI 8-port. https://www.amazon.com/SAS9211-8I-8PORT ... B002RL8I7M You also need 2 splitter cables for SATA access with that: https://www.amazon.com/OIKWAN-Controlle ... B088H2QLBQ

[seamoss]

Can you suggest a PCIe card that can add additional internal SATA ports?

How many ports? For 2 ports use some random card that does AHCI (that's important, you don't want to risk your system stability with random third-party Windows drivers).

If you need more ports buy an LSI 8-port. https://www.amazon.com/SAS9211-8I-8PORT ... B002RL8I7M You also need 2 splitter cables for SATA access with that: https://www.amazon.com/OIKWAN-Controlle ... B088H2QLBQ

Thank you for that info, the link you sent for the 8 port, would that be AHCI? I assume so or you would have linked it but thought I would double check since I didnt see any info about that on the specs

[uOpt]

Can you suggest a PCIe card that can add additional internal SATA ports?

How many ports? For 2 ports use some random card that does AHCI (that's important, you don't want to risk your system stability with random third-party Windows drivers).

If you need more ports buy an LSI 8-port. https://www.amazon.com/SAS9211-8I-8PORT ... B002RL8I7M You also need 2 splitter cables for SATA access with that: https://www.amazon.com/OIKWAN-Controlle ... B088H2QLBQ

Thank you for that info, the link you sent for the 8 port, would that be AHCI? I assume so or you would have linked it but thought I would double check since I didnt see any info about that on the specs

No, that LSI is not AHCI. But it has known-good Windows drivers. I think they are included in Windows, too. I have many of those cards, they just work (although I rarely use them under Windows).

[seamoss]

Can you suggest a PCIe card that can add additional internal SATA ports?

How many ports? For 2 ports use some random card that does AHCI (that's important, you don't want to risk your system stability with random third-party Windows drivers).

If you need more ports buy an LSI 8-port. https://www.amazon.com/SAS9211-8I-8PORT ... B002RL8I7M You also need 2 splitter cables for SATA access with that: https://www.amazon.com/OIKWAN-Controlle ... B088H2QLBQ

Thank you for that info, the link you sent for the 8 port, would that be AHCI? I assume so or you would have linked it but thought I would double check since I didnt see any info about that on the specs

No, that LSI is not AHCI. But it has known-good Windows drivers. I think they are included in Windows, too. I have many of those cards, they just work (although I rarely use them under Windows).

Thanks man, really appreciate the help

[jdnz]

No, that LSI is not AHCI. But it has known-good Windows drivers. I think they are included in Windows, too. I have many of those cards, they just work (although I rarely use them under Windows).

just to be totally clear - those LSI 9300/9400 series cards are enterprise server grade, so extremely well supported in everyrhing from windows desktop right thru to enterprise OS's ( windows server, enterprise linux, esxi etc ). I'd buy one on them any day over a random AHCI card - they just work