Recommend a good high-end PC

[zerocrossing]

But zerocrossing personally I prefer to buy my DAW-PC's from a builder like ADK or studio cat etc..........you may pay a little more, but the compatibility and that if anything goes wrong you call one person to have it fixed for me is all worth it.
rsp

I was hoping someone pointed out a few vendors like that. From what I can tell it's like paying someone a few hundred dollars to research all the componants adn put a PC together for you. I think this might be the best way for me. Does anyone have specific dealings with either of those companies?

[zvenx]

But zerocrossing personally I prefer to buy my DAW-PC's from a builder like ADK or studio cat etc..........you may pay a little more, but the compatibility and that if anything goes wrong you call one person to have it fixed for me is all worth it.
rsp

I was hoping someone pointed out a few vendors like that. From what I can tell it's like paying someone a few hundred dollars to research all the componants adn put a PC together for you. I think this might be the best way for me. Does anyone have specific dealings with either of those companies?

I have dealt with adk and can vouch for them..... I know others who I know well and trust who have dealt with studiocatand would similarly vouch for them.
Of course they are others, even one that a good friend of mine whom I know and trust had serious issues with.....however that may be isolated.

But for me, I feel comfortable vouching for adk and studiocat....
if you do this professionally with deadlines etc....the xtra cost of going with a reputable professional DAW builder will easily pay for itself.


rsp

[Aiynzahev]

Okay, if your in the U.S I built a computer for about $850 or $900 or so. It was an entire build from scratch. These are the highlights:

23 inch samsung screen

Intel 2500k Sandy bridge CPU

64gig solid state drive (enough for my needs so far)

A motherboard with 4 or 6 Usb including usb 3.0. HDMI outputs also.

Windows 7 (although I had an upgrade lying around so I bought Vista for $50 off ebay first)

and I think 4gig of Ram.

Got a case and power supply keyboard etc etc. Works like a dream.

If you want the full details just PM me It was all from newegg so I could give you links.

Cheers

[zerocrossing]

So, I'm coming into a little windfall and after a brief fantasy of using it to buy some expensive instrument, I realized I'd be way better off getting a kick-ass music PC to replace my older Dell. It's an OK computer... I think it'a a dual core duo 2 running at 2.5.

The good thing about it is I can plug both my old MotU 828s into it (firewire) and they run flawlessly (though which one will boot first is a crap shoot!) So I'd need something that has a Firewire on the mb or can get one with a Texas Instruments chipset.

Don't say Mac. I'd love one but I have too many plugs at this point that are PC only that I use all the time.

Well, I think it could help to say how many cash are you going to spend.

Yeah, it would help me as well. I actually don't know yet. I'm guessing between 1 and 2k usd, but the truth is I have no idea. This is all just fact finding so that when it happens I have a lay o' the land.

[zerocrossing]

But for me, I feel comfortable vouching for adk and studiocat....
if you do this professionally with deadlines etc....the xtra cost of going with a reputable professional DAW builder will easily pay for itself.


rsp

No deadlines, but as I grow older I'm more aware that time has it's own value. It's more than worth a few hundred dollars extra if it's going to save me a weekend of tinkering and potential headaches. I already know that bringing all my software to the new system is going to be a task of it's own, so the less fuss for me, the better. I know guys love to mess with this crap, but I'd rather focus on noodling about with electronic instruments.

[george]

So, I'm coming into a little windfall and after a brief fantasy of using it to buy some expensive instrument, I realized I'd be way better off getting a kick-ass music PC to replace my older Dell. It's an OK computer... I think it'a a dual core duo 2 running at 2.5.

The good thing about it is I can plug both my old MotU 828s into it (firewire) and they run flawlessly (though which one will boot first is a crap shoot!) So I'd need something that has a Firewire on the mb or can get one with a Texas Instruments chipset.

Don't say Mac. I'd love one but I have too many plugs at this point that are PC only that I use all the time.

Well, I think it could help to say how many cash are you going to spend.

Yeah, it would help me as well. I actually don't know yet. I'm guessing between 1 and 2k usd, but the truth is I have no idea. This is all just fact finding so that when it happens I have a lay o' the land.

Okay, my recommendation is to get the best iMac your money can get. Years ago it was important to get a good and powerful custom high-end PC, but nowadays, actual quad core computers with 8 or 16 GB RAM can please most musician needs for years to come.

I'd way until they get USB 3 probably on the next model refresh this June to plug some hi-speed external hardware if needed.

If you don't like Apple operating system just install Windows on another partition and there you go. Best of both worlds.

[ghettosynth]

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/high_end_cpus.html

Intel Core i7-3770S @ 3.10GHz 10,064
Intel Core i7-3820 @ 3.60GHz 9,665

*BUZZZT* - Not tested with audio benchmarks, but thanks for playing. Read jcschild's earlier post with the audio benchmarks results. Or as quoted here:
64 270
32 252

Impressive... (See, Kaine, my initial 3820 gambit wasn't so bad after all... )

Depends on your needs. Those benchmarks are almost certainly taking advantage of the additional cache. If your use case is similar, and it very well may not be even though you think that it is, you may see similar gains in extreme usage.

More likely, however, you will not see that difference. The mix of applications that ANY music machine will run will derive the benefit of the new architecture that is reflected in virtually all benchmarks on the web. And it's very unlikely that your extreme application will even come close to the ideal of that particular benchmark. Consider first, that your use of plugins is NEVER homogeneous. Who cares how many hundreds of RNC compressors that you can run, that isn't what you do with your system. You run a heterogeneous collection of plugins from different manufacturers all with different coding skills, styles, etc. Some may be similar, or even identical, to the RNC example in terms of their execution profile, most are probably not.

So, your gambit may, in fact, not have paid off. Benchmarks always only tell part of the story.

But, that's neither here nor there, you want to believe those benchmarks because you have already purchased your system.

To the objective viewer, one has to take the entire purchase into account. Despite Scott's claims, TDP does matter. It reflects the maximum amount of heat that must be dissipated and lower TDP means the cooling system doesn't have to work as hard. Under full load, e.g. Scotts benchmark, this means that the fan in the lower TDP processor will not have to spin as fast. Given that the OP is not an expert in cooling systems, and will purchase one fan and place it on whichever system that he buys, this matters.

Further, beyond features and chipset technology, there is no significant performance or meaningful reliability advantage to more expensive motherboards. Mid range motherboards will not be significantly slower or less reliable than high end motherboards.

In terms of cost/benefit, ivy bridge is the better value. In a mix of applications, typical for any home studio, you will get better performance at lower temperatures and a lower cost.

My recommendation is, in fact, the 3450s. I'm not convinced that the i7s yield much advantage in this context and the lower TDP/non-turbo speed means a quieter /cooler machine most of the time.

The money saved over a 3820 could buy a nice solid state drive which WILL make a practical difference that you can see.

[zvenx]

ghettosynth may I ask how many systems you have built since Ivybridge came out?
I think there is a vast difference between theory and practice.....Scott aka ADK sells both Ivy and Sandy Bay systems and unless he gets way more profit from one compared to the other I don't' see where he would have a preference based on personal gain.

rsp

[ghettosynth]

So, I'm coming into a little windfall and after a brief fantasy of using it to buy some expensive instrument, I realized I'd be way better off getting a kick-ass music PC to replace my older Dell. It's an OK computer... I think it'a a dual core duo 2 running at 2.5.

The good thing about it is I can plug both my old MotU 828s into it (firewire) and they run flawlessly (though which one will boot first is a crap shoot!) So I'd need something that has a Firewire on the mb or can get one with a Texas Instruments chipset.

Don't say Mac. I'd love one but I have too many plugs at this point that are PC only that I use all the time.

Well, I think it could help to say how many cash are you going to spend.

Yeah, it would help me as well. I actually don't know yet. I'm guessing between 1 and 2k usd, but the truth is I have no idea. This is all just fact finding so that when it happens I have a lay o' the land.

Okay, my recommendation is to get the best iMac your money can get. Years ago it was important to get a good and powerful custom high-end PC, but nowadays, actual quad core computers with 8 or 16 GB RAM can please most musician needs for years to come.

I'd way until they get USB 3 probably on the next model refresh this June to plug some hi-speed external hardware if needed.

If you don't like Apple operating system just install Windows on another partition and there you go. Best of both worlds.

I agree. This obsession with cpu performance misses the big picture. Macs have not been reliable for me, so I've stopped buying them, but, the 27" iMac tempted me as a music machine.

However, keeping your points in mind, this is why I'm suggesting seeing the big picture if one goes with building their own system. If an iMac with it's never-current cpu is sufficient for years to come, then so is a mid range cpu that's been out for weeks.

[ghettosynth]

ghettosynth may I ask how many systems you have built since Ivybridge came out?
I think there is a vast difference between theory and practice.....

You can think what you like, but that doesn't mean that you're correct. What I've told you about benchmarks is correct and has been correct ever since CPU benchmarks have been used to compare systems.

Scott clearly builds more systems than I do, so if that's your benchmark, then you should listen to him.

[zvenx]

I will, but I would imagine others who are weighing what you are saying would like to know your background/experience to make a judgement call on what you are saying to.. no?
rsp

[ghettosynth]

I will, but I would imagine others who are weighing what you are saying would like to know your background/experience to make a judgement call on what you are saying to.. no?
rsp

You can evaluate my claims based on their merit, as you can with anyone else's. Given what you're paying for it, that's all that you're entitled to.

[mandolarian]

You on the low volt Ivy B booster team, ghettosynth?

Firstly, the OP wanted suggestions for a 'high end' PC, not a 'good enough' PC.

Benchmarks aside, VSTs like lots of cache, so that makes i7s a better value. I was surprised to see how much better the 3820 is. I'm not an owner, I use SandiB, but the X79 does look my next upgrade path.

I suggested a SSD in my original post. It's not a 'high end' PC without at least one or two.

Noise is not an issue with a good HSF, like Thermalright, Noctura, Megahalems. Case fans and hard drives will make more noise and need to be selected carefully.

Academic, as zerocrossing has stated he doesn't want to spend the fun time building and tweaking a system. He'll be visiting his new friend in Kentucky for that part.

[ghettosynth]

You on the low volt Ivy B booster team, ghettosynth?

Firstly, the OP wanted suggestions for a 'high end' PC, not a 'good enough' PC.

No, he wanted suggestions for a "high end MUSIC pc" that costs between $1000 and $1500. That's not a "high end" PC and it comes with limitations that any reasonable person would assume implies an interest in cost/benefit.

Benchmarks aside, VSTs like lots of cache, so that makes i7s a better value.

In fact, you don't know that they are a better value. Because both CPUs have "lots of cache", but, some have more. Whether that more is enough more, or, is unnecessary, is completely dependent on use case. If you've ever studied this formally (I have) you wouldn't be surprised at this.

I was surprised to see how much better the 3820 is. I'm not an owner, I use SandiB, but the X79 does look my next upgrade path.

You shouldn't be surprised. It's most likely the difference of 2mB of cache. The question is whether or not it matters in YOUR use case which will not be as extreme or as homogeneous.

Noise is not an issue with a good HSF, like Thermalright, Noctura, Megahalems. Case fans and hard drives will make more noise and need to be selected carefully.

Oh, I see, so now case fans are important? So then, if case fans are important, then here's a quiz question for you, is TDP also important?

[george]

I agree. This obsession with cpu performance misses the big picture. Macs have not been reliable for me, so I've stopped buying them, but, the 27" iMac tempted me as a music machine.

However, keeping your points in mind, this is why I'm suggesting seeing the big picture if one goes with building their own system. If an iMac with it's never-current cpu is sufficient for years to come, then so is a mid range cpu that's been out for weeks.

Of course a mid range cpu is perfectly valid, but that won't cut for me. I want good design, good screen and superior hardware. Too bad Macs didn't went good for you. I had about 5 systems and the only lemon was the Power Mac G5.