KVR Audio

Synthack · Post by **Synthack** » Wed Jan 05, 2022 11:45 pm

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whyterabbyt · Post by **whyterabbyt** » Wed Jan 05, 2022 11:50 pm

8Gb of RAM seems a little underspec'd to me.

And no graphics card on a gaming system? Mostly strategy gaming or the like, rather than shiny AAA jumpy-shooters?

Synthack · Post by **Synthack** » Wed Jan 05, 2022 11:53 pm

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whyterabbyt · Post by **whyterabbyt** » Wed Jan 05, 2022 11:59 pm

Fallout 4 min spec is listed as 'GTX 550 Ti', and a quick look indicates the Vega 8 onboard seems like it might be pegged slightly below that. You might want to dig a bit

https://technical.city/en/video/Radeon- ... GTX-550-Ti
https://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/N ... 1vsm441833

Synthack · Post by **Synthack** » Thu Jan 06, 2022 12:06 am

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Synthack · Post by **Synthack** » Thu Jan 06, 2022 12:32 am

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2DaT · Post by **2DaT** » Thu Jan 06, 2022 1:50 am

1. You don't need the cooler. Box would do just fine.
2. Memory - buy the cheapest kit that runs 3200. You want 2*8 Gb minimum to run double channel.
3. Storage - you don't need super fast ssd. Buy cheaper 256Gb ssd for system + hdd for storage, or cheaper 1Tb ssd. For games and sample libraries you definitely need more than 1 Tb.
4. Case and power supply - definitely overpriced. In budget builds these are luxury.

Something like that would be a lot better if you actually want to run games.
https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/82M8F8

But honstly, buying a video card for that price is a HUGE ripoff. Few years ago you could buy 4x more powerful GPU for that money. If you can wait, it's better to wait. You can buy external audio and good headphones for saved money (but you need cpu with integrated graphics of course).

Synthack · Post by **Synthack** » Thu Jan 06, 2022 3:31 am

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VitaminD · Post by **VitaminD** » Thu Jan 06, 2022 4:16 am

You're overpaying for the parts unless that is Canadian dollars or it is including tax and shipping fees in the quoted price.

The 5700G is 340usd with another 10 dollar discount coupon at the moment (it was well under 300 dollars last month). The 5700G also comes with a cooler and thermal tape already prestuck ready to install in the box. No need for an external cooler and thermal paste.

You can easily find quality 3200mhz DDR4 2x8GB (16GB total) RAM kits on sale for around the 50-60 usd range. And you'll want 3200mhz memory in dual channel (make sure you check the motherboard manual to know which slots to put it in to get dual channel support -- its specific) as that is what the AMD Infinity Fabric likes.

Thats just for starters. I also see Samsung 970 SATA SSDs going for half that price for double the size (1 TB). He'll want more room than half a TB. Windows is going to eat up a ton as it is. Also, the ~500 MB/s speed limit on SATA SSDs is not as painful vs NVMe as it was going from spinning SATA HDD to non-spinny SATA SSD.

Get an external spinny drive to backup your data too or find an online service (if you trust them with your data). I wouldn't trust any SSD alone with my data. Because when they die, they tend to die fast and fully.

If he is really getting into music production, he'll want an audio interface and not relying on the onboard audio. Even something basic like a MOTU M2 would be a big upgrade. He'll get native ASIO drivers and a much lower latency for audio. Plus he'll gain audio inputs and a headphone output with a big volume knob.

Synthack · Post by **Synthack** » Thu Jan 06, 2022 4:25 am

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VitaminD · Post by **VitaminD** » Thu Jan 06, 2022 5:18 am

Ah ok the price might be closer to the same in USD once converted.

No, Windows doesn't use 500 GB. I Said it would use a ton, not the whole drive, but I should have specified how much more specifically. You should set aside around 50 GB (or more) for Windows folder, Users folders, hibernation sys file, and the virtual memory sys file. Plus it takes more room for updates and any restore points you make on top of that.

That said you could probably make 500 GB work if he doesn't play huge games or have huge audio sample libraries.

Here is an example of memory for less (price in USD) https://www.crucial.com/memory/ddr4/bl2k8g32c16u4b

Pictus · Post by **Pictus** » Thu Jan 06, 2022 4:44 pm

Synthack wrote: Wed Jan 05, 2022 11:45 pm I just configured this for my brother, he wants a system for gaming and for music production on a budget. I whipped this together, but what do you guys think?
*Updated*
https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/FNBPmk

My take with available parts in Canada today, for tomorrow or another country
the list can be different. https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/ym6sHz

For motherboard, ASUS TUF Gaming B550M Plus Micro ATX
It is a better motherboard with newer chipset, PCIe 4, better LAN/Audio and
with proper VRM heatsinks, including one for the M.2 SSD.

The audio is OK for non professional usage.
https://www.kitguru.net/components/moth ... -review/7/
Will need to update the BIOS, but the motherboard can update even without CPU/RAM/GPU installed

If ever want to add a Thunderbolt audio interface, change to the ATX version
because it has the Thunderbolt header to add a Thunderbolt card.
https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/product/pnq ... -b550-plus

You do not need to add a CPU cooler, but this is a PC for audio/music and the Ninja 5
is wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy more silent/efficient than the default cooler.

RAM, Team Group T-force Dark Za 16gb (2x 8gb) 288-pin 3600MHz for CA$55.99 excellent price!
https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/product/2By ... 0hc18jdc01
Review
https://www.techpowerup.com/review/team ... 18-2x8-gb/
Ryzen likes faster RAM!
http://www.scanproaudio.info/2019/07/30 ... an-impact/

I have and love the Cooler Master HAF XB EVO, but if you want to
economize some bucks
https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/product/bCY ... 9011200-ww

You do not need a thermal paste, but for anyone interested the SYY 157
is high performance, durable, not expensive and not hard to apply.
https://albestech.com/review-syy-157/
Alternatives can be Alseye T9+ Platinum, Zezzio GT-GX, Maxtor CTG9 or FuzeIce Plus.

For SSD you can go fine with Sabrent Rocket, fast enough, reliable and not expensive.
https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/product/nqc ... rocket-512
or
https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/product/N7z ... rocket-1tb
Review, the 1TB version has a big endurance of 1665 TBW
https://www.techpowerup.com/review/sabr ... ssd/9.html

PSU, Corsair RMx(2021) 750W is still a bit overkill to keep silence, it is semi-passive
and up to +- 300W the fan is off and +- up to 500W it is very quite(+- 15dBA), but
enough power to later add a decent GPU.
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/co ... y-review/2

Get a cheap Windows 11 OEM key
https://www.guru3d.com/news-story/ad-go ... 1221).html

Some tweaks/stuff you may like at
viewtopic.php?p=7624448#p7624448

2DaT · Post by **2DaT** » Thu Jan 06, 2022 7:39 pm

It's better not to buy big cooler right away. Chances are that the box cooler would do just fine.

VRM heatsinks on the motherboard don't matter at all. They only matter if you overclock, and you shouldn't overlock if you value your time and stability of the system. Save the money and buy the cheaper one.

Modular PSU is also a huge waste of money for what it is. You basically pay extra 50$ for aesthetics alone.

I know it sounds strange, but that money is better spend elsewhere. Your core components - CPU, GPU, Memory and storage - those matter a lot. Everything else is not that important.

Might aswell buy something for actual music production for saved money, like a pair of headphones, a midi keyboard, an audio interface. Although you can get by without using audio interface if you don't plan to record.

Just an opinion, feel free to ignore it.

Super Piano Hater 64 · Thu Jan 06, 2022 9:24 pm

2DaT wrote: Thu Jan 06, 2022 7:39 pm Modular PSU is also a huge waste of money for what it is. You basically pay extra 50$ for aesthetics alone.

It depends. Sometimes you need to detach that 24-pin ATX cable (or worse, the 8-pin CPU power cable) to be able to route everything where it needs to go. With a non-modular PSU, or even semi-modular, you have to pay close attention to the size and placement of the holes your case gives you, and how easily you can reach the connectors on the motherboard. This is the one benefit I can see in OP's ridiculous choice of case: It has those huge gaping chasms between the motherboard tray and the side panels. Switching to a more affordable case might justify a modular PSU. For my part, I'd make that tradeoff in a heartbeat (in fact, I have, twice). The PSU is the first thing you should overspec, and a bunch of higher-end models only come in modular variants anyway.

2DaT · Post by **2DaT** » Thu Jan 06, 2022 11:26 pm

Super Piano Hater 64 wrote: Thu Jan 06, 2022 9:24 pm
2DaT wrote: Thu Jan 06, 2022 7:39 pm Modular PSU is also a huge waste of money for what it is. You basically pay extra 50$ for aesthetics alone.
It depends. Sometimes you need to detach that 24-pin ATX cable (or worse, the 8-pin CPU power cable) to be able to route everything where it needs to go.

Well, the worst thing that could happen is a few hanging cables, which doesn't actually hurt anything, other than your aesthetic feelings.

Super Piano Hater 64 wrote: Thu Jan 06, 2022 9:24 pm The PSU is the first thing you should overspec, and a bunch of higher-end models only come in modular variants anyway.

That is only reasonable if you plan to buy power hungry video card for example, which probably isn't happening anytime soon. For budget builds 500-600ish watts is more than enough.

For example:
https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/product/Rxp ... ssr-650gb3

A reputable brand, nice wattage. More than enough for decent GPU.
For the difference you could buy additional 16 Gb of memory which will actually make a difference in longetivity and future-proofing.