2021 Computer, what should i do?

[Bad Mac]

I need to get a new computer. Probably going to have HP or Dell make me one. Standard stuff. lots of ram, a SSD and DATA drive. USB3 & Thunderbolt, Windows 10 etc.  I am hoping to get some suggestions of the following:

 

1) My current computer i optimized it run in Windows 7, so i shut off firewall, virus scan and lots of services and uninstalled or disable things i didn't need or didn't want running. The computer is not normally connected to the internet. I connected only when i had to and then quickly disconnected. This has been this way for about 8 or 9 years. Now it seems like i will need or want to have a internet connection all the time. What are you guys doing? Are you disconnected from the internet? Are the new generation of computers able to run a DAW and run virus scan/ firewall?

2) Where are you guys getting your DAW computers? Are you building your own? Or having someone build one for you? Would a gaming computer work well for this?

3) Anyone install a firewire card on a windows 10 box and get it to work?

4) Back in the day, i seem to remember reading somewhere that Cakewalk / Sonar worked better with AMD chipsets. is that still a thing?  I would imagine INTEL would work fine.  Will a CORE -i5 work well? or do i need and i7 or -i9?

 

Link to windows 10 optimization: https://www.sweetwater.com/sweetcare/articles/pc-optimization-guide-for-windows-10/#basicsystemmaintenance

 

 

 

 

Edited January 20, 2021 by Bad Mac
added #4

[Fret Flintstone]

"what should i do?"

 

 

[haydn12]

I recommend checking out the DAW's from Purrrfect Audio:  https://studiocat.com/opencart2/

I usually build my own computers but had some compatibility issues with the last couple I built.  It also took a decent amount of tweaking.  I ended purchasing a computer from them.   The owner is Jim Roseberry who is a frequent contributor on this site.  I ended up getting the i9 Pro Studio X computer with 10 cores running all cores at 5.2 GHz.  I had them install the Thunderbolt 3 card and I'm using a Presonus Quantum 2626 interface.  I'm doing full orchestrations  at 64 samples with no pops.  CPU is only showing about 25% for all the cores in Cakewalk which is amazing.

 

Jim 

[Bad Mac]

1 hour ago, haydn12 said:

I recommend checking out the DAW's from Purrrfect Audio:  https://studiocat.com/opencart2/

I usually build my own computers but had some compatibility issues with the last couple I built.  It also took a decent amount of tweaking.  I ended purchasing a computer from them.   The owner is Jim Roseberry who is a frequent contributor on this site.  I ended up getting the i9 Pro Studio X computer with 10 cores running all cores at 5.2 GHz.  I had them install the Thunderbolt 3 card and I'm using a Presonus Quantum 2626 interface.  I'm doing full orchestrations  at 64 samples with no pops.  CPU is only showing about 25% for all the cores in Cakewalk which is amazing.

 

Jim 

wow sounds like a great maching. what did that cost?

 

[Fret Flintstone]

what did that cost?

You know what they say, If you need to ask, you need to . . .

 

Edited January 20, 2021 by Fret Flintstone

[Bad Mac]

This fret flintstone is a butthead. Stop bothering us and go look for beavis....

[craigb]

3 hours ago, haydn12 said:

I recommend checking out the DAW's from Purrrfect Audio:  https://studiocat.com/opencart2/

I usually build my own computers but had some compatibility issues with the last couple I built.  It also took a decent amount of tweaking.  I ended purchasing a computer from them.   The owner is Jim Roseberry who is a frequent contributor on this site.  I ended up getting the i9 Pro Studio X computer with 10 cores running all cores at 5.2 GHz.  I had them install the Thunderbolt 3 card and I'm using a Presonus Quantum 2626 interface.  I'm doing full orchestrations  at 64 samples with no pops.  CPU is only showing about 25% for all the cores in Cakewalk which is amazing.

 

Jim 

[Bapu]

3 hours ago, haydn12 said:

I recommend checking out the DAW's from Purrrfect Audio:  https://studiocat.com/opencart2/

I usually build my own computers but had some compatibility issues with the last couple I built.  It also took a decent amount of tweaking.  I ended purchasing a computer from them.   The owner is Jim Roseberry who is a frequent contributor on this site.  I ended up getting the i9 Pro Studio X computer with 10 cores running all cores at 5.2 GHz.  I had them install the Thunderbolt 3 card and I'm using a Presonus Quantum 2626 interface.  I'm doing full orchestrations  at 64 samples with no pops.  CPU is only showing about 25% for all the cores in Cakewalk which is amazing.

 

Jim 

Jim is great. I did my own build based on his recommended list of components basically the same as haydn12 (w/128gb of ram) that I put in my existing Antec silent case, 750w psu, silent vid card and cd/dvd burner. Total cost of CPU, mobo, ram and Thunderbolt 3 card was ~$1700 + paid consulting from Jim doing the setup remotely (we took all the drives from my current DAW, which were less than a year old,  and put them on the new mobo/cpu/ram).

 

[Bad Mac]

26 minutes ago, Bapu said:

Jim is great. I did my own build based on his recommended list of components basically the same as haydn12 (w/128gb of ram) that I put in my existing Antec silent case, 750w psu, silent vid card and cd/dvd burner. Total cost of CPU, mobo, ram and Thunderbolt 3 card was ~$1700 + paid consulting from Jim doing the setup remotely (we took all the drives from my current DAW, which were less than a year old,  and put them on the new mobo/cpu/ram).

 

That's pretty good for $1700. I browsed his site. Gonna call him tomorrow.

 

[Sheens]

Personally I would ask Jim also if he advises an internet connection, or not.

No idea how things are now, some years ago with every Windows Update a lot of software had errors, didn't work etc.

I'm like you on  Windows 7 with no internet for years now.

[DeeringAmps]

Can’t say enough good about StudioCat. I have two “Cats”. Even at 10+ years old #1 is still running strong. Jim is the BEST!

t

[Starise]

I remember back when a decent build was in the 500-800 range. I guess I'm dating myself.  Good i9 build is now probably 2K range not including the interface. Especially if you go with a good video card. Those can be pretty expensive on the high end. If you're thinking about video work , might as well look at that too. Can save a few bucks on  Ryzen .vs Intel but I would not recommend it personally. I'll take the extra 300-500 hit for Intel.  We are talking about something you want to depend on over a long period of time.

If you don't want to get involved in a build, I would contact Jim if you live in the US. If in the UK fees and shipping add up. Might still be a consideration though.

Gaming computers are basically higher spec'd computers, so yes I would look at them especially. The main consideration to buying a gaming setup is  to make sure the I/O suits what it is you want to do. Faster SSD dives. No platters preferably. Some places are advertising gamer computers with only 8gb of memory. That just isn't enough usually. 16gb minimum and if using large sound libraries you need large drives and more memory. I'm a smaller project maker, so 16 has never not been enough even running several tracks of heavy libraries.

On the cheap and running under 20 tracks? Making basic band mixes using mainly audio tracks? You could probably get a computer from Costco, tigerdirect, newegg, the HP or Dell discounted sites. You might be forced to use USB ( work ok for most), Lack as much I/O as you might want. Have to add additional memory and/or another SSD but you could go that route. 

Plenty of people have Cakewalk loaded and working on basic PC's if only doing basic things. 

[Bruno de Souza Lino]

1 hour ago, Starise said:

I remember back when a decent build was in the 500-800 range. I guess I'm dating myself.  Good i9 build is now probably 2K range not including the interface. Especially if you go with a good video card. Those can be pretty expensive on the high end. If you're thinking about video work , might as well look at that too. Can save a few bucks on  Ryzen .vs Intel but I would not recommend it personally. I'll take the extra 300-500 hit for Intel.  We are talking about something you want to depend on over a long period of time.

Modern Intel CPUs are behind on manufacturing processes (their latest cpus are still 14nm, as they couldn't get the 10nm node right yet again), on top of having the same thermal issues people used to criticize AMD cpus of the past. Intel is good at single core performance, which is becoming less and less relevant nowadays, even in gaming, where Intel is usually the norm. In many instances, you end up paying more for less with Intel, due to their heavy market segmentation over the years and the overall confusion with the long SKU names in the 10th series, down to the point you can even see demonstrators in video simply refering to the cpus as "10th gen" instead of the full SKU name.

If you're only running audio, you don't need the latest and greatest with tons of RAM. Even a modest PC can deal with hundreds of tracks without issues. It's the plugins that require extra computing power.

If you are considering an AMD cpu, it's advised that you get the fastest RAM you can afford, as performance scales with RAM speed on AMD SKUs.

[Bad Mac]

1 hour ago, Bruno de Souza Lino said:

Modern Intel CPUs are behind on manufacturing processes (their latest cpus are still 14nm, as they couldn't get the 10nm node right yet again), on top of having the same thermal issues people used to criticize AMD cpus of the past. Intel is good at single core performance, which is becoming less and less relevant nowadays, even in gaming, where Intel is usually the norm. In many instances, you end up paying more for less with Intel, due to their heavy market segmentation over the years and the overall confusion with the long SKU names in the 10th series, down to the point you can even see demonstrators in video simply refering to the cpus as "10th gen" instead of the full SKU name.

If you're only running audio, you don't need the latest and greatest with tons of RAM. Even a modest PC can deal with hundreds of tracks without issues. It's the plugins that require extra computing power.

If you are considering an AMD cpu, it's advised that you get the fastest RAM you can afford, as performance scales with RAM speed on AMD SKUs.

I am probably going to get a latest greatest pc, because i want it to last another 10 years. My last computer was off the shelf and then customized a bit from HP. It lasted 10 years and still works, however i have noticed pops now that i have invested in better plugins.

[Shane_B.]

3 hours ago, Starise said:

I remember back when a decent build was in the 500-800 range. Good i9 build is now probably 2K range not including the interface. Especially if you go with a good video card.

I'm running an i7 6700K with 16GB RAM, 2 small SSD's, and no video card.

I was recently looking at video cards because I wanted to play a few older games while I'm stuck inside for the winter and lockdown. The cheapest I could find a used card that will handle the few older games I want to run (Fallout 3, Fallout New Vegas, Fallout 4, and Skyrim) in hi res mode is a GTX 1060 for $250 on eBay. To me that's nuts for a 5 year old card.

Surprisingly, I have never had a lick of trouble using the GPU on the mobo for DAW, Video Editing, streaming video. It even supports 4K. I finally was able to get high speed net out here in the country and I've been streaming 4K on this with a 4K TV hooked up as a monitor and it's been great.

Edit: This is my second attempt at replying. My post vanished the first time. Do do doodoo do do doodoo bada da bom. Picture if you will ... sorry. ?

[InstrEd]

4 minutes ago, Shane_B. said:

Do do doodoo do do doodoo bada da bom

Was this sampled or modeled sound

[Bad Mac]

just ordered my i9 Pro Studio X from https://studiocat.com/opencart2/index.php?route=product/product&path=59_97&product_id=86

Thanks Guys!!!!

[Starise]

4 hours ago, Bruno de Souza Lino said:

Modern Intel CPUs are behind on manufacturing processes (their latest cpus are still 14nm, as they couldn't get the 10nm node right yet again), on top of having the same thermal issues people used to criticize AMD cpus of the past. Intel is good at single core performance, which is becoming less and less relevant nowadays, even in gaming, where Intel is usually the norm. In many instances, you end up paying more for less with Intel, due to their heavy market segmentation over the years and the overall confusion with the long SKU names in the 10th series, down to the point you can even see demonstrators in video simply refering to the cpus as "10th gen" instead of the full SKU name.

If you're only running audio, you don't need the latest and greatest with tons of RAM. Even a modest PC can deal with hundreds of tracks without issues. It's the plugins that require extra computing power.

If you are considering an AMD cpu, it's advised that you get the fastest RAM you can afford, as performance scales with RAM speed on AMD SKUs.

I think in some cases they go head to head well. I have nothing against AMD if I could find one with  low heat and quiet cooling comparable in performance to Intel.  Some people say we have that now. I think it's a bit of a stretch to date. Not arguing that there aren't good Ryzen chips. In a build like that I would also want a good MOBO with the right  I/O. Not just I/O but support of peripherals . Sometimes a MOBO will advertise I/O but you come to find it only supports part of a spec. This was an issue  back when Thunderbolt USB-C came out. Sometimes it still is. This isn't just AMD/Ryzen MOBOs. Can also be Intel. 

I have had a wonderful track record with Intel and I guess I'm very reluctant to chance a bad apple in a  perfect run of computer builds.

2 hours ago, Shane_B. said:

I'm running an i7 6700K with 16GB RAM, 2 small SSD's, and no video card.

I was recently looking at video cards because I wanted to play a few older games while I'm stuck inside for the winter and lockdown. The cheapest I could find a used card that will handle the few older games I want to run (Fallout 3, Fallout New Vegas, Fallout 4, and Skyrim) in hi res mode is a GTX 1060 for $250 on eBay. To me that's nuts for a 5 year old card.

Surprisingly, I have never had a lick of trouble using the GPU on the mobo for DAW, Video Editing, streaming video. It even supports 4K. I finally was able to get high speed net out here in the country and I've been streaming 4K on this with a 4K TV hooked up as a monitor and it's been great.

Edit: This is my second attempt at replying. My post vanished the first time. Do do doodoo do do doodoo bada da bom. Picture if you will ... sorry. ?

An excellent choice in a mid tier home studio DAW.  Glad you've had good luck with that GPU.  TBH I would only be shopping a higher end video card if I were going to put together videos on a regular basis in high resolutions using video production software. I do some of that now but it's mostly just me playing around. Nothing serious to date. If I had clients though , then yes I would have something more robust. What I have now isn't bad. It' s somewhere in the middle and seems to work well for what I do. Video is one area said to be better using some Ryzen chips. Not head and shoulders better. Only  minimally better than Intel.

[Bapu]

15 hours ago, Bad Mac said:

That's pretty good for $1700. I browsed his site. Gonna call him tomorrow.

 

Just remember that was me buying components and doing the build. Jim just guided me on the bios tweaks (O.C. etc) and did the cleanup of the obsolete drivers etc.

And also remember that I already has a case, psu, rom burner and vid card that was not included in that $1700.

[Shane_B.]

One thing that shocked me when I was checking out Jim's site earlier was the i5 based system he has is faster than my i7. I went online and did a CPU comparison. Apparently the devil is in the details on these Intel CPU's. The i5 he lists has 6 cores/6 threads, my i7 has 4 cores/8 threads and side by side the i5 Jim offers is significantly faster. Maybe there's a generational difference. For example (making these gens up here) a Gen 6 i5 is better than a Gen 2 i7.

I followed advice I picked up from Jim on the previous forum over the years when I built my last DAW and I haven't had a lick of trouble with it.