Audio workstation

[JavCar]

Hi all,

I’m trying to build an audio workstation. These are the specs I’m going for but I wonder how noisy it’d be. Unfortunately I didn’t see any prebuilt computer on pcspecialist for audio with a focus on silence. Or, did I miss it?

The main things I want:

- avoid having fans humming next to me all day ( guess some humming is unavoidable, but I want them to be as quiet as possible)
- low roundtrip latency when overdubbing parts (in my current pc I have to turn off plugins and even so it’s still difficult to monitor).

I’ll be using Studio One 5 with an Audient ID44. Projects are typically 20-30 tracks with about 40-60 plug-ins

I also need it to do a bit of video editing (2-3 min 4K videos with some color grading in Resolve) and, once in a while I play L4D2 (which is like 10 years old now). I think the RTX 2060 should suffice?

Finally, I was thinking of getting the 5950X but I’m not sure how long the waiting times are and if it’s overkill for what I do anyway.

Any guidance is appreciated.
Thanks!

Case
NZXT H511 MID-TOWER GAMING CASE (WHITE)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X 16 Core CPU (3.5GHz-4.7GHz/73MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2060 - HDMI, DP - VR Ready!
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 450W CV SERIES™ CV-450 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
CoolerMaster MasterLiquid Lite 240 High Performance Liquid Cooler
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Extra Case Fans
2x 120mm Black Case Fan (configured to extract from rear/roof)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD
USB/Thunderbolt Options
2 PORT (2 x TYPE A) USB 3.1 PCI-E CARD + STANDARD USB PORTS
Operating System
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
2 - 3 DAY DELIVERY TO REPUBLIC OF IRELAND
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 15 to 17 working days
Promotional Item
Choose from 3 incredible Ubisoft PC titles - Free with select Samsung SSDs

 

[Deleted member 17413]

Dont order this build, you really, really dont want to put a 3950 on a 550 board it will massively throttle.
Prime boards are also lower spec, would you not want something with far more USB options?

And in terms of case, find a Fractal Define 7, its perfect for Audio (very very quiet/soundproofed) Either way, you dont want the case youve picked, and if you need proper quiet fans its well worth seeking separately and looking for some quality noctua ones or ML fans.

Whats your actual budget?

 

[Stephen M]

If you want the lowest latency, then using Ubuntu Studio as your OS is the best option. The downside is not all audio software works with Linux, although there is a lot of great software about, Ardour is an excellent DAW.

 

[sck451]

The sixteen core processors will not give you significant (possibly any) gains in audio production. There will be far more benefit in video production, but for short videos like you're describing I doubt it's worth it. The 5900X or even the 5800X would probably be sufficient for your purposes.

 

[Deleted member 17413]

The sixteen core processors will not give you significant (possibly any) gains in audio production. There will be far more benefit in video production, but for short videos like you're describing I doubt it's worth it. The 5900X or even the 5800X would probably be sufficient for your purposes.

Personally I think the 5800X would more than be up to the task.
From everything i've been told, Audio work is primarily single core performance and fast RAM, then plenty of USB options.

 

[sck451]

Personally I think the 5800X would more than be up to the task.
From everything i've been told, Audio work is primarily single core performance and fast RAM, then plenty of USB options.

Indeed. I was thinking the 5900X because of the video work.

 

[JavCar]

Thank you all for the info and guidance.

So, my main takeaways:
- Case: Fractal Define 7
- CPU: 5800X or 5900X (I've seen online that the 5800X runs a bit hot thus would stress fans, thus more noise?)
- What board should I pick? (sorry for noob question). Would a Gigabyte X570 work for those CPUs?

Yeah, videos are short with just minor tweaks. Re: OS, I think I'd stick to Windows as OS, since I already know it well, but thanks for the suggestion on Ubuntu Studio

 

[JavCar]

Another question, why not the 3950X? I know it's a bit old but, would it let me down in (my basic) video editing? Thanks.

 

[sck451]

The Gigabyte board isn't a great bet. I'd look at the Asus Tuf X570 for the 5800X and maybe the Strix for the 5900X. If you have a decent AIO cooler on either chip, it should be fine in terms of noise, especially in the Define 7.

The 3950X would be great for the video editing, but not for the audio. Its advantage is that it can run 32 threads simultaneously, which is ideal for video editing, but audio work is single-threaded (mostly) so it will gain you nothing. The 5000-series chips are faster on a per-core basis, so that's where you want to be for audio work.

Personally I'd go for the 5900X for your combination of work if you can fit the CPU, cooler and motherboard all in your budget. Which is the key question! What is your budget? I'm sure any of us would be happy to put together a build for you if you can let us know!

 

[Stephen M]

Thank you all for the info and guidance.

So, my main takeaways:
- Case: Fractal Define 7
- CPU: 5800X or 5900X (I've seen online that the 5800X runs a bit hot thus would stress fans, thus more noise?)
- What board should I pick? (sorry for noob question). Would a Gigabyte X570 work for those CPUs?

Yeah, videos are short with just minor tweaks. Re: OS, I think I'd stick to Windows as OS, since I already know it well, but thanks for the suggestion on Ubuntu Studio

Think that is wise as you know Windows but as dual-booting is fairly simple and nearly all Linux stuff is free it may be worth looking at if you have time in the future.

As it is all freeware, the only thing you will waste is your time. If Ardour interest you, it is a great DAW and also cross platform so will run on W10 as well.

 

[JavCar]

Thank you, folks,

Budget, that's a great question

I plan to use this PC for at least 6 years. Ideally I'd pay about 2000 EURO, however I'm willing to go up to ~2800 EUR (but then the machine better be dead quiet and great for audio and video - for the projects I do, which I guess are not "pro-level"... not right now, at least).

Stephen - I might give Linux a try, once I have the computer (the last time I used Linux as... 10 years ago!)

 

[Stephen M]

You will notice quite a change, nearly everything works out of the box now and there is far less, often no, hassle. The Nouveau X.org drivers are also performing much better, in some cases better than the Nvidia, although with music the GPU is not that important.

 

[sck451]

Here's a build bang in the middle of your budget, at a bit over £2400, excluding the case, which you'll need to order separately.

You can take around £140 off by going to the 5800X and the Tuf X570 board. Frankly, for the extra performance you get from the extra four cores, I would definitely go for the 5900X if I could afford it. You could also go for less than 4.5TB of storage.

Case
Send In Your Own Case
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 12 Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.8GHz/70MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X570-F GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2060 - HDMI, DP - VR Ready!
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
4TB CORSAIR MP400 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 3480 MB/R, 3000 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H115i ELITE CAPELLIX RGB Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
2 - 3 DAY DELIVERY TO REPUBLIC OF IRELAND
Build Time
Standard Build - Subject to stock availability on pre-order products
Price: £2,456.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/VnxR7SHgKx/

 

[Deleted member 17413]

Thats a little over 2800 Euros and still leaves buying the case, you can trim a little without any real loss...

Case
Send In Your Own Case
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 12 Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.8GHz/70MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X570-F GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2060 - HDMI, DP - VR Ready!
1st Storage Drive
4TB SEAGATE IRONWOLF PRO 3.5", 7200 RPM 128MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB CORSAIR MP400 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 3480 MB/R, 1880 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H115i RGB PRO XT Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
2 - 3 DAY DELIVERY TO REPUBLIC OF IRELAND
Build Time
Standard Build - Subject to stock availability on pre-order products
Price: £2,153.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/wmWdZjUq75/

Plus about £150 for Define 7, call it £2325 including delivery (Near 2700 Euros)
( If quick - Amazon have two gun metal grey cases left)

 

[Deleted member 17413]

Im still thinking a 5800X would be a good choice on the CPU, if the main focus in an audio workstation. Its still going to be more than capable of video editing and it would also save you about 100 Euros on the price.

Separated drives out due to something @SpyderTracks had said about music/audio and having OS/programs on one drive, plugins on another and projects on a third for best performance. Although I am wondering if projects would be better on a SSD if actively still working them, rather than finished product? (Need to check that though with someone) You could always add a SSD in if you need to.

 

[sck451]

Im still thinking a 5800X would be a good choice on the CPU, if the main focus in an audio workstation. Its still going to be more than capable of video editing and it would also save you about 100 Euros on the price.

Separated drives out due to something @SpyderTracks had said about music/audio and having OS/programs on one drive, plugins on another and projects on a third for best performance. Although I am wondering if projects would be better on a SSD if actively still working them, rather than finished product? (Need to check that though with someone) You could always add a SSD in if you need to.

I'd be inclined to suggest that an audio-focused PC is the one time it's sensible to leave hard drives out entirely. The hard drive is the loudest element of my PC, even louder than the fans at full speed. It's not active all the time, of course, but when it is it's quite intrusive.

 

[Deleted member 17413]

I'd be inclined to suggest that an audio-focused PC is the one time it's sensible to leave hard drives out entirely. The hard drive is the loudest element of my PC, even louder than the fans at full speed. It's not active all the time, of course, but when it is it's quite intrusive.

That does make a lot of sense, SSD is noticably more expensive though, 4TB SSD is a lot more than a 4TB HDD.. even swapping for a 2TB SSD adds about 50 Euros still.

Would the case not take care of it? Define 7 is meant to be very good for soundproofing but ive no personal experience with it to be able to say it will completely silence it.

 

[sck451]

That does make a lot of sense, SSD is noticably more expensive though, 4TB SSD is a lot more than a 4TB HDD.. even swapping for a 2TB SSD adds about 50 Euros still.

Would the case not take care of it? Define 7 is meant to be very good for soundproofing but ive no personal experience with it to be able to say it will completely silence it.

It'll be quieter, for certain, but it won't silence it -- indeed, for all that it's very quiet, it's not silent. (That's physically impossible.) The hard drive would almost certainly be the loudest part of the system when active.

 

[Thee_Igneous_One]

No case will be magic, you have to minimise noise at the source. A sound dampening case will be more effective at attenuating high frequency noise. I've found multiple 120 / 140 mm (low noise) fans running slowly works well.

It has been standard practice to have separate OS and audio file drives - even in the old HD days. I wouldn't consider a spinning drive for an audio workstation.

 

[Stephen M]

Agree about HDDs, for audio an SSD is a must, although if budget is tight an SSD work drive plus a large HDD storage drive would do for a while, it could easily be swapped out for an SSD later on and with a cheap caddy the old HDD would become a useful USB back up drive.