Quiet PC needed for audio production

C

Cloud9

Active member
Hi again guys - unfortunately I got sidetracked by work last time so my order went on the backburner however looking to finally order my machine asap. Just going through the build options - wondering about possibly compromising between the two that were posted here in the thread (also been reading about the noise superiority of the original cooler).

Does it seem like a good idea to go for the cheaper CPU option as in SCK451's build but maintaining the STRIX mobo in STEVEYG's as well as dropping the graphics down to the 4 gb option (video/gaming not going to be the priority here) and upping the RAM to 32 gb? Comes out just a tad over £1500. As I said I'm not that clued up on how well pc parts necessarily gel together and I'm by no means an expert so not sure if this build would function that well etc - wanted to check first. As ever the priority is just a quiet PC for audio work. Thanks in advance, you guys are great.
 
sck451

sck451

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
If video editing and gaming are no longer a major factor (and the 1660 Super is out of stock right now anyway), you could go down to the 1050 Ti (or even the 1030) and it will be fine.

The H115i will be ideal for you: the H150i offers very little advantage. I believe (though entirely second-hand) that the Capellix will be quieter.

Not sure why you need 32GB of RAM. I doubt that's necessary for an audio system: I don't believe they're terribly heavy on RAM. Is there something in particular that's led you to think you need it? What production software will you be using?

I've made a couple of other tweaks based on current pricing, so here's the build I'd suggest for you now:

Case
FRACTAL DEFINE 7 BLACK QUIET MID-TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Six Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.6GHz/35MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® STRIX B550-F GAMING (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1050 Ti - DVI, HDMI, DP
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 INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR | 2500MB/sW)
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
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 16 to 19 working days
Price: £1,458.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/aGef8c0bEN/
 
C

Cloud9

Active member
Awesome, cheers for the reply.

In terms of the added RAM, I was thinking in terms of some virtual instrument libraries (Kontakt, etc) and how they might end up piling up inside a project - but tbh yeah I doubt I'll make use of the extra headroom with 32GB to justify it. On my buddy's PC where we used to do music we'd sometimes push just over 50% RAM use (on his 32 gig machine) but that was only on pretty hefty projects.

But yeah, I think I'm happy with all the choices/compromises now! PC should definitely run quietly tho yeah?
 
AgentCooper

AgentCooper

At Least I Have Chicken
Moderator
Cloud9 said:
In terms of the added RAM, I was thinking in terms of some virtual instrument libraries (Kontakt, etc) and how they might end up piling up inside a project
Click to expand...
If there’s lots of plugins running memory usage can soon start stacking up so 32GB of the highest frequency RAM is never a bad idea for an audio system.
 
C

Cloud9

Active member
Ordered!

Thanks everyone (Agent Cooper, I'll see you again in 25 years for my next PC build!!)

Was a bit confused btw by the payment portal - I assume the transaction is complete as I had to authorise it with my banking app and can now see it in 'my orders' but the page went into an endless loading animation with no confirmation/thank you page. At the moment on 'awaiting payment' which should resolve itself tomorrow morning presumably?
 
AgentCooper

AgentCooper

At Least I Have Chicken
Moderator
Cloud9 said:
Ordered!

Thanks everyone (Agent Cooper, I'll see you again in 25 years for my next PC build!!)

Was a bit confused btw by the payment portal - I assume the transaction is complete as I had to authorise it with my banking app and can now see it in 'my orders' but the page went into an endless loading animation with no confirmation/thank you page. At the moment on 'awaiting payment' which should resolve itself tomorrow morning presumably?
Click to expand...
Hmmm, I’d definitely be checking that payment situation over the coming day or two just to see the lay of the land. You’ve got your quote saved so even if it hasn’t gone through, you can place the order again with the original price honoured for a five day period.

Loving that Twin Peaks reference, by the way. Have some damn fine coffee and a slice of cherry pie on me ☕️🥧
 
B

beatsystem

Member
Just wanted to say thanks to everyone in this thread for answering my similar question before I had a chance to ask it
(my budget is slightly higher, so will be aiming for a 5900 or 5950)

Has your machine arrived yet, Cloud9? Any feedback appreciated!
 
C

Cloud9

Active member
beatsystem said:
Just wanted to say thanks to everyone in this thread for answering my similar question before I had a chance to ask it
(my budget is slightly higher, so will be aiming for a 5900 or 5950)

Has your machine arrived yet, Cloud9? Any feedback appreciated!
Click to expand...

Glad my thread could be of assistance haha. Hi audio production brother :D

No, not arrived yet. Day 19 of pre-production for me.
 
sck451

sck451

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
beatsystem said:
Just wanted to say thanks to everyone in this thread for answering my similar question before I had a chance to ask it
(my budget is slightly higher, so will be aiming for a 5900 or 5950)

Has your machine arrived yet, Cloud9? Any feedback appreciated!
Click to expand...
Hi @beatsystem. If you want to make a new thread and post your proposed build, I or others would be glad to take a gander at it for you.
 
SpyderTracks

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
beatsystem said:
Just wanted to say thanks to everyone in this thread for answering my similar question before I had a chance to ask it
(my budget is slightly higher, so will be aiming for a 5900 or 5950)

Has your machine arrived yet, Cloud9? Any feedback appreciated!
Click to expand...
If you're upping the CPU, you would need a different build so do open a thread and get some advice.
 
C

Cloud9

Active member
Just a quick bump while I'm waiting for my PC to arrive - is the Fractal Define 7 Mid-Tower case that PCS offer the non tempered glass version? Assuming it is based on the pictures, just that I can see both versions seem to be out there on the market unless I'm mixing them up. (In terms of aiming for quiet I'd imagine glass has a bit more sound leakage?)

Edit: about a minute after posting this my PC entered building! :D Dead excited.
 
sck451

sck451

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
Cloud9 said:
Just a quick bump while I'm waiting for my PC to arrive - is the Fractal Define 7 Mid-Tower case that PCS offer the non tempered glass version? Assuming it is based on the pictures, just that I can see both versions seem to be out there on the market unless I'm mixing them up. (In terms of aiming for quiet I'd imagine glass has a bit more sound leakage?)

Edit: about a minute after posting this my PC entered building! :D Dead excited.
Click to expand...
Excellent!

Yes, PCS stocks the solid side panel, I believe. This is apparently the quietest, but I believe there isn't an enormous difference.
 
C

Cloud9

Active member
Received the PC the other day but only had a chance to set it up today.

Sad to report that despite my concerns about silence the thing sounds like an absolute jet engine. It's the cooler itself that's making the noise. I've been through BIOS and iCue etc just to check (not all the fans are adjustable, but even with them physically stopped by my hand the noise is unchanged).

Any suggestions before I see about a return?
 
sck451

sck451

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
Cloud9 said:
Received the PC the other day but only had a chance to set it up today.

Sad to report that despite my concerns about silence the thing sounds like an absolute jet engine. It's the cooler itself that's making the noise. I've been through BIOS and iCue etc just to check (not all the fans are adjustable, but even with them physically stopped by my hand the noise is unchanged).

Any suggestions before I see about a return?
Click to expand...
When you say it's the cooler itself, do you mean the pump? That is to say, the bit attached to the motherboard? It seems very unlikely that your machine, working properly, should be that noisy.
 
Martinr36

Martinr36

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
Cloud9 said:
Received the PC the other day but only had a chance to set it up today.

Sad to report that despite my concerns about silence the thing sounds like an absolute jet engine. It's the cooler itself that's making the noise. I've been through BIOS and iCue etc just to check (not all the fans are adjustable, but even with them physically stopped by my hand the noise is unchanged).

Any suggestions before I see about a return?
Click to expand...
Can you post photo's of the inside of the pc and maybe also a video so that we can hear what you are talking about?
 
C

Cloud9

Active member
Attached two clips, one from the inside and one from the outside (don't think video attachments work on here? so uploaded on streamble).

streamable.com

inside

Watch "inside" on Streamable.
streamable.com streamable.com

Video Unavailable

This video is unavailable.
streamable.com streamable.com
 
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