Spec recommendation needed - Music Production

Z

zenkinobe

Member
Hi all,

Could you please suggest a config for me?

I use my current machine for music production and some graphic design work. I would like my new machine to improve performance vs. my current spec and in addition give me a good gaming performance as well as the ability to connect 2 monitors.

Currently I have an Intel(R) Core(TM) i7, M 620 @2.67Mhz. 8GB RAM on a 64bit Windows 10.

I run Ableton Live 9 with an external soundcard (Focusrite Scarlet 2i4). The system performs pretty well at the moment for that, but am looking for an uptick in CPU performance. I would like an SSD to host the OS. I have a 2TB HDD that I could slot in, so no need to go overboard on that.

Any ideas?

Thanks a lot
ZK
 
Z

zenkinobe

Member
:yes:
jerpers said:
It would help if you could indicate your budget
Click to expand...


As low as possible but if needed I could push to £1000, but am trying to balance spec, cost and longevity....

I would want it to be a good preforming machine for 3/4/5 years

Edit: also would be using it occaisionally for up to 4 days at a time as an RDP host. So not sure if any type of fan upgrade is needed?
 
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J

jerpers

Master
Hmm, that's a tight budget. I have done a bit of quick reading up on Ableton. IT would benefit from more cores but the CPU's higher thatn 4 cores start getting quite pricey. The i7 would be ideal too but again bumps the price quite a bit. Are you using the 32 or 64 bit version? If 32, you can reduce the RAM to 8Gb and add another 8 at a later date. I'm afraid my spec comes in a bit higher than the £1000 but has a quiet case and fan for your music production, a motherboard with USB 3.1 for future connectivity and a processor you can overclock should you wish to bump up core speed for Ableton. It might be worth waiting a bit for the PCS's prices on the 1060 GPU which is due to be better than the 970 I put it.

Case
COOLERMASTER SILENCIO 452 QUIET MID TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5 Quad Core Processor i5-6600K (3.5GHz) 6MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® Z170-E: ATX, LG1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs
Memory (RAM)
16GB HyperX FURY DDR4 2666MHz (2 x 8GB Kit)
Graphics Card
4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 970 - 2 x DVI, HDMI, DP - GeForce GTX VR Ready!
1st Hard Disk
250GB Samsung 850 2.5" EVO SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 540MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
16x BLU-RAY WRITER DRIVE, 16x DVD ±R/±RW & SOFTWARE
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W CS SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET (£69)
Processor Cooling
Noctua NH-D15S Ultra Quiet Performance CPU Cooler (£69)
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND (£9)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 8 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £1,117.00 including VAT and delivery.

Unique URL to re-configure: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/intel-skylake-pc/0fAP4cZw0E/
 
Oussebon

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
Was going to post this up earlier but was delayed. It would be a way of affording an i7.


Case
CORSAIR 230T COMPACT GAMING CASE - RED LED
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-6700 (3.4GHz) 8MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® H110M-R: Micro-ATX, DDR4, LG1151, USB 3.0, SATA 6GBs
Memory (RAM)
16GB HyperX FURY DDR4 2133MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB AMD RADEON™ RX 480 - HDMI, 3 x DP - DX® 12
1[SUP]st[/SUP] Hard Disk
240GB HyperX SAVAGE 2.5" SSD, SATA 6 Gb/s (upto 560MB/sR | 530MB/sW)
1[SUP]st[/SUP] DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W CS SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET (£69)
Processor Cooling
CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO (120mm) Fan CPU Cooler (£29)
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND (£9)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 8 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £987.00 including VAT and delivery.

Unique URL to re-configure: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/intel-skylake-home-office-pc/XM9qfu72vP/

I have done a bit of quick reading up on Ableton. IT would benefit from more cores but the CPU's higher that 4 cores start getting quite pricey.
Click to expand...
Got any links by the way? :)

A lot of audio software seems to thread fairly poorly from the little I'd read so it would be good to see some notes about one that benefits a bit better.
 
Z

zenkinobe

Member
Thanks jerpers and Oussebon!

I think the budget is pretty tight. I am running the 64 bit version of Ableton so I may be better off stretching to the quad core.

One question on the mother board you suggest Ouessebon; would that be maxed out at 16GB Ram? Not sure right now if I would need more but...

jerpers do you have an idea when PCS would get the 1060GPU?

Two dumb questions more and I will shut up ;-)

1. I will still need a wireless connection. Is there any benefit at all to the higher spec cards?
2. I am running Windows 10 Pro, but do not have install discs - this was a digi upgrade from 7 - I guess I still have to purchase the OS?

Thanks again for the advice!
 
J

jerpers

Master
The 1060 is due for release on the 19th of this month. PCS are normally quite good at getting stocks fairly early but you'd have to ring them to check. I use a cheap USB wireless dongle and don't have any problems (apart from bloody talk talk!) Home plugs are a better performing option if you can utilise them.

Edit: The max RAM on that board is 32Gb. If you have a full version of windows 7 you should be ok IIRC. If it is OEM, the key is usually tied to the motherboard
 
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