Building new audio computer, what should I pay focus to?

Dicus

Enthusiastic Member
Probably this question has been asked a thousand times.

7yrs ago I built the computer I use now. But it starts to have more and more audio glitches even if my projects use only about 5 tracks.

I would like to be able to play around more with live effects like reverbs over voice and such.

What things should I keep in mind when building a new computer. Focus on big CPU, on much RAM, flash disk?
Any specific suggestions. Like: rather this CPU then that one.
Also, how do I make it silent.

Thx in advance!
 
Probably this question has been asked a thousand times.

7yrs ago I built the computer I use now. But it starts to have more and more audio glitches even if my projects use only about 5 tracks.

I would like to be able to play around more with live effects like reverbs over voice and such.

What things should I keep in mind when building a new computer. Focus on big CPU, on much RAM, flash disk?
Any specific suggestions. Like: rather this CPU then that one.
Also, how do I make it silent.

Thx in advance!

Unless there's hardware failure, your machine shouldn't be any slower than the day it was bought.
The only things that really change are software and dust - In both cases a good clean should help. :)

Microsoft OS?

If you want to go new-build for whatever reason, 4gb ram is plenty for most. 8gb is almost certainly enough for anyone on here (Excepting video guys).
SSDs are not essential but they're damn good. Seriously...they're incredible. I'd consider SSD for system disk and spinning media for the rest unless you're flush.

It's hard to go wrong with CPU these days but somewhere in the middle of modern i5 ranges is a good place to stab.
Reference cpubenchmark.net for a rough idea of how chips stack up against each other, and for a quick 'n' easy way to compare frequency, no of cores, etc.

Onboard GPU is adequate for home recording. If you want a bunch of large screens then GPU might be a consideration.
 
As Steenamaroo suggests...

i5 or i7 Intel (avoid the "U" models, intended for low power lightweight devices = not as fast). AMD makes okay chips but they tend to run a bit hotter (means more cooling fan noise) and clock for clock tend to be slower. They're falling behind. But if the budget is tight their 8 core processors are an option. Getting a cooler with a large fan on the heatsink will help with noise from the case. Then you will need to configure the motherboard to have the CPU fan to run slow when idling, and faster when at 60+C. Many motherboards have variable curves to try to find a sweet spot. This way it's only running fast/loud when you're really taxing the system, and running whisper quiet when you are not.

Get 8GB RAM, it's really cheap so no need to cut corners here.

DEFINITELY get a SSD, large enough to hold most of your software (240GB?), and use your old SATA platter drive as a data drive, storing projects and perhaps instrument files if you use VSTs that load samples (because sample loading only happens once during startup, it only slows the startup of that VST slightly). I think the Samsung Evo 850 model is probably the best speed/cost balance.

Add-on video cards are also relatively cheap, so again if not on a tight budget consider getting one. Some motherboard have decent onboard options, some require buying a CPU with the graphics chip built in. You'll want to research this to make sure you get the right combination or you will be waiting on a video card to arrive in the mail mid-system build. If you end up getting an aftermarket card, get something lower end with passive cooling (heatsink only, no fan). You won't need to play games with it. My lower end Nvidia is exactly this, one less thing to make noise in the case.

What type of interface are you using? Some motherboards don't include PCI slots anymore, something to consider if you're forced to change interfaces as well.

The smaller the case the more likely heat will be an issue. This is a general rule, not that you can't have a smaller case that's quiet. Get a mid tower case with one large, low CFM/rpm fan for an exhaust in the rear and you should be fine. Since all cases have front vents, there's no need to pull air into the case with a front fan because the suction action from the rear exhaust fan as well as the power supply fan should be enough to draw adequate air from the front into the case for cooling purposes. Only very high end solutions with multiple air cooled video cards and/or many hard drives need more intake cooling.
 
Indeed. 240GB SSDs run under $100. I run two in my current system. For $300 you can have a 240Gb boot and program drive, and a 500Gb drive for your current projects. As large as DAWs are and as bulky as they can be, I found it nice to install Reason on the boot SSD with all the VST/VSTis on the same drive and any sound banks, etc. also there. The other one just houses my music (one reads, one writes (oversimplification)) VERY fast. Quick startup time. Be sure to have some system of mirroring your important files (internal or external).
AFA memory goes, there's not a lot of point skimping. I'm running 12 in my current system, and will likely have 16 on the next build. It's just too cheap to pass up. You can buy 16 GB of AMAZING memory on two sticks for under $100.
Look for video cards that handle multiple monitors. I've been taking a close look at Visiontech's 7750 with 4 DVI slots. They run a tad over $300, but only take up one space. The Innotech GTX 960 card will also run up to four monitors and is just shy of that $300 mark. If you don't have multiple monitors, you should look into it. So much easier to have production spread over a large area.
Processors are a different animal. Obviously the more threads, the better for music production. Haswell hex cores start just under $400, Broadwell, just a tad over.
Then be sure that your case and fans are as quiet as you can get them (unless you're doing a remote box install.)
Other than that, if you want to stay on Windows 7, be sure you install GWX. Win 10, despite my problems with it, seems perfectly stable and will probably go into my next build...if I don't go Mac ;)
 
Thanks guys, that gives me some to work with.

Actually I was mainly considering a new desktop so I could put more memory in it. My motherboard has a max of 8GB which I put in it.
But since most of you are saying that 8GB should be enough. And my core2duo 3.16Ghz processor still should be quiet adequate I'm wondering what the problem could be... Could it be my TASCAM US1800 that causes my audio to glitch?

AMD makes okay chips but they tend to run a bit hotter (means more cooling fan noise) and clock for clock tend to be slower. They're falling behind. But if the budget is tight their 8 core processors are an option.
I just read that those 8 cores in fact are not 8 cores. Someone is sueing AMD for it...
 
AFA the US1800, mine runs glitch free. Make sure you have the latest driver...blah, blah, blah. But still, it should not be the problem.
How is your current system optimized? You've shut off all system sounds? Have you disabled all the services that mean nothing to a stand-alone, personal computer? Have you optimized the USB ports so they don't time out?
 
Drivers, check. System Sounds, check. Don't know exactly what you mean by "all the services" it is also the computer on which I acces the internet, write songs do my adminstration etc. About the USB ports I'm not sure, how do I check this?
 
Also, what is your ASIO buffer size set to? If it's too small, that can overtax the CPU and cause pops, crackles, glitches, etc. It makes for lower latency, but puts a bigger burden on the CPU.
 
Go into Control Panel -> Device Manager. Select each USB Root Hub. Right Click and select Properties. Power Management Tab. Uncheck, "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power"

AFA services, check with Black Viper's website (if you're on 8.1 or earlier...there's not much you can do with 10) He gives some pretty detailed instruction, advice, and information on the services your computer needs and doesn't and leaves the choices to you. When in doubt, disable and run for a few days. If you don't see a problem, keep it disabled. If you do, re-enable. There are a lot of services (like remote host) that you do not need (and some you don't want). He shows which are safe, and why.
 
Thanks guys, that gives me some to work with.

Actually I was mainly considering a new desktop so I could put more memory in it. My motherboard has a max of 8GB which I put in it.
But since most of you are saying that 8GB should be enough. And my core2duo 3.16Ghz processor still should be quiet adequate I'm wondering what the problem could be... Could it be my TASCAM US1800 that causes my audio to glitch?

3.16 core2duo isn't exactly a monster but I've made records on less.
That chip would probably be more than enough for Greg, for example, and nowhere near enough for me or Jimmy, just because of our totally different workflows and tools.

Check a hardware monitor while the machine is struggling. If CPU is running at high % use then you know what the problem is so it's time to upgrade or be more economical with effects busses etc.
If it's not, an SSD is probably the place to look.
I'd probably check the same stuff at idle first. If there's significant CPU use at idle, then it's not idle and you'd want to find out why.

I'm saying this backwards.....do the easy stuff first. Defrag, clean up start up processes, virus/malware scan and clean etc.
If necessary do a clean OS install. If possible, do a clean install on a separate drive just for testing. That way you don't put your current setup at risk.
If clean windows and clean DAW on a clean drive runs way better, then really you're just looking for a damn good tidy up.
 
As mentioned in other threads, look into freezing tracks. This does an in-place mixdown of the track with plugins applied, which in turn will free up system resources.
 
I am but a PC minnow among these sharks but..Yes, I would stay with that PC specc' for now but to fix the glitches buy the 240G SSD mentioned and install a fresh copy of W7 on it.
Before that it might be as well to check that the MOBO BIOS is the latest version? Be very careful and read the manual first. Most MOBOs allow the old setup to be dumped to a USB stick or have some form of backup. If your electricity supply is in the least suspect, buy or borrow a UPS, you do NOT want a power cut whilst flashing the BIOS!

You will be amazed at how snappy the PC is after a clean install! If you go on internet (and there really is no harm) use Msoft SE and the occasional sweep with MalwareBytes.

Dave.
 
Would a downgrade from W10, which I use right now, to W7 improve performance? I'll look into SSD Drives, that might help. And is much cheaper then building a new pc...

@Pinky, I'll look up into freezing tracks...

I tried the latency settings but to be honest I already find the latency noticable and annoying. Playing my Midi piano with piano effect already feels slighty unnatural so a higher latency isn't really workable for me.

@Steenamaroo, I'll reconsider the clean install. Though this install is from last february...

Thx for all the advice!
 
Would a downgrade from W10, which I use right now, to W7 improve performance? I'll look into SSD Drives, that might help. And is much cheaper then building a new pc...

@Pinky, I'll look up into freezing tracks...

I tried the latency settings but to be honest I already find the latency noticable and annoying. Playing my Midi piano with piano effect already feels slighty unnatural so a higher latency isn't really workable for me.

@Steenamaroo, I'll reconsider the clean install. Though this install is from last february...

Thx for all the advice!

Much as I regret to say it, W7 might be in the first twitch of its death throes? I have had deep problems with it on two computers now (one is still at the shop). If you are running with W10 I would stick with it.

One problem might be getting W10 onto an SSD (and I strongly urge you to do that) You can download an ISO burnable version of Ten. I have done so but have not had a chance to try it out. Or there might be a Msoft procedure to enable you to migrate 10 to another drive? If trying the download you will need a valid Win 7,8,8.1 key.

Dave.
 
@Dave I have upgraded my bought W7 to W10, doing a clean install was no problem, but that was probably because something in the software new that I had right on W10. I would have guessed it was a MAC-Adress or something but do you think it is linked to the drive? I've got to look that up.

Small update: I updated my BIOS en have ordered a 500GB SSD Drive (this will fit my OS, Program Files and my Music files and projects) the bios update did not yet fix the glitches...
 
@Dave I have upgraded my bought W7 to W10, doing a clean install was no problem, but that was probably because something in the software new that I had right on W10. I would have guessed it was a MAC-Adress or something but do you think it is linked to the drive? I've got to look that up.

It's referred to as a hardware (or unique) id. In this case, it looks to your motherboard to determine if it's the same PC as previously activated.

Another tidbit I learned recently - your Windows 7 key is also your Windows 10 key (if you did the free upgrade). So if you ever need to reinstall from scratch on the same computer and want to install Windows 10 directly, should it ask for a key, use your prior Windows 7 key. It sounds like you did this and it saw that it was the same computer automatically. That's obviously ideal but windows activation isn't always that compliant and sometimes it asks for a key even when it shouldn't.
 
Thanks. I was indeed wondering what to do if it did not activate automatically... Will update soon about the effect of the SSD. Thanks for all the advice!
 
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