Cpu

I

I Got Riffs

New member
I was just wondering what the difference between dual and quad-core processors and Core i3, i5, and i7 are. The latest version of my DAW said that a new feature was that it was optimised for the multicore processors. Can I assume the newer ones will only improve performance?

I'm thinking about getting a new computer and I don't mind paying to get what I need, but are there are actually any price-rocketing features that are actually worthless to a musician that I could cut out and save money on? Am I going to get what I pay for if I look for the most expensive computer?
 
Are you going Mac or PC? There are definately things in regards to PCs that are specific to recording audio. What is the DAW you have? Is it 64bit? I dont know anything about Mac other than that they are excellent for audio but more money. I ordered my PC online for 600 bucks and it runs audio great.
 
Simply put, more cores = better performance (i.e. faster). But only if you use software written to take advantage of multiple cores.
 
I think I'll stick with a PC. I use FL Studio and VSTi's that take a lot of power. The audio recording/processing is no problem at all, but as a keyboard player and e-drums enthusiest, I need very low latency. My $400 desktop does pretty well until I start using thick pad synths or too many effects. I might just keep that and upgrade my laptop to something that will blow my desktop away. It would just be a nightmare to spend $1,200 on a laptop and still have buffer underruns. I'm hesitant to assume that 4G RAM and a Core i7 processor are going to take care of everything.
 
I Got Riffs said:
I think I'll stick with a PC. I use FL Studio and VSTi's that take a lot of power. The audio recording/processing is no problem at all, but as a keyboard player and e-drums enthusiest, I need very low latency. My $400 desktop does pretty well until I start using thick pad synths or too many effects. I might just keep that and upgrade my laptop to something that will blow my desktop away. It would just be a nightmare to spend $1,200 on a laptop and still have buffer underruns. I'm hesitant to assume that 4G RAM and a Core i7 processor are going to take care of everything.
Click to expand...
You are right. While Core i7 is a beast of a processor, and you will definitely see an increase in performance, in that you'll find yourself pushing things further before you start to need to increase your buffer size (and thus latency) to keep your DAW happy, the design and drivers of your audio interface/soundcard will also have a major impact on performance.
 
Just a note: I installed an SSD drive for my OS and DAW software, it absolutely made a difference. SSD read speeds are very fast. A system is only as fast as its slowest component, it can be hard to navigate all the information and advertising to know what will really make a difference for your money. Good Luck.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top