New DAW PC build 2025

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Kwall

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Hello all...I know enough to be dangerous...

I'm spec'ing a Windows based Pro Tools Studio DAW PC build, all SSD storage. My primary questions are about processors under $750 and memory under $500 choices. I want to "future proof" to a degree but I don't want to waste money on "capability" I would never likely use. I'm primarily a songwriter and dipping my toes into Sync. I speculate using fewer than 24 tracks including what may be predominantly MIDI/VSTs at times. I doubt I would ever need to move to PT Ultimate but...?

I've always been an Intel guy so first blush I'm thinking I9 Ultra 285K because the more cores/faster the better, right? But am I wasting my money? Would I actually realize any increase in performance compared to any particular i7 or even an i5 for my intended use? But now learning about Intels recent challenges which has me looking hard at AMD. Should I be concerned enough to switch? The Ryzen 9950X would be my choice but again I wonder about the overkill factor.

Next for memory I was thinking 128G of DDR5. Or would 64G be way plenty?

Any specific advice/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
 
Hi Kwall,

Multitrack recording on computers doesn't require a super-computer. An i9 won't do much more for you, especially with your relatively modest track count.

My recommendations:

- Intel i7 14th Gen, one that has integrated graphics capability. i.e. not a F version. AMD are ok, but I find they still have oddball incompatibility issues (25 years later).
- 32GB DDR5 is plenty. 64GB if you like, but you'd be wasting money. 128GB if you want to waste more. :)
- Whatever case you choose, don't go fan crazy. One in the back, and maybe
one on the front is plenty. Make sure they are 4 wires / pin so you can adjust the
speeds in BIOS. (you can always add them later, if the case comes with 3 pin).
- A Zero dB power supply. Corsair, Antec, Asus, EVGA, Seasonic etc. Something name brand.
- I prefer ASUS motherboards.
- Go with onboard video, then you won't run into the DPC latency issues that happen particularly with Nvidia graphics cards. As well you don't have to deal with another whirring fan.
- Get name brand solid state hard drives. Samsung, Kingston are decent. You will be using NVMe on a new build like this.
- Do not use the stock Intel Fan. Look at the Noctua coolers, they are very quiet and install much better. Amazon has them.

The above is essentially my configuration. I run up to 32 tracks, with lots of VST plugins, a little bit of MIDI with no issues.

EL
 
PorterhouseMusic here on HR just snagged a $550 mini PC and was up a running quickly. 32GB, AMD Ryzen™ 7 8845HS, 1TB SSD. He said it's quiet and was a breeze to set up.

PorterhouseMusic

Thread 'Dedicated DAW Laptop'

I think I'm ready to finally purchase a dedicated laptop that will be used strictly for working in a DAW. I did read through a couple of threads here on the subject.

I expect to continue to capture performance data and do all tracking with the Tascam DP-32SD and then import those .wav's into the laptop DAW. I expect to use both Cubase and Reaper as I already have both of them and am moderately proficient with both.

Obviously - I want a lean, mean streamlined dedicated laptop. No bloatware or crap running in the background.

I am aware of PC Audio labs and am considering one of their...
  • Like

Getting an Ultra I9 with 128GB of RAM is like getting a Lamborghini to go to the grocery down the block.
 
Eric Malone said:
Hi Kwall,

Multitrack recording on computers doesn't require a super-computer. An i9 won't do much more for you, especially with your relatively modest track count.

My recommendations:

- Intel i7 14th Gen, one that has integrated graphics capability. i.e. not a F version. AMD are ok, but I find they still have oddball incompatibility issues (25 years later).
- 32GB DDR5 is plenty. 64GB if you like, but you'd be wasting money. 128GB if you want to waste more. :)
- Whatever case you choose, don't go fan crazy. One in the back, and maybe
one on the front is plenty. Make sure they are 4 wires / pin so you can adjust the
speeds in BIOS. (you can always add them later, if the case comes with 3 pin).
- A Zero dB power supply. Corsair, Antec, Asus, EVGA, Seasonic etc. Something name brand.
- I prefer ASUS motherboards.
- Go with onboard video, then you won't run into the DPC latency issues that happen particularly with Nvidia graphics cards. As well you don't have to deal with another whirring fan.
- Get name brand solid state hard drives. Samsung, Kingston are decent. You will be using NVMe on a new build like this.
- Do not use the stock Intel Fan. Look at the Noctua coolers, they are very quiet and install much better. Amazon has them.

The above is essentially my configuration. I run up to 32 tracks, with lots of VST plugins, a little bit of MIDI with no issues.

EL
Click to expand...
Agreed on no real need for a Graphics card for this machine. I have pretty much settled on going with an ASUS board and was also focusing on a Noctura CPU cooler. I'm also a Samsung guy :-). Thank you for your suggestions EL.
 
TalismanRich said:
PorterhouseMusic here on HR just snagged a $550 mini PC and was up a running quickly. 32GB, AMD Ryzen™ 7 8845HS, 1TB SSD. He said it's quiet and was a breeze to set up.

PorterhouseMusic

Thread 'Dedicated DAW Laptop'

I think I'm ready to finally purchase a dedicated laptop that will be used strictly for working in a DAW. I did read through a couple of threads here on the subject.

I expect to continue to capture performance data and do all tracking with the Tascam DP-32SD and then import those .wav's into the laptop DAW. I expect to use both Cubase and Reaper as I already have both of them and am moderately proficient with both.

Obviously - I want a lean, mean streamlined dedicated laptop. No bloatware or crap running in the background.

I am aware of PC Audio labs and am considering one of their...
  • Like

Getting an Ultra I9 with 128GB of RAM is like getting a Lamborghini to go to the grocery down the block.
Click to expand...
Thank you TalismanRich - Yeah, that's why I sought opinions on what I was thinking. It's looking like I wouldn't get much from an i9 other than less money in my pocket.
 
Kwall said:
Thank you TalismanRich - Yeah, that's why I sought opinions on what I was thinking. It's looking like I wouldn't get much from an i9 other than less money in my pocket.
Click to expand...
Just my two cents, I did way more research than is healthy about 3-4 months ago and came to basically the same conclusion that Talisman did. You can view the parts I would buy if I had the income here: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/DbGCMC (You wouldn't need that particular graphics card though, unless you also want to start gaming with your computer).
 
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Would recommend an intel build with 32 gb ram and dedicated nvidia video card.
 
An Nvidia card is not needed for DAW work. Onboard Intel UHD graphics will run just fine, and it eliminates an extra fan which would add extra noise. Video cards are notorious for running warm, thats why many have dual fans just to keep cool.

If you're doing lots of video work, then a dedicated video card has some value as it will speed up rendering especially having dedicated RAM.
 
I was a computer tech for 6 years and I totally disagree. I highly recommend not using an onboard video card. I just had an issue where my favorite plugins....once loaded up were totally freezing the machine, every single time. I tried everything over a period of weeks....and then it dawned on me that it could be the onboard (wimpy) graphics card causing a problem....as the cpu has to host both when loaded under graphics and other cpu loads. I purchased a GTX650 and the minute i installed it....the machine worked perfectly...no more freezing....and has worked since. ANYTHING where you are placing significant loads on the cpu....vst's...vsti's, etc....you don't want to use the onboard graphics. This is basic common sense. Why overload the cpu with graphics unnecessarily? Back in the day....we NEVER recommended on board graphics on any 'workstation'.
 
I guess I'll do more research. The majority of responses from different forums suggest that a video card is not needed, but I sure don't want any problems. Maybe I can find something with passive cooling and/or just oversize the PSU should I decide to add a card later.

Thanks to all that have responded!

Kwall
 
Trust me. Putting ALL THE STRESS on the cpu 'with' graphics and other processing is not optimal. Makes sense right? Sure does. You MAY get away with it, but you'll still be unnecessarily stressing/interrupting the cpu with graphics processing when you don't need to. The majority consensus is 'not' always accurate or informed....especially if you've experienced issues like this first hand as I have. When I was a tech....we never recommended on-board graphics ever (on workstations)....other that if it was for general business, paperwork, administration. That was the only thing on-board graphics was recommended for. Also, most of these graphics fans are essentially silent. The GTX650 I installed on my system really cannot be heard one you put the case cover on. You don't need to install a powerhouse Nvidia card with 4 fans blasting.....you just need a decent little Nvidia GTX or otherwise to handle the graphics processing on it's own. These cards are essentially almost free...they're so affordable...so there's no reason 'not to'.

Here's a few that will handle things nicely, while being quiet:

www.ebay.com

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I don't what era system you were dealing with but I've been running onboard graphics in DAWs for years with no issue. I suspect it was a peculiar instance with your system and software. Stressing the CPU? I just checked a mix with 18 tracks, 25 plugin FXs and the CPU usage was hovering around 6-8% and maxed out at 18% a few times. This is on a 10yr old system with a measly 4th gen Core I5. My 12th gen I5 doesn't break a sweat. I was playing the same mix and watching a Youtube video at the same time in two windows without a hiccup.

I know quite a few others who do the same. Probably 95% of the time that anyone is running a laptop, they are using on board video. FPS, shading and 4K video isn't needed for any DAW I've used.

I just checked two places that make computer systems specifically for studio use and both spec'd I7-14700 with onboard UHD Graphics 770. The one instance where they specified a graphics card was for triple display usage.

But what do I know? I've only been working with and building PCs for 20+ years.
 
To be honest I'm inclined to agree.
I could see some edge cases where there are compatibility issues between some software and Intel integrated graphics but, to be fair, you can get that with any graphics.

A modern machine should be more than capable of home recording duties, even with integrated graphics.
 
TalismanRich said:
I don't what era system you were dealing with but I've been running onboard graphics in DAWs for years with no issue. I suspect it was a peculiar instance with your system and software. Stressing the CPU? I just checked a mix with 18 tracks, 25 plugin FXs and the CPU usage was hovering around 6-8% and maxed out at 18% a few times. This is on a 10yr old system with a measly 4th gen Core I5. My 12th gen I5 doesn't break a sweat. I was playing the same mix and watching a Youtube video at the same time in two windows without a hiccup.

I know quite a few others who do the same. Probably 95% of the time that anyone is running a laptop, they are using on board video. FPS, shading and 4K video isn't needed for any DAW I've used.

I just checked two places that make computer systems specifically for studio use and both spec'd I7-14700 with onboard UHD Graphics 770. The one instance where they specified a graphics card was for triple display usage.

But what do I know? I've only been working with and building PCs for 20+ years.
Click to expand...

All I know is what I've experienced as a tech with onboard graphics cards (in general)....and what I recently experienced with my current plugins (lindell 80 series) and an on-board graphics card that was causing freezing issues. At 32 instances of the plugin on my machine with various other processors....the cpu was starting to reach 30-40 percent at peaks then would freeze everytime. That's not a lot of leeway. Why would I 'want' to interrupt the CPU unnecessarily or cause any potential issues, if I don't have to? Why would I NOT want to dedicate the entire CPU to processing audio? It's general common sense IMHO for basically any 'workstation' where professional standards are expected. It's like taking a risk when you don't have to.

I'd rather take care of this before hand....rather than compound any potential issues by taking the risk and then struggling to find out what it is later....especially when the cost is next to nothing. Some people really load up on processing with VSTi's, etc....which could pose even more issues with interrupting the CPU with 'graphics' requests.

Disclaimer: Take the risk if you want to, but don't say I didn't advise against it before hand.
 
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Hi Gang,
Here's an update...roast away if you must. But I do have a question about the leftovers at the end.
The components I chose are:

Intel CORE ULTRA 7 265K
ASUS ROG STRIX Z890-E (primarily because of the robust I/O)
96G DDR5 7200
2TB NVMe (will add my current 2TB & 1TB SSDs)
No graphics card at this time but on the verge of adding one just because (criminy, there's too many choices!), and will definitely add one if I have any otherwise "un-solvable" video related issues.

I believe this will be a more than sufficient PT Studio DAW PC and it has room to grow.

Question: I'm going to be left with a decent but Windows 10 limited machine (i7-7700 XPS-8920 w/Optane on a 1TB HDD). I'm wondering about turning it into primarily a backup storage device. I have acquired some smaller misc. SSDs (less than a TB total?) and 2-3TB of 7200RPM HDDs. I wouldn't spend $ to build this, but hey, the stuff's lying around so? I read that Direct SATA Connection would be the fastest PC-PC transfer followed by Ethernet. What do you think is the best way to utilize this stuff? Thank you again for any time you spend on this :-).
 
Kwall said:
Hi Gang,
Here's an update...roast away if you must. But I do have a question about the leftovers at the end.
The components I chose are:

Intel CORE ULTRA 7 265K
ASUS ROG STRIX Z890-E (primarily because of the robust I/O)
96G DDR5 7200
2TB NVMe (will add my current 2TB & 1TB SSDs)
No graphics card at this time but on the verge of adding one just because (criminy, there's too many choices!), and will definitely add one if I have any otherwise "un-solvable" video related issues.

I believe this will be a more than sufficient PT Studio DAW PC and it has room to grow.

Question: I'm going to be left with a decent but Windows 10 limited machine (i7-7700 XPS-8920 w/Optane on a 1TB HDD). I'm wondering about turning it into primarily a backup storage device. I have acquired some smaller misc. SSDs (less than a TB total?) and 2-3TB of 7200RPM HDDs. I wouldn't spend $ to build this, but hey, the stuff's lying around so? I read that Direct SATA Connection would be the fastest PC-PC transfer followed by Ethernet. What do you think is the best way to utilize this stuff? Thank you again for any time you spend on this :-).
Click to expand...
Just plug everything into a router, enable file sharing and transfer everything over the network. Either that or plug in a cross wired ethernet cable when you need to to transfer things. I use USB personally cause it's so easy, and you don't have to enable any networking, etc. It's fast enough to transfer a gig at a time for me.
 
That, sadly can be a mistake. I tried a network drive, and a NAS and all of the applications i use most perform pretty awfully. Specifically cubase with vstis in abundance. You even have to be selective about your internal drive speeds. Adobe Premiere is the same. Local files are fine, but over the network? Not good. I also have black magic video recorders and they record to cards. They can transfer the video over the network too, but while ok for a simple file transfer, it takes too long when all my gear is demanding data. It starts fast, then you see speeds plummet when you have 6 or more active. Cubase simply stops recording or playback mutes. Doing any music where the track requires a sound file reload while playing is just unreliable. Premiere suddenly display the missing media message for a few seconds. Local storage is the only trouble free way to work. Storage afterwards can be fine via the network, but not during production.
 
There's a number of ways you can go but if backing up is the goal then decide if network access is important,
because that determines whether or not you need to dedicate a whole computer to it.

If network access is important then do what GainBrain said.
Won't be the fastest solution in the world but does that matter?

What Rob says is valid - You probably don't want to be using this network storage as live storage
but, then, it's not a backup if you're doing that, is it? ;)

Work from the data on the main computer - Periodically backup that data to the other computer.


If network access isn't important then I'd just have a spare hard drive (preferably two) not connected to any machine and use that/those for backing up.
I favour that idea because the drives are only connected when backing up which reduces risk of threats like power surges, hacks, malware, etc.

There's no shortage of other solutions but I always figured if you've two spare copies of everything sitting on a shelf somewhere it'd take a lot for you to lose your data.
The only problem is remembering to back up once in a while. (y)
 
Just thought I would jump on the coat tails of this thread!

I am researching a refurbished laptop for my son in France. He presently has a Lenovo T430 W10 but I want to future proof him with a decent W11 machine around November time*.

So far, for my budget of around £600 I have found a 15.6" Lenovo, i7 gen10, 32G ram and 512G SSD. I am also going to put Reaper on it and hope the money will stretch to Samplitude 8.

Any comments pro or co' gratefully received.

For myself I shall carry on with this Lenovo W10 T510 but ultimately will go for a W11 mini PC as I have all the screens and keyboards already and I don't need 'portable'.

*I am hoping he will be coming back for my 80th BD in November.

Dave.
 
@rob aylestone

"Storage afterwards can be fine via the network, but not during production."

From what I read he wants to use it as a backup method, not live transfer during production. You got my words and his (maybe) wrong. I've used network transfer enough times that it works fine for moving files...the purpose of networking right? But I like to use USB, it works fine for me for backup, transfer, etc.
 
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