Help me choose a computer

  • Thread starter Thread starter Chelonian
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Chelonian

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I've asked before but life got in the way and I didn't really do music this year. I have a little bit better lay of the land now and there have been some changes in the past year so I'm asking again, a bit more narrowed down:

I want to get a better (non-Apple) computer for both music recording and general use (writing, web, YouTube, Office type applications, PDFs, a little programming...no gaming). The music recording, as I've mention in a previous question, is nothing extreme. Less than 20 tracks, with some effects/plugins, with sounds coming from acoustic recordings (instruments, voice) and maybe some digital instruments (drums, etc.). I have used Audacity but will probably learn Reaper and use that.

From what I gather here and elsewhere, anything newer than about about a 4th-6th generation Intel chip, particular i5 or i7, should be fine. I'm thinking just to treat myself to a little faster computer and buy some usage runway with it I'd maybe aim for an 8th gen chip, i5 or i7. Or the roughly equivalent AMD chips. Then 16-32 GB RAM, and an SSD (not sure if makes a difference for it to be NVMe).

Now, that said, I'd also like the computer to be:
  • Absent of dropouts or struggling to work for me to create music (or do my basic computing tasks), of course.
  • Entirely unheard on acoustic recordings (fan noise, coil whine, disk ticks (but I'll turn off HDDs), etc.)
  • As cheap as possible. I'm assuming I can get something unimpressive but perfectly workable for $150-$300 (used or refurbished. Maybe new if mini PC but see below.)
  • Set up with an external monitor (it doesn't have to be portable, though that's slightly nice to have.)
  • Running Linux and working with my MOTU M2. (Should be anything but I'll just mention that.)
  • Used, preferably, as it's cheaper and I like to prevent e-waste (but I'll buy new if it is the best option)
  • Physically small if possible, though this isn't all that important. It is just appealing.
So, given those constraints, these seem like my options, with comments:
  1. Used desktop. Could be fine, especially a small form factor one. Could be issues with wear/dust/BIOS.
  2. Refurbished desktop. Significantly pricier but more guaranteed?
  3. Used laptop. Could be fine, has slight advantage of portability if I feel like writing in a coffee shop someday. Less bang for buck than desktop.
  4. New fanless mini PC. I love the zero noise! Small size is cool. But I get the sense that most fanless miniPCs, though coming in below $300, are running not-very-fast chips, like N100 or N150, which are much slower than an 8th gen i5.
  5. New fan-havin' mini PC. If quiet enough, OK. Small size, warranty, fast. Most expensive (>$300 I think for sure). Little worried about the long term reliability of these machines.
Q: Is an 8th gen computer a good sweet spot for budget and performance? And of my 5 choices of computer type, which make the most sense?
 
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Sounds like you've thought about this more than me, but just to give you something to go from, this is my laptop's chipset from 2015, and it's able to run Reaper with heavy FX no problem until I get into the 30-40 track range. (After that it really chugs.)

Untitled.webp
 
I have had lots of kit from DV247 and i seriously doubt they would sell you a poor system. It looks solid to me.
 
For (Win 11?) laptops I have bought my son a Lenovo E590 i5 gen 8* 512 ssd and 16G ram 15.6" screen . I have Reaper on it and the 11 track demo plays out of my M4 with no problems at 44.1kHz and 128 samples. I would suggest if you can to go for a bigger hard drive and 32G ram for future proofing. That specc' is my budget limit. We have had no bother with 8Gram except son has had "hangs" when trying to do some very basic video work. Soundswise, nary a problem.

A faster SSD might be useful but again...wonga! I too like the idea of a super powered mini PC and I have enough monitors and ***t to run one but space is an issue and laptops are SO convenient!

*I ordered a refurbed i7 but this i5 turned up but it seems fast enough. They knocked a nifty off so it cost me £300. I think you do better in $$land?

Dave.
 
The 8th gen Core I7 should be adequate for a while, but it's not anywhere close to a sweet spot. It's more lowest point of a "current" requirements... UEFI and TMP2.0.

Just browsing Best Buy, they have a Geekom mini PC listed for $560. Geekom - IT13 2025 Edition Mini PC, 13th Gen Intel i9-13900HK, 32GB RAM& 2TB SSD. If that can't run your DAW without a hitch, you have issues. The advantages are in more cores (14 cores) and much faster memory (DDR4 or DDR5). You can figure it should last 8 to 10 years in terms of compatibility. While it might be a couple of hundred more than a bottom line computer, that works out to be about $30 more per year.

Hey, I like a bargain as much as the next guy, but there's a time where saving $100 isn't really a bargain.

As someone who paid over $1700 for a 80386SX-25 computer with 512K memory, and 40MB hard drive, that price is insanely cheap. (oh yeah, that was 35+ years ago so $1700 was a lot more money than today).
 
shmaller said:
Sounds like you've thought about this more than me, but just to give you something to go from, this is my laptop's chipset from 2015, and it's able to run Reaper with heavy FX no problem until I get into the 30-40 track range. (After that it really chugs.)

View attachment 150867
Click to expand...
Thanks, that's interesting to have a good "floor" for what system can handle what.
 
ecc83 said:
For (Win 11?) laptops I have bought my son a Lenovo E590 i5 gen 8* 512 ssd and 16G ram 15.6" screen . I have Reaper on it and the 11 track demo plays out of my M4 with no problems at 44.1kHz and 128 samples. I would suggest if you can to go for a bigger hard drive and 32G ram for future proofing. That specc' is my budget limit. We have had no bother with 8Gram except son has had "hangs" when trying to do some very basic video work. Soundswise, nary a problem.

A faster SSD might be useful but again...wonga! I too like the idea of a super powered mini PC and I have enough monitors and ***t to run one but space is an issue and laptops are SO convenient!

*I ordered a refurbed i7 but this i5 turned up but it seems fast enough. They knocked a nifty off so it cost me £300. I think you do better in $$land?

Dave.
Click to expand...
Thanks for that data point!
 
TalismanRich said:
The 8th gen Core I7 should be adequate for a while, but it's not anywhere close to a sweet spot. It's more lowest point of a "current" requirements... UEFI and TMP2.0.

Just browsing Best Buy, they have a Geekom mini PC listed for $560. Geekom - IT13 2025 Edition Mini PC, 13th Gen Intel i9-13900HK, 32GB RAM& 2TB SSD. If that can't run your DAW without a hitch, you have issues. The advantages are in more cores (14 cores) and much faster memory (DDR4 or DDR5). You can figure it should last 8 to 10 years in terms of compatibility. While it might be a couple of hundred more than a bottom line computer, that works out to be about $30 more per year.

Hey, I like a bargain as much as the next guy, but there's a time where saving $100 isn't really a bargain.

As someone who paid over $1700 for a 80386SX-25 computer with 512K memory, and 40MB hard drive, that price is insanely cheap. (oh yeah, that was 35+ years ago so $1700 was a lot more money than today).
Click to expand...
You have a point! I know even a very modest computer by today's standards would be way more than I'll need for quite a few years, so I'm more inclined to just do that but maybe I should think more long term. I read the reviews on that Geekom and they were rather mixed; a few people had to return them as they kept flaking out. Some said the fans were loud, etc. But I agree the specs are really fast and yes, the prices for computers long ago were nuts. Back then, I also paid way too much for something that was much less powerful than a burner TracFone from five years ago--and when I had almost no money.
 
If you look at the makeup of the mini PCs, they are basically a laptop formula in a square box. That 13900HX is a laptop CPU. the M2 SSD takes up little room. Most mini PCs use a standard SODIMM for memory, so they are upgradeable, unlike most laptops these days, where the memory is soldered to the motherboard. And the cooling system is very similar to a laptop with a heatpipe coming from the processor and a fan to vent the heat away. Bigger fans usually mean quieter operation.

Power supply is external, just like your laptop.

If you want to save $$$, you can look at something like the Ryzen 7 5825U. It's a couple generations old, but still a very capable processor and should get you in the $300 range with 16GB and 512GB SSD. One nice thing about some of the mini PCs is that they can often add a SATA SSD, so if you find you've filled up 500GB, add a 2TB SATA drive later on. Just look at specs when you're actually buying.
 
A large case with several large fans running well below their limits will be a quiet option. Same with a power supply running well below capacity. My 12th generation i9 doesn't break a sweat rendering videos because of the big case, big fans and beefy power supply.
 
If you've got the money, try looking at the computers at PC Audio Labs. They're not cheap, but they are specifically designed for music. I got one a few months ago, spent $2300.00, and it's saved me a lot of headaches and BS in setup. It runs Windows 11 Home. So far, it's been running smoothly, with none of the crazy shit that occurs with generic store-bought/online purchased computers. The problem with your average computer is that really crazy stuff can happen during set-up and the fact is, they are not designed for music production. I bought a cheaper one last year for our remote studio (around 500 bucks), and it turned into a disaster--lost files, crazy hiccups during recording, bizarre error messages, etc. The computers at PC Audio Labs are customizable, and the people running the operation know what they're doing, and their customer service (which I have not had to use) is said to be very good indeed. I did not want to spend that amount of money, but am glad I did. Definitely check it out!
 
TimOD said:
If you've got the money, try looking at the computers at PC Audio Labs. They're not cheap, but they are specifically designed for music. I got one a few months ago, spent $2300.00, and it's saved me a lot of headaches and BS in setup. It runs Windows 11 Home. So far, it's been running smoothly, with none of the crazy shit that occurs with generic store-bought/online purchased computers. The problem with your average computer is that really crazy stuff can happen during set-up and the fact is, they are not designed for music production. I bought a cheaper one last year for our remote studio (around 500 bucks), and it turned into a disaster--lost files, crazy hiccups during recording, bizarre error messages, etc. The computers at PC Audio Labs are customizable, and the people running the operation know what they're doing, and their customer service (which I have not had to use) is said to be very good indeed. I did not want to spend that amount of money, but am glad I did. Definitely check it out!
Click to expand...
We have a similar company over here called Scan.

Dave.
 
Thanks for that, Dave.
After fighting with my new german setup computer from MusicStore (DV247), I realise I have to buy another one for the DAW.
The reason is: The Console and DAW are in one room, and my acoustic recording space is in another, and my drums are in yet another.
My plan is to remotely access the DAW screen from the other rooms, so I don't need to get off my arse for retakes.
The german PC is Win 11 PRO, and that is required for remote accessing of other PCs.
It is OK for the target DAW PC to be Win11 Home.
My other issues are the Antelope Galaxy 32 interface works best with a ProTools specific interface card (think it is called HDX), but can work adequately with Thunderbolt 3.
You can double the channel count with HDX.
I will check out Scan.
Also note: ProTools does not support AMD.
 
"
I will check out Scan.
Also note: ProTools does not support AMD." Ah! Slight buggeration there Ray because their top bllx range IS AMD. Before that though they were mostly Intel and so I am sure they can build you a stonkng i9 "something".

Their top bloke is called Pete and used to appear regularly in the SoS forum. Now you have made me think again of Scan it has made me realize that I have not seen anything from him for some time. I hope he is OK because he was a most helpful guy, always ready to give advice which is rare for company people to do on forums.

Kane! Just come to this old, meds ridden brain Peter Kane.

Dave.
 
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