Custom pc build. Thoughts on these specs?

F

frank1985

Active member
What do you guys think of these specs?

I'm looking to make it as future proof as I can within my budget of £1-1.3k. I'm running omnisphere, kontakt libraries, orchestral templates, plus the Adobe editing suite.

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/zy4dVW

Overkill perhaps? What would you change to bring the price down? I'm guessing CPU and ram are the most important.

I'm also adding a few nvme m.2 drives
 
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Are you doing any video editing? If not, I would stick with the onboard video processor. You specified a 13700K which has Intel UHD Graphics 770. I don't know of any audio programs that use video processing as an aid. That alone would save you £260 and you could always add a video card if you determine you need it for other purposes.
 
Not my area but I see from the spec' of that MOBO under video it says "depends upon CPU". Might that mean that it has no on board video support?

Some years ago I got a good deal on an Asus MOBO and AMD processor and was then jiggered when I found no graphics capability! I had to make a quick dash down to Maplins to buy a graph card. If you do need a G card then I am sure Rich will agree that it does not need to be an expensive 'gamer" jobby? You will want it passively cooled as well.

Dave.
 
Dave’s last sentence is key. Noise. All those big impressive computers produce loads of heat, and cost more to run. I used to lewve my music PC on 24/7. Most reliable system ever, then I ‘upgraded’. Noise went up, computer went in a separate cupboard in the studio, electricity costs went up, 24/7 became too much and reliability went down. Music is pretty undemanding of the computers, bar storage and RAM. The way modern vsti products work, speed of data is key. My mac fast m.2 drive that held my native stuff got corrupted, and temporarily i moved the content to an older big drive. Cubase slowed to a crawl because clearly my ram wasnt sufficient, and the drive too and fro wasn't able to keep up. The new drive arrived, and content put back and now cubase is happy again. Ive never bothered that much about data transfer rates but now i do. Ssd is essential, not nice when sample packages are huge!
 
Dave,
Most current Intel Core processors have GPU built in, unless you specify the "F" versions. That's why the mobo says "depends on CPU". The motherboards themselves don't have any video chips.
 
TalismanRich said:
Dave,
Most current Intel Core processors have GPU built in, unless you specify the "F" versions. That's why the mobo says "depends on CPU". The motherboards themselves don't have any video chips.
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SO OODate Rich! I have managed to find a rear view of that board and there is an HDMI port and what seems to be a Display port? So maybe OP is ok.

Dave.
 
The chosen CPU has Intel UDH 770 built into it, and the motherboard has ports for it so, yes, the selection made would be fine. (y)
 
There used to be a 'thing' about graphics cards and home builds for audio? It was said (but never proved AFAIK) that where a MOBO had on board graphics it was best to fit a modest G card to take the load off ram? I guess ram size and CPU power is now so high that it matters little...If it ever did!

Dave.
 
Although integrated graphics have moved from motherboard to CPU, they do still use the system memory
but you're right in guessing that's less of an issue now.
Back when the system memory might have been 4gb (maxed out!) it could have made all the difference to have a discrete GPU with its own 512MB or 1GB ram, keeping as much system ram as possible available.

These days you just get 16 or 32 gb ram and forget about it. (y)
 
The nice thing is that if the OP ever wants to add a video card, the capability is still there. He has spec'd a big enough power supply to handle today's video cards, which tend to be quite power hungry. The MSI that he specified takes 170W by itself, so with the 13700K which tops out at about 270W in Turbo mode, means you need at least a 600W supply. Plus the MSI has dual fans, which is two more things to make noise.

The Vertex2 is a gaming card and far beyond what is needed for audio recording. With 64GB RAM, he should have plenty to handle the Kontact libraries, etc.
 
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