new computer for gaming/recording/mixing

FIXXXER

FIXXXER

¯\(°_o)/¯
Feb 18, 2008
4,478
25
48
Germany
for music production i am using cubase 5,
superior drummer 2, softube and slate digital plugins.
all of them are ressource hungry and i am getting to the
max of my curent computer:

win 7 64 bit
gigabyte ex38-ds5 mainboard
Q6600 4x2,4 ghz
8GB ram
RME HDSP 9632 audio card
XFX HD 5870 GPU
1TB samsung spinpint F3 HDD

for gaming it's still ok but i am looking forward to games like elder scrolls V,
battlefield3 etc. so i definitively will need more power if i want to enjoy these in MAX settings @ full HD resolution.

my budget is around 1800-2000€

i want a simple computer, i do not need any extra stuff, want
it to be as simple as posible!

i also looked at some dedicated audio machines, but i just don't get the point here.
ok, these machines are optimised for audio but the used hardware does not justify the stupid prices.

i also do not get the "optimized for audio" thing.
regarding performance a hi-end gaming PC should work
for audio as well right?

i looked at a few tests and stuff and i picked a few components out,
that may fit.

CASE: ???
POWER SUPPLY: be quiet 750W (or should 1000W be better?)
CPU: INTEL CORE i7 2600K 3,4GHz 1155
CPU FAN: ??? (good and quiet one?)
MB: ASUS P8P67 Deluxe R3 R/FW/DDR3 1155
GPU: GTX580 3072MB Zotac
SSD: SSD 2,5" 120GB OCZ Vertex 3
HDD: Samsung 1TB spin point F3
RAM: ??? (want 16GB ram, what's the "best" here?)

what do you computer experts think?
are these components OK?
what about the missing components, any advice?

i am also not sure about the GPU, i was a long time nvidia user and i never had any problems with nvidia cards.
then, i tried ATI. the performance is great but i am having serious issues from tme to time.

seems like the 5870 has some problems with my gigabyte mainboard.
i had this "horizontal stripes" problem, maybe you've heard of it.

the GTX580 seems to be a power monster but i am not sure if the GTX480 heat issues have been solved.
i am also not sure about the noise. i do not need a completely silent pc, but i do not want a hoover under my desk.

i also do not give a shit if the pc is loud while i am gaming, i always use headphones and i
max out the fand manually so everything stays cool.

it just has to be quiet when i am recording stuff, surfing the internet and doing all the other stuff...:D

so, any wise words for me?

cheers
S.

PS: is there any "new and better" stuff coming soon i should wait for?
 
@sprack
thanks for the info, so i can stick to the i7 sandy bridge CPU right? :)

@arv_foh
this case is actually part of computer i'd like to modify. i am looking for something
more simple, with a clean and plain front.

i'm also not going to overclock. luckily, i ave a nice budget so i'd rather buy stuff
that has enough power from the start.
i'll check out the ram. my current ram is G.skill also, and i am actually very happy with it. thanks! :)

cheers
S.
 
PSU: I would go for a Thermaltake or Coarsair 1000w, it would be safe with a sandy bridge to have a 1000w.
CPU Fan: Noctua NH-D14 (its large, so you have to make sure that the case that you want can fit it).
Memory: Take a look here: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicat...il;30_1198_685_685,Detail;30_1226_46329_46329

A little note, I would recommend running multiple HDD on the reason that registry errors from games and surfing the net plus the slowdown and greater risk for errors when you start loading up a drive is a pain in the ass. That way you have a dedicated drive for music production that cannot be effected by playing games and other casual jazz. And when you do have to reformat and reinstall say the non-music partition, you don't have to worry about reinstalling all your music related programs.

Also, since you asked, I have never had any problems with my 5850 that I have in my gigabyte board (it used to be in another gigabyte board as well with no problems) and we have another PC gigabyte board with two 6870s without any problems minus some games get worse performance when in xfire but that's the game programmers fault not the cards or board. Not sure if you are having issues from a faulty piece of hardware or your drivers are messed up or you are overheating the card, but sounds like something isn't right.
 
Yes you can stick to Sandy Bridge. There are some attachements to Ivy Bridge you may or may not care about, but they'll be of more use to the mobile people since it concentrates on the IGP. IB is getting an enormous pipe to the discrete memory for the IGP, but for people running discrete gfx its irrelevant. It will be pin compatible with SB too so you should be able to pop on in your existing board. The IOMMU adds support for PCIE3.0 as well. Power should be around %15-20 less. Should overclock better as well.
 
@TheWinterSnow
the corsair 1000W psu looks great but it's a bit pricey, not sure if it will fit my budget.
what about the 750W version? maybe this one would be enough?

the CPU fan is gigantic, haha 1,25 kilogram, WTF? :lol:
can this one be mounted regulary or do i need to modify anything?
i am not going to overclock the computer, so maybe something smaler would be better?

i'm also not sure if i should go with a mini or midi tower.
the LIAN LI PC-8FIB looks great and it's made out of aluminium, which is very good for heat deflection IIRC.
8fu-03.jpg



multiple HDD...i tried to set up a dual boot system several times but i failed every time.
even a friend of mine who is working in the IT industry could not get it running,
i think the gigabyte mainboard is causing the problems but i am not sure...

thanks! :)

cheers
S.
 
sprack said:
Yes you can stick to Sandy Bridge. There are some attachements to Ivy Bridge you may or may not care about, but they'll be of more use to the mobile people since it concentrates on the IGP. IB is getting an enormous pipe to the discrete memory for the IGP, but for people running discrete gfx its irrelevant. It will be pin compatible with SB too so you should be able to pop on in your existing board. The IOMMU adds support for PCIE3.0 as well. Power should be around %15-20 less. Should overclock better as well.
Click to expand...

thanks for the info man! :)
i think the i7 will give me good performance for a few years.
what about the rest of the setup, is it ok so far?

cheers
S.
 
I have a Noctua NH-D14, it's MASSIVE. Pretty silent and does the job (I don't OC, AMD 1090T stays at 34 C). I'd look into some Yate Loons for fans or something, the Noctuas are silent but don't move that much air. I'm happy with mine though! I fell out of watching coolers actively but I remember the Prolimatech Megahalems being neck and neck with the massive Noctua and sometimes better. I just couldn't be arsed too much and went for the Noctua.

Whatever you do pay the premium and get a modular PSU. Cabling will be a nightmare without it! I have a Corsair TX750 (non modular) and it has served me well and is pretty silent. I'd also get a 6950 reference card, and unlock the shaders (what I have done). It is the noisiest part of the PC definitely though!

And yeah get sandy bridge or wait for AMD Bulldozer in a month or two. I don't know if Bulldozer will be anything great in performance per clock, but extra cores really come in handy if you use a multicore optimized (and optimized well) DAW like Reaper for instance ;). Games will not suffer much, they all run off the GPU anyways.I don't really see a massive difference in price going Sandy Bridge i7 versus old school i7 so...
 
Oh and my ATi card paid itself back in full. But those were the golden days when you could mine 300$ worth of bitcoins in a month hehe. The NVidias have woeful integer calculation performance. Not an issue anymore but beware any used AMD cards, they've been worked to death I bet you.
 
@kvoid
that prolimatech megahalems monster looks interesting, it's completely passive right?
yeah, the last time i bought a PSU, it was a modular one. these are so much better,
the next will be modular for sure.

thanks! :)

cheers
S.
 
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