New music production PC spec - what do you think?
Posted: Fri Nov 29, 2013 12:22 pm
Hi guys.
I'm hoping you can help me. I'm new to the forums, but I've been a reader for a while and the site has already helped me out no end - this place is awesome ! But now I need a bit of direct advice please.
I’ve been specing up a new PC which is intended for music production. The specific aims of this build are to make a machine which is as fast/powerful as possible (with moderate OC’ing), whilst focusing on keeping it as close to virtual silence as I can. This post has already given me plenty to go on, but I've got a few questions of my own that I now need to ask.
Below are all of the parts I've got in mind, so I’d like your opinion. I know given the ton of reviews I’ve ploughed through that most of these parts are held in high esteem. So I guess what would really be useful is for anyone to suggest any reasons they know of NOT to use anything here. Basically I want to know about any concerns I should have which I might have overlooked.
Case: Nanoxia Deep Silence 1
Mobo: Either an Asus Z87-A or an MSI Z87-G45
CPU: Intel i7 4770K
Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE
RAM: Corsair XMS3 DDR3 Dual Channel 8GB or 16gb (likely 16gb)
SSD: Samsung Evo 840 120GB (for Windows 7 OS only, dual boot - one music, one everyday use)
PSU: Seasonic Fanless 520W Platinum SS-520FL2
I won’t be adding a soundcard since I’ve got an M-Audio USB audio interface, and I’ll be using the onboard graphics rather than adding an unnecessary heat-generating GPU at present. The audio interface can be powered externally, but I’ll simply power it via USB, along with a USB synth/midi controller keyboard – hence the 520w PSU.
I’m assuming that even though I have a dual-fan cooler in there, it’ll still be worth buying the fanless PSU since in the end it’s better to have as few items contributing to noise as possible?
Finally, one other particular concern is the mobo – Asus vs MSI. Basically, this is where I’m really undecided. Like many, Asus have been my go-to brand in the past, so it’s a matter of trust and familiarity. But the reviews of each board linked in the list above seem to say the MSI board is a winner while the Asus is a let down (although this might be more from a gaming perspective). My concern is that I’ve read less than flattering things about MSI, to the tune that their kit is great when it works, but often doesn’t and then their support is abysmal. If you were building this PC and just had to pick a board, which for these 2 would you go for? Or would you go for something else entirely?
Thanks
Mike
I'm hoping you can help me. I'm new to the forums, but I've been a reader for a while and the site has already helped me out no end - this place is awesome ! But now I need a bit of direct advice please.
I’ve been specing up a new PC which is intended for music production. The specific aims of this build are to make a machine which is as fast/powerful as possible (with moderate OC’ing), whilst focusing on keeping it as close to virtual silence as I can. This post has already given me plenty to go on, but I've got a few questions of my own that I now need to ask.
Below are all of the parts I've got in mind, so I’d like your opinion. I know given the ton of reviews I’ve ploughed through that most of these parts are held in high esteem. So I guess what would really be useful is for anyone to suggest any reasons they know of NOT to use anything here. Basically I want to know about any concerns I should have which I might have overlooked.
Case: Nanoxia Deep Silence 1
Mobo: Either an Asus Z87-A or an MSI Z87-G45
CPU: Intel i7 4770K
Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE
RAM: Corsair XMS3 DDR3 Dual Channel 8GB or 16gb (likely 16gb)
SSD: Samsung Evo 840 120GB (for Windows 7 OS only, dual boot - one music, one everyday use)
PSU: Seasonic Fanless 520W Platinum SS-520FL2
I won’t be adding a soundcard since I’ve got an M-Audio USB audio interface, and I’ll be using the onboard graphics rather than adding an unnecessary heat-generating GPU at present. The audio interface can be powered externally, but I’ll simply power it via USB, along with a USB synth/midi controller keyboard – hence the 520w PSU.
I’m assuming that even though I have a dual-fan cooler in there, it’ll still be worth buying the fanless PSU since in the end it’s better to have as few items contributing to noise as possible?
Finally, one other particular concern is the mobo – Asus vs MSI. Basically, this is where I’m really undecided. Like many, Asus have been my go-to brand in the past, so it’s a matter of trust and familiarity. But the reviews of each board linked in the list above seem to say the MSI board is a winner while the Asus is a let down (although this might be more from a gaming perspective). My concern is that I’ve read less than flattering things about MSI, to the tune that their kit is great when it works, but often doesn’t and then their support is abysmal. If you were building this PC and just had to pick a board, which for these 2 would you go for? Or would you go for something else entirely?
Thanks
Mike