PC for Music production and occasional Gaming/rendering etc

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1

Hi! I have been REALLY into PC's and stuff, a couple of years ago, but the tides has turned and I'm now all about music. I need to build a PC for Music production (Running a Surface pro with Ableton Live 9 Suite, and think an upgrade comes to right). If you've got any experience with this, hit me!

The reason i don't want to give it a go, is that i don't have ANY experience with production oriented PC's, more like gaming! But that's not what I need, although if a computer that is focused towards music production can play games, and do AfterEffetcs, then I'll gladly take that!

Hook up with me, if you have some advice on what to buy. (I'm not biased in any way, towards any brand, since i've owned most, and never has anything failed me). The other thing, is that i don't have a despicable amount of money, so please, not too expensive.

Cheers, Frede!

P.S. EVERYTHING is fucking expensive in the DK and therefore, things that seem cheap in the US aren't necessarily cheap where i live. I use DKK (Danish Crowns) and 1 USD equates to roughly 5,5 DKK, Pounds-wise, 1 GBP = 9 DKK

P.P.S Here are a feww of the sites that i consider buying on!

http://www.computersalg.dk/g/193

https://www.komplett.dk/k/kd.aspx?bn=10000

http://cdon.dk/hjemme-elektronik/computer_komponenter/

And hereby a little glossary, so that you can brag on danish:

Bundkort = Mobo

Grafikkort = GPU

Strømforsyning = PSU

Ask if there's anyting else, otherwise, Google is your friend!

Thanks!

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Here's what you have to keep in mind when building an audio rig.

-You need a cpu with a high ipc per core, audio stuff is not that good at utilizing multiple cores. So your choice should be limited to Intel cpu's(no fanboy, I love AMD but per core performance just is lower on AMD).

(https://www.komplett.dk/intel-core-i5-4670k/780485) can be overclocked for more performance

-You need as much ram as you can get you're hands on to keep everything in ram and not on the pagefile. In a gaming rig this is not such a big issue.

2x(https://www.komplett.dk/hyperx-fury-ddr3-1600mhz-8gb-blue/812842)

-Don't forget about the screen, the more pixels the easier the workflow.

-You want a decent motherboard, psu and cooling to minimize any noise.

(https://www.komplett.dk/asus-b85m-g-socket-1150/782480)

(https://www.komplett.dk/cooler-master-b600-600w-psu/777970)

(https://www.komplett.dk/cooler-master-hyper-212-evo-cpu-kler/657097)

-You need a good set of speakers that are not from a gaming brand, perhaps a couple of krk's AND a nice soundcard to drive them. I really like focusrites units: sapphire scarlett 2i2. Maybe also a nice pair of headphones, I have a set of hd202's and a set of hd215's, both really good at their own pricepoint.

-An ssd will be nice to have a good workflow.

(https://www.komplett.dk/crucial-m500-ssd-25-120gb/777314)

other parts:

(https://www.komplett.dk/fractal-design-core-1000-usb-30/778358) own it myself, very nice for it's price

or (https://www.komplett.dk/corsair-carbide-200r-midi-tower-sort/769204)

and (https://www.komplett.dk/wd-desktop-blue-1tb/753350)

If you also want to game with it you will need a nice gpu that can be utilized by after effects' engine. Either with cuda or with opencl, research which cpu's are supported for YOUR VERSION of after effects.

a gtx 760 or 670 card might be an option, check here as well:

https://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/policy-pricing/system-requirements-effects.html

Ps, i feel your pain with expensive parts... I'm from Belgium, prices suck here too.

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Thanks IMADMAN! I've already got an AKAI EIE Soundcard, Vertex 4 120 GB SSD, A 2.5" generic 750 gb HDD, And a standard 1080p Samsung monitor, so it seems like i can overcome this, and actually upgrade a bit!

How does the Chipset affect the PC (i need a ton of USB ports). also I've heard that Z87 i for better than Z85 at overclocking

Also, I'm considering making it portable, so that i can gig with it. I've tried many laptops on the road,but none seemed totally reliable, which of course is bad, when you're getting paid to play, and then the PC breaks down... 

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The parts you have seem to be good enough. The chipset is indeed important if you really want those usb ports (natively that is, without extra chips). If you really want to overclock go with a z87 from a reputable brand, I prefer gigabyte > asus > msi > all others. Making a desktop portable is going to be hell, I have tried what you are suggesting and it is not fun or easy to do. Do you gig with ableton(as in playing tons of clips) or only play finished tracks?

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I do Live looping, with tons on tracks, and instruments, both VST, internal and external hardware instruments, within Ableton. In short, real-time audio, effects, midi-playback, and live triggering of clips. I need a pretty serious powerhouse for this, bbut i don't have the money to build the ideal for my scenario

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That kinda sounds like a hell of a heavy task, congrats on doing so(if it sounds nice, have any videos/audio of it?).

What you could do is build an all-in-one type of rig to keep size/weight and mess at live gigs to a sane level. Gigabyte has such a device: http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4353#kf. If your current monitor has vesa mounts you could also hack it and construct a case of your own, but it'll require patience and a bit of metalworking/woodworking experience...

Or try to make a reaaaally tiny system with a super tiny case, psu and mini itx mobo...

Or try to find a decent laptop and beef it up a bit.

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Unfortunantly, i must say no to the video/audio thing. But i was considering a M-itx mobo (Maybe ASUS p9z87-i PRO), with a 4670k, and an abundance of ram, in a CM elite 120. And just leave the rendering for now, and game on the IG 

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Shame! You could also look at the bitfenix prodigy, it's really nice looking and has handles. Also, IG is going to suck...

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I've considered the Prodigy, many times, But i think I'm gonna make my own ;) IG is what i'm using now.. I'm not talking big AAA titles... Awesomenauts, Hearthstone, WC3, HoMM3, Democracy 3, Civ V, TF2 are all the games i play. And IG on a 4670K isn't that bad!

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Nice plan! And yeah, those sound fine on IG.

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Anyways, Thanks for the advice man! Helped out alot! Hope to see you again at some point

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No problem. Me to!