Clueless trying to build a powerful Budget Music Production PC

Hightension01

Reputable
Mar 26, 2014
8
0
4,510
My band mates and I are beginning to produce and record our own music, I need a build with a powerful CPU and High ram.

I don't need a dedicated GPU as I will only be running one monitor and won't be using any graphics intensive software.

Also I plan on using an external Audio Interface so I don't need any fancy sound cards, just something that will be compatible with ASIO.

I'd prefer FireWire and wireless networking.

The CPU and RAM are most important.

I have no clue to start and I'd like to keep it under 1000$ with the OS
 

Hightension01

Reputable
Mar 26, 2014
8
0
4,510
I've already picked the audio interface (external sound card).

I really just need help picking my entire build haha, I'm pretty much asking for a solid build and I'll buy it and build it.
 

IRONBATMAN

Honorable
Here
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($189.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Kingston 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($84.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($57.98 @ OutletPC)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($45.99 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ Micro Center)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($18.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($84.98 @ OutletPC)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WDN4800 802.11a/b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($34.99 @ Micro Center)
Total: $782.87
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-26 01:54 EDT-0400)

You may need a USB-Bluetooth adapter , peripherals, and a monitor
 


The thing you actually don't want to forget is a GPU since the fx 8350 doesn't have integrated graphics.

Also, get an aftermarket CPU cooler since AMD stock coolers are painfully noisy.
 

IRONBATMAN

Honorable
The fact that AMD's CPUs have more cores make it better for music production. Intel CPUs boast single core power and lower power consumption. the FX-8350 would be best for his purpose.

Try the fan from AMD first, if it's too noisy for you, get another.

If you feel that you may play games occasionally, then a entry level GPU such as the HD 7770 would do.
Here's one
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202084

But if you really don't play games, then just get the cheapest GPU you can find... That is of course not too outdated


 
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus M5A78L-M/USB3 Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($54.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($84.81 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($84.81 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GT 630 1GB Video Card ($67.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Thermaltake Armor A30 ATX Mini Tower Case ($116.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 400W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Mwave)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Micro Center)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($84.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $850.51
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-26 09:21 EDT-0400)

You should be fine video editing on a low end card. It would only really impact performance if you are using Open GL, which I doubt you would be.

I went for a smaller, cube micro-ATX setup. It should use up less space. I also dropped the FX-8350 to the 8320 to save a bit a money.

There's two 2 TB harddrives. One is for your OS and files, the other is strictly for backing up the first drive. Backups are important and should be run every night basically.
 
Solution


It'd be easier to set up RAID 1 so that everything would be immediately and effortlessly backed up.
 


But potentially a lot of more difficult to extract the data from Disk2 if the RAID controller or Motherboard failed.