Need silent workstation build with heavy CPU capacity & Thunderbolt for audio

Jamie Rustic

Prominent
Jul 14, 2017
7
0
510
Hello:

While I'm considering one of the new 2017 Apple computers, I would appreciate any suggestions for a workstation build to replace my existing (modified) 2008 Mac Pro- 8 core 2.8GHz 32GB w/ssd. My current machine is used for audio production and I would really like a box that I can plan to use for years, much as I did with the Mac Pro. Win10 would be the OS.

The build had to be as silent as possible (one area Mac Pros are great). CPU is the long pole in the tent. Also, Thunderbolt connectivity is a must.

I've looked thru a number of the builds on this site but haven't seen any that really match these requirements. Any help would be appreciated!

DETAILS

Approximate Purchase Date: Now thru end of 2017

Budget Range: Approx $2500

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Audio recording

Are you buying a monitor: No

Parts to Upgrade: None

Do you need to buy OS: No

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg.com/Amazon

Location: Denver, CO

Parts Preferences: Intel CPU

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: No

Additional Comments: This won't be used for gaming, so GPU is not overriding requirement. Soundcard is external.

Why Are You Upgrading: Replace 2008 Mac Pro- 8 core 2.8GHz 32GB w/ssd
 
Solution
Right now I'll suggest you take the advice of 13thmonkey and wait, at least until Coffee Lake is released and the reviews/data is in.

Apart from the possibility that the new Intel chips will run cooler than the current toasters there's another reason to hold off: AMD Threadripper. While this isn't of interest to YOU (no Thunderbolt motherboards), its presence may very well see Intel start to cut their CPU/MB prices to remain fully competitive, indeed it's looking like the Big Blue is starting to feel some minor discomfort caused by Ryzen and Threadripper is aimed fairly and squarely at where Intel makes its big money: Workstation/servers, exactly the kind of professional user you seem to be.

In the meantime, while you wait you can...
For an 6/8 core part you're going to pay quite a bit for the Intel option. Could we suggest builds with AMD Ryzen CPUs instead or is this a carved in stone requirement?
Also, can we transfer the SSD or should we include, say, a 512Gb PCI-E NVMe drive?
 

Jamie Rustic

Prominent
Jul 14, 2017
7
0
510


coozie: yes. i am fine with transplanting the ssd into the new system. while i am not locked into intel i would probably prefer it (and to spend more) unless there is a huge gain with amd.
 

Jamie Rustic

Prominent
Jul 14, 2017
7
0
510


13th: apologies- i may not fully understand your suggestion. i understand coffee lake cpus are out later (h2?) but 6c12t is amd, yes? what does that mean?

thx, jr
 
Coffee lake is the next step beyond Sky and Kaby lake. It is due out in the 2nd half of 2017. It will probably have 6 cores and 12 threads on it's i7 parts. Which for a highly contention sensitive application like audio processing is useful.

It shouldn't be as hot as the skylake X and Kaby X parts and therefore silence will be easier to achieve.

If it were 1st half of 2018, I wouldn't suggest it, but seems to fit inside your buying timeframe.
 
^+1, with the current Intel parts running so hot, regardless of cooling system employed, it might be better to hold off and see how Coffee Lake works out, although this will depend very much on how urgent the upgrade is.

The core/thread bit is basically the CPU has X physical cores, (6C,8C,10C etc) but some CPUs can send two different program threads to each core, while others can send only one, Intel calls this Hyyperthreading while AMD calls it simultaneous Multithreading (SMT). Parts WITH Hyperthtreading might be 4C/8T or 8C/16T while those without would be 4C/4T and 8C/8T.
Being able to muse many cores/threads can be very useful, but the software must be written to take advantage of it, if you're unsure about this contact the vendor or supplier, it would be pointless purchasing an expensive multi core Hyperthreaded CPU when a much cheaper 4 core part will do just as well.

Looks like I missed out on the Thunderbolt requirement, my bad, there :( ATM it's an Intel/Apple option only, no AMD motherboards carry it so you're 'stuck' with Intel no matter what.


 


My thought behind many threads is not can the specific software utilise it particularly, but can windows use it so that other applications are less likely to steal that vital thread/clock cycle that might be needed when doing more real time activities, which I imagine sound work is quite close to.
 
@ 13thmonkey: Hard to say just how many threads/cores Jamie Rustic will actually need to make this build an actual upgrade rather than a simple replacement, indeed he may only need a replacement if the current system is still performing well, but I do see your point.
 

Jamie Rustic

Prominent
Jul 14, 2017
7
0
510
all:

such great questions and analysis. we use sonar/reaper as our daw software with lynx aurora converters (hence the thunderbolt requirement). the software it is very multi-threaded capable. that said, i have read conflicting configuration suggestions for daw software suggesting that performance may actually be improved by turning off hyper-threading. it may turn out to make sense to use a large(r) core count.

one other thing. while i am eager to to roll out a new solution i could be persuaded to wait beyond the eoy 2017 period i originally suggested if there is a solution early in 2018 that may worth the wait.

i really appreciate your attention.
 
Right now I'll suggest you take the advice of 13thmonkey and wait, at least until Coffee Lake is released and the reviews/data is in.

Apart from the possibility that the new Intel chips will run cooler than the current toasters there's another reason to hold off: AMD Threadripper. While this isn't of interest to YOU (no Thunderbolt motherboards), its presence may very well see Intel start to cut their CPU/MB prices to remain fully competitive, indeed it's looking like the Big Blue is starting to feel some minor discomfort caused by Ryzen and Threadripper is aimed fairly and squarely at where Intel makes its big money: Workstation/servers, exactly the kind of professional user you seem to be.

In the meantime, while you wait you can always start the build, maybe with some HDD/SSD purchases along with a suitable case, fans and power supply.
As a pro user, I strongly suggest you only purchase a power supply from Tier One for maximum reliability and stability: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html
As for case, Phanteks, Fractal Design, Be Quiet! and NZXT make some excellent parts, with some already fitted with internal sound suppression material.
 
Solution
I am a Pro Tools user myself, but I assume most DAWs benefit from more cores/threads, especially for plugins. I have 4 cores assigned to RTAS plugins, and the remaining 2 for Windows and ProTools. I also have a very quiet Zalman CPU cooler. I am using an AMD rig for ProTools, although the general consensus on the Avid forum is that Intel is preferred. I don't know if that has changed with Ryzen.

It seems like the i7 is the go-to processor for ProTools. If you want to get some ideas, look at the first sticky in this link. Work from the end, because it is pages and pages long.

http://duc.avid.com/forumdisplay.php?f=93&order=desc
 

Jamie Rustic

Prominent
Jul 14, 2017
7
0
510
all:

since coffee lake comes out tomorrow i wanted to revive this thread to see how i might move forward before the end of the year. at this point i have an ssd that i can use, along with an older case/power supply and pcie video card that may work (although given the silent requirement i have the case/fan may not).

might i ask for ideas now that we are closer?

thanks, jr
 
My advice would be to wait a few weeks and then see what the guys on the various audio forums have to say (Not that Tom's doesn't have great contributors). You don't want to be the "first" to adopt new tech for music production. But you can almost bet that some audio guys will want to be early adopters and hopefully will report their results.
 


Agree that more specialist advice might prevent 'early adopters regret'.
 
For some reason some DAWs (ProTools) are very particular about the components that will work. For example, back in the day, only Firewire cards with TI chipsets would work. I don't know if that is still true, but just an example. There is an ongoing i7 build thread on the Avid forum that I linked to above, and my guess is someone will start a new thread for the Coffee Lake builds.