Need solid advices for my build around $600 (DAW only)

puredata

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Aug 12, 2017
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Hi everyone, I have never built a pc before so it has been an exhausting process to come up with the best solution for my needs. Therefore any recommendations or advices would be highly appreciated.

Ok so I need to build a new pc solely for using Ableton because my old one is no longer answering the cpu-intensive plugins. Rather than setting up a future-proof, aesthetic or next-gen build, I just need a system that will provide the best single-core and multi-thread performance so that I can work smoothly with various plugins. I am currently residing in Turkey and currency rates are awful here. That's why 600 dollars is the optimum range for me. Based on my online research, this is what I came up with:

CPU: Intel i7 - 4790k 4.0 ghz (might as well go for a used one)
MOBO: Asus h-81m plus 1600 mhz DDR3
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212x
RAM: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB
PSU: Thermaltake 550W Bronze 80+
Case: Corsair Carbride 200R

I already have two old HDDs, a samsung evo 250 gb ssd and ATI Radeon hd4870 gpu. I really don't care about playing games so I thought integrated graphics would do the trick. I am aware that cpu is overkill when compared to the other units so if you have cheaper suggestions that will both financially comfort me and give a similar performance, that would be great. Thanks in advance and sorry for the long post. Cheers!
 
Solution


Ryzen 7 doesn't have onboard graphics, but an old GPU should work fine.

https://www.pcmag.com/news/351565/amd-ryzen-processors-will-support-windows-7 It will support windows 7.

http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i7-4790K-vs-AMD-Ryzen-7-1700/2384vs3917 if your program can utilize 16 threads the Ryzen will completely blow the 4790k out of the water, and even more if you OC it.

puredata

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Aug 12, 2017
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Thank you for your suggestion. I am afraid I won't be able to use windows 10 because my old creative sound card does not support windows 8 or 10. That's why I can't go for 7th generation processors either. Will using an old GPU with a new i7-4790k or Ryzen 7 cause problems or performance issues? Can I use onboard graphics instead?
 

KirbysHammer

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Jun 21, 2016
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Ryzen 7 doesn't have onboard graphics, but an old GPU should work fine.

https://www.pcmag.com/news/351565/amd-ryzen-processors-will-support-windows-7 It will support windows 7.

http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i7-4790K-vs-AMD-Ryzen-7-1700/2384vs3917 if your program can utilize 16 threads the Ryzen will completely blow the 4790k out of the water, and even more if you OC it.

 
Solution

puredata

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Aug 12, 2017
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Well I ve read plenty of sources and the conclusion I arrived at is having more threads doesn't necessarily mean better performance if you will be using cpu-intensive plugins on each track. In Ableton, when a track is being processed and sent to the master channel, other cores and threads stand on hold. Therefore the processing load is implemented in a serial way instead of a parallel process. That's when the real-time performance kicks in and afaik single-core performance helps you in a more efficient way. If you're interested in the subject or have time, this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUsLLEkswzE video stands for the best explanation all across the web since there are not enough resources on this exact topic. So anyway, I'll go with either your build or the i7-4790k depending on my budget. I am sure they will both meet my demands because they are great cpus. Thanks a lot for the guidance and advices. Take care!
 

KirbysHammer

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Jun 21, 2016
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Best of luck. I wasn't aware that your program was single core performance based.

 

puredata

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Aug 12, 2017
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There is of course multi-core support provided by Ableton but an 8 thread quad core cpu can often perform better when compared to a 6/12 if there are multiple cpu-heavy plugins at stake but yeah I may be wrong. I'll write back when my build is complete and running so perhaps it will be a help for someone dealing with the same questions. Thanks again.