Music Production PC Build ~$1500-2000

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andiedee

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basically title says all, just want a pc that would work amazing lag free while have a lot of plugins on fl studio..
I also want enough juice to play league of legends and similar game nothing too much on gpu..
mostly want performance for music production :)
 
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azaran
CPU: I'd stick with the i7 then. If you don't have to build right away, you might want to consider waiting till Coffee Lake comes out as that will increase the core count and still likely have a high single threaded count.

RAM: Then go with 32GB. All the current full size ATX boards for Intel 200 series boards support up to 64GB so a 2x16GB isn't a bad idea if budget allows. I'm assuming next gen CPU will support at least this much as well.

SSD/HDD: While benchmarks show a RAID SSD has improvements, the likely hood of you actually noticing the difference on a program that doesn't really make sure of drive speed is slim to known. Save the cash and throw that at a higher capacity drive or another component that you...
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Hellfire13

Hellfire13

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Something like this should take care of those needs, unless you have some specific softwares that need faster cores...

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 7 1700 3.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($289.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI - B350 GAMING PRO CARBON ATX AM4 Motherboard ($122.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($130.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: SanDisk - SSD PLUS 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($83.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($46.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB WINDFORCE OC 6G Video Card ($274.79 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair - SPEC-01 RED ATX Mid Tower Case ($42.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - S12II 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($35.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1028.47
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-08-29 16:44 EDT-0400
 
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azaran

azaran

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There's a number of factors involved with a music station, chief among them the requirements for the specific software you're running. Since you're looking to use FL Studio, I'd recommend looking at their recommendations for a system build.
https://support.image-line.com/knowledgebase/base.php?ans=214

Quick rundown on what's going to be important.

CPU: More cores is good, but faster single core score beats out a higher core count. So while a Ryzen 7 sounds ideal, an Intel i7 is going to give you better performance.

RAM: 16GB is ideal for most things, but if you intend on throwing a lot of plugins at it, you may want to look at 32GB.

SSD/HDD: SSD is nice for load up time, but storage is key for the library of files and music files you'll need to run. They're recommending an SSD + HDD setup. An NMVe SSD is nice and all, but since it's used mostly for program startup and FL Studio doesn't really make use of the extra speed, you'd be better served putting that money towards a better CPU. A SATA based SSD would likely be fine. If budget allows, cool, run with it but if it's a better CPU vs NVMe decision, the CPU is more important.

GPU: Doesn't much matter, purchase for your gaming setup. The one thing they recommend is running dual monitors. What monitor setup do you currently have?

Sound Card: Something no one's mentioned. You want one, and not an onboard. They're recommending a Soundblaster series. Tho it might not hurt to ping a audiophile thread for advice on a really good one.

Case: You want to run quiet as you're dealing with audio. Looking to build in an existing case or do you need to buy one?

Headphones: This is one I'm bringing up. Unless you have really good studio speakers, you'll be better served by having a good set of cans. And no I'm not talking the typical garbage that is a gaming headset. Do you have a set or do you need recommendations?
 
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andiedee

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Yeah I was looking into i7s I prefer them over amd, I might be going towards the 32gb because I do run a heap of plugins, ssd/hdd I already have a 500gb ssd from Samsung was thinking of getting another and using raid? Not sure for storage but was going towards the hhd/ssd hybrid drive set up not sure 100% on the storage part need some help here in what to get.. Gpu not fussed I'll be using a dual monitor set up later on, I'll probs get a 1060, sound card I'll look into myself but if you guys have any recommendations I'm all ears, case I'll be choosing myself Idk personal preference, already got really good monitors hahaha just using them atm :) cheers for the response!
 
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Hellfire13

Hellfire13

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The above build has been suggested, keeping a few factors in mind.

CPU - While FL Studio might require faster cores, that is only one of the music production softwares out there. If OP chooses to use some other software down the line, then the 1700 could be better value, because while the 1700 will be able to handle FL Studio aptly, most other softwares out there scale better to multiple cores rather than faster cores.
RAM - As mentioned above, 16gb should be sufficient unless you are running multiple high octane softwares simultaneously which might hog a lot of memory resource. Again, for one single software like FL Studio, 16gb would be more than enough.
SSD - SSD speeds are mostly fast anyways and having a NVME, while might give you performance benefits, unless you are using multiple softwares that benefit from it, the cost to performance ratio is debateable, and hence why i didnt suggest initially.
Sound Card - Most current motherboard sound codecs are pretty solid and adding a sound card doesnt add much value. For even better sound performance, it is better to go for an external dac/amp setup for superior sound refinement. Hence why it was not suggested.
Speakers and Headphones - Since it was not specified that peripherals were a part of the query, the build was being suggested without them.

If you want to go Intel, I would suggest to wait a month or so and get the forthcoming Intel next gen. cpu's(8700k) around the same price but better performance...

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-7700K 4.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($323.11 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG - H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus - MAXIMUS IX CODE ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($294.88 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($254.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung - 960 EVO 500GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($219.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($46.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB WINDFORCE OC 6G Video Card ($274.79 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: be quiet! - Silent Base 600 w/Window (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.90 @ Newegg Marketplace)
Power Supply: Corsair - RMx 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Headphones: Logitech - G933 Artemis Spectrum 7.1 Channel Headset ($132.99 @ Amazon)
Speakers: Logitech - Z906 500W 5.1ch Speakers ($277.68 @ Amazon)
Total: $2030.09
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-08-29 18:20 EDT-0400
 
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azaran

azaran

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Feb 17, 2010
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CPU: I'd stick with the i7 then. If you don't have to build right away, you might want to consider waiting till Coffee Lake comes out as that will increase the core count and still likely have a high single threaded count.

RAM: Then go with 32GB. All the current full size ATX boards for Intel 200 series boards support up to 64GB so a 2x16GB isn't a bad idea if budget allows. I'm assuming next gen CPU will support at least this much as well.

SSD/HDD: While benchmarks show a RAID SSD has improvements, the likely hood of you actually noticing the difference on a program that doesn't really make sure of drive speed is slim to known. Save the cash and throw that at a higher capacity drive or another component that you want more/bigger/faster/shinier. At this point RAID SSDs it's pretty much a bragging rights move, not a real world performance move. As for the storage drive, keep an eye on the RPM of them. The current trend in standard mainstream drives from Seagate and WD is a move to 5400RPM drives. You can still get 7200RPM either with older models or higher end current gen models. The advantage of a higher end model would be warranty, otherwise 2yr is the standard now. I honestly don't know if you'd notice the difference since it's a storage drive, but 5400RPM drives in a desktop still hurt my soul a little bit. I threw in a reference SSD marked as purchased. I went with a 3TB drive as I know how huge sound libraries can get with uncompressed audio.

GPU: The 1060 should do for anything you're going to throw at it for casual gaming. The dual monitors will help a lot for productivity. I'd also recommend looking at monitor arms if you're going to be spending a long time in front of it. You're back and neck will thank you.

Sound Card: I'd look at what they recommend in their post. Remember it's a driver thing, not a output quality thing so I'd stick to their recommendation for a 3rd party sound card rather than onboard audio. But yeah, go find some realistic audiophiles (not the ones that think a $1000 wooden knob on a stereo is worth it) for some tips for real world usage and recommendations. In the build below I'll throw in a sound blaster just for references sake.

Here's an off the cuff build up. It's not a budget build, so you could shave off a few bucks here and there. Instead I opted for low noise, high quality. The case specifically is for quiet running. I also threw in a decent set of headphones because you're doing audio and my audiophile friend ruined me for crap headphones.

*Edit If you need a mic for gaming, I'd highly recommend these guys. You end up with a MUCH better sound experience than a gaming headset and the Mic is what they run in eSports setups. I just set one up and love it on my headphones. The one thing with it is you'd want to run a USB mic/headphone booster. They sell their own, or you can run a cheaper model like the one I linked below.

https://antlionaudio.com/products/modmic-5
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IRVQ0F8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-7700K 4.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($323.11 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG - H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - GA-Z270X-UD3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($254.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung - 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (Purchased For $0.00)
Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($80.44 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB WINDFORCE OC 6G Video Card ($274.79 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Fractal Design - Define S ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair - RMx 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home Full - USB 32/64-bit ($102.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Sound Card: Creative Labs - Sound Blaster Z 30SB150200000 OEM 24-bit 192 KHz Sound Card ($78.88 @ OutletPC)
Headphones: Sennheiser - HD 599 Headphones ($249.95 @ Amazon)
Total: $1660.01
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-08-29 19:05 EDT-0400
 
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