Music studio workstation

[PieterB]

I'm planning on building a fairly high end work station to be used as main mixing computer in a recording studio.

The studio workflow is Pro Tools based. It is my understanding AMD architecture is not (well) supported on Pro Tools, so that is ruled out.

 

Main requirements are good multi threading capabilities (for rendering and plugins) and pleny ram capacity (for the same reasons).

I did not include a dedicated GPU as  this machine will not be used for video editing nor for gaming.

A multi monitor setup is a plus but not a must have for the initial setup, as this will require redesign of the studio itself.

 

While i'm trying to follow evolutions in the tech world, it has been quite a while since i've build a rig myself.

 

Below is the configuration I came up with.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i9-9900K 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor  ($529.99 @ Amazon) 
CPU Cooler: Corsair - H105 73 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler 
Motherboard: Gigabyte - Z390 DESIGNARE ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($275.25 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LED 64 GB (4 x 16 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($499.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Samsung - 860 Evo 1 TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  ($162.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Seagate - IronWolf 8 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($232.72 @ Amazon) 
Case: Fractal Design - Define R6 Blackout TG ATX Mid Tower Case  ($161.43 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: EVGA - 750 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($149.46 @ OutletPC) 
Total: $2011.83
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-02-03 18:57 EST-0500

[Turtle Rig]

1 hour ago, PieterB said:

I'm planning on building a fairly high end work station to be used as main mixing computer in a recording studio.

The studio workflow is Pro Tools based. It is my understanding AMD architecture is not (well) supported on Pro Tools, so that is ruled out.

 

Main requirements are good multi threading capabilities (for rendering and plugins) and pleny ram capacity (for the same reasons).

I did not include a dedicated GPU as  this machine will not be used for video editing nor for gaming.

A multi monitor setup is a plus but not a must have for the initial setup, as this will require redesign of the studio itself.

 

While i'm trying to follow evolutions in the tech world, it has been quite a while since i've build a rig myself.

 

Below is the configuration I came up with.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i9-9900K 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor  ($529.99 @ Amazon) 
CPU Cooler: Corsair - H105 73 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler 
Motherboard: Gigabyte - Z390 DESIGNARE ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($275.25 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LED 64 GB (4 x 16 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($499.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Samsung - 860 Evo 1 TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  ($162.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Seagate - IronWolf 8 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($232.72 @ Amazon) 
Case: Fractal Design - Define R6 Blackout TG ATX Mid Tower Case  ($161.43 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: EVGA - 750 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($149.46 @ OutletPC) 
Total: $2011.83
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-02-03 18:57 EST-0500

Looks good, I would pay a bit more for gold certified tho.  You can get a 600 watt gold certified instead.  Also make sure to use turbo and clock that 9900k @ 5Ghz as it makes a HUGE difference in your DAW workstation.  I mean HUGE difference, so forget the stock clock,, first thing you do is put turbo on and let it go to 4.8 or 5.0  … Also why not get a M.2 SSD instead ?  Also I would get a good external drive with a power off and on switch.  No need for that hard drive to run and make noise for no reason.  I see you grabbed 8TB so I assume that is where your samples go and what not.  You can get a 2TB SSD for 200ish.  Unless you are literally going to use all 8TB and what not.

[Turtle Rig]

All this and no video card.  All you need is something like a GeForce 1060 3GB for 150 bucks.

[PieterB]

@Turtle Rig thx for the feedback.

 

Fair point about the GPU, probably not worth saving some 100 on this...

 

W.r.t. storage: I already included 1 TB M.2 SSD as main drive.

 

Am I understanding you correctly if you're suggesting to forget about the 8TB HD and opt for a 2 GB SSD as secondary drive + external storage for longterm items (external storage is already present, so this could might be an idea).

 

Also: where lies the main advantage in opting for a gold power supply?

[Turtle Rig]

42 minutes ago, PieterB said:

@Turtle Rig thx for the feedback.

 

Fair point about the GPU, probably not worth saving some 100 on this...

 

W.r.t. storage: I already included 1 TB M.2 SSD as main drive.

 

Am I understanding you correctly if you're suggesting to forget about the 8TB HD and opt for a 2 GB SSD as secondary drive + external storage for longterm items (external storage is already present, so this could might be an idea).

 

Also: where lies the main advantage in opting for a gold power supply?

Yes exactly you got it right, need I say more....  Ok good your boot drive is good.  As for 8TB like I said if your going to use it all then fine, but if your not get a 2TB SSD for actually a lower price then the 8TB drive.  Or keep the 8TB and add a 2TB SSD.  Your samples in that 2TB SSD will load much faster then a hard drive.  I basically want to put your samples in the SSD instead of the hard drive basically.  Let me know if you need any more help.