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Is GPU bottleneck a problem for this music production PC?

Benny7284
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Budget (including currency): 1000-1100$

Country: North Macedonia

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: Cubase 10 (Music and audio production)

 

Hello there everyone. I hope you're all safe and healthy during this period! 

 


Im building a new PC for music production (no gaming at all), which is an area that requires a high amount of processing power and RAM due to VST Plugins. 

I'm planning to spend most of my money on an i7-9700F 8-core 3.0GHz, and I'm planning to pair it with a GTX 1650 Super. Should i worry about GPU bottlenecking if the PC is going to be used only for music production which requires pretty much 0% GPU usage? 
Also I went with the 9700F because I don't want to overclock anything on this build, I want to run everything on stock specs (I heard you go with the 9700K if you plan to overclock). Basically I'm trying to save the most amount of pennies from the other parts, focusing them towards that CPU. 

This is the build I wrote down earlier, suggestions are more than welcomed!

Mobo: MB Gigabyte B365M-H
CPU: Intel i7-9700F 3.0GHz
GPU: MSI GTX 1650 Super
RAM: 2x16GB DDR4 2666MHz Kingston CL19
Storage: Intel SSD 660p 512GB M.2 
Kingston A400 Series 1920GB SSD
3TB 7200 RPM HDD (any brand, haven't decided yet). 

I've yet to decide on a case as well. 

P.s.: If you're wondering why all that storage, I have VST Instruments with really big sample libraries, up to 500GB for a single VST Instrument so I'm gonna need those fast SSD's for faster loading speeds in projects.

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if you're not going to use the GPU why would it bottleneck the system? 

bottle necking is what people use to refer to a low end CPU that can't process fast enough to keep up with the GPU. 

 

if you're not going to use the GPU perhaps consider any variant other than the "F" The "F" does not have onboard graphics and if you slot it you can't use any video outputs on the motherboard you put the "F" CPU in. 

You can use the HDMI on the motherboard instead of a GPU. if all you're doing is making music with a single monitor, you don't even need a GPU

 

see this link to compare all the different i7-9700 models:

https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/compare.html?productIds=191792,195306,193738,186604

 

of note, you can't buy the 'E' version, as it's enterprise sold to OEMs and not for commercial resell. but i put it in there for giggles. 

We can't Benchmark like we used to, but we have our ways. One trick is to shove more GPUs in your computer. Like the time I needed to NV-Link, because I needed a higher HeavenBench score, so I did an SLI, which is what they called NV-Link back in the day. So, I decided to put two GPUs in my computer, which was the style at the time. Now, to add another GPU to your computer, costs a new PSU. Now in those days PSUs said OCZ on them, "Gimme 750W OCZs for an SLI" you'd say. Now where were we? Oh yeah, the important thing was that I had two GPUs in my rig, which was the style at the time! They didn't have RGB PSUs at the time, because of the war. The only thing you could get was those big green ones. 

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Just use the standard 9700 then? Though I dont see the point when Ryzen or next gen Intel are better choices

CPU: i7-2600K 4751MHz 1.44V (software) --> 1.47V at the back of the socket Motherboard: Asrock Z77 Extreme4 (BCLK: 103.3MHz) CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 RAM: Adata XPG 2x8GB DDR3 (XMP: 2133MHz 10-11-11-30 CR2, custom: 2203MHz 10-11-10-26 CR1 tRFC:230 tREFI:14000) GPU: Asus GTX 1070 Dual (Super Jetstream vbios, +70(2025-2088MHz)/+400(8.8Gbps)) SSD: Samsung 840 Pro 256GB (main boot drive), Transcend SSD370 128GB PSU: Seasonic X-660 80+ Gold Case: Antec P110 Silent, 5 intakes 1 exhaust Monitor: AOC G2460PF 1080p 144Hz (150Hz max w/ DP, 121Hz max w/ HDMI) TN panel Keyboard: Logitech G610 Orion (Cherry MX Blue) with SteelSeries Apex M260 keycaps Mouse: BenQ Zowie FK1

 

Model: HP Omen 17 17-an110ca CPU: i7-8750H (0.125V core & cache, 50mV SA undervolt) GPU: GTX 1060 6GB Mobile (+80/+450, 1650MHz~1750MHz 0.78V~0.85V) RAM: 8+8GB DDR4-2400 18-17-17-39 2T Storage: HP EX920 1TB PCIe x4 M.2 SSD + Crucial MX500 1TB 2.5" SATA SSD, 128GB Toshiba PCIe x2 M.2 SSD (KBG30ZMV128G) gone cooking externally, 1TB Seagate 7200RPM 2.5" HDD (ST1000LM049-2GH172) left outside Monitor: 1080p 126Hz IPS G-sync

 

Desktop benching:

Cinebench R15 Single thread:168 Multi-thread: 833 

SuperPi (v1.5 from Techpowerup, PI value output) 16K: 0.100s 1M: 8.255s 32M: 7m 45.93s

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2 minutes ago, VioDuskar said:

if you're not going to use the GPU why would it bottleneck the system? 

bottle necking is what people use to refer to a low end CPU that can't process fast enough to keep up with the GPU. 

 

if you're not going to use the GPU perhaps consider any variant other than the "F"

then you can use the HDMI on the motherboard instead of a GPU. if all you're doing is making music with a single monitor, you don't even need a GPU

 

see this link to compare all the different i7-9700 models:

https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/compare.html?productIds=191792,195306,193738,186604

I thought it would hurt the system in some way considering that the GPU is severely less powerful then the CPU, but you're right I guess (It's my first build so I'm still not sure about how stuff works).

And wow! That is also a very smart option to go that I didn't think about, might go for a K model instead and just use the integrated GPU.

Thank you so much for the advice.  

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5 minutes ago, Jurrunio said:

Just use the standard 9700 then? Though I dont see the point when Ryzen or next gen Intel are better choices

I'll probably go for the 9700K if I decide to go the integrated GPU route. Btw is there any info when the next gen Intel is coming out and do you think it's worth the extra bucks to skip the current 9th gen?

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1 minute ago, Benny7284 said:

I thought it would hurt the system in some way considering that the GPU is severely less powerful then the CPU, but you're right I guess (It's my first build so I'm still not sure about how stuff works).

And wow! That is also a very smart option to go that I didn't think about, might go for a K model instead and just use the integrated GPU.

Thank you so much for the advice.  

A GPU gets it's instructions from the CPU, so the CPU can't be slowed down by a GPU. 
a CPU can however be slowed down by a slow HDD, or slow RAM. 

going with an NVMe m.2 is a great choice, just make sure your m.2 isn't a SATA one. 

try this instead of the intel one: 
https://www.newegg.com/sabrent-rocket-nvme-512gb/p/0D9-00JJ-00001

 

you should put the extra money into your motherboard if you want more features. I find a lot of people want Wifi and USB-C now and the board you picked is pretty..... "budget"

you can always get a better GPU if you plan on gaming or doing video editing later. 

We can't Benchmark like we used to, but we have our ways. One trick is to shove more GPUs in your computer. Like the time I needed to NV-Link, because I needed a higher HeavenBench score, so I did an SLI, which is what they called NV-Link back in the day. So, I decided to put two GPUs in my computer, which was the style at the time. Now, to add another GPU to your computer, costs a new PSU. Now in those days PSUs said OCZ on them, "Gimme 750W OCZs for an SLI" you'd say. Now where were we? Oh yeah, the important thing was that I had two GPUs in my rig, which was the style at the time! They didn't have RGB PSUs at the time, because of the war. The only thing you could get was those big green ones. 

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2 minutes ago, Benny7284 said:

I'll probably go for the 9700K if I decide to go the integrated GPU route. Btw is there any info when the next gen Intel is coming out and do you think it's worth the extra bucks to skip the current 9th gen?

10th gen is releasing like right now

spec are already up on intel ARK. laptops are already shipping with mobile 10th gen cores. 

We can't Benchmark like we used to, but we have our ways. One trick is to shove more GPUs in your computer. Like the time I needed to NV-Link, because I needed a higher HeavenBench score, so I did an SLI, which is what they called NV-Link back in the day. So, I decided to put two GPUs in my computer, which was the style at the time. Now, to add another GPU to your computer, costs a new PSU. Now in those days PSUs said OCZ on them, "Gimme 750W OCZs for an SLI" you'd say. Now where were we? Oh yeah, the important thing was that I had two GPUs in my rig, which was the style at the time! They didn't have RGB PSUs at the time, because of the war. The only thing you could get was those big green ones. 

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5 minutes ago, Benny7284 said:

I'll probably go for the 9700K if I decide to go the integrated GPU route. Btw is there any info when the next gen Intel is coming out and do you think it's worth the extra bucks to skip the current 9th gen?

10th gen is already announced, tho I think it will reach the market in mass in June.

 

Extra bucks? The main selling point of 10th gen over 9th gen is "more cores for same money" so this shouldnt be the case. It just takes time for the price to settle

CPU: i7-2600K 4751MHz 1.44V (software) --> 1.47V at the back of the socket Motherboard: Asrock Z77 Extreme4 (BCLK: 103.3MHz) CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 RAM: Adata XPG 2x8GB DDR3 (XMP: 2133MHz 10-11-11-30 CR2, custom: 2203MHz 10-11-10-26 CR1 tRFC:230 tREFI:14000) GPU: Asus GTX 1070 Dual (Super Jetstream vbios, +70(2025-2088MHz)/+400(8.8Gbps)) SSD: Samsung 840 Pro 256GB (main boot drive), Transcend SSD370 128GB PSU: Seasonic X-660 80+ Gold Case: Antec P110 Silent, 5 intakes 1 exhaust Monitor: AOC G2460PF 1080p 144Hz (150Hz max w/ DP, 121Hz max w/ HDMI) TN panel Keyboard: Logitech G610 Orion (Cherry MX Blue) with SteelSeries Apex M260 keycaps Mouse: BenQ Zowie FK1

 

Model: HP Omen 17 17-an110ca CPU: i7-8750H (0.125V core & cache, 50mV SA undervolt) GPU: GTX 1060 6GB Mobile (+80/+450, 1650MHz~1750MHz 0.78V~0.85V) RAM: 8+8GB DDR4-2400 18-17-17-39 2T Storage: HP EX920 1TB PCIe x4 M.2 SSD + Crucial MX500 1TB 2.5" SATA SSD, 128GB Toshiba PCIe x2 M.2 SSD (KBG30ZMV128G) gone cooking externally, 1TB Seagate 7200RPM 2.5" HDD (ST1000LM049-2GH172) left outside Monitor: 1080p 126Hz IPS G-sync

 

Desktop benching:

Cinebench R15 Single thread:168 Multi-thread: 833 

SuperPi (v1.5 from Techpowerup, PI value output) 16K: 0.100s 1M: 8.255s 32M: 7m 45.93s

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5 minutes ago, VioDuskar said:

A GPU gets it's instructions from the CPU, so the CPU can't be slowed down by a GPU. 
a CPU can however be slowed down by a slow HDD, or slow RAM. 

going with an NVMe m.2 is a great choice, just make sure your m.2 isn't a SATA one. 

try this instead of the intel one: 
https://www.newegg.com/sabrent-rocket-nvme-512gb/p/0D9-00JJ-00001

 

you should put the extra money into your motherboard if you want more features. I find a lot of people want Wifi and USB-C now and the board you picked is pretty..... "budget"

you can always get a better GPU if you plan on gaming or doing video editing later. 

I got it all now, nice and clear! :) 

The Intel M.2 I chose isn't a SATA M.2 btw so I think I'm good on that. As far as the Mobo goes you're right. I know it's a budget one but I don't need anything more than what it already offers. 

5 minutes ago, Jurrunio said:

10th gen is already announced, tho I think it will reach the market in mass in June.

 

Extra bucks? The main selling point of 10th gen over 9th gen is "more cores for same money" so this shouldnt be the case. It just takes time for the price to settle

That is some great news man, I was planning to build the PC mid June anyway before I get finished with building my studio. I'm just gonna wait for the 10th gen then till we get it in stores here. 

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6 minutes ago, Benny7284 said:

I got it all now, nice and clear! :) 

The Intel M.2 I chose isn't a SATA M.2 btw so I think I'm good on that. As far as the Mobo goes you're right. I know it's a budget one but I don't need anything more than what it already offers. 

 

follow my link the sabrent is cheaper and offers more IOPs than that intel. 
do a compare on newegg. plus the sabrent uses TLC instead of QLC, which is generally more preferable due to it's longer life 

 

   

                                       Sabrent                            Intel  

4K random read:    Up to 350,000 IOPS         Up to 90,000 IOP
4K random Write:   Up to 450,000 IOPS         Up to 220,000 IOPS                                            
 

We can't Benchmark like we used to, but we have our ways. One trick is to shove more GPUs in your computer. Like the time I needed to NV-Link, because I needed a higher HeavenBench score, so I did an SLI, which is what they called NV-Link back in the day. So, I decided to put two GPUs in my computer, which was the style at the time. Now, to add another GPU to your computer, costs a new PSU. Now in those days PSUs said OCZ on them, "Gimme 750W OCZs for an SLI" you'd say. Now where were we? Oh yeah, the important thing was that I had two GPUs in my rig, which was the style at the time! They didn't have RGB PSUs at the time, because of the war. The only thing you could get was those big green ones. 

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5 minutes ago, Benny7284 said:

I got it all now, nice and clear! :) 

The Intel M.2 I chose isn't a SATA M.2 btw so I think I'm good on that. As far as the Mobo goes you're right. I know it's a budget one but I don't need anything more than what it already offers. 

That is some great news man, I was planning to build the PC mid June anyway before I get finished with building my studio. I'm just gonna wait for the 10th gen then till we get it in stores here. 

I'm gonna need another Mobo for the 10th gen processor right? or no? This kinda confused me now.. I'm not sure the one I chose supports it

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Just now, Benny7284 said:

I'm gonna need another Mobo for the 10th gen processor right? or no? This kinda confused me now.. I'm not sure the one I chose supports it

yeah you might. intel likes to change chipset support every generation to make you buy a new motherboard. at least they've held on to the current socket for a while. not that it matters if you require a new chipset. 

We can't Benchmark like we used to, but we have our ways. One trick is to shove more GPUs in your computer. Like the time I needed to NV-Link, because I needed a higher HeavenBench score, so I did an SLI, which is what they called NV-Link back in the day. So, I decided to put two GPUs in my computer, which was the style at the time. Now, to add another GPU to your computer, costs a new PSU. Now in those days PSUs said OCZ on them, "Gimme 750W OCZs for an SLI" you'd say. Now where were we? Oh yeah, the important thing was that I had two GPUs in my rig, which was the style at the time! They didn't have RGB PSUs at the time, because of the war. The only thing you could get was those big green ones. 

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4 minutes ago, Benny7284 said:

I'm gonna need another Mobo for the 10th gen processor right? or no? This kinda confused me now.. I'm not sure the one I chose supports it

check out this thread about that m.2
 

obviously this guy is using USB enclosures though. 

We can't Benchmark like we used to, but we have our ways. One trick is to shove more GPUs in your computer. Like the time I needed to NV-Link, because I needed a higher HeavenBench score, so I did an SLI, which is what they called NV-Link back in the day. So, I decided to put two GPUs in my computer, which was the style at the time. Now, to add another GPU to your computer, costs a new PSU. Now in those days PSUs said OCZ on them, "Gimme 750W OCZs for an SLI" you'd say. Now where were we? Oh yeah, the important thing was that I had two GPUs in my rig, which was the style at the time! They didn't have RGB PSUs at the time, because of the war. The only thing you could get was those big green ones. 

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3 minutes ago, VioDuskar said:

follow my link the sabrent is cheaper and offers more IOPs than that intel. 
do a compare on newegg. plus the sabrent uses TLC instead of QLC, which is generally more preferable due to it's longer life 

 

   

                                       Sabrent                            Intel  

4K random read:    Up to 350,000 IOPS         Up to 90,000 IOP
4K random Write:   Up to 450,000 IOPS         Up to 220,000 IOPS                                            
 

Oh okay, that's more helpful. Thank you so much! Will go for this one then. 

 

2 minutes ago, VioDuskar said:

yeah you might. intel likes to change chipset support every generation to make you buy a new motherboard. at least they've held on to the current socket for a while. not that it matters if you require a new chipset. 

Alright. We'll have to see how things flow I guess and check later if it'll be supported or not. 

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15 minutes ago, VioDuskar said:

yeah you might. intel likes to change chipset support every generation to make you buy a new motherboard. at least they've held on to the current socket for a while. not that it matters if you require a new chipset. 

not every generation, but every 2 generations

CPU: i7-2600K 4751MHz 1.44V (software) --> 1.47V at the back of the socket Motherboard: Asrock Z77 Extreme4 (BCLK: 103.3MHz) CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 RAM: Adata XPG 2x8GB DDR3 (XMP: 2133MHz 10-11-11-30 CR2, custom: 2203MHz 10-11-10-26 CR1 tRFC:230 tREFI:14000) GPU: Asus GTX 1070 Dual (Super Jetstream vbios, +70(2025-2088MHz)/+400(8.8Gbps)) SSD: Samsung 840 Pro 256GB (main boot drive), Transcend SSD370 128GB PSU: Seasonic X-660 80+ Gold Case: Antec P110 Silent, 5 intakes 1 exhaust Monitor: AOC G2460PF 1080p 144Hz (150Hz max w/ DP, 121Hz max w/ HDMI) TN panel Keyboard: Logitech G610 Orion (Cherry MX Blue) with SteelSeries Apex M260 keycaps Mouse: BenQ Zowie FK1

 

Model: HP Omen 17 17-an110ca CPU: i7-8750H (0.125V core & cache, 50mV SA undervolt) GPU: GTX 1060 6GB Mobile (+80/+450, 1650MHz~1750MHz 0.78V~0.85V) RAM: 8+8GB DDR4-2400 18-17-17-39 2T Storage: HP EX920 1TB PCIe x4 M.2 SSD + Crucial MX500 1TB 2.5" SATA SSD, 128GB Toshiba PCIe x2 M.2 SSD (KBG30ZMV128G) gone cooking externally, 1TB Seagate 7200RPM 2.5" HDD (ST1000LM049-2GH172) left outside Monitor: 1080p 126Hz IPS G-sync

 

Desktop benching:

Cinebench R15 Single thread:168 Multi-thread: 833 

SuperPi (v1.5 from Techpowerup, PI value output) 16K: 0.100s 1M: 8.255s 32M: 7m 45.93s

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