Live Looping Ableton Build

[Mopbucket]

Hello!

 

Budget (including currency): $2000 US

Country: Canada

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: Ableton Live 12, OBS, possibly Davinci Resolve

Other details (existing parts lists, whether any peripherals are needed, what you're upgrading from, when you're going to buy, what resolution and refresh rate you want to play at, etc): 

2. Aim

System will be used for live looping in Ableton.  May also stream from it if necessary.  Currently have an M1 Mac that I may use in a 2 pc setup.  Some light gaming possibly, but fairly low priority. Ableton eats a lot of threads and also needs a pretty quick single threaded speed.  

3. Monitors

3 right now, may expand to more.  3440x1440 main.  May add 4k tv as an extra monitor too.  

4. Peripherals

No peripherals needed. Interface and all extra hardware already owned.  

5. Why are you upgrading?

Latency/Buffer size getting too big for doing layered loops in a live setting. Want to be able to use more VST's and more layers without worrying about Ableton popping.

 

Here's what I currently picked out.
CPU: 7950X

Cooler: Peerless Assassin 120

MB: Asrock X670E PG Lightning
Memory: 96 GB DDR5-6000 CL30
Case: Corsair 4000D Airflow Midtower
PSU: Seasonic 750W Focus Plus Gold
 

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/7zpfxH

 

Important Questions:

1. For silence do I need to move up to an AIO cooler for a 7950X? As this PC will be used to stream, silence is a plus (though using a dynamic Shure SM7B mic rather than a condenser so a little fan noise is okay.)  I've heard AIO pumps tend to break after 2 years, are there any that don't? I've always used air cooling in the past. 

2. I chose an AMD system for upgradeability, homogenous cores, easier cooling...would a 13900K be a better bet in terms of pure speed though?  (I will not get the 14900k.)

 

Thanks for the help!  

[brob]

The Peerless Assassin 120 is a sub-optimal cooler for a 7950X. In fact while the CPU emits less heat than the i9-14900K, it's not that much less. 

 

Current CPU are designed to optimize performance based on available cooling. Using an AIO like the Arctic Liquid Freezer II 420 would allow a CPU to maximize performance.

 

Decent quality AIO do not fail in 2 years. They tend to last much longer. Count on at least the warranty period.

 

I don't understand why one would be open to an i9-13900K yet refuse to even consider the i9-14900K. They are essentially the same silicon.

 

As to whether Intel would be better than AMD in this use case, I doubt it would make a great deal of difference. Intel can reach slightly higher max clocks but the difference is not likely significant in this case.

 

Running 2x48GB DDR5-6000 may be an issue. Choose the memory kit with care.

 

[Guille.R]

1. AiO should last at least 4 or 5 years if it's a quality one, that said a good air cooler could give you very good performance and not to much noise. Peerless assain would cool the cpu but with a lot of noise, if noise is a concern i'd go with an NH-D15 or if u want cheaper DeepCool Assassin IV should work ok. If silence is a big concern maybe Arctic Liquid Freezer II 360, or if aesthetics matter  a lot Corsair iCUE Link H150i...

2. I'd stick with AMD but if going Intel i'd rather go 14 gen unless there is a huge price difference.

 

[Mopbucket]

3 hours ago, brob said:

The Peerless Assassin 120 is a sub-optimal cooler for a 7950X. In fact while the CPU emits less heat than the i9-14900K, it's not that much less. 

 

Current CPU are designed to optimize performance based on available cooling. Using an AIO like the Arctic Liquid Freezer II 420 would allow a CPU to maximize performance.

 

Decent quality AIO do not fail in 2 years. They tend to last much longer. Count on at least the warranty period.

 

I don't understand why one would be open to an i9-13900K yet refuse to even consider the i9-14900K. They are essentially the same silicon.

 

As to whether Intel would be better than AMD in this use case, I doubt it would make a great deal of difference. Intel can reach slightly higher max clocks but the difference is not likely significant in this case.

 

Running 2x48GB DDR5-6000 may be an issue. Choose the memory kit with care.

 

13900K because of the price difference.

I switched the cooler to the Arctic Liquid Freezer II 360.

 

What's wrong with the RAM?  I actually spent a good bit of time figuring out that to run at 6000 speed I had to stick to two sticks.  I also need as much RAM as possible.  Is it too much RAM to run at that speed?  What are the other options for good speed + stability?

 

Thanks for the reply!

[brob]

16 minutes ago, Mopbucket said:

What's wrong with the RAM?  I actually spent a good bit of time figuring out that to run at 6000 speed I had to stick to two sticks.  I also need as much RAM as possible.  Is it too much RAM to run at that speed?  What are the other options for good speed + stability?

 

There isn't anything wrong with the memory. It's just that 48GB DDR5-6000 modules are relatively new and there is not a lot of experience using them.