Music Production

[andyleecameron]

Hello there friends!

Im new to this but i need your help.

 

Im in the uk so uk prices would be better, but willing to import if needed.

 

Im going to build my first pc and i have a budget of around £550 or about$900

With this i need to buy peripherals (monitor, keyboard, mouse etc)

This computer will mainly be for music production, but in future i may upgrade to a graphics card for gaming. So the motherboard will need a few pci slots and ideally some usb 3.0 capability! WIll also need to be at least 16gb of ram. A sound card isnt fundimental at the moment something i will upgrade to in the future, im told most motherboards have decent sound processes on them already?

Im told that pcs for music production mainly rely on cpu and ram? 

 

Ive seen other peoples builds but they dont state actual components, just that this is the pc they use.

 

Would really appreciate the help.

 

[Sauron]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/8dJNYJ

It's a bit more than your budget, but I believe it's worth it. If you really can't spend more at the moment, you can remove the ssd and buy it later, but I recommend you get it as soon as possible. You can spare on the keyboard too if you need to, but that's the cheapest mechanical keyboard I could find, going down would mean membrane (which is fine, it just depends on what you want. Mechanical is generally better and more durable, but if you don't care then get a 20 bucks membrane kb).

 

-edit-

forgot to say, you really shouldn't buy a sound card with this motherboard, it's pretty much a waste of money. If you already have audiophile grade headphones and you want more, get an external dac, not a sound card. It also doesn't help running the programs so it's really useless.

[andyleecameron]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/8dJNYJ

It's a bit more than your budget, but I believe it's worth it. If you really can't spend more at the moment, you can remove the ssd and buy it later, but I recommend you get it as soon as possible. You can spare on the keyboard too if you need to, but that's the cheapest mechanical keyboard I could find, going down would mean membrane (which is fine, it just depends on what you want. Mechanical is generally better and more durable, but if you don't care then get a 20 bucks membrane kb).

 

-edit-

forgot to say, you really shouldn't buy a sound card with this motherboard, it's pretty much a waste of money. If you already have audiophile grade headphones and you want more, get an external dac, not a sound card. It also doesn't help running the programs so it's really useless.

Thank you! Going to find these on the uk part picker and see the price

[teddyteddyteddy]

Thank you! Going to find these on the uk part picker and see the price

It might be a better idea to get a xeon e3 1231 v3.  that's what i have, and I do music production stuff.  It has hyperthreading, but you can't overclock it like the i5.  It is similar to a locked i7, but at an i5 price.  You also wouldn't need the cooler master 212 evo with the xeon because you won't be overclocking it.

 

Instead of a sound card, consider getting an audio interface or external dac.  I have the focusrite scarlett 2i2.

 

Also, this ssd is twice the size of the sandisk one at the same price. maybe it's not as good, but I'm not sure:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148820

 

And if you plan on getting a graphics card in the future, maybe go with a 500-600w power supply now so you won't have to upgrade that too.

[teddyteddyteddy]

Do you already have good headphones or speakers?

[andyleecameron]

It might be a better idea to get a xeon e3 1231 v3.  that's what i have, and I do music production stuff.  It has hyperthreading, but you can't overclock it like the i5.  It is similar to a locked i7, but at an i5 price.  You also wouldn't need the cooler master 212 evo with the xeon because you won't be overclocking it.

 

Instead of a sound card, consider getting an audio interface or external dac.  I have the focusrite scarlett 2i2.

 

Also, this ssd is twice the size of the sandisk one at the same price. maybe it's not as good, but I'm not sure:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148820

 

And if you plan on getting a graphics card in the future, maybe go with a 500-600w power supply now so you won't have to upgrade that too.

 

Its something i may look to in the future, would the sabretooth z97 mk2 be better than the z97 plus? Im just thinking upgradeablitly? 

[andyleecameron]

Do you already have good headphones or speakers?

I have decent headphones, but i might be getting some krk rokit 5/6's fro christmas so it wasnt something that i was desperate for

[andyleecameron]

I have decent headphones, but i might be getting some krk rokit 5/6's fro christmas so it wasnt something that i was desperate for

Also would you be able to do me a pcpartchecker that has all the prices on there please?

[andyleecameron]

For the uk

[teddyteddyteddy]

Its something i may look to in the future, would the sabretooth z97 mk2 be better than the z97 plus? Im just thinking upgradeablitly? 

yes it will be better... it's probably not necessary though

 

Edit:  What features and stuff do you want for your motherboard? you mentioned usb 3 and pci slots.  What are you going to be using the pci slots for, and is there anything else you want specifically? 

[teddyteddyteddy]

Also would you be able to do me a pcpartchecker that has all the prices on there please?

I'll try to make you a pcpartpicker list in a little bit

[brob]

A tough budget and as you will see I was unable to meet it. But I got close.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  (£127.14 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97M-HD3 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  (£59.96 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: Corsair XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  (£58.79 @ Aria PC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  (£35.94 @ Aria PC)
Case: Fractal Design Define Mini MicroATX Mini Tower Case  (£61.99 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  (£35.28 @ Amazon UK)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit)  (£79.69 @ Amazon UK)
Monitor: Dell P2214H 60Hz 21.5" Monitor  (£78.00 @ Amazon UK)
Keyboard: Microsoft 2LF-00001 Wireless Standard Keyboard w/Optical Mouse  (£35.46 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £572.25
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-16 18:16 BST+0100

[andyleecameron]

yes it will be better... it's probably not necessary though

 

Edit:  What features and stuff do you want for your motherboard? you mentioned usb 3 and pci slots.  What are you going to be using the pci slots for, and is there anything else you want specifically? 

In the future i was going to buy graphics cards for gaming  

[andyleecameron]

I'll try to make you a pcpartpicker list in a little bit

Yes please i would be grateful for this

[andyleecameron]

A tough budget and as you will see I was unable to meet it. But I got close.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  (£127.14 @ Aria PC)

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97M-HD3 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  (£59.96 @ Scan.co.uk)

Memory: Corsair XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  (£58.79 @ Aria PC)

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  (£35.94 @ Aria PC)

Case: Fractal Design Define Mini MicroATX Mini Tower Case  (£61.99 @ Amazon UK)

Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  (£35.28 @ Amazon UK)

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit)  (£79.69 @ Amazon UK)

Monitor: Dell P2214H 60Hz 21.5" Monitor  (£78.00 @ Amazon UK)

Keyboard: Microsoft 2LF-00001 Wireless Standard Keyboard w/Optical Mouse  (£35.46 @ Amazon UK)

Total: £572.25

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-16 18:16 BST+0100

If it makes it easier i can go up to about £600?

[brob]

If it makes it easier i can go up to about £600?

 

It does make it a touch easier. I wouldn't change my list but would suggest that the power supply and monitor could be improved.

[andyleecameron]

It does make it a touch easier. I wouldn't change my list but would suggest that the power supply and monitor could be improved.

Only thing i was looking for more of a full atx build, as it saves money in the future, as i might get a graphics card for Christmas 

[brob]

Only thing i was looking for more of a full atx build, as it saves money in the future, as i might get a graphics card for Christmas 

 

The case I suggested has no trouble housing a gpu up to 400mm long. The motherboard has a x16 PCIe 3.0 slot to take the newest of gpu. In other words adding a graphics card will only be a problem if it requires a larger power supply.

[andyleecameron]

The case I suggested has no trouble housing a gpu up to 400mm long. The motherboard has a x16 PCIe 3.0 slot to take the newest of gpu. In other words adding a graphics card will only be a problem if it requires a larger power supply.

OKay thank you  

[teddyteddyteddy]

[PCPartPicker part list](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2NJNYJ) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2NJNYJ/by_merchant/)

 

Type|Item|Price

:----|:----|:----

**CPU** | [intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i54590) | £140.07 @ Ebuyer 

**Motherboard** | [Gigabyte GA-H97M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-motherboard-gah97md3h) | £63.56 @ Scan.co.uk 

**Memory** | [Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-memory-cml16gx3m4a1600c9) | £134.99 @ Amazon UK 

**Storage** | [Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/kingston-internal-hard-drive-sv300s37a120g) | £44.89 @ Amazon UK 

**Storage** | [Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd10ezex) | £36.50 @ Aria PC 

**Case** | [Fractal Design Core 1000 MicroATX Mini Tower Case](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/fractal-design-case-fdcacore1000bl) | £27.72 @ Scan.co.uk 

**Power Supply** | [Corsair CX 500W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-cx500m) | £43.80 @ Scan.co.uk 

**Monitor** | [Dell P2214H 60Hz 21.5" Monitor](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/dell-monitor-p2214h) | £78.00 @ Amazon UK 

 | | **Total**

 | Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | £569.53

 | Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-17 00:27 BST+0100 |

 

You can get a cheapish keyboard and mouse for another £20..

 

I tried really hard to fit a xeon into this but I couldn't... If you only got 8gb of ram, you could get the xeon E3 1231v3.  

 

The other build that was posted is pretty similar to this and would also be good.  I would try to get the bigger 500w power supply though if you want to add a decent graphics card in the future.

[andyleecameron]

 

[PCPartPicker part list](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2NJNYJ) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2NJNYJ/by_merchant/)

 

Type|Item|Price

:----|:----|:----

**CPU** | [intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i54590) | £140.07 @ Ebuyer 

**Motherboard** | [Gigabyte GA-H97M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-motherboard-gah97md3h) | £63.56 @ Scan.co.uk 

**Memory** | [Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-memory-cml16gx3m4a1600c9) | £134.99 @ Amazon UK 

**Storage** | [Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/kingston-internal-hard-drive-sv300s37a120g) | £44.89 @ Amazon UK 

**Storage** | [Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd10ezex) | £36.50 @ Aria PC 

**Case** | [Fractal Design Core 1000 MicroATX Mini Tower Case](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/fractal-design-case-fdcacore1000bl) | £27.72 @ Scan.co.uk 

**Power Supply** | [Corsair CX 500W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-cx500m) | £43.80 @ Scan.co.uk 

**Monitor** | [Dell P2214H 60Hz 21.5" Monitor](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/dell-monitor-p2214h) | £78.00 @ Amazon UK 

 | | **Total**

 | Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | £569.53

 | Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-17 00:27 BST+0100 |

 

You can get a cheapish keyboard and mouse for another £20..

 

I tried really hard to fit a xeon into this but I couldn't... If you only got 8gb of ram, you could get the xeon E3 1231v3.  

 

The other build that was posted is pretty similar to this and would also be good.  I would try to get the bigger 500w power supply though if you want to add a decent graphics card in the future.

 

Okay if i go for 8Gb show me what you can do  

[andyleecameron]

 

[PCPartPicker part list](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2NJNYJ) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2NJNYJ/by_merchant/)

 

Type|Item|Price

:----|:----|:----

**CPU** | [intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i54590) | £140.07 @ Ebuyer 

**Motherboard** | [Gigabyte GA-H97M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-motherboard-gah97md3h) | £63.56 @ Scan.co.uk 

**Memory** | [Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-memory-cml16gx3m4a1600c9) | £134.99 @ Amazon UK 

**Storage** | [Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/kingston-internal-hard-drive-sv300s37a120g) | £44.89 @ Amazon UK 

**Storage** | [Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd10ezex) | £36.50 @ Aria PC 

**Case** | [Fractal Design Core 1000 MicroATX Mini Tower Case](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/fractal-design-case-fdcacore1000bl) | £27.72 @ Scan.co.uk 

**Power Supply** | [Corsair CX 500W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-cx500m) | £43.80 @ Scan.co.uk 

**Monitor** | [Dell P2214H 60Hz 21.5" Monitor](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/dell-monitor-p2214h) | £78.00 @ Amazon UK 

 | | **Total**

 | Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | £569.53

 | Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-17 00:27 BST+0100 |

 

You can get a cheapish keyboard and mouse for another £20..

 

I tried really hard to fit a xeon into this but I couldn't... If you only got 8gb of ram, you could get the xeon E3 1231v3.  

 

The other build that was posted is pretty similar to this and would also be good.  I would try to get the bigger 500w power supply though if you want to add a decent graphics card in the future.

 

Also ill give you a budget of £600 see what the best you can do me, ive been told you can sacriface to 8gb as long as you have a rock solid cpu with multiple cores?

[andyleecameron]

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/user/andyleecameron/saved/L9nypg

 

This is one ive done myself, not sure what you guys think? @teddyteddyteddy

[brob]

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/user/andyleecameron/saved/L9nypg

 

This is one ive done myself, not sure what you guys think? @teddyteddyteddy

 

You don't need the aftermarket cooler. The cooler that comes with the cpu is quite good and reasonably quiet when not overclocking.

 

I would suggest an H97 motherboard like Asus H97-PLUS, if you want ATX.

 

The savings by switching motherboard and eliminating the aftermarket cooler is enough to add an ssd like Sandisk Ultra Plus 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive and move to a Xeon processor.

 

Time to go to bed. The Xeon is not a good idea because then a gpu is needed and the low-end model does not support hyperthreading. Appologies.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor  (£140.07 @ Ebuyer)

Motherboard: Asus H97-PLUS ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  (£75.56 @ Scan.co.uk)

Memory: Corsair XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  (£64.24 @ Amazon UK)

Storage: Sandisk Ultra Plus 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  (£44.34 @ Aria PC)

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  (£35.94 @ Aria PC)

Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Titanium Grey) ATX Mid Tower Case  (£76.90 @ Amazon UK)

Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  (£35.28 @ Amazon UK)

Monitor: Dell P2214H 60Hz 21.5" Monitor  (£78.00 @ Amazon UK)

Keyboard: Microsoft 2LF-00001 Wireless Standard Keyboard w/Optical Mouse  (£35.46 @ Amazon UK)

Total: £585.79

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-17 04:08 BST+0100

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1220 V3 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor  (£148.45 @ Scan.co.uk)

...

[teddyteddyteddy]

You don't need the aftermarket cooler. The cooler that comes with the cpu is quite good and reasonably quiet when not overclocking.

 

I would suggest an H97 motherboard like Asus H97-PLUS, if you want ATX.

 

The savings by switching motherboard and eliminating the aftermarket cooler is enough to add an ssd like Sandisk Ultra Plus 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive and move to a Xeon processor.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1220 V3 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor  (£148.45 @ Scan.co.uk)

Motherboard: Asus H97-PLUS ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  (£75.56 @ Scan.co.uk)

Memory: Corsair XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  (£64.24 @ Amazon UK)

Storage: Sandisk Ultra Plus 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  (£44.34 @ Aria PC)

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  (£35.94 @ Aria PC)

Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Titanium Grey) ATX Mid Tower Case  (£76.90 @ Amazon UK)

Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  (£35.28 @ Amazon UK)

Monitor: Dell P2214H 60Hz 21.5" Monitor  (£78.00 @ Amazon UK)

Keyboard: Microsoft 2LF-00001 Wireless Standard Keyboard w/Optical Mouse  (£35.46 @ Amazon UK)

Total: £594.17

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-17 03:26 BST+0100

I recommend you go with this option.  The only things I would change are maybe the cpu and maybe the power supply.

 

A Xeon E3-1231v3 has 4 cores but 8 threads because it has hyperthreading.  This isn't entirely necessary, but it can help.  its £50 more expensive than the e3-1220 though, which does not support hyperthreading...

If you want to get a decent graphics card in the future, a 430w power supply might not be enough.  a 500 -600w psu would leave room for a graphics card, but that would also be more expensive....

 

It's up to you whether or not you get those.  If you got a cheaper case, like the nzxt source 210, you would have a little more money for something else.  But the build that brob suggested would definitely be good the way it is.