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Advice on a rig for audio work

tektek678
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Hey guys! This forum and Linus' videos have helped me more times then I can say, and now, I have what I think is a fun project. 
My professional job is I am an audio engineer for a classical record label. So I get direct tracks recorded at mainly 3 large concert halls, and I master them down into one finished track that gets picked up and spun into a cd. My system is seriously outdated, and I have been saving for a new system for a few years. I them found out I can actually use a significant amount of money from the business discretionary fund into this project. While I have built a few systems before, this is on another level from my usual tech work, so I thought I would post up my requirements, and hope you guys could help steer me in the proper direction. Thanks again! My requirements:

I am often working with many audio tracks (24+).
While I do most of the work though headphones, when I am finishing the product, as well as reviewing it with my colleges, I listen though hi-fidelity monitors. My computer, has to be NEAR SILENT. 
I will need a discrete graphics card, my audio equipment is multiple $1000's, so I would prefer not to skimp in this field and risk interference.
I run a multiple monitor setup (3 wide screens) , though I do not do much gaming on this rig, so I am not sure how important a graphics card is. 

Disk space. I am plugged into a server right now, but the projects I work on can be tb+ them selves, if I could have one project on my computer at a time, that would be a DREAM. 
My budget cap is $5k, but if I do not HAVE to use it all, I would prefer not to. 

Thanks for everything, and have fun with this. 

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I don't know much about what you will need for Audio Editing but this build would be an overall great workstation PC that would be very fast for nearly any task :)

 

 
CPU: Intel Core i7-5930K 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor  ($554.98 @ SuperBiiz) 
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 SE2011 CPU Cooler  ($73.99 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: Asus X99-PRO ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard  ($288.98 @ SuperBiiz) 
Memory: A-Data XPG Z1 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($462.98 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($219.00 @ B&H) 
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card  ($342.99 @ B&H) 
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($119.98 @ Newegg) 
Total: $2598.73
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-14 00:50 EST-0500

My Current Build: 

Intel i5 3570K @ 4.4GHz 1.11V, Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO, Asrock Z77 Extreme4, Corsair Vengeance 8GB 1600MHz, Samsung 840 EVO 250GB, Asus GTX 760 DCII Overclocked, Corsair CX600M

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you don't need a full-blown workstation PC like this ^, you won't even need to overclock if you're just doing audio. Get an i5-4690, get rid of the noctua cooler and get a NoFan Icepipe cooler. Same price as the noctua, except it's actually dead silent. No noise. If you're a quiet freak, this is the cooler for you. and it'll turn MAGICAL if you actually have air going through the case. 8D

All you'll need in terms of a graphics card for an audio rig, at most, is either a 760 or a 7870. They're great cards for just casual gaming, they'll physically drive up to six monitors at once and they're nice and cheap these days.

Grab four 3TB HDDs and put them in RAID 10. that way you'll have tons of fast mass storage and safe redundancy.

Get a 256GB MX100 SSD and use that. It's all you will ever need.

A 550W 80+ Gold PSU will be just fine for this build.

Grab the Design R5. It's just a superior case for quiet freaks. Just do it. You'll be happier.

Just some ideas.

 

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The Silver Samurai:

 
Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [intel Core i7-5960X 3.0GHz 8-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80648i75960x) | $1001.99 @ SuperBiiz 
**CPU Cooler** | [Corsair H110 94.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-cpu-cooler-h110) | $114.98 @ OutletPC 
**Motherboard** | [Asus X99-E WS SSI CEB LGA2011-3 Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-x99ews) | $481.98 @ SuperBiiz 
**Memory** | [Crucial Ballistix Sport 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/crucial-memory-bls4k8g4d240fsa) | $382.98 @ Newegg 
**Storage** | [samsung 850 Pro Series 1TB 2.5" Solid State Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz7ke1t0bw) | $611.98 @ Newegg 
**Storage** | [Western Digital BLACK SERIES 4TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd4003fzex) | $224.99 @ NCIX US 
**Video Card** | [EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-video-card-04gp42983kr) (2-Way SLI) | $549.99 @ NCIX US 
**Video Card** | [EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-video-card-04gp42983kr) (2-Way SLI) | $549.99 @ NCIX US 
**Case** | [Cooler Master Cosmos II (Black) ATX Full Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-case-rc1200kkn1) | $279.99 @ Newegg 
**Power Supply** | [Corsair AX1500i 1500W 80+ Titanium Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-cp9020057na) | $414.98 @ NCIX US 
**Optical Drive** | [Asus BW-16D1HT Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-optical-drive-bw16d1ht) | $60.99 @ NCIX US 
**Operating System** | [Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro (OEM) (64-bit)](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/microsoft-os-fqc06950) | $128.98 @ OutletPC 
 | | **Total**
 | Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | $4803.82
 | Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-14 15:36 EST-0500 |

Current Rig:   CPU: AMD 1950X @4Ghz. Cooler: Enermax Liqtech TR4 360. Motherboard:Asus Zenith Extreme. RAM: 8GB Crucial DDR4 3666. GPU: Reference GTX 970  SSD: 250GB Samsung 970 EVO.  HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.14 2TB. Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro. PSU: Corsair RM1000X. OS: Windows 10 Pro UEFI mode  (installed on SSD)

Peripherals:  Display: Acer XB272 1080p 240Hz G Sync Keyboard: Corsair K95 RGB Brown Mouse: Logitech G502 RGB Headhet: Roccat XTD 5.1 analogue

Daily Devices:Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact and 128GB iPad Pro

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Perfect for you as the workstation mobo is certified for crazy add-on cards, a 5960X should tear through audio, a 4TB drive is enough for you and 32GB ram is plenty

Current Rig:   CPU: AMD 1950X @4Ghz. Cooler: Enermax Liqtech TR4 360. Motherboard:Asus Zenith Extreme. RAM: 8GB Crucial DDR4 3666. GPU: Reference GTX 970  SSD: 250GB Samsung 970 EVO.  HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.14 2TB. Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro. PSU: Corsair RM1000X. OS: Windows 10 Pro UEFI mode  (installed on SSD)

Peripherals:  Display: Acer XB272 1080p 240Hz G Sync Keyboard: Corsair K95 RGB Brown Mouse: Logitech G502 RGB Headhet: Roccat XTD 5.1 analogue

Daily Devices:Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact and 128GB iPad Pro

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Budget?

That's kinda an important part

 

And how important is a sound card/graphics card?

 

Sound cards really aren't necessary for most things, but this is a special usage case

 

Edit: didn't notice, 5K budget

 

Editedit:

 
CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor  ($369.99 @ NCIX US) 
Motherboard: MSI X99S SLI Plus ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard  ($217.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Storage: Crucial MX100 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($199.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R7 250 1GB Video Card  ($79.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($119.98 @ Newegg) 
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit)  ($90.26 @ OutletPC) 
Sound Card: Asus Xonar Essence STX 24-bit 192 KHz Sound Card  ($179.89 @ Amazon) 
Case Fan: be quiet! SilentWings 2 60.4 CFM 140mm  Fan  ($21.90 @ Newegg) 
Case Fan: be quiet! SilentWings 2 60.4 CFM 140mm  Fan  ($21.90 @ Newegg) 
Case Fan: be quiet! SilentWings 2 60.4 CFM 140mm  Fan  ($21.90 @ Newegg) 
Total: $3454.57
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-14 16:21 EST-0500
 
Bump the 3tb Red pros to 6tb reds if you think you'll need more. You ought to still be under budget if you do.
 
Graphics card is pretty low end, but fanless. Get a strix 960 when it comes out if you think you'll need more.
The CPU cooler and Be Quiet! case fans are pretty much as silent as they come, and the define R5 is made for silence.

Specs: 4790k | Asus Z-97 Pro Wifi | MX100 512GB SSD | NZXT H440 Plastidipped Black | Dark Rock 3 CPU Cooler | MSI 290x Lightning | EVGA 850 G2 | 3x Noctua Industrial NF-F12's

Bought a powermac G5, expect a mod log sometime in 2015

Corsair is overrated, and Anime is ruined by the people who watch it

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Thanks for the input! The reason I did not put a sound card in the initial listing is because I already own a specialized audio card the my job provided (it only takes up one PCI slot on the mobo) that links to other specialized components. I guess it has been a while since I built a comp, I thought that the 2tbs of data/program files would be too much to put in a computer, I never realized I could have both my programs and my audio captures in the same place! (For an older guy like me, single hdds that hold over a tb by themselves blow my mind. I have 5 external hdds that I work off of)

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For anyone wondering, the actual audio engine card is not available for the open market yet, but it is in beta, very closely related to the new card RME put out, the HDSPe MADI FX. The only real difference is the number of channels the prototype can handle. It only takes up one PCIe slot on the mobo, but two slots in the case.

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