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Motherboard/CPU/Cooler purchase time :-)


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Just decided it`s time to change the machine…. Upgrading from W10 to W11 and the overall process to reinstall all VSTs, DAW, etc will be a PITA, but I`ll just start focusing on the hardware.

I`m thinking about the Intel i7 (i9 seems an overkill), I’ll use my current 16GB RAM, power supply and drives, so only the processor, motherboard and cooler are in the shopping list now.

Do you have the “winner” as your 1st choice based on your experience?

Tks!

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I did a build 18 months ago  - I went with a Ryzen 5 (6 core) and an MSI motherboard w 32 gigs RAM.  I did however cheap out on the power supply and THAT was a mistake.  While my original PS worked, it caused all kinds of problems.  It was a pain because it was powering up, so the PS was the absolute LAST thing I checked.  (repl the motherboard and processor, tried every combination of RAM I could think about, completely removed everything from the case looking for a short, etc.....)  So ya, don't cheap on the power supply! 

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I just built a small DAW box.

 

- Intel 12700f because I wanted discrete graphics and wasn't going to overclock

- H670 chipset--again, no overclocking needed

- mini-ITX form factor because I wanted to use a small case I like (Coolermaster NR200). The ASRock motherboard I chose had all the networking I needed (2 ports!), enough SATA ports (4), and allowed for two M2 drives. I don't require add-in cards.

 

However, this may have been a suboptimal configuration, given the cooling needs. I chose the Noctua C14s, which was individually compatible with the CPU, motherboard, and case, but I didn't fully consider the combination of all three...d'oh!

 

The heatsink is massive, almost comically so, and makes for a very cramped build, especially given the CPU socket placement. I couldn't run the supplied CPU 140mm fan on the bottom of the cooler because it was too close to the PSU. I ended up with a Noctua 120mm strapped to the bottom (blowing air on the CPU) and the supplied 140mm on top (blowing into the heat sink).  

 

The two CPU fans may be overkill, but some testers generally recommended that configuration. Please don't consider this good advice :D Just sharing what I did.

 

For the case fan, I put a Noctua 120mm slim (15mm height) exhaust fan on the top, above the PSU mount, because it was the only one that would fit with that cooler. And it just fit

 

I'll say this about the Noctua fans: they are exceptionally quiet. I can't hear them at all when the system is idling.

 

I've installed a bunch of software and am still burning it in. So far it feels faster than the i7 7700 I've been using, which will be demoted to a VST satellite box.

 

If you've got a roomy case, a lot of the BS I put myself through won't be an issue. Just look into the compatibility tools when selecting a cooler.

 

Hope this is food for thought if not helpful.

 

-John

 

 

 

 

I make software noises.
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If it's going to sit and not transport then the big sinks are OK if you plan on gigging with it then Liquid  cooling would be a better option. the bigger sinks can crack the board and need to be removed for transport DDR4 is approaching end of life but is still a choice depending on your use/need. If your sessions/use is under 40 tracks you should be good with a 127000***. Alot are using the Corsair rmx 750/850 fan rarely comes on during DAW work

Triton Extreme 76, Kawai ES3, GEM-RPX, HX3/Drawbar control, MSI Z97

MPower/4790K, Lynx Aurora 8/MADI/AES16e, OP-X PRO, Ptec, Komplete.

Ashley MX-206. future MOTU M64 RME Digiface Dante for Mon./net

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