PC experts needed for upgrade quest

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digitaldrummer
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Re: PC experts needed for upgrade quest

Post by digitaldrummer » Fri Jul 16, 2021 7:24 am

Dang, the MADI interface for RADAR is NOT cheap! It seems like you would save some bucks getting a new PC with a PCIe slot and an updated RME card and just keep using the ADAT ports. and save some hassle (as mentioned earlier).

Also something we didn't talk about before. if you buy a fully assembled PC (from a reputable company), you will get some kind of warranty. Sometimes that gets you parts next day, or within a week, etc. If you buy all the parts online and DIY, then you are also responsible for disassembly, returning the part for RMA, and waiting for the new part (or you buy another outright). I like the idea of a repair happening quickly, and under warranty if needed, especially for the first year or 2.
Last edited by digitaldrummer on Sun Jul 18, 2021 7:05 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: PC experts needed for upgrade quest

Post by joninc » Sat Jul 17, 2021 9:52 am

MoreSpaceEcho wrote:
Fri Jul 16, 2021 6:51 am
Just keep in mind that if you're running that PCI card through a bridge (which you almost certainly are), that's likely going to be your bottleneck, especially if you're running high sample rates. Their performance is way worse when running through the PCI-e bridge, that's according to Paul at Lynx, who helped me out on my previous build. On my new build I replaced my old PCI card with PCI-e.
this is definitely a concern so I am now leaning towards forking out the $ for a PCIe Raydat to replace my PCI.
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Re: PC experts needed for upgrade quest

Post by kslight » Sat Jul 17, 2021 1:46 pm

If you have to buy a new interface, I would not be keen to invest heavily in anything PCIe today, I just don't see a lot of future in that format. I also don't see a lot of future in x86 based systems...certainly have a few years left in Windows systems, but I think they will take notice of what is being done with efficiency on the Apple side and they will move towards something similar...people like systems that are dead silent and cool to the touch, don't consume tons of power, will be great for portable systems especially.

As far as do motherboard brands matter - I think it does. As long as you stick to a name brand (ie: Gigabyte, Asus, etc) and do some research before you buy, its probably fine. But I wouldn't assume they are all created equal, some will use lower grade components / traces and some will use different chipsets...may not be any surface level difference to the average user but in terms of reliability / longevity, everything you put into the system adds up. I do not like to purchase pre-built PCs because most of the time they load them with no name components like motherboards, memory, video cards (if any), and power supplies...and that in my experience means those components fail much sooner / when I was working on an office full of computers, I'd see it every time someone had an issue...I never bought the cheapest replacement parts when it was time to fix, and they never had issues with the component I replaced.

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Re: PC experts needed for upgrade quest

Post by Scodiddly » Sun Jul 18, 2021 6:25 am

kslight wrote:
Sat Jul 17, 2021 1:46 pm
If you have to buy a new interface, I would not be keen to invest heavily in anything PCIe today, I just don't see a lot of future in that format.
Dante? It's a very common format in the live sound world nowadays, and about as future-proof as anything could really be.

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Re: PC experts needed for upgrade quest

Post by digitaldrummer » Sun Jul 18, 2021 7:26 am

Looks like the IZ Radar system did add a Dante interface (but also looks very expensive like the MADI interface). I would like to see more interfaces offer Dante connectivity (Ethernet ports are ubiquitous and cheap) . I also personally do not buy into the whole "Thunderbolt rules the world" story - which Apple is pushing heavily - but not everyone is onboard (and Apple likes it this way) which means it will remain fragmented in the industry for years to come. So I say get whatever works for you now and don't worry about it. Thunderbolt, firewire, Dante, USB, ADAT, MADI, etc. They can all work but it depends on what you are connecting from/to and what sample/bit rates you record at. Find the solution that works for you.

btw, PCIe is not going away any time soon - it is inside every PC and Mac and will still be for many years to come. while a PCie "card" inside a desktop might seem old school to some, it's a highly efficient way of getting digital I/O to the DAW and among the lowest latency options (PCIe is very fast, but can't go long distances, which is why we have other external interface options, and other problems...).
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Re: PC experts needed for upgrade quest

Post by MoreSpaceEcho » Sun Jul 18, 2021 7:41 am

kslight wrote:
Sat Jul 17, 2021 1:46 pm
As far as do motherboard brands matter - I think it does. As long as you stick to a name brand (ie: Gigabyte, Asus, etc) and do some research before you buy, its probably fine. But I wouldn't assume they are all created equal, some will use lower grade components / traces and some will use different chipsets...may not be any surface level difference to the average user but in terms of reliability / longevity, everything you put into the system adds up. I do not like to purchase pre-built PCs because most of the time they load them with no name components like motherboards, memory, video cards (if any), and power supplies...and that in my experience means those components fail much sooner / when I was working on an office full of computers, I'd see it every time someone had an issue...I never bought the cheapest replacement parts when it was time to fix, and they never had issues with the component I replaced.
Big +1 on all of this.

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Re: PC experts needed for upgrade quest

Post by joninc » Mon Jul 19, 2021 11:48 am

Does anybody have any experience here using the latest gen Ryzen AMD cpus? I've been advised that they are more powerful than current Intel and may handle processing for audio better.
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digitaldrummer
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Re: PC experts needed for upgrade quest

Post by digitaldrummer » Mon Jul 19, 2021 1:14 pm

joninc wrote:
Mon Jul 19, 2021 11:48 am
I've been advised that they are more powerful than current Intel and may handle processing for audio better.
it's really doing to depend on which specific models you are comparing. Both could work just fine. this https://www.cpubenchmark.net/ is again an easy way to compare relative performance to make sure whatever you are comparing is in the same ballpark.
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Re: PC experts needed for upgrade quest

Post by Magnetic Services » Mon Jul 19, 2021 3:13 pm

digitaldrummer wrote:
Mon Jul 19, 2021 1:14 pm
joninc wrote:
Mon Jul 19, 2021 11:48 am
I've been advised that they are more powerful than current Intel and may handle processing for audio better.
it's really doing to depend on which specific models you are comparing. Both could work just fine. this https://www.cpubenchmark.net/ is again an easy way to compare relative performance to make sure whatever you are comparing is in the same ballpark.
I'm sure they're both amazing, especially if you're upgrading from something old. I went with AMD (Ryzen 7 3700X) just because I read that it was a better value, and to complement my AMD graphics card.

Honestly, for most recording needs, any modern CPU is going to be just fine. I did the research and invested in a good one because my post-production work involves a lot of really intense multichannel processing, but that's an edge case.

My advice is get the most bang for your buck!

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Re: PC experts needed for upgrade quest

Post by joninc » Mon Jul 19, 2021 7:27 pm

specs on new system:

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 3.7GHz'

MOBO: Gigabyte X570 AORUS

C drive: Samsung 980 NVMe M .2 SSD 500GB

RAM: G.SKILL RipjawsV D4 3200 16Gx2

Cooler Maste r 550W Gold V2 Black Modular PSU

Noctua NH-D15S CPU Cooler

Lian Li LANCOOL II Me sh Performance
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Re: PC experts needed for upgrade quest

Post by digitaldrummer » Tue Jul 20, 2021 6:26 am

that's a powerful CPU. you should be happy with it!
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Re: PC experts needed for upgrade quest

Post by Magnetic Services » Tue Jul 20, 2021 9:14 am

Damn, that CPU cooler is HEFTY.

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