PC Build for Music Production/Gaming

[matthewadesola433]

I'm looking at the following specs for a Music Production PC, using mainly FL Studio, Komplete 12 + other VSTs, within the 15-20 track range. I'll also be using this as my workstation for UX Design, video editing for Youtube content, and a bit of gaming on the side. Done a lot of back and forth and research on what to go for but i think i've finally nailed it. Keen to hear thoughts from others with similar system needs:

Ryzen 5 3600x
16GB 3000MHz RAM
RTX 2060 Super
512 M2 Drive (OS, DAW, VSTs) + 1TB Samsung SSD (for sample libraries, video projects, games) + 2TB Seagate HDD (Finished projects, general files)
Corsair 450W PSU
FrostFlow 100
WiFi 6 AX200 Card

 

[ubuysa]

We'd need to see the full spec from the PCS configurator page please and your max budget too.

 

[matthewadesola433]

Max. Budget £1500


Case
THERMALTAKE V200 TEMPERED GLASS RGB EDITION GAMING CASE (Special Offer)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600X Six Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.4GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3000MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2060 SUPER - HDMI, DP - VR Ready!
1st Storage Drive
1TB Samsung 860 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 550MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
2nd Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB INTEL® 660p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (upto 1500MB/sR | 1000MB/sW)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Memory Card Reader
USB 3.0 EXTERNAL SD/MICRO SD CARD READER
Power Supply
CORSAIR 450W VS SERIES™ VS-450 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 100 RGB Series High Performance CPU Cooler (AMD)
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KK3-00002]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
Microsoft® Office 365 Personal (12 Month Subscription - Digital Key)
Anti-Virus
Norton 360 Deluxe: 1 User, 5 Devices - 1 Year Subscription
Browser
Google Chrome™
Monitor Cables
1 x 2m DisplayPort Cable - DP (M) to DP (M)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 12 to 14 working days

Price (incl. VAT) £1470

 

[matthewadesola433]

Couple of questions:

Case
THERMALTAKE V200 TEMPERED GLASS RGB EDITION GAMING CASE (Special Offer) - How is this case for noise? Can anyone recommend a better case within my budget?

Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 100 RGB Series High Performance CPU Cooler (AMD) - Do I need to purchase this or would the stock CPU cooler do the job (3600x)?

 

[BlessedSquirrel]

As someone who has complete 11, I’d highly recommend getting a 1TB m2 drive, as soon as you upgrade you’ll find 512 isn’t big enough.

 

[matthewadesola433]

As someone who has complete 11, I’d highly recommend getting a 1TB m2 drive, as soon as you upgrade you’ll find 512 isn’t big enough.

Yeah, the size of Komplete is one of my concerns, however i read online that i could install my kontakt libraries on a another disk (the SSD), and the VSTs on the M2 drive. Or are you suggesting the VSTs files alone would eat up the M2?

 

[BlessedSquirrel]

Yeah, the size of Komplete is one of my concerns, however i read online that i could install my kontakt libraries on a another disk (the SSD), and the VSTs on the M2 drive. Or are you suggesting the VSTs files alone would eat up the M2?

Yeah, complete ultimate in 1 upgrade alone went from 500gb to about 800gb.

 

[matthewadesola433]

Yeah, complete ultimate in 1 upgrade alone went from 500gb to about 800gb.

Damn, tbf i'm keeping an eye out on deals for ultimate too. Thanks for the heads up.

Based on that and a separate thread which discusses good cases for airflow I've updated my spec. Also upped the PSU for future proofing should I make any upgrades. £15 over but expecting this to be an absolute beast!

Case
COOLERMASTER MASTERCASE H500 GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600X Six Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.4GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3000MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2060 SUPER - HDMI, DP - VR Ready!
1st Storage Drive
1TB Samsung 860 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 550MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
2nd Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Memory Card Reader
USB 3.0 EXTERNAL SD/MICRO SD CARD READER
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W CV SERIES™ CV-550 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 100 RGB Series High Performance CPU Cooler (AMD)
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KK3-00002]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
Microsoft® Office 365 Personal (12 Month Subscription - Digital Key)
Anti-Virus
Norton 360 Deluxe: 1 User, 5 Devices - 1 Year Subscription
Browser
Google Chrome™
Monitor Cables
1 x 2m DisplayPort Cable - DP (M) to DP (M)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 12 to 14 working days
Price: £1,513.00 including VAT and Delivery

Will be hooking it up to a ACER Nitro VG270UPbmiipx Quad HD 27" LCD Gaming Monitor

 

[BlessedSquirrel]

Slightly tweaked with reasons, this is a bit more expensive, but for real performance increase while being quieter running, see if your budget will allow:

Case
CORSAIR 275R AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE Slightly cheaper case to reduce overall cost, still good thermals.
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X Eight Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.4GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4) Much more suitable processor for video editing
Motherboard
Gigabyte X570 GAMING X: ATX (USB 3.2 Gen 1, PCIe 4.0) - RGB Ready! Slightly cheaper motherboard but same performance
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB) Faster RAM and costs about the same
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2060 SUPER - HDMI, DP - VR Ready!
1st Storage Drive
3TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE Might as well have a good size data drive, and not much more expensive
2nd Storage Drive
1TB Samsung 860 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 550MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET Much better PSU, and semi modular, improved sound and airflow
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Noctua NH-U14S Ultra Quiet Performance CPU Cooler Much better cooler with regard to sound
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
Microsoft® Office 365 Personal (12 Month Subscription - Digital Key)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Firefox™
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 12 to 14 working days
Price: £1,625.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/YHGKw7dwGu/

 

[matthewadesola433]

Slightly tweaked with reasons, this is a bit more expensive, but for real performance increase while being quieter running, see if your budget will allow:

Case
CORSAIR 275R AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE Slightly cheaper case to reduce overall cost, still good thermals.
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X Eight Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.4GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4) Much more suitable processor for video editing
Motherboard
Gigabyte X570 GAMING X: ATX (USB 3.2 Gen 1, PCIe 4.0) - RGB Ready! Slightly cheaper motherboard but same performance
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB) Faster RAM and costs about the same
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2060 SUPER - HDMI, DP - VR Ready!
1st Storage Drive
3TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE Might as well have a good size data drive, and not much more expensive
2nd Storage Drive
1TB Samsung 860 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 550MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET Much better PSU, and semi modular, improved sound and airflow
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Noctua NH-U14S Ultra Quiet Performance CPU Cooler Much better cooler with regard to sound
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
Microsoft® Office 365 Personal (12 Month Subscription - Digital Key)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Firefox™
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 12 to 14 working days
Price: £1,625.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/YHGKw7dwGu/

Gotta tinker with the overall budget but this does look a solid build overall, cheers mate.

In terms of music production, should i be concerned about DPC Latency - is this something I need to request from PCS to tune the BIOS for reduced latency, or as a custom PC is it gonna be good straight out the box?

 

[BlessedSquirrel]

Gotta tinker with the overall budget but this does look a solid build overall, cheers mate.

In terms of music production, should i be concerned about DPC Latency - is this something I need to request from PCS to tune the BIOS for reduced latency, or as a custom PC is it gonna be good straight out the box?

The latency aspect is really a matter of making a few tweaks within windows.
There’s a good general guide here:

Optimising your PC for Audio on Windows 10

Windows caters to many different types of users and applications. Here are some ways to improve your Windows experience for music production. You might view this article if you experience these pro...

support.focusrite.com

If you’re not familiar with focusrite, they make professional audio equipment, mainly soundcards and mics.

another one here:

20 ways to optimize your Windows 10 PC for music production

Windows 10 has revolutionized the music-making process on the PC. Here's how to avoid the frozen screen of death and carry on making beats!

bandzoogle.com

How to Optimize a Windows Laptop for Low Latency Real Time Audio

Have you ever wished that you could use all your virtual instruments libraries for your keyboards or all these incredible virtual amps from your studio for your guitar or bass …

www.bluecataudio.com

Don’t worry too much about latency, it’s rarely an actual issue.

 

[matthewadesola433]

Cheers mate, appreciate it!