£500-£700 mostly for Vsti use

Adeen

Adeen

Adeen

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20 May 2024
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8
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Scotland
Howdy,
Looking for advice on what to purchase for a system that will primarily be used for a few piano/synths and guitar Vsti (Native Instruments).Son plays Wow occasionally also.

After reading a few other threads on here was thinking AM5 to futureproof somewhat but budget is tight after purchasing new music equip.

Don't need psu, monitors, OS etc would probably add in a 6600/7600 gpu or whatever similar you recommend.


Rich (BB code): 
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AMD Ryzen 5 7600 Six Core 5.10GHz (Socket AM5) Processor - Retail
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Asus Prime B650M-A WIFI II (Socket AM5) DDR5 Micro-ATX Motherboard
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tamzzy said:
how cpu intensive is this?
Click to expand...
System requirements for the software are below, this is my first foray into vitual instruments so I have not a lot else to offer unfortunately.
Thanks for the reply.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
macOS 11, 12 or 13 (latest update)

Windows 10 (64-bit, latest Service Pack) or Windows 11 (latest Service Pack)

Intel Core i5 or equivalent CPU, or Apple Silicon (using Rosetta 2), 4 GB RAM (6 GB recommended)

Find out more about M1 compatibility
10 GB free disk space (260 GB for complete installation)

Graphics hardware support for OpenGL 2.1 or higher, and Direct 3D 11.1 or higher

An internet connection is required to install and activate the products in this collection. Once installed, all products can be used offline. Certain products may require additional free downloads.

MASSIVE X requires an AVX compatible CPU
Click to expand...
 
Adeen said:
will primarily be used for a few piano/synths and guitar Vsti (Native Instruments).Son plays Wow occasionally also.
Click to expand...
How latency sensitive is this? I remember awhile back that it wasn't uncommon to pick Intel 10th/11th gen over 12th or Ryzen (AM4) due to latency issues.

Are you using the onboard sound or something external? Do you need spdif? How many jacks?
 
Tetras said:
How latency sensitive is this? I remember awhile back that it wasn't uncommon to pick Intel 10th/11th gen over 12th or Ryzen (AM4) due to latency issues.
Click to expand...
yeah dpc is worse on am5/ intel 12/13/14 gen
got to go back to 10/11 gen but massive drop in cpu performance

 
Tetras said:
How latency sensitive is this? I remember awhile back that it wasn't uncommon to pick Intel 10th/11th gen over 12th or Ryzen (AM4) due to latency issues.

Are you using the onboard sound or something external? Do you need spdif? How many jacks?
Click to expand...
The external equipment consists of Native Instruments mark3 88 key controller keyboard that connects and is powered via usb3, a universal audio 1 in (guitar) 2 out audio interface that outputs to 2 Adam audio active studio monitors. Headphones will connect via audio interface so other than 2 USB 3 ports I think that's it.
Regarding the latency, from what I've read it is no longer the issue it once was and can be compensated for via the audio interface.
I won't be using multiples libraries of vsti at a time or writing movie scores in a DAW , just dipping my toe into the water.
Thanks!

Edit: It would appear latency won't be an issue going by this from the audio interface manufacturer.
Volt features zero latency direct monitoring, allowing you to hear input sources in your headphones and monitors in real-time.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
Looking to go with the below as suggested. Couple of questions i have left before pulling the trigger are whether to grab a new psu while im at it. Would a cv550 suffice or grab a cv650 as they appear relatively low cos (£40-50) elsewhere and would make sense to do.

I could get a 7600x amd a cooler for about £210 but from my very basic understanding is that wouldn't be worth and spending more on a gpu would be a better path? hopefully my son will be happy enough for a while running Wow on a 1440p 27" with whats listed this as it will be a while before a gpu upgrade(unless he pays for it:))

Thanks.


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TeamGroup Vulcan EXPO 32GB (2X16GB) DDR5 PC5-48000C38 6000MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black (FLABD532G6000HC38ADC01)
MY-0B2-TG
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£80 (incl. VAT)
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Kolink Inspire Series K6 ARGB Micro-ATX Case - Black
CA-047-KK
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AMD Ryzen 5 7600 Six Core 5.10GHz (Socket AM5) Processor - Retail
CP-3DW-AM
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£161 (incl. VAT)
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Asus Prime B650M-A WIFI II (Socket AM5) DDR5 Micro-ATX Motherboard
MB-6K6-AS
£120 (incl. VAT)
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Adeen said:
Would a cv550 suffice or grab a cv650 as they appear relatively low cos (£40-50) elsewhere and would make sense to do.
Click to expand...
I wouldn't buy one of those, if you have an older high quality PSU then I'd just re-use it (unless it is ancient or terrible). If you're going to the trouble of buying a new one, I'd only replace it with a decent PSU that is gold rated, has a 10 year warranty and is from a recognised brand.

Adeen said:
I could get a 7600x amd a cooler for about £210 but from my very basic understanding is that wouldn't be worth and spending more on a gpu would be a better path? hopefully my son will be happy enough for a while running Wow on a 1440p 27" with whats listed this as it will be a while before a gpu upgrade(unless he pays for it:))
Click to expand...
Nah, there's no point, it would just increase the build cost.
 
Tetras said:
I wouldn't buy one of those, if you have an older high quality PSU then I'd just re-use it (unless it is ancient or terrible). If you're going to the trouble of buying a new one, I'd only replace it with a decent PSU that is gold rated, has a 10 year warranty and is from a recognised brand.


Nah, there's no point, it would just increase the build cost.
Click to expand...

Psu I have is quite old tbh and I don't think my ocd will allow it in a shiny new pc anyway so may as well grab a new one. Corsair RM650 suffice ?
 
Adeen said:
Psu I have is quite old tbh and I don't think my ocd will allow it in a shiny new pc anyway so may as well grab a new one. Corsair RM650 suffice ?
Click to expand...
RM650 would be fine, it has a 7 year warranty.

This has 10 year warranty and as far as I know it uses Seasonic internals and is well regarded (£10 more at ocuk prices):
www.overclockers.co.uk

Phanteks AMP 650W 80 Plus Gold Modular Power Supply

Order Phanteks AMP 650W 80 Plus Gold Modular Power Supply now online and benefit from fast delivery.
www.overclockers.co.uk www.overclockers.co.uk

I have the 1000w one and had no issues with it.

Regarding the latency - the 'zero latency' feature will mean you can hear the clean inputs (i.e. clean guitar/microphone) with virtually no latency, but software instruments (either midi synths or VST guitar effects plugins etc) you will have some latency to and from the interface.
It's not as much of an issue as it used to be on AM4 (I think it was pretty bad on 1xxx Ryzen, but pretty much sorted by 3xxx series - I had no issues on either 3700x or my current 5950x), I'm not sure how well AM5 handles that sort of stuff (or any recent intel stuff).

This might also help - see video link in top comment (I think this could apply to any platform if you're having issues!)
 
TrojanWhore said:
RM650 would be fine, it has a 7 year warranty.

This has 10 year warranty and as far as I know it uses Seasonic internals and is well regarded (£10 more at ocuk prices):
Click to expand...
Cheers! was just looking at PSU's as i held off on my original build due to a unexpected increase to available budget.
Looking at 7800x3d with a 7800xt (for son and his gaming) so was looking to go along the lines of a RMx750 or 850 or Aerocool 850w Gold.
TrojanWhore said:
Regarding the latency - the 'zero latency' feature will mean you can hear the clean inputs (i.e. clean guitar/microphone) with virtually no latency, but software instruments (either midi synths or VST guitar effects plugins etc) you will have some latency to and from the interface.
It's not as much of an issue as it used to be on AM4 (I think it was pretty bad on 1xxx Ryzen, but pretty much sorted by 3xxx series - I had no issues on either 3700x or my current 5950x), I'm not sure how well AM5 handles that sort of stuff (or any recent intel stuff)
Click to expand...
Yeah, i didnt word it very well but this is pretty much my understanding also.
TrojanWhore said:
This might also help - see video link in top comment (I think this could apply to any platform if you're having issues!)
https://www.reddit.com/r/AMDHelp/comments/163jioi/insane_dpc_latency_on_new_am5_build/
Click to expand...
Will check it out later , looks good ! Thanks for all the info.
 
Adeen said:
Cheers! was just looking at PSU's as i held off on my original build due to a unexpected increase to available budget.
Looking at 7800x3d with a 7800xt (for son and his gaming) so was looking to go along the lines of a RMx750 or 850 or Aerocool 850w Gold.

Yeah, i didnt word it very well but this is pretty much my understanding also.

Will check it out later , looks good ! Thanks for all the info.
Click to expand...
For 7800x3D + 7800xt then 650w should be fine, but yeah if budget allows I'd definitely want an 850w to allow for any upgrades in a few years. Definitely go for a gold rated unit (the better efficiency alone would probably cover the cost difference within a few years of moderate use).
as @Tetras said, warranty term is pretty much the best indicator of a quality PSU these days - those Aerocool units look a bit on the cheap end so the Seasonic GX or BeQuiet PurePower would be my choice from what's currently in stock here.
 
Finally got round to getting this done and i thought I'd post the results incase my experience helps anyone doing similar in the future.

The build budget increased then decreased(new headphones > cpu upgrade) but in the end went with a r5 7600 with 7800xt on a b650 tuf gaming wifi plus ATX and a msi 3.0 850w gold psu. The ram and ssd was the same as suggested and was all thrown in a phanteks xt pro ulta case.

I wont bore you with the budget build as its fairly standard id assume, but building it with my son was good fun non the less.Its way overkilll for my needs but it will be passed over to my boy at some point as we upgrade over the next year or so with cpu,water cooler and all the rgb gubbins he likes.

After reading horror stories about updating the Native instruments firmware and power issues with windows and i decided that usb-c ports were important to save messing with adapters/hubs hence the tuf gaming mobo decision, the case having another usbc on the front panel was a bonus and i couldnt be happier with both. The controller powers fine without the need for the additional power from wall which again seems to be a fairly common issue with this midi controller.

The biggest issue was updating the firmware which was an issue that was supposed to be fixed with the latest windows update but even then I still had to follow the steps below to get the firmware update going.
Here

Once it got going it took an age to update so id suggest turning off any pc hibernation setting and going do something else but dont interupt the update even if there is an error message as it still works.

Been dabbling with some pianos and synths and the latency is sub 10ms and is not noticable to me when playing.

That firmware faff aside, it was simple enough and im more than happy with it all, just need to do some cable management now.

Thanks again for the advice previously.

cheers.
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