Asus p9x79 le for music production

haveri

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Hello everyone,

I would like to build a PC for producing orchestrated music based on heavy VSTs. A friend told me that RAM is more important than the CPU so I thought of getting the core i7 4790, and this mobo seems to fit my needs because it supports up to 64gb RAM (I will buy 32gb, but the possibilty of upgrading might serve me in the future). The thing is that the audio stores in my country don't sell any systems with this mobo, and only sells with mobos that supports up to 32gb of RAM, particularly the Asus Z97. Is the Z97 better than the p9x79? Is the p9x79 outdated or just less successful?

Do you think it is a good mobo for music production with i7 4790? Is there anything I have to take into account when buying it?

Also if it's okay to ask, I'm just curious why most of the mobos which supports the DDR3 are limited to 32gb and not 64gb?

Thank you very much in advance!


 
Virtual Studio Technology (VST)

You don't need a high end PC for music production. Video production is demanding. But not music production.

You certainly won't need 64gb ram. 16gb will be plenty.

You need to have a look at the software's System Requirements.
 

haveri

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Thank you I7baby

Good to know about VST, I thought it menas "virtual instruments" :)

As for the 64gb ram, it's becoming popular, someone I know who orchestrates with heave libraries uses about 50gb ram which sounds crazy. So I prefer to have the option to upgrade in case I need it, instead of buying again a new pc just because the maximum is 32gb.

So the question is how well the Asus p9x79 is.

Thanks again
 
It's last generation

The new WS is
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132263

and it supports 64 GB, as does the other X99 boards

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132261
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132286
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132260
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132262


However, the X99 Asus boards have bot been faring well with customers

http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2458770/whatz-happenin-mobo-quality-late.html

Might wanna consider this which supports 128GB

MSI X99S SLI Krait Edition (w/ Audio Boost)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130812

MSI X99S MPOWER
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130793

I imagine you will be using a high end sound card so this may not be of interest

Audio Boost meets Krait. Audio Boost delivers the highest audio quality so users can enjoy crystal clear sound and the best possible sound experience while gaming. Because the complete audio circuitry is isolated from other features, enjoy less interference and more stability. The built-in 600Ω headphone amplifier is perfectly suited to the use of studio-grade headgear to get the most amazing sound quality out of your PC. Also featuring golden audio jacks for pure audio signals, an EMI shielded audio codec, high quality audio capacitors and Illuminated audio PCB separation, rest assured the best possible audio experience is available with Audio Boost.

Good reading

http://www.musicthinktank.com/mtt-open/top-tips-for-building-a-reliable-music-production-pc.html

4) Memory - If you are going to be using a lot of sample libraries it is going to mean you need a lot of memory, consider what you will be using the production machine for and if you have any memory hungry software or sample libraries then ensure you have installed sufficient RAM.
 

haveri

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Thanks JackNaylorPE,

But these boards are just for DDR4 aren't they? I want to keep it with DDR3 because it's cheaper, and with i7 4790.
What would be the recommended mobo for DDR3 and support for 64gb (or more) ?

Thanks
 
https://www.steinberg.net/en/products/cubase/specs_downloads.html - they don't have onerous requirements.

Some rigs others have used - http://www.steinberg.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=209&t=64254

Z97 mobos - http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-intel-amd-motherboard,3902.html

eg ASRock Z97 Extreme 9 - http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z97%20Extreme9/?cat=Specifications

Dual Channel DDR3 Memory Technology
- 4 x DDR3 DIMM Slots
- Supports DDR3 3200+(OC)/2933(OC)/2800(OC)/2400(OC)/2133(OC)/1866(OC)/1600/1333/1066 non-ECC, un-buffered memory
- Max. capacity of system memory: 32GB*
- Supports Intel® Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) 1.3 / 1.2

If 32gb is OK then go with Z97

32gb 2133 ddr4 - $400 - http://pcpartpicker.com/part/mushkin-memory-994197f
32gb 2133 ddr3 - $300 - http://pcpartpicker.com/part/mushkin-memory-994119r

So there's only $100 difference in ram. With X99 you can get an 8core i7 CPU for $1000 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117404
or a 6 core - $550 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117403&cm_re=5930x-_-19-117-403-_-Product
 


With a 4790k, You'd want Z97 .... but thats 32 GB limit

Look here for ideas:

http://www.adkproaudio.com/choose2.asp

I'd go with the Krat based build.... DDR4 is not all that much more expensive

The new Krait has 12 phase power, 10 SATA 5 ports, 128 GB RAM, M2 + SATA Express, 8 USB 3.0 ports, 1 SPDIF Optical, 5 x OFC audio jacks, 5 4-pin fan connectors and the audio boost feature.... not many MoBos can provide all that.

In terms if getting all that audio down on disk.... One of the things that may be of particular interest is the Turbo M.2 SSD slot. Most motherboards cap out here 6 Gbps, due to their being wired through the SATA root complex .

This baby can reach the fill 32 Gbps or about three times the performance as as compared to a “normal” M.2 slot wired through PCIe which typically top out at 10 Gbps

In short, given the price, it's gonna be real hard to find something comparable for your usage.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Bdh423
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Bdh423/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor ($369.88 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Swiftech H220-X 55.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler
Motherboard: MSI X99S SLI Krait ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($267.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($377.27 @ TigerDirect)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($204.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Seagate 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive ($94.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Luxe ATX Full Tower Case ($159.99 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Mad Catz S.T.R.I.K.E. 3 White Wired Gaming Keyboard ($92.87 @ Amazon)
Mouse: Corsair Vengeance M95 Wired Laser Mouse ($69.99 @ Micro Center)
Total: $1637.96
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-22 14:11 EST-0500

I didn't include a GFX card as I don't know what else if anything you will do with the machine. Obviously if video editing you want an Nvidia card .... and that choice will determine PSI size

Ignore the gaming designation on the KB, it was selected purely as an aesthetic match
 

haveri

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Thanks a lot!

JackNaylorPE, this msi mobo looks amazing. But unfortunately in my country they don't sell it.
Do you know how this board is compared to msi x99s sli plus?

Thanks in advance
 

mystyrical

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If your doing as much music production as me, then you need a high end computer. If you are doing as much as me. more vst's, synthesizers, and other plugins + more samples+ more live recordings= need for badass desktop. Ive got 8gb of ram, intel processor with 3.3 ghz,ect. My parts list is a joke for what im doing. I get constant pops and clicks and other audio/processing issues and am not able to run high end exterernal sound cards (ive adjusted latency, tried overclocking......all the tricks-my solution: build a badass desktop
 


Hit quote to copy my post and then copy / paste the entire link into your browser. THG cuts long links so clicking within my message won't work.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=-1&IsNodeId=1&Description=MSI%20X99&bop=And&CompareItemList=-1|13-130-796^13-130-796-TS%2C13-130-812^13-130-812-TS&percm=13-130-796%3A%24%24%24%24%24%24%24%3B13-130-812%3A%24%24%24%24%24%24%24

Main difference for you is.... you lose the ALC1150 which is replaced by the lower quality ALC892