My current DAW Workstation is over 10 years old by now.
It's based on a Supermicro Board and paired with a E5-1660v2 CPU with 128gb of ECC Ram.
Back at the time when i bought this new the E5-1660v2 was a no brainer offering "outstanding" single thread performance, high clock speed and ideal core count.
(At this time multi core audio processing was still relatively new and i remember FL Studio just came out with their 64bit Version too.)
But now 10 years later i'm looking to buy a new "Money ALMOST no Object" DAW Workstation.
This time it will be a "General Purpose Workstation" with strong Focus on using it as a DAW though. (Maybe 1-2 Years down the line it will be used as DAW only Idk. yet)
I thought i just look at HP, Lenovo etc's Workstation offerings and buy that OR build something similar from scratch. (Using again a Supermicro Platform)
But after looking at the current offerings i noticed that the current Workstation/Enterprise grade Hardware - doesn't even matter if Intel or AMD - SERIOUSLY lacks behind consumer grade chips when it comes
to single core/thread performance. I mean up to a 1000 points difference on cpubenchmark.net (!)
So the thing is i LOVE Workstation grade Hardware and i HATE consumer grade Hardware.
My current system most of the time runs 24/7 and i had no noteworthy problems in over a decade. I'm looking to keep it that way!
(I plan to keep the new system for a decade too!)
Long story short:
Consumer Grade Hardware (Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, Intel Core i9-14900KS)
- Max. 192GB RAM, NON ECC RAM
- Not as stable/reliable/trouble free as Enterprise Grade Hardware
+ About 1000 Points higher single thread rating on cpubenchmark.net compared to the best Intel Xeon's and AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7995WX
+ System would be a lot cheaper (But most certainly has to be replaced sooner and i'm by far not as concerned about the costs as i'm about (usable) lifespan meaning i would rather pay more and use the same system longer instead of replacing the system more often but paying less)
Enterprise Grade Hardware Intel (Xeon w7-3565X, Xeon w9-3595X, Xeon w9-3495X)
+ Supports WAY more RAM and ECC RAM
+ More Stable/Reliable/Trouble Free as Consumer Grade Hardware
- About 1000 Points lower single thread rating on cpubenchmark.net compared to the best Desktop CPUs (But more cores/threads possible)
- The Xeon CPUs with the highest Single Thread Rating (almost 4000) are not available on Lenovo and HP's current offerings though they should fit inside a Thinkstation P7 or HP Z8 G5 Fury I THINK? (So would have to buy with cheapest CPU and swap or build something from scratch)
AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7995WX
+ Insane core amount and power
+ Supports tons of RAM and ECC RAM
+ More Stable/Reliable/Trouble Free as Consumer Grade Hardware
- About 1000 Points lower single thread rating on cpubenchmark.net compared to the best Desktop CPUs (But more cores/threads)
Knowing the above, i have questions...
1.
Will you actually feel a difference between a CPU with a cpubenchmark.net single thread rating around 5000 (Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, Intel Core i9-14900KS) vs. one that only has a rating of around 4000?
I produce dance music with lots of vsts (also hardware but still tons of VSTs) and looking to do it at the lowest buffersize / latency possible. I use FL Studio and Pro Tools and also interested in Bitwig (for the Future) because i like Linux. Is the Consumer CPU the by far better choice here or not?
2.
How important is the single core/thread performance these days?
Back when i built the last system 10 years ago it was VERY important. Still the same? (I think yes just looking to confirm)
3.
What about the cpu cores base clock speed. Is it important or only the single thread rating from cpubenchmark.net?
Lets say CPU A has a 2ghz base clock speed but 4000 single thread rating vs. CPU B has a 4ghz base clock speed but only 3500 single thread rating. Do you get CPU A or CPU B?
I mean i know they can turbo but does this come with enough latency that it's basically equivalent to the "Turbo Lag" of a car with a Turbocharger potentially resulting in dropouts if you instantly need more power?
(Asking because the consumer cpus have significantly higher base clock speeds aswell.)
4.
Is it likely that Intel releases new Xeon CPU's very soon (like Q1 or Q2 2025) that will match single thread performance of the consumer chips?
If so will these fit the current motherboards (and with that the current workstations from HP, Lenovo etc.)?
I'm not monitoring this stuff closely so idk.
Would of course suck to drop 5 digits on a system now when in a couple months something way better comes around and i can't upgrade.
5.
10 years ago Intel offered superior compatibility and stability compared to AMD when it comes to DAW Computers.
Is this still the case or will something like the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7995WX offer the same Compatibility and Stability for FL Studio and Pro Tools like current Intel Xeon and Consumer Grade processors?
6.
Would the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7995WX be a good choice for a DAW Workstation running FL Studio and Pro Tools, possibly Bitwig Studio on Linux?
I know it would be totally overkill but as i said earlier this would be a multi purpose Workstation with a strong focus on Music Production but not limited to.
I just want to know if it would be a great CPU for the job, even if 90% of the cores would just sit there and do nothing!
From a "General Purpose" view. Would this or the Xeon w9-3595X or Xeon w9-3495X be better?
-----
So basically should i be buying Consumer Grade or Workstation Grade Hardware. And should it be from Intel or AMD.
Again its a "General Purpose" Workstation but with strong focus on using it as a DAW.
VERY INTERESTED in what the experts - who are fully up to date on this - have to say!
It's based on a Supermicro Board and paired with a E5-1660v2 CPU with 128gb of ECC Ram.
Back at the time when i bought this new the E5-1660v2 was a no brainer offering "outstanding" single thread performance, high clock speed and ideal core count.
(At this time multi core audio processing was still relatively new and i remember FL Studio just came out with their 64bit Version too.)
But now 10 years later i'm looking to buy a new "Money ALMOST no Object" DAW Workstation.
This time it will be a "General Purpose Workstation" with strong Focus on using it as a DAW though. (Maybe 1-2 Years down the line it will be used as DAW only Idk. yet)
I thought i just look at HP, Lenovo etc's Workstation offerings and buy that OR build something similar from scratch. (Using again a Supermicro Platform)
But after looking at the current offerings i noticed that the current Workstation/Enterprise grade Hardware - doesn't even matter if Intel or AMD - SERIOUSLY lacks behind consumer grade chips when it comes
to single core/thread performance. I mean up to a 1000 points difference on cpubenchmark.net (!)
So the thing is i LOVE Workstation grade Hardware and i HATE consumer grade Hardware.
My current system most of the time runs 24/7 and i had no noteworthy problems in over a decade. I'm looking to keep it that way!
(I plan to keep the new system for a decade too!)
Long story short:
Consumer Grade Hardware (Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, Intel Core i9-14900KS)
- Max. 192GB RAM, NON ECC RAM
- Not as stable/reliable/trouble free as Enterprise Grade Hardware
+ About 1000 Points higher single thread rating on cpubenchmark.net compared to the best Intel Xeon's and AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7995WX
+ System would be a lot cheaper (But most certainly has to be replaced sooner and i'm by far not as concerned about the costs as i'm about (usable) lifespan meaning i would rather pay more and use the same system longer instead of replacing the system more often but paying less)
Enterprise Grade Hardware Intel (Xeon w7-3565X, Xeon w9-3595X, Xeon w9-3495X)
+ Supports WAY more RAM and ECC RAM
+ More Stable/Reliable/Trouble Free as Consumer Grade Hardware
- About 1000 Points lower single thread rating on cpubenchmark.net compared to the best Desktop CPUs (But more cores/threads possible)
- The Xeon CPUs with the highest Single Thread Rating (almost 4000) are not available on Lenovo and HP's current offerings though they should fit inside a Thinkstation P7 or HP Z8 G5 Fury I THINK? (So would have to buy with cheapest CPU and swap or build something from scratch)
AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7995WX
+ Insane core amount and power
+ Supports tons of RAM and ECC RAM
+ More Stable/Reliable/Trouble Free as Consumer Grade Hardware
- About 1000 Points lower single thread rating on cpubenchmark.net compared to the best Desktop CPUs (But more cores/threads)
Knowing the above, i have questions...
1.
Will you actually feel a difference between a CPU with a cpubenchmark.net single thread rating around 5000 (Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, Intel Core i9-14900KS) vs. one that only has a rating of around 4000?
I produce dance music with lots of vsts (also hardware but still tons of VSTs) and looking to do it at the lowest buffersize / latency possible. I use FL Studio and Pro Tools and also interested in Bitwig (for the Future) because i like Linux. Is the Consumer CPU the by far better choice here or not?
2.
How important is the single core/thread performance these days?
Back when i built the last system 10 years ago it was VERY important. Still the same? (I think yes just looking to confirm)
3.
What about the cpu cores base clock speed. Is it important or only the single thread rating from cpubenchmark.net?
Lets say CPU A has a 2ghz base clock speed but 4000 single thread rating vs. CPU B has a 4ghz base clock speed but only 3500 single thread rating. Do you get CPU A or CPU B?
I mean i know they can turbo but does this come with enough latency that it's basically equivalent to the "Turbo Lag" of a car with a Turbocharger potentially resulting in dropouts if you instantly need more power?
(Asking because the consumer cpus have significantly higher base clock speeds aswell.)
4.
Is it likely that Intel releases new Xeon CPU's very soon (like Q1 or Q2 2025) that will match single thread performance of the consumer chips?
If so will these fit the current motherboards (and with that the current workstations from HP, Lenovo etc.)?
I'm not monitoring this stuff closely so idk.
Would of course suck to drop 5 digits on a system now when in a couple months something way better comes around and i can't upgrade.
5.
10 years ago Intel offered superior compatibility and stability compared to AMD when it comes to DAW Computers.
Is this still the case or will something like the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7995WX offer the same Compatibility and Stability for FL Studio and Pro Tools like current Intel Xeon and Consumer Grade processors?
6.
Would the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7995WX be a good choice for a DAW Workstation running FL Studio and Pro Tools, possibly Bitwig Studio on Linux?
I know it would be totally overkill but as i said earlier this would be a multi purpose Workstation with a strong focus on Music Production but not limited to.
I just want to know if it would be a great CPU for the job, even if 90% of the cores would just sit there and do nothing!
From a "General Purpose" view. Would this or the Xeon w9-3595X or Xeon w9-3495X be better?
-----
So basically should i be buying Consumer Grade or Workstation Grade Hardware. And should it be from Intel or AMD.
Again its a "General Purpose" Workstation but with strong focus on using it as a DAW.
VERY INTERESTED in what the experts - who are fully up to date on this - have to say!
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