CPU For Music Production: i7 8700K vs Ryzen 7 2700X

[jr5furacao]

[Title updated 07/20 from CPU For Music Production: i7 8700K vs Ryzen 1900X to CPU For Music Production: i7 8700K vs Ryzen 7 2700X]

Hello everyone! I'm building a new PC mainly for music production in FL Studio and am deciding the CPU first. In order to do so I ask for your guidance.

I'll produce, mix and master on this build and I use heavy plugins/VSTs, but don't really use a lot of samplers (although I might use more in the future).

According to Image-Line you should pick something that has between 4 and 8 cores and, since some tasks cannot be multi-threaded, you should prefer a CPU with higher single core performance.

I'd like to add that this PC will also be used for gaming (mainly Dota 2 and Isurgency: Sadstorm) in a 27" 1440p monitor that has not been chosen yet, but this is a secondary thing and I don't care much about great fps>ultra settings>tier 1 games as I don't even play them. I'll also use this computer for editing videos.

After researching some models I settled on the i7 8700K/Ryzen 1900X and between both picked the i7 8700K because:

1. it fits nicely in my budget as I want to spend around R$7.500,00 (~U$1800,00 I believe) on all PC parts. Getting the Ryzen will likely get a bit pricey overall but I can't say for sure as I haven't researched the other components yet;

2. doesn't have 8 cores as the Threadripper but has better single thread performance (2705>2057) and better overall rating (15989>15398) according to cpubenchmark.net;

3. even if it's a bit overkill right now I feel like it'll pay off in the future as my games and projects get heavier.

Having said that all I know is theory and not real world performance, so I am a bit unsure if these CPUs will be way powerfull or not. I currently own an Alienware 15 R2 with a i7 6700HQ and 8GB RAM that can't really take the work load, I also don't know much about clock speed and socket types, and I never overclocked so I probably won't.


That's it, thank you for sparing your time and sorry for my possible ignorance on something.

I want to make the best choice available and I am willing to take the extra steps in order to do so. Thanks for helping.

 

[profoundnoah]

I'm a bit curious as to why you haven't looked into the new 2700X CPU from AMD. The 1900X is a bit of an odd one, given the 2700X outperforms it in nearly every category. If you were to go threadripper, then you would be paying for features>performance, given that even the cheapest X399 boards are a pretty penny, and you'd need a strong CPU cooler to keep it at bay. Here's a thread regarding the topic: https://www.reddit.com/r/Amd/comments/8e6luo/threadripper_1900x_vs_ryzen_2700x/

Don't worry about asking stupid questions; the only thing that would make you stupid would be NOT asking them. Do note that the 2700X ships with a very competent stock cooler, so that would eliminate the cost of a CPU cooler from your budget, should you choose to go AMD.

I'd recommend taking a hard look at both processors (2700X and 8700k) before you buy. Just pray that you don't receive a defective 2700X outside of the Amazon return window like I did

What software are you using for video editing? Generally, I'd lean towards the 8700k, as it seems to strike a nice balance with your use case.

 

[jr5furacao]

I'm a bit curious as to why you haven't looked into the new 2700X CPU from AMD. The 1900X is a bit of an odd one, given the 2700X outperforms it in nearly every category. If you were to go threadripper, then you would be paying for features>performance, given that even the cheapest X399 boards are a pretty penny, and you'd need a strong CPU cooler to keep it at bay. Here's a thread regarding the topic: https://www.reddit.com/r/Amd/comments/8e6luo/threadripper_1900x_vs_ryzen_2700x/

Don't worry about asking stupid questions; the only thing that would make you stupid would be NOT asking them. Do note that the 2700X ships with a very competent stock cooler, so that would eliminate the cost of a CPU cooler from your budget, should you choose to go AMD.

I'd recommend taking a hard look at both processors (2700X and 8700k) before you buy. Just pray that you don't receive a defective 2700X outside of the Amazon return window like I did

What software are you using for video editing? Generally, I'd lean towards the 8700k, as it seems to strike a nice balance with your use case.

Thank you for your response!

I can see clearly now why the 1900X doesn't make sense here.

As for the 2700X I didn't know about its existence until you mentioned it, I haven't researched enough to have a concrete opinion but I'll definitely look more onto it as it seems to fit all my needs. I irrationally think that it won't be strong enough though, mainly because it's cheaper than it's competitor, but aside from that I have no argument to hold that statement, what do you think?

The cooler thing is a very interesting point, I also read/saw somewhere that the 8700K reaches very high temperatures and doesn't ship with a cooler, right?

Here goes a noob question then. That X399 is a type of motherboard required for connecting the 1900X?

Oh damm, sorry for your loss I'm from Brazil so I won't be buying on Amazon, guess I'm covered on this one.

As for the software I was using Adobe Premiere something and liked it pretty much (can't remember the exact version and don't have it anymore), although I'm still getting into video editing so I might try other softwares. I also plan on photoshopping somewhere down the road.


Update: As i am researching more it looks like those two processors are putting up a good fight, with small advantages on both sides. The stock cooling and multi-thread performance gives the 2700X an edge while the i7 benefits more from gaming and overclocking, as this article pointed out.

I'm still grasping the differences between these two components, so the research continues!

 

[madmatt30]

I'm not sure it's 100% helpful but I'll point you to this thread anyway because the questions are very similar.

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/answers/id-3744586/intel-core-8700k-ryzen-2700x.html

Advantages of the 8700k ? It has Integrated graphics & is not as reliant on fast ram as the Ryzen.

Advantages of the Ryzen ? Plainly a lot cheaper, comes with the wraith max prism cooler which is very decent, on a more upgradeable socket imo.

If Youre going to to be adding a discrete gpu I'd personally go Ryzen.

 

[jr5furacao]

I'm not sure it's 100% helpful but I'll point you to this thread anyway because the questions are very similar.

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/answers/id-3744586/intel-core-8700k-ryzen-2700x.html

Advantages of the 8700k ? It has Integrated graphics & is not as reliant on fast ram as the Ryzen.

Advantages of the Ryzen ? Plainly a lot cheaper, comes with the wraith max prism cooler which is very decent, on a more upgradeable socket imo.

If Youre going to to be adding a discrete gpu I'd personally go Ryzen.

Thank you for your response!

I couldn't read it completely but it is definitely helping, I'd also like to suggest anyone researching the topic to read this one.

I'm not planning on a discrete GPU, as I want to be able to play some tier 1 games with OK quality if I choose to do so. I don't really want high fps as 60 is fine with me and don't mind dropping a few (or a lot fuck it) settings. Interesting to know that the Ryzen relies on faster RAM, can you elaborate on it?

Having said that, I think I am actually leaning towards the Ryzen. I believe that I can put those bucks saved (cooler + lower price) to good use choosing a better RAM or MOBO (is this thinking right or the money invested in CPU brings more value than in other components?) and that the difference in performance between both CPUs can be neglected, especially when gaming is not my priority, I'm sensing that the difference in performance is not as noticeable as people may make it feel like. The fact that most people focus on the gaming performance, however, doesn't help with the dilemma. And the fact that the 2700X has better upgradability helps making the argument, but I'm still deciding if I'd like to upgrade anything down the road or build a setup and stick with it.

One last question: do a 1440p monitor influences in any way my CPU choice? I read some people saying that when going 144 Hz the value of the i7 makes itself more noticeable, what about going QHD?

In conclusion I think my best choice is going both ways in hypothetical builds, and see which one better fits my needs as I choose other components.


Update 07/24:

I forgot to mention a very important detail: I need this build to be as silent as possible for audio monitoring purposes, which brings the following questions:

1. Considering that is it wiser going i7 since I can build a more silent cooling solution from scratch once it doesn't come with one?

2. Is AMDs cooler noisy? Are there any smart workaround maintaining the Ryzen choice? Perhaps dumping its cooler and investing in a new cooling system... going that route I could also start considering overclocking.

 

[poopstains82]

I do audio production with the ryzen 7 2700x and im very happy with its performance . I use fl studio and that's the reason why I upgraded myself to ryzen 7 2700x for performance on content creation. im very happy with it , so I don't see any reason for u not to switch to it . u will gain more than u think from it ..

 

[jr5furacao]

I do audio production with the ryzen 7 2700x and im very happy with its performance . I use fl studio and that's the reason why I upgraded myself to ryzen 7 2700x for performance on content creation. im very happy with it , so I don't see any reason for u not to switch to it . u will gain more than u think from it ..

Thank you for your input!

Glad to know you are happy with your 2700x

I was almost deciding on it, so that seals the deal for me, 2700x it is!

Thanks to everyone that replied on this thread, wish you all the best

 

[poopstains82]

I do audio production with the ryzen 7 2700x and im very happy with its performance . I use fl studio and that's the reason why I upgraded myself to ryzen 7 2700x for performance on content creation. im very happy with it , so I don't see any reason for u not to switch to it . u will gain more than u think from it ..

Thank you for your input!

Glad to know you are happy with your 2700x

I was almost deciding on it, so that seals the deal for me, 2700x it is!

Thanks to everyone that replied on this thread, wish you all the best

oh your welcome .u will appreciate the 2700x . I don't want any other CPU to be honest ..its a tough CPU ..Goodluck

 

[jr5furacao]

I do audio production with the ryzen 7 2700x and im very happy with its performance . I use fl studio and that's the reason why I upgraded myself to ryzen 7 2700x for performance on content creation. im very happy with it , so I don't see any reason for u not to switch to it . u will gain more than u think from it ..

Thank you for your input!

Glad to know you are happy with your 2700x

I was almost deciding on it, so that seals the deal for me, 2700x it is!

Thanks to everyone that replied on this thread, wish you all the best

oh your welcome .u will appreciate the 2700x . I don't want any other CPU to be honest ..its a tough CPU ..Goodluck

That's cool! Thank you.

I'd like to ask: can you hear the fan running when you go high temps? Does it bother you?

 

[profoundnoah]

As someone who owns the 2700X, the stock cooler isn't EGREGIOUSLY loud, but if you're pushing it to the max it's definitely noticeable (not a deal-breaker though, I mean it's the stock cooler come on).

I myself have picked up FL recently, and though I probably don't use anywhere NEAR as many vst's as you, even my 6700k delivers a pleasant producing experience. You'll be fine with either the 2700X or the 8700k, it's entirely up to you.

 

[poopstains82]

I do audio production with the ryzen 7 2700x and im very happy with its performance . I use fl studio and that's the reason why I upgraded myself to ryzen 7 2700x for performance on content creation. im very happy with it , so I don't see any reason for u not to switch to it . u will gain more than u think from it ..

Thank you for your input!

Glad to know you are happy with your 2700x

I was almost deciding on it, so that seals the deal for me, 2700x it is!

Thanks to everyone that replied on this thread, wish you all the best

oh your welcome .u will appreciate the 2700x . I don't want any other CPU to be honest ..its a tough CPU ..Goodluck

That's cool! Thank you.

I'd like to ask: can you hear the fan running when you go high temps? Does it bother you?

I don't use the stock cooler , I use Thermaltake 360 Floe Riing AIO Premium edition ..I would personally recommend not to use the stock cooler, but some are obligated to..The $ u spend on the Ryzen 7 2700x , might as well throw in a good watercooler with it..give it the best performance u can , that's just my opinion ..

 

[profoundnoah]

Watercoolers are nice but not necessary. I'd advise a Be Quiet! cooler for minimal noise/good temps (if it can fit your case, use the pro, otherwise get the regular Dark Rock 4): https://pcpartpicker.com/product/F3gzK8/be-quiet-dark-rock-pro-4-505-cfm-cpu-cooler-bk022

 

[poopstains82]

Watercoolers are nice but not necessary. I'd advise a Be Quiet! cooler for minimal noise/good temps (if it can fit your case, use the pro, otherwise get the regular Dark Rock 4): https://pcpartpicker.com/product/F3gzK8/be-quiet-dark-rock-pro-4-505-cfm-cpu-cooler-bk022

not bad cooler..but too big and bulky for my taste..

 

[jr5furacao]

Thank you for your replies!

I was actualy considering a open loop water cooling solution (haven't researched a lot yet).

The thing is low noise output is very important for me since I have acoustic treatment in my room. Window, door and walls absorb and isolate sound, that is to say: my noise floor is very low, if not for the computer I'm typing on now I almost can't hear a thing.

So any small level noise would be perceivable, I'm just not sure how much it would affect my work...

Having that said I've already chosen very quiet components when talking about the rest of the computer, so just need to decide on the cooling thing

 

[profoundnoah]

Ideally, you'd want to eliminate as many moving parts as possible. Open-loop cooling is the best method (within reason) to get REALLY good temps, but there's always going to be an increase in noise. Two Silence-Oriented fans pushing air through two heat towers will be a good bit quieter than a pump, multiple static-pressure optimized fans blowing air through a radiator, in addition to the headache (depends on how you set up the loop, could be easy, could be a pain) of maintenance. Not to mention, the Dark Rock Pro 4 is SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper than a fully-fledged custom loop.

 

[jr5furacao]

Ideally, you'd want to eliminate as many moving parts as possible. Open-loop cooling is the best method (within reason) to get REALLY good temps, but there's always going to be an increase in noise. Two Silence-Oriented fans pushing air through two heat towers will be a good bit quieter than a pump, multiple static-pressure optimized fans blowing air through a radiator, in addition to the headache (depends on how you set up the loop, could be easy, could be a pain) of maintenance. Not to mention, the Dark Rock Pro 4 is SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper than a fully-fledged custom loop.

Thank you for your response!

I actually thought that open-loop would also increase noise suppression on top of having better cooling, having way more work in putting it together and expending way more to achieve only lower temperatures dissuades me completely. If I can achieve a very quiet PC build without it there's no real reason for me to do it since overclocking isn't in my list.

After reading your comment I ended up in this article called It's Been a Fun Ride, But I'm Done Water Cooling My PC, interesting read, it pointed me to a video on a silent PC build from Linus' Tech Tips that uses the same cooler you suggested. They achieved 14 dB idle and 24 dB at maximum performance