[SOLVED] PC Build for Ableton music software

[Medjah]

Hey all. I am helping my brother with his first ever PC build. I myself have not built a machine in almost 8 years so any and all input is appreciated.

His main use will be for the Ableton music software.
Here is a not very useful article from Ableton: Ableton Help

He most likely won't game on it and will be using 1-2 1080P monitors. He will be using Windows 10 Home.

Here is the system I have so far: PcPartPicker

A few notes:

I chose this case because my brother wants an optical drive and fairly easy mobility. I also chose this case for the flexible interior layout and airflow (no water cooling). We will be going with the mesh front panel.
I know the motherboard may be a bit overkill but from what I have researched it performs well with all the pieces we want in this build and should help a bit with future proofing.
The video card is the best option at the $200 mark. Again, may be overkill but should help in long run.
I know we will need more fans in the case. He wants it to be as quiet as possible so we may replace/add Noctua fans.
If anyone has a recommendation on a sound card that a musician/producer could take advantage of please let me know!

Thank you in advance for your input.

 

[julienruc]

Hi @Medjah,

I made a few modifications. Here you go:
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600X 3.8 GHz 6-Core Processor ($199.99 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 50.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($86.46 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard ($114.89 @ B&H)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro 512 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($84.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda Compute 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER 6 GB VENTUS XS OC Video Card ($224.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master MasterCase MC500P ATX Mid Tower Case ($140.00)
Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS Plus Gold 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($104.99 @ B&H)
Optical Drive: LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($49.88 @ Other World Computing)
Total: $1221.16
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-03-10 04:31 EDT-0400

The build is cheaper by 200$ for two reasons:

1. You had selected 2 different RAMs in your build.
2. I also opted for a B450 board instead of an X570. For two reasons: The first being it doesn't make sense to spend as much on your board as your CPU. The second (and this can be a deal-breaker for some) unless your friend needs PCIe Gen 4.0 support, he doesn't need to spend 80$ more on a board. The B450 Tomahawk Max (Max lineups are 3rd Gen ready out-of-the-box) has excellent cooling VRMs.

• I changed the cooler to a BeQuiet! as they're actually slightly quieter and still offer great performance. But your Noctua choice was equally great.
• I would personally be more comfortable recommending a newer GPU than something that came out several years ago. Despite having 2GB less of VRAM, which doesn't make a difference in gaming and won't make a difference in Music editing, for 20$ more this card is faster and more recent. Think it over though the RX590 definitely works.

For extra fans in the future, I recommend the Silent Wings 2/3

 

[Medjah]

Hi @Medjah,

I made a few modifications. Here you go:
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600X 3.8 GHz 6-Core Processor ($199.99 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 50.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($86.46 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard ($114.89 @ B&H)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro 512 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($84.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda Compute 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER 6 GB VENTUS XS OC Video Card ($224.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master MasterCase MC500P ATX Mid Tower Case ($140.00)
Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS Plus Gold 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($104.99 @ B&H)
Optical Drive: LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($49.88 @ Other World Computing)
Total: $1221.16
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-03-10 04:31 EDT-0400

The build is cheaper by 200$ for two reasons:

1. You had selected 2 different RAMs in your build.
2. I also opted for a B450 board instead of an X570. For two reasons: The first being it doesn't make sense to spend as much on your board as your CPU. The second (and this can be a deal-breaker for some) unless your friend needs PCIe Gen 4.0 support, he doesn't need to spend 80$ more on a board. The B450 Tomahawk Max (Max lineups are 3rd Gen ready out-of-the-box) has excellent cooling VRMs.

• I changed the cooler to a BeQuiet! as they're actually slightly quieter and still offer great performance. But your Noctua choice was equally great.
• I would personally be more comfortable recommending a newer GPU than something that came out several years ago. Despite having 2GB less of VRAM, which doesn't make a difference in gaming and won't make a difference in Music editing, for 20$ more this card is faster and more recent. Think it over though the RX590 definitely works.

For extra fans in the future, I recommend the Silent Wings 2/3

Thanks for the input. I realized I had 2 types of RAM when reviewing the list. I updated the list but maybe the link I shared was for the old version. Thanks for the input on everything!

 

[Corwin65]

Solid Live build.

 

[Medjah]

Here is what I have:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600X 3.8 GHz 6-Core Processor ($199.99 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 50.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($86.46 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus TUF GAMING X570-PLUS (WI-FI) ATX AM4 Motherboard ($184.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro 512 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($78.95 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate FireCuda 2 TB 2.5" 5400RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive ($60.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER 6 GB VENTUS XS OC Video Card ($224.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master MasterCase MC500P ATX Mid Tower Case ($250.00)
Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($104.99 @ B&H)
Optical Drive: LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($49.88 @ Other World Computing)
Total: $1401.23
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-03-11 15:01 EDT-0400

I had the price wrong for the case. It is a lot more. I will be talking with my brother about this. Is the handle on top really that much of a need.
I realize you (@julienruc ) suggested B450 vs X570 but from what I have researched I prefer sticking with X570.
Would it be worth the extra $20 to bump RAM from 3200 to 3600? https://pcpartpicker.com/product/zc...2-x-16-gb-ddr4-3600-memory-f4-3600c16d-32gvkc

 

[Corwin65]

I'd get rid of the 5400 rpm drive.

 

[Medjah]

I'd get rid of the 5400 rpm drive.

What would you replace it with?

 

[Hellfire13]

From your Ableton Help...
"Which is more beneficial, a faster CPU speed or more cores?
Both are important. If your budget allows it we recommend getting the fastest processor and maximum amount of cores that you can afford. "

This should be better...

PCPartPicker Part List

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
CPU | AMD Ryzen 7 3800X 3.9 GHz 8-Core Processor | $339.99 @ B&H
CPU Cooler | be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 50.5 CFM CPU Cooler | $86.46 @ Amazon
Motherboard | MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard | $114.89 @ B&H
Memory | G.Skill Ripjaws V 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory | $159.99 @ Newegg
Storage | HP EX950 512 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive | $79.98 @ Amazon
Storage | Seagate Barracuda Compute 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $54.98 @ Newegg
Video Card | Asus GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER 6 GB TUF GAMING OC Video Card | $229.99 @ B&H
Case | Corsair Air 540 ATX Mid Tower Case | $139.97 @ Amazon
Power Supply | SeaSonic FOCUS Plus Gold 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply | $104.99 @ B&H
Optical Drive | LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer | $49.88 @ Other World Computing
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total | $1361.12
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-03-12 02:04 EDT-0400 |

 

[Corwin65]

What would you replace it with?

Ideally SSD's but if going for an HDD then at least 7200 rpm.

 

[Medjah]

This is what we are going with:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor ($289.99 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 50.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($86.46 @ Amazon)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5 g Thermal Paste ($6.50 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus TUF GAMING X570-PLUS (WI-FI) ATX AM4 Motherboard ($184.99 @ Best Buy)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro 512 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($78.95 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda Compute 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER 6 GB VENTUS XS OC Video Card ($224.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master MasterCase MC500 ATX Mid Tower Case ($119.99 @ B&H)
Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($104.99 @ B&H)
Optical Drive: LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($49.88 @ Other World Computing)
Total: $1361.71
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-03-12 14:22 EDT-0400

If he wants to buy the upgrades for the case or different fans we will do that after. Thank you all for your input.

 

[Corwin65]

Good choices. Let us know how it goes.

 

[Hellfire13]

This is what we are going with:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor ($289.99 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 50.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($86.46 @ Amazon)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5 g Thermal Paste ($6.50 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus TUF GAMING X570-PLUS (WI-FI) ATX AM4 Motherboard ($184.99 @ Best Buy)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro 512 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($78.95 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda Compute 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER 6 GB VENTUS XS OC Video Card ($224.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master MasterCase MC500 ATX Mid Tower Case ($119.99 @ B&H)
Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($104.99 @ B&H)
Optical Drive: LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($49.88 @ Other World Computing)
Total: $1361.71
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-03-12 14:22 EDT-0400

If he wants to buy the upgrades for the case or different fans we will do that after. Thank you all for your input.

A couple of modifications. Better Thermal Compound and PSU...
https://pcpartpicker.com/forums/topic/285979-seasonic-focus-vs-seasonic-focus-plus

PCPartPicker Part List

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
CPU | AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor | $289.99 @ B&H
CPU Cooler | be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 50.5 CFM CPU Cooler | $86.46 @ Amazon
Thermal Compound | Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut 1g 1 g Thermal Paste | $8.58 @ Amazon
Motherboard | Asus TUF GAMING X570-PLUS (WI-FI) ATX AM4 Motherboard | $184.99 @ Best Buy
Memory | G.Skill Ripjaws V 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory | $159.99 @ Newegg
Storage | ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro 512 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive | $78.95 @ Amazon
Storage | Seagate Barracuda Compute 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $54.98 @ Newegg
Video Card | MSI GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER 6 GB VENTUS XS OC Video Card | $224.99 @ Newegg
Case | Cooler Master MasterCase MC500 ATX Mid Tower Case | $119.99 @ B&H
Power Supply | SeaSonic FOCUS Plus Gold 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply | $104.99 @ B&H
Optical Drive | LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer | $49.88 @ Other World Computing
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total (before mail-in rebates) | $1378.79
| Mail-in rebates | -$15.00
| Total | $1363.79
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-03-12 20:51 EDT-0400 |

 

[Medjah]

Update:

My brother ordered everything except the case. CM cases are not easy to find and it doesn't look like much is available due to this COVID crap.

After talking to my brother some more he came to the conclusion he really doesn't need an optical drive. So he just ordered the Cooler Master H500P Mesh. Hopefully we can build it soon!