[SOLVED] Upgrading old PC components vs buying a new PC? (Music Production)

[aka dave]

I've had my current PC for 6/7 years, and use it solely for music production. It wasn't an amazing spec when new, but it did the job well enough. Over time I've started to encounter problems with high CPU loads when using lots of VSTs and even single instances of some newer VST instruments. I know next to nothing about PC components, so have put off making any changes to the set up whilst it was stable and working as required.

I would like advice on whether it's possible to upgrade some existing components for better performance (if so, what will make the biggest difference?), or if as seems likely, I’d be better off investing in an entirely new PC?

Current set up:
AMD FX -4100 4x3600 MHz
Gigabyte GA-78LMT-SP2 motherboard
8GB DDR3 PC-1333 memory
Running Windows 7 Home Pr. 64bit

Any help is much appreciated, thanks.

 

[tennis2]

Buy new. Intel's 8th and 9th gen i7 CPUs as well as AMDs Ryzen 3000 CPUs do well in DAWBench. i7-8700K, i7-9700K or Ryzen 3700X.
http://www.scanproaudio.info/2019/0...00x-dawbench-tested-3-is-it-the-magic-number/

 

[Karadjgne]

Not much choice. The FX platform is less than half of what anything new can do, literally its 60% slower performance. Even if you spent out on a 95w FX 8320E replacement (and they aren't easy to find at a decent price) you'd still be looking at @ 67% of the performance of a 3rd gen Intel core i5. It'd be a serious waste of your time and money as you'll be ditching the whole thing shortly anyways as even newer stuff gets tossed at you and the VST's that are currently giving you issues will be small potatoes in comparison.

Your only real option worth any value is replacement of your core components. Cpu, mobo, ram. Something like a i5-9400F on a B360 motherboard with 16Gb of 2666MHz ram will come in under $300

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel - Core i5-9400F 2.9 GHz 6-Core Processor ($149.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock - B360M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($68.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($64.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $283.86
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-07-17 13:08 EDT-0400

 

[Quanticriver]

music production is all about that CPU, get as beefy a cpu as your budget can carry and 16 gb of ram wouldn't be bad too, also an ssd would be good 2.5 or nvme doesn't matter, no need for a dedicated gpu

 

[aka dave]

Cheers for the advice, much appreciated!

 

[tennis2]

One thing to note: You WILL need a dedicated GPU if you choose an Intel "F" series CPU or an AMD Ryzen (non-G suffix) CPU because those models don't have integrated graphics.

Since your current CPU has no integrated graphics, it's safe to assume you've already got something that you could carry over, however, it may be better for heat/noise to get a new graphics card. Many/most of today's GPUs have semi-passive fan operation (confirm with whatever GPU you're looking to buy) whereas their fan(s) won't spin until the GPU exceeds 55-60C. For your usage, that would mean the GPU has its fan(s) off most of the time you're doing music work (not sure if you do recordings also)

 

[aka dave]

Thanks for the all the responses, they really helped me to research everything and narrow down my options. I'm bumping this now as I'm finally in a position to buy. I've two builds in mind, my preferred is the Ryzen 7 3700X:

PCPartPicker Part List: https://de.pcpartpicker.com/list/t2YvLJ

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor (€324.90 @ Mindfactory)
Motherboard: Gigabyte X570 GAMING X ATX AM4 Motherboard (€159.90 @ Alternate)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory (€119.90 @ Alternate)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (€36.82 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GT 1030 2 GB Low Profile Video Card (€77.90 @ Alternate)
Total: €719.42
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-11-29 02:13 CET+0100

The alternative is the Intel Core i7- 9700k:

PCPartPicker Part List: https://de.pcpartpicker.com/list/k3BXXP

CPU: Intel Core i7-9700K 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor (€362.90 @ Mindfactory)
CPU Cooler: Scythe Mugen 5 Rev. B 51.17 CFM CPU Cooler (€50.71 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Motherboard: ASRock Z390 Pro4 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (€115.99 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-2666 Memory (€122.90 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (€36.82 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Total: €689.32
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-11-29 02:15 CET+0100

I've already got a case and an adequate power supply for either build. I think these are the recommended RAM specs and I'm assuming the Wraith Prism cooler on the Ryzen will be sufficient. The overall prices are a couple of hundred € cheaper now than when I looked at this originally, so I'm keen to get on with purchasing - but as I've never built a PC before, any advice on the selected components or things I need to look out for would be much appreciated.

 

[Karadjgne]

Not bad choices at all. But since the 3200MHz ram is cheaper than the 2666, might as well save a few $ there, the board will be just as accepting, and the cpu won't mind a bit.

Either build will be good, but for your current usage, the Intel is probably the better option. That said, the Ryzen and Gaming X combo is really very good, and should your tastes change or the programs you use require more resources later, then the Ryzens higher thread count and equitable ability to the 9700k might make a difference. Tough choice, both have pro's and cons in equal share.

 

[ocer9999]

If you game mostly, the 9700K would be a better choice, but I would have a better mobo to go with it as they are quite demanding, get a Z390 Extreme 4 that is priced pretty good and has very impressive specs!

 

[ThiaJay]

What did you choose in the end and how is it working? Did you make the right choice?