Contribute
Register

Heavy Build for Music Production

Status
Not open for further replies.
BoCoMoJ

BoCoMoJ

Joined
Jun 24, 2018
Messages
14
Motherboard
GIGABYTE Z370 AORUS Gaming 5
CPU
i7-8700K
Graphics
RX 560
Mac
  1. iMac
  2. MacBook Pro
Classic Mac
  1. LC
Welp, Apple has locked me out of OS upgrades and, as a result, LPX upgrades.

So, I'm planning my first build. As a lifelong Apple user who is used to machines lasting me a decade, I want to build something with power and sustainability. I'm a heavy sample user (Vienna) and run CPU intensive plug-ins simultaneously. I'm not overly concerned about cost.

Here's what I've come up with as a first draft. I'd appreciate feedback. What am I missing? Any potential problems noted?

Motherboard: ASUS ROG STRIX Z370-F GAMING
CPU: Intel Core i7-8700K Desktop Processor 6 Cores up to 4.7GHz Turbo Unlocked LGA1151 300 Series 95W BX80684i78700K
RAM: Ballistix Sport LT 64GB Kit (16GBx4) DDR4 2400 MT/s (PC4-19200) DIMM 288-Pin - BLS4K16G4D240FSB
OS and App HD: Samsung 860 PRO 512GB 2.5 Inch SATA III Internal SSD (MZ-76P512BW)
Sample and Misc HD: Samsung 860 PRO 1TB 2.5 Inch SATA III Internal SSD (MZ-76P1T0BW)
Audio HD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500 GB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s with NCQ 16MB Cache 3.5 Inch Internal ST3500413AS
Case: Corsair Carbide Series Black 300R Mid-Tower Computer Case and Corsair Air Series AF120
Cooler: CORSAIR HYDRO SERIES H60 AIO Liquid CPU Cooler, 120mm Radiator, 120mm Fan
Power: Corsair AX Series, AX760, 760 Watt (760W), Fully Modular Power Supply, 80+ Platinum Certified

I'd also like to add Bluetooth support for my Magic Trackpad and et cetera, but am having trouble deducing the best way to add this capacity. I am not clear if most/any WiFi cards support Bluetooth.

Thanks in advance for your feedback.
 
For something with power and sustainability over the cost, I'd suggest you take a look at the roll-your-own-iMac Pro guide by @kgp
 
BoCoMoJ said:
Fantastic! Thank you for the reply.
Click to expand...

The BT signal is so strong on these that my trackpad picks it up from over 10 feet away quite easily. BT dongles, you're lucky if the range is about 3-4 feet.
 
JimmyS said:
For something with power and sustainability over the cost, I'd suggest you take a look at the roll-your-own-iMac Pro guide by @kgp
Click to expand...

I wouldn't recommend that build to a first timer unless they've got a lot of free time to study and tinker as well as a lot of extra money to spend. Most Pro audio users can get their work done with a 6 core 8700K quite easily. Add 64 GB of fast DDR4 ram and one of those Z370 systems can handle all you can throw at them.

See this post for an example of someone using just a four core Skylake i7 CPU instead of the newer 6 core i7-8700K. They are coming no where near to maxing out the CPU with just a quad core.
 
Last edited:
Dont forget Thunderbolt! If you are going to use it for "Heavy Duty" music production system that will last you a decade. Dont think that mobo has any support for TB.
Click to expand...

Thunderbolt is something I'm very interested in. However, there is no way that I can find to determine which of the the 50-ish motherboards listed in the buyers guide include TB. What's worse, when you find one, it's often listed as "unavailable." I assume this is because it is sold out or the manufacturer has already moved on to an updated model, but retailers are very little help in finding the new model and there is no guarantee it will work in a hackintosh. Makes it difficult. Any advice is appreciated!
 
BoCoMoJ said:
Thunderbolt is something I'm very interested in. However, there is no way that I can find to determine which of the the 50-ish motherboards listed in the buyers guide include TB. What's worse, when you find one, it's often listed as "unavailable." I assume this is because it is sold out or the manufacturer has already moved on to an updated model, but retailers are very little help in finding the new model and there is no guarantee it will work in a hackintosh. Makes it difficult. Any advice is appreciated!
Click to expand...
If you want a Z370 ATX system you'll need to use an add-in card on a mobo that has a thunderbolt header. There are quite a few of these by Asus and Gigabyte so research the boards you are interested in on their respective websites. Then look for a User Build or Golden build that uses the same board. Will give you a lot of info on what you need to get Th.Bolt working. If you have the onboard Th.Bolt header you can always add in the card later on when you need it. Get the build and install done first then tackle that part later.
 
Last edited:
trs96 said:
If you want a Z370 ATX system you'll need to use an add-in card on a mobo that has a thunderbolt header. There are quite a few of these by Asus and Gigabyte so research the boards you are interested in on their respective websites. Then look for a User Build or Golden build that uses the same board. Will give you a lot of info on what you need to get Th.Bolt working. If you have the onboard Th.Bolt header you can always add in the card later on when you need it. Get the build and install done first then tackle that part later.
Click to expand...

The manufacturer web sites are basically useless to a first time builder, especially ASUS. The product finder page doesn't work consistently, making narrowing down the choices a problem. Click Thunderbolt and you get exactly one motherboard. I can't imagine that's correct.

On the Gigabyte web site, I've not found a single board the supports an 8th gen processor and lists Thunderbolt compatibility. Also seems impossible.

Guess I need some assistance on finding builds that will actually work on this site. Was led to believe the Buyer's Guide presented compatible options to meet any need, but I was apparently misled.
 
Asus Z370-A page https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/PRIME-Z370-A/specifications/

All you need to do is look under Specifications > Internal I/O ports > Thunderbolt

Screen_Shot.png


You can also do this on the Gigabyte website for any Z370 motherboard to determine this.

Here's the Z370 Aorus Ultra Gaming board Internal I/O section:

Screen_Shot.png
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Copyright © 2010 - 2024 tonymacx86 LLC
Back
Top