Help picking CPU/motherboard for first time DAW build

[DrDave]

Hi there!
I'm a first time builder looking to build a DAW workstation (and a bit of gaming)

I first need to choose my CPU and motherboard but found this a bit confusing
Motherboard:

• Lots of USB ports preferred
• On board graphics not necessary as I will be getting a single graphics card (2GB). I do want the option to add another later but I'm not sure if this is even recommended as they will likely be different to each other.
• I also need wi-fi so am unsure if the motherboard would have enough slots to fit 2 graphics cards and a wi-fi card.
• I will be using an external sound card while doing anything audio-y but would like to get sound out without using this so maybe I need an inbuilt soundcard

CPU:

• Lost for choice, unsure to what benefits any have over others or if the differences will benefit a DAW build.

Possible budget for build: £1000/$1500 (though flexible)


Thanks a lot for any advice you can offer!
ps. I was looking to build a hackintosh but have since decided to go windows (not using logic anymore(moved to reaper)). This forum is very friendly and busy so I thought this was the best place to ask for advice but if this post is then unsuitable for this forum and you want to remove it, fair do's. I would however welcome any suggestions on where else to look!

 

[Going Bald]

Any board/CPU combination from those recommended in the Buyer's Guide will work. Choose your board from the list based on your needs for SATA/USB/PCI slots and a CPU to match the board.
For a DAW I would suggest as much RAM as the board will support.
For the GPU - look at the games web sites - what graphics do they recommend? For most games I would suggest the R9 280X - works OOB in OS X (it is a rebranded HD7970) and has the Direct X / Open GL / Open CL support required for most games today.
When I was researching cards for my new build I really liked the MSI R9 280X Gaming OC for its specs and reviews, but it would not fit in my chosen case and so the GTX 980 won out when it came buying time.

 

[DrDave]

Thanks for your reply and advice! Would be grateful if anyone could add to this