i7 vs i5 for music....to "K' or not to "K"!

[Jonodog]

Hello all,

About to make my first build - for music production...no video editing, but maybe occasionally scoring to video.

Im planning on going for i7-8700K as its recommended in the latest buying guides and seems the most powerful option.

However, I know that there is some debate about i5 vs i7 in iMacs for music, relating to how quickly the fans kick in (more quickly on i7 apparently)...and generally whether i7 is necessarily better for audio production.

Similarly, I don't know anything about overclocking, and assume it is mainly of concern to gamers and video editors...maybe Im wrong...but if anyone can tell me whether I should go for a "K" version of the processor for my needs, or better not to and possibly save some money on the extra cooler, I would be very grateful!

Many thanks!

 

[KapnKrunch]

Hello all,

About to make my first build - for music production...no video editing, but maybe occasionally scoring to video.

Im planning on going for i7-8700K as its recommended in the latest buying guides and seems the most powerful option.

However, I know that there is some debate about i5 vs i7 in iMacs for music, relating to how quickly the fans kick in (more quickly on i7 apparently)...and generally whether i7 is necessarily better for audio production.

Similarly, I don't know anything about overclocking, and assume it is mainly of concern to gamers and video editors...maybe Im wrong...but if anyone can tell me whether I should go for a "K" version of the processor for my needs, or better not to and possibly save some money on the extra cooler, I would be very grateful!

Many thanks!

Hi Jonodog -

I went with the i7 version on my Hackintosh, running Pro Tools. The fans never breathe hard, and it's nice to have the option to overclock. There's some cost difference, but I know my "K" version has some upward capacity, and I've gotten about 15% performance improvement with overclocking, with zero problems.

One thing about overclocking and motherboard choices - the Asus brand offers overclocking right in the BIOS, while Gigabyte boards seem to rely on a WINDOWS-based app. Maybe there are some exceptions, but I have no desire for a dual-boot system, and was glad I chose Asus.

Have fun!

 

[Jonodog]

Hey KapnKrunch, thanks very much for your advice. I was away hence slow response.

I had actually ordered the K version and a Gigabyte MB before I got your advice about having to have a dual boot machine if wanting to overclock with that. STill good to know though!

I too wasn't in the market for a dual boot system, but looks like I may have to go that way now if I want the option of overclocking.

Can you point me in the direction of any info regarding the need for Windows to OC with Gigabyte MBs? Ive not found anything myself, but maybe I don't know the right info to put into the search engine.

Cheers!

 

[thrf]

No need of Windows for OC if your not going to OC your graphics, i would recommend a moderated Water Cooling assisted OC if using K Processors, but for DAW, your'e searching for stability and reliability, in OC world that means knowing limits.

Salutes

 

[Jonodog]

No need of Windows for OC if your not going to OC your graphics, i would recommend a moderated Water Cooling assisted OC if using K Processors, but for DAW, your'e searching for stability and reliability, in OC world that means knowing limits.

Salutes

Hi thrf
Thanks a lot for your advice. I ended up buying i7-8700K with Corsair H60 Water Cooler, 32GB Ram and no graphics card (for now).
I have done the physical build, but haven't even done the install yet - I think this will be enough of a challenge for a noob such as myself before I consider OC.

I'm guessing that because I don't have a graphics card, I can't OC my graphics anyway?

And just so I understand, are you saying that because I only want to do do music, I possibly don't want to OC anything anyway, that I really want my machine to operate within it's comfortable limits?

 

[torpilas]

Could you please give full details on your system? I am looking to upgrade my current system. What iOS are you running and which DAW?

Thx!

 

[Jonodog]

Could you please give full details on your system? I am looking to upgrade my current system. What iOS are you running and which DAW?

Thx!

Hey man,
Im not sure exactly how much detail you want, but I can tell you I have the following;
Gigabyte Z370 Aorus Ultra Gaming
i7 8700K
32gb Ram
No graphics card
Corsair H60
ASUS USB BT400 (I haven't got this to work yet)
Samsung 850 evo 250gb
I run High Sierra with Logic Pro X