looking for hardware specs for a system to run Logic Pro 9 or 10

[LMHmedchem]

Hello,

I have a friend who uses Logic Pro 9 for his home recording studio. He has a an older iMac with 8GB of RAM that cannot be upgraded. 8GB RAM places limitations on what he can do with the software but a newer iMac is out of his price range.

I have built PCs for years, so I thought I would look into the specs for an Intel based system that could run OSX and Logic Pro 9. I am thinking that running OSX in a VM would not provide the required performance. Please let me know if I am not right about that.

In the past I have looked at an OSX compatible system using a Gigabyte board, but that has been quit a while ago (Wolfdale, socket 775) so I need to start fresh. I would be looking at skylake or kaby lake. I have read that the i7-7700K and i7-6700K are good choices.

As far as details go details, I need to put together a hardware list, accumulate the necessary drivers, and find a place to buy the software that I need a license for. If someone here can give me some pointers or direct me to a good place to start looking, I would appreciate it.

It would also be great to get some advice from someone who uses Logic Pro and can comment on hardware utilization.

Is it helpful to have more than 4 cores, or is the max GHz per core more important?
Are the Kaby Lake i5 CPUs supported as well as the i7?
Does the having the i7 make a difference for Logic as compared to the i5 (is hyperthreading helpful)?
How much RAM is too much, especially since RAM can cost double the combined CPU and motherboard cost?
Is it necessary to have a thunderbolt monitor?
Thoughts on a GPU, sound card, other peripherals, etc.

Thanks for the input,

LMHmedchem

 

[LMHmedchem]

After some reading, I have come up with this as a starting point,

CPU: Intel Core i5-7500 Kaby Lake 3.4 GHz LGA 1151 ($189)
MOBO: GIGABYTE GA-H270M-DS3H rev. 1.0 H270 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.1 Micro ATX ($90)
RAM: Mushkin Enhanced Redline 2x8GB DDR4 3000 MRA4U300JJJM8GX2 ($132)
OS Drive: SAMSUNG 960 EVO M.2 250GB NVMe PCI-Express 3.0 x4 SSD MZ-V6E250BW ($125)
Archive Drive: WD Blue 4TB Desktop Hard Disk Drive WD40EZRZ ($118)
PSU: SeaSonic G Series SSR-550RM 550W 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular ($70)
GPU: EVGA GeForce GT 710 DirectX 12 02G-P3-3713-KR 2GB 64-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 ($60)
Case: DIYPC Cuboid-B Black USB 3.0 Gaming Micro-ATX Mid Tower ($50)
Monitor: LG 32MP58HQ-W 31.5" FHD IPS Widescreen LED Backlight Monitor 5ms 1920x1080, 60 Hz ($200)

After a $30 Microcenter rebate, the above comes to $1004. Can anyone see any issues with this as a parts list?

I have a few other questions if anyone can help.

Does a rig like this need a motherboard with thunderbolt video output and a thunderbolt monitor? This is very important as it completely changes the price structure. Are there any other suggestions about the video card and monitor?

I would really like to add a second m.2 SSD for current project files but there aren't any Gigabyte H270 boards listed at newegg that have 2x m.2 slots. Can someone recommend another board? Otherwise I would need to go ATX.

Is there anyone who uses Logic Pro who can tell me if there is an advantage to going with an i7 hyper-threading chip over the i5 listed above? Does it make sense to wait a bit until the new Intel hexacore chips come out in October or is the i5 quad above plenty of CPU? Not every application is multi-threaded to use every available core.

This rig has 16GB of RAM, will Logic Pro utilize more than that if it is available? RAM is so expensive now that I don't want to waste budget on RAM if the software is not set up to use it.

I am not sure about a sound card. I would guess Logic Pro could run off of the onboard card but if there are advantages to using an aftermarket card, I would appreciate advice on that.

Thanks,

LMHmedchem

 

[Jamesbond007]

After some reading, I have come up with this as a starting point,

CPU: Intel Core i5-7500 Kaby Lake 3.4 GHz LGA 1151 ($189)
MOBO: GIGABYTE GA-H270M-DS3H rev. 1.0 H270 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.1 Micro ATX ($90)
RAM: Mushkin Enhanced Redline 2x8GB DDR4 3000 MRA4U300JJJM8GX2 ($132)
OS Drive: SAMSUNG 960 EVO M.2 250GB NVMe PCI-Express 3.0 x4 SSD MZ-V6E250BW ($125)
Archive Drive: WD Blue 4TB Desktop Hard Disk Drive WD40EZRZ ($118)
PSU: SeaSonic G Series SSR-550RM 550W 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular ($70)
GPU: EVGA GeForce GT 710 DirectX 12 02G-P3-3713-KR 2GB 64-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 ($60)
Case: DIYPC Cuboid-B Black USB 3.0 Gaming Micro-ATX Mid Tower ($50)
Monitor: LG 32MP58HQ-W 31.5" FHD IPS Widescreen LED Backlight Monitor 5ms 1920x1080, 60 Hz ($200)

After a $30 Microcenter rebate, the above comes to $1004. Can anyone see any issues with this as a parts list?

I have a few other questions if anyone can help.

Does a rig like this need a motherboard with thunderbolt video output and a thunderbolt monitor? This is very important as it completely changes the price structure. Are there any other suggestions about the video card and monitor?

I would really like to add a second m.2 SSD for current project files but there aren't any Gigabyte H270 boards listed at newegg that have 2x m.2 slots. Can someone recommend another board? Otherwise I would need to go ATX.

Is there anyone who uses Logic Pro who can tell me if there is an advantage to going with an i7 hyper-threading chip over the i5 listed above? Does it make sense to wait a bit until the new Intel hexacore chips come out in October or is the i5 quad above plenty of CPU? Not every application is multi-threaded to use every available core.

This rig has 16GB of RAM, will Logic Pro utilize more than that if it is available? RAM is so expensive now that I don't want to waste budget on RAM if the software is not set up to use it.

I am not sure about a sound card. I would guess Logic Pro could run off of the onboard card but if there are advantages to using an aftermarket card, I would appreciate advice on that.

Thanks,

LMHmedchem

All Kaby Lake CPUs from the i3 and above are native supported by MacOS Sierra 10.12.6.

Why do you want to use a Thunderbolt monitor? Do you already have one? If so, and if you want to use it on your system then I believe you will need a motherboard that have at least one Thunderbolt port, such as the Gigabyte GA-Z270X-Gaming 7.

I don't know of mATX motherboards that have more than one M.2 port. If you want more than one M.2 SSDs, you can either get an ATX motherboard that has more than one M.2 slot (such as the Gigabyte GA-Z270X-Gaming 7), or you can use a PCIe x4 expansion card like the Silverstone ECM20.

But the problem is MacOS Sierra does not have native support for third party M.2 NVMe SSDs like the Samsung 960 EVO you want to use. With the imminent release of MacOS High Sierra on September 25, you may want to wait until then to see if the release version of MacOS High Sierra keeps the third party NVMe M.2 SSD support in its test versions.

 

[LMHmedchem]

But the problem is MacOS Sierra does not have native support for third party M.2 NVMe SSDs like the Samsung 960 EVO you want to use. With the imminent release of MacOS High Sierra on September 25, you may want to wait until then to see if the release version of MacOS High Sierra keeps the third party NVMe M.2 SSD support in its test versions.

Is there any update on this? Does High Sierra have support for M.2 NVMe SSDs?

I have been waiting on the build to find out about this since it will have a major impact on the direction I go.

LMHmedchem

 

[Jamesbond007]

Is there any update on this? Does High Sierra have support for M.2 NVMe SSDs?

I have been waiting on the build to find out about this since it will have a major impact on the direction I go.

LMHmedchem

Yes, the release version of High Sierra retains the third party NVMe M.2 support.

You may want to wait a little longer as the High Sierra compatible versions of Unibeast and MultiBeast are not released yet.

 

[LMHmedchem]

I am finally getting ready to build this and have a current tentative list,

CPU: Intel Core i7-7700K Kaby Lake 4.2 GHz LGA 1151 Boxed Processor ($299)
MOBO: Gigabyte H370 AORUS Gaming 3 WiFi LGA 1151 ATX Intel Motherboard ($130)
RAM: G.SKILL Sniper X 2x16GB DDR4 3000 F4-3000C16D-32GSXKB ($270)
OS drive: SAMSUNG 970 EVO M.2 2280 250GB SSD MZ-V7E250BW ($88)
data drive: SAMSUNG 970 PRO M.2 2280 512GB SSD MZ-V7P512BW ($198)
archive drive: WD Blue 4TB Desktop Hard Disk Drive SATA 6Gb/s WD40EZRZ ($98)
PSU: SeaSonic G SSR-550RM 550W 80 PLUS GOLD Modular Power Supply ($66)
GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 1050 GAMING, 02G-P4-6150-KR, 2GB GDDR5 ($135)
case: FSP CMT230 ATX Mid Tower PC Computer Gaming Case ($65)
cooling: Corsair Hydro Series H110i ($116)CPU Cooler CW-9060026-WW ($116)
monitor: LG 32MP58HQ-W White 31.5" FHD IPS Widescreen LED Backlight Monitor ($192)

This comes to about $1650 so far.

I still have a number of important questions. Recalling that this system will be used to run Logic Pro 9 or 10,

- will the 32GB or RAM be utilized, or at least more than 16GB? I would rather not pay $300 for RAM and have half of it just sit there like a good looking paper weight.

- there are a number of options for processors from 6 down to 4 cores,
Intel Core i7-8086K, 6-core, 12-thread, 5.0GHz ($380)
Intel Core i5-8700K, 6-core, 12-thread, 4.7GHz ($330)
Intel Core i5-8600K, 6-core, 6-thread, 4.3GHz ($240)
Intel Core i7-7700K, 4-core, 8-thread, 4.5GHz ($299)
Intel Core i5-7500, 4-core, 4-thread, 3.8GHz ($190)
Will Logic Pro utilize more than 4 cores?
Is there a benefit to the i7 with hyperthreading as opposed to the i5?
Would any of these be a better choice than the i7-7700K?

- is there any hardware on this list that is not compatible with OSX?

- where do I go about buying the operating system and a new copy of Logic Pro 9 or 10?

- I would like on the order of a 30"-32" monitor. I like LG monitors but the one above seems a bit inexpensive for what it purports to be (a nice IPS panel led back-lit monitor). Are there recommendations for a better monitor?

- Should I be looking at a PCIE sound card to use with this or will the on board audio be fine? I know that when folks use mac hardware they are forced into using an external sound card. Since I will have open PCIE slots, I thought I should ask about using an internal card but don't know what would work with the OS or application.

Thanks for the suggestions so far,

LMHmedchem

 

[Jamesbond007]

I have no comment about Logic Pro as I have never used it.

However, there is a problem with your list : the H370 motherboard only works with 8th generation CPUs, and not 7th generation CPUs like the 7700K. So you can only use, say, the 8700K or the 8600K, or the i5-8400 (6 cores) / i3-8100 (4 cores).

MacOS High Sierra is free to download for Mac users. You need access to a real Mac or working hackintosh to access the Mac App Store and download High Sierra (or the upcoming Mojave). Once you install High Sierra, you should then be able to access the Mac App Store and buy Logic Pro.

 

[LMHmedchem]

MacOS High Sierra is free to download for Mac users. You need access to a real Mac or working hackintosh to access the Mac App Store and download High Sierra (or the upcoming Mojave). Once you install High Sierra, you should then be able to access the Mac App Store and buy Logic Pro.

Thanks, I will have my friend download the OS.

However, there is a problem with your list : the H370 motherboard only works with 8th generation CPUs, and not 7th generation CPUs like the 7700K. So you can only use, say, the 8700K or the 8600K, or the i5-8400 (6 cores) / i3-8100 (4 cores).

Thanks for the tip. I have posted a revised list below.

This will run Logic Pro 10 under High Sierra unless you recommend that Mojave is preferable.

CPU: Intel Core i5-8600K Coffee Lake Hexacore 3.6 GHz LGA 1151 ($220)
MOBO: Gigabyte Z370 AORUS ULTRA GAMING WIFI LGA 1151 ATX ($155)
RAM: G.SKILL Sniper X 2x8GB DDR4 3000 F4-3000C16D-16GSXFB ($130)
OS drive: SAMSUNG 970 EVO M.2 250GB PCIe Gen3. X, NVMe SSD ($88)
data drive: SAMSUNG 970 EVO M.2 250GB PCIe Gen3. X, NVMe SSD ($88)
archive drive: WD Blue 4TB Desktop HDD SATA 6Gb/s WD40EZRZ ($98)
optical: Lite-On DVD Burner Black SATA Model iHAS124-14 ($20)
PSU: SeaSonic G Series SSR-550RM 550W 80 PLUS GOLD Modular PSU ($70)
case: FSP CMT230 ATX Mid Tower PC Computer Gaming Case ($70)
card reader: Rosewill RDCR-11004 5.25" Data Hub ($27)
CPU cooler: Corsair Hydro H110i CW-9060026-WW 280mm ($75)
fan control: Sunbeam Rheosmart 3 Fan Controller ($17)
monitor: LG 32MP58HQ-P Black 31.5" FHD IPS LED Backlight Monitor ($170)

After a $30 microcenter rebate, this comes to just under $1200.

At the moment, there is not a video card in the build. Is there a problem in using the onboard video? If so, I would probably add an Nvidia 1050 which goes for about $130. There may need to be dual monitors at some point but I'm not sure. This is for sound editing not video editing.

- Does anyone see anything here that will not work, such as the card reader or optical?
- Will there be any issues booting from the NVMe SSD drive?
- Do I need an apple keyboard and mouse? I see some Logitech keyboards and mouse on your buyer's guide. Wil any logitech mouse and keyboard work or just the ones listed?

There are a number of items in the list above that do not appear in the buyers guide,
- RAM, the buyer's guide seems to only list Crucial Ballistix RAM. Is there some reason for this?
- CPU cooler, the Corsair H105 is listed but not the H110i. Is there a problem with the H110i?
- All of the platter drives in the buyers guide are Seagate, is there an issue with WD drives?
- All of the power supplies in the buyers guide are Corsair, is there a problem with SeaSonic?

Thanks for all the advice, it really is a huge help.

LMHmedchem

 

[Jamesbond007]

Thanks, I will have my friend download the OS.

Thanks for the tip. I have posted a revised list below.

This will run Logic Pro 10 under High Sierra unless you recommend that Mojave is preferable.

CPU: Intel Core i5-8600K Coffee Lake Hexacore 3.6 GHz LGA 1151 ($220)
MOBO: Gigabyte Z370 AORUS ULTRA GAMING WIFI LGA 1151 ATX ($155)
RAM: G.SKILL Sniper X 2x8GB DDR4 3000 F4-3000C16D-16GSXFB ($130)
OS drive: SAMSUNG 970 EVO M.2 250GB PCIe Gen3. X, NVMe SSD ($88)
data drive: SAMSUNG 970 EVO M.2 250GB PCIe Gen3. X, NVMe SSD ($88)
archive drive: WD Blue 4TB Desktop HDD SATA 6Gb/s WD40EZRZ ($98)
optical: Lite-On DVD Burner Black SATA Model iHAS124-14 ($20)
PSU: SeaSonic G Series SSR-550RM 550W 80 PLUS GOLD Modular PSU ($70)
case: FSP CMT230 ATX Mid Tower PC Computer Gaming Case ($70)
card reader: Rosewill RDCR-11004 5.25" Data Hub ($27)
CPU cooler: Corsair Hydro H110i CW-9060026-WW 280mm ($75)
fan control: Sunbeam Rheosmart 3 Fan Controller ($17)
monitor: LG 32MP58HQ-P Black 31.5" FHD IPS LED Backlight Monitor ($170)

After a $30 microcenter rebate, this comes to just under $1200.

At the moment, there is not a video card in the build. Is there a problem in using the onboard video? If so, I would probably add an Nvidia 1050 which goes for about $130. There may need to be dual monitors at some point but I'm not sure. This is for sound editing not video editing.

- Does anyone see anything here that will not work, such as the card reader or optical?
- Will there be any issues booting from the NVMe SSD drive?
- Do I need an apple keyboard and mouse? I see some Logitech keyboards and mouse on your buyer's guide. Will any logitech mouse and keyboard work or just the ones listed?

There are a number of items in the list above that do not appear in the buyers guide,
- RAM, the buyer's guide seems to only list Crucial Ballistix RAM. Is there some reason for this?
- CPU cooler, the Corsair H105 is listed but not the H110i. Is there a problem with the H110i?
- All of the platter drives in the buyers guide are Seagate, is there an issue with WD drives?
- All of the power supplies in the buyers guide are Corsair, is there a problem with SeaSonic?

Thanks for all the advice, it really is a huge help.

LMHmedchem

You cannot use a GTX 1050 under Mojave at this point because of the lack of Nvidia web drivers. You should stay with High Sierra if you want that GPU. You can also use the CPU integrated graphics under High Sierra and Mojave.

There should not be any issues with the NVMe SSD under High Sierra and Mojave.

You can use any USB keyboard and mouse with your system. It is what I did.

There should be no problems with the other items. The reason that these items are not listed in the Buyer's Guide is that no one specifically tests for them. But it does not mean they won't work. I use Kingston RAM myself which work fine.

 

[LMHmedchem]

MacOS High Sierra is free to download for Mac users. You need access to a real Mac or working hackintosh to access the Mac App Store and download High Sierra (or the upcoming Mojave).

I will need to provide some instructions as far as downloading the OS since I won't be doing that myself. I guess I will need an .iso or something I can burn on a disk or flash drive as opposed to triggering something that would try to update the system on the computer making the download.

I have never been to the Mac store. Once you get to the Mac store, is it obvious how to download the OS as an .iso or some Mac equivalent?

LMHmedchem