Silent Build arround i9-10980XE for music production

[davorr]

Hi friends, I'm just about to build my 1st hack.
Coming from an almost dying maxed out MacPro5.1

USAGE
Music production only (Reaper & Logic). No games, no video editing.

BUDGET:
4k-5k €

PERIPHERAL DEVICES
2x UAD-2 Satellite TB3 -> via TB3-slots on motherboard
3x TC Electronic Powercore -> 3 PCIe-cards with Firewire slots -> PCIe riser/multiplier card -> Motherboard (theoretically one FW card would be enough, but I'll be buying more Firewire units)
1x Audio Interface "Metric Halo ULN-8 3D" -> 1Gb Network Switch -> PC; MH should be compatible with Gigabyte/Intel based builds according to this post on Gearslutz

COMPONENTS
Intel Core i9-10980XE
Gigabyte Z490 Aorus Xtreme
Seasonic Prime TX-1000
2 X Gigabyte Aorus NVMe Gen4
Corsair DDR4 Vengeance RGB PRO 128GB 4-Kit 4x 32GB, 3600MHz,CL18-22-22-42,1.35V,288Pin
Fractal Define 7 XL
NZXT Kraken Z73
Fractal Define 7 XL
Delock PCI-Express multiplier card

OS
Mojave (compatible with TC Powercore drivers)

QUESTIONS
1. Is there something missing - did I forget something?
2. Possible compatibility issues?
3. Could it be even quieter? Maybe other fans like Corsair AF140 Quiet Edition? Or Noctua? Or another CPU cooler?
4. Would multiple firewire devices work with no issues?

Thanks a LOT in advance for your suggestions!

 

[Jamesbond007]

Hi friends, I'm just about to build my 1st hack.
Coming from an almost dying maxed out MacPro5.1

USAGE
Music production only (Reaper & Logic). No games, no video editing.

BUDGET:
4k-5k €

PERIPHERAL DEVICES
2x UAD-2 Satellite TB3 -> via TB3-slots on motherboard
3x TC Electronic Powercore -> 3 PCIe-cards with Firewire slots -> PCIe riser/multiplier card -> Motherboard (theoretically one FW card would be enough, but I'll be buying more Firewire units)
1x Audio Interface "Metric Halo ULN-8 3D" -> 1Gb Network Switch -> PC; MH should be compatible with Gigabyte/Intel based builds according to this post on Gearslutz

COMPONENTS
Intel Core i9-10980XE
Gigabyte Z490 Aorus Xtreme
Seasonic Prime TX-1000
2 X Gigabyte Aorus NVMe Gen4
Corsair DDR4 Vengeance RGB PRO 128GB 4-Kit 4x 32GB, 3600MHz,CL18-22-22-42,1.35V,288Pin
Fractal Define 7 XL
NZXT Kraken Z73
Fractal Define 7 XL
Delock PCI-Express multiplier card

OS
Mojave (compatible with TC Powercore drivers)

QUESTIONS
1. Is there something missing - did I forget something?
2. Possible compatibility issues?
3. Could it be even quieter? Maybe other fans like Corsair AF140 Quiet Edition? Or Noctua? Or another CPU cooler?
4. Would multiple firewire devices work with no issues?

Thanks a LOT in advance for your suggestions!

The Core i9 10980XE requires a X299 motherboard and is not compatible with a Z490 motherboard.

If you want to use a Z490 motherboard you can only use a Core i9 10850K / 10900K (10 cores).

 

[davorr]

Thanks!
Which board would you recommend for the i9 10980XE?
Up to 1.2k, 10Gb, as much as possible PCIe & TB...

 

[antieatingactivist]

Thanks!
Which board would you recommend for the i9 10980XE?
Up to 1.2k, 10Gb, as much as possible PCIe & TB...

is there a reason that you need to use a 10980? do you already own the CPU? you are going to have a much easier time with your first hack using a mainstream platform and the 10850/10900 is quite the powerhouse. You're probably way more of a pro than I am as far as music production goes, I haven't come even close to maxing out my CPU resources.

Of course if you are trying to build the biggest and the best, more power to you!

 

[davorr]

I am using Acustica plugins and the are CRYING for as much CPU processing as it gets, at higher sample rates like 96khz. It is never enough for them. And I believe even with 10980 I will have to freeze some tracks. There is no computer, that can handle them easily, especially if you're using couple of instances. Try downloading their freebies and you'll see what I'm talking about

 

[zipb]

Your MH interface will work(I have 2 of these myself), but I would be cautious with your build. I'm on my fourth hack, with a well documented and compatible board(Z390 designare) and still I have these irritating problems that will show up every once in a while. I will need to investigate, test, fix and move on. Problems will crop up at inconvenient times. So even a very conservative build is not without problems.
Firewire can be a source of trouble too, the FW card that worked in my Z68 system didn't in my Z170 based setup, and vice versa.
Thunderbolt(after all these years) is still not working like it does in Windows or on a real Mac. UAD hardware normally works, but other stuff doesn't or with a reduced feature set.
Be prepared to spend (lots of) time researching and tinkering to get your system to run properly. And in a couple of years, it may become obsolete when the whole Apple ecosystem runs on their proprietary SOCs.

 

[davorr]

Thanks!

Now I am afraid to build a hack. Don't wanna get into more troubles then I currently have.

Best

Your MH interface will work(I have 2 of these myself), but I would be cautious with your build. I'm on my fourth hack, with a well documented and compatible board(Z390 designare) and still I have these irritating problems that will show up every once in a while. I will need to investigate, test, fix and move on. Problems will crop up at inconvenient times. So even a very conservative build is not without problems.
Firewire can be a source of trouble too, the FW card that worked in my Z68 system didn't in my Z170 based setup, and vice versa.
Thunderbolt(after all these years) is still not working like it does in Windows or on a real Mac. UAD hardware normally works, but other stuff doesn't or with a reduced feature set.
Be prepared to spend (lots of) time researching and tinkering to get your system to run properly. And in a couple of years, it may become obsolete when the whole Apple ecosystem runs on their proprietary SOCs.

 

[zipb]

Thanks!

Now I am afraid to build a hack. Don't wanna get into more troubles then I currently have.

Best

If you're not a tech that likes to tinker, don't do a X299 build.

 

[davorr]

Is there any other build similar in performance, but easier to setup? Where's the sweet spot in regards to build-complexity vs. performance?

 

[trs96]

Is there any other build similar in performance, but easier to setup? Where's the sweet spot in regards to build-complexity vs. performance?

CaseySJ's Z490 Golden Build fits that description. Check in Golden Builds. Use the 10th gen 10 core Intel i9. For a stable and reliable audio workstation, you can't do much better than this. You'll be amazed at what it can do. As for the case and cooling system, simply duplicate what Casey has purchased. You'll want a quiet air cooled system as opposed to a noisy AIO liquid cooled build. Those are pretty much mandatory with a power hungry 10980XE CPU. If you want to use the larger Fractal Design case that is good too. May have much more space than you need unless you've got numerous mechanical HDDs.

Product Specifications

quick reference guide including specifications, features, pricing, compatibility, design documentation, ordering codes, spec codes and more.

ark.intel.com

From the Golden Build: Z490 Vision D

The two primary and essential goals were (a) quietness and (b) compactness. In my previous experience, liquid all-in-one coolers and attendant radiator fans were too noisy and often required a USB connection for thermal management through a proprietary app. This time around, the choice was abundantly clear: air cooling with direct connection to motherboard fan headers. With the latest VirtualSMC and accompanying SMCSuperIO, macOS directly regulates the fans. Due to some limitations, however, the Vision-D's first 5 fan connectors should be used -- and used in order. Avoid using Fan Headers 6 and above, and do not skip a fan header. For example, if the system has 3 fans, they should start with header 1 and be connected to consecutive fan headers 1, 2, 3. Each fan header is labeled on the board. Fans are regulated by BIOS/firmware during boot, but transition to macOS seamlessly, which spins them down slightly and automatically for silent operation.

For graphics, make sure to buy an RX 570 or 580 that has the fan stop feature. This means the GPU fans won't even spin up unless the the card reaches a certain temperature. No added fan noise helps greatly for audio recording studios.