Build Recommendations for Pro Audio

Hi Everyone,

I'm looking for recommendations for an i7 quad core build for mainly pro-audio use.

My main want out of this is stability and compatibility. I'd also like a higher-end graphics card. I do a bit of gaming and now that Steam is here, I'd like to continue that.

From the reading I've done I suppose the Gigabyte boards are the ones to go with? I will need a firewire port as my audio card is a Presonus Firebox (FW400).

I tried a hackintosh build a few years ago but it wasn't quite there so if anyone can give some build suggestions for some up-to-date components I'd appreciate it. Thanks.

My needs:
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Motherboard with firewire (eSata would be nice too)
CPU
Higher end graphics (more concerned about stable performance vs cutting edge)
SSD recommendations
RAM (4+ gigs)
LAN, Sleep and audio working would be great
m-ATX would be preferable due to small form factor but not at the expense of compatibility...
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sp1200 said:

My needs:
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Motherboard with firewire (eSata would be nice too)

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The P55A-UD3 should be nice for you, or the discontinued P55M-UD4 for better audio support (native in OS X), or the P55A-UD4P for best audio/SATA3/USB3 support.
I'm pretty sure most motherboards by Gigabyte have FW400 support so I didn't check for it, but make sure you do before buying it just in case.
[quote:3gelxkyw]CPU

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So you say you're just doing audio? An i5 should be fine.

Higher end graphics (more concerned about stable performance vs cutting edge)

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High end graphics? Ok.. um the GTX 260 should be high end enough. If not, the GTX 285. But you don't need those graphics for Pro Audio. Just get a nice 9800 GT or 9800 GTX+.

SSD recommendations

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I'd go with intel. Anything else depends on your price point

RAM (4+ gigs)

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The G.Skill Eco series, CL7 for speed and 1.35 volts for less heat creation, longer lifespan, and less electricity usage (although the last one is minimal).

LAN, Sleep and audio working would be great
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[/quote:3gelxkyw]

The above boards I suggested will work with a few patches.

I think Jimx86 already said all that needs saying.

I wouldn't worry about having working audio though. If you want to do pro audio I think you will be happiest buying Pro Audio Gear.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BD31ZW?ie=UTF8
Probably the Mini-Jack outputs on a standard machine are insufficient.
r.

Thanks for the info.

I already have a pro-audio external firewire sound card. I need low latency and decent pre-amps so the onboard sound is definitely not up to spec for my needs.

I'd like a high-end graphics card because I do play some games on occasion.

I'll look into these options and see what I can come up with.

I'd still like an i7 for my audio work. 30+ VSTi/audio tracks with 5-6 insert FX on each channel plus inserts on the master channel can quickly add up.

I'd like a high-end graphics card because I do play some games on occasion.

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Value for money and lots of power. nVidia GTX 260.

r.

That's likely all I'll need then.

I'd like an iMac but I'm not keen on waiting around for a refresh and considering I can build an equivalent of a Mac Pro for nearly half the price of an i7 iMac... it's very tempting.

Great support on this forum. Thanks.

Anyone care to confirm these build components before I pull the trigger?

G.SKILL F3-12800CL7D-4GBECO Eco PC3-12800 4GB 2X2GB DDR3-1600 CL7-8-7-24 1.35V Memory Kit

Gigabyte P55M-UD2 mATX LGA1156 P55 DDR3 2PCI-E 2PCI SATA2 RAID Sound GLAN Motherboard

OCZ ModXStream Pro 500W ATX 20/24PIN SLI Ready Modular Cables 135mm Fan Active PFC Power Supply

Intel Core i5 750 Quad Core Processor Lynnfield LGA1156 2.66GHZ 8MB Cache Retail Box

Lian Li PC-A05NB Black Aluminum ATX Mini Tower Case 2X5.25 1X3.5 3X3.5INT No PS USB Audio

Scythe Mugen 2 REV.B. HeatPipes CPU Heatsink LGA1366 1156 775 AM3 AM2+ AM2 754 939 940 120MM Fan

EVGA E-GEFORCE GTS 250 675MHZ 512MB 1.8GHZ DDR3 PCI-E HDMI DVI-I VGA Video Card (can't find a GTX 260 or a 9800GTX locally).

OR

EVGA E-GEFORCE 9800GT 550MHZ 512MB 1.8GHZ 256BIT DDR3 VGA HDMI DVI-I HDCP Video Card

OR

*XFX Radeon HD 5770 850MHZ 1GB 4.8GHZ GDDR5 2XDVI HDMI Display Port DIRECTX11 PCI-E Video Card (Any word on if this is working or will be working in the near future)?

You're in luck, recently the 5770 (and 5870) have been found to work in hackintoshes. Unfortunately it isn't a simple process, and you'd be better off at this point in time going with one of your other choices – probably the GTS 250.

I decided to avoid the ATI.

Just for the sake of anyone else considering a build for production/pro audio work I'll provide an update.

I went with the following:

G.SKILL F3-12800CL7D-4GBECO Eco PC3-12800

Gigabyte P55M-UD2 mATX LGA1156

Corsair 450VX PSU

Intel Core i7 860 Quad Core Processor

Lian Li PC-A05NB Black Aluminum ATX Mini Tower Case

Scythe Mugen 2 REV.B. HeatPipes CPU Heatsink

EVGA E-GEFORCE GTX 260

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After a few minor hiccups, everything is working great so far. I haven't dived into any serious audio work yet but I'll report back if there are any issues.

I'm dual booting OSX and a Windows 7 installation on separate drives and I'm pretty chuffed this is all working so well.

Thanks again for all the guides and support here. Looking forward to hanging around.

@sp1200
Happy to read of your success.
Let us all know what Audio Interface you end up using with your hackontosh aswell. This will also help users wishing to also build DAWs.