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mikehalloran wrote:The WD Red is a low energy-consumption drive designed for sustained heavy use (NAS requires a very heavy duty drive). They come recommended by friends of mine who work for other HD companies as WD uses a heavier bearing in these. Lower energy use = less noise and heat. A 6T drive should last for years as a backup drive to a 2T system.
https://www.amazon.com/Red-3TB-Hard-Dis ... 3KR96?th=1

I've been replacing the 3T drives in my Time Capsules as warranties expire. Since I back up a number of machines on my network, I'm using 8T drives.

Mike,
A question for you:
I seem to remember there being a limit (a few years ago) with OSX not recognising larger hd's, is this no longer an issue?
I've stayed away from larger hd's because of this.
Has there been changes in newer OS's like 10.10 & 10.11 or have I been misinformed with this?

Thanks
KG

kdm wrote:Honestly, I would be hesitant to stick with Windows 7. My DP9 system is similar to your build here though a model older i7, 64G, Asus X99 board, multiple SSDs; running Windows 8.1 and DP 9.12. No problems with the OS side.

I also have DP running on a Win10 Surface and it seems fine there (other than a screen maximizing problem with DP as it isn't technically compatible with a tablet-oriented windowing system).

You may find Win7 limited in a year or two when you want to upgrade other applications, or perhaps DP.

Since that computer is similar, Any lessons learned with that systems specs? 64G worth it? Running DP in that one machine with moderately large templates, VEP and Kontakt?

jazzylee77 wrote: Since that computer is similar, Any lessons learned with that systems specs? 64G worth it? Running DP in that one machine with moderately large templates, VEP and Kontakt?

For me it is. I have yet to fully load the 64G as I have slave systems offloading a bulk of my sample libraries.

I am running about 30G on that system, hosted in VEPro6 (Kontakt 5.2 and Play 5 both in one instance of VEP server - multiple VEP projects).

The one issue I am trying to sort out is DP's excessively high ASIO/cpu load with VEPro connected. I have about 6 VEP projects in VEP6 (and hence VEP instrument channels in DP, with multiple audio streams from each). DP's loading with my full template is around 60% with no data (I do have multiple external inputs, plus bussing and routing for stems - plugins aren't taking up much cpu load). Disconnecting all VEP instances drops DP's load to around 20%.

The exact same template in ProTools 11HD runs around 20% total with VEP connected, all bussing, plugins, etc. That's one I never expected, based on my past experiences with PT, but there could also be differences in how loading is measured.

But loading aside, DP runs well on my Win 8 system. I plan to move to Win10 on a separate SSD later this fall, if time allows.

kdm wrote:

jazzylee77 wrote: Since that computer is similar, Any lessons learned with that systems specs? 64G worth it? Running DP in that one machine with moderately large templates, VEP and Kontakt?

For me it is. I have yet to fully load the 64G as I have slave systems offloading a bulk of my sample libraries.

I am running about 30G on that system, hosted in VEPro6 (Kontakt 5.2 and Play 5 both in one instance of VEP server - multiple VEP projects).

The one issue I am trying to sort out is DP's excessively high ASIO/cpu load with VEPro connected. I have about 6 VEP projects in VEP6 (and hence VEP instrument channels in DP, with multiple audio streams from each). DP's loading with my full template is around 60% with no data (I do have multiple external inputs, plus bussing and routing for stems - plugins aren't taking up much cpu load). Disconnecting all VEP instances drops DP's load to around 20%.

The exact same template in ProTools 11HD runs around 20% total with VEP connected, all bussing, plugins, etc. That's one I never expected, based on my past experiences with PT, but there could also be differences in how loading is measured.

But loading aside, DP runs well on my Win 8 system. I plan to move to Win10 on a separate SSD later this fall, if time allows.

Sounds good. I think I'll have a few years of buying sample libraries before I hit those demands.

Interesting thread please post back how it goes.

For me who is a novice on PC it seems that it takes a lot of knowledge in order to get gear that'll work for music purposes. Are there lots of PC configs that'll work or are there just a couple of standard setups that everyone choose between?

Could I use my Mac Pro 2006 Case?

kdm wrote:Honestly, I would be hesitant to stick with Windows 7. My DP9 system is similar to your build here though a model older i7, 64G, Asus X99 board, multiple SSDs; running Windows 8.1 and DP 9.12. No problems with the OS side.

I also have DP running on a Win10 Surface and it seems fine there (other than a screen maximizing problem with DP as it isn't technically compatible with a tablet-oriented windowing system).

You may find Win7 limited in a year or two when you want to upgrade other applications, or perhaps DP.

I have a couple of questions on this as I'm beginning to look at PC's. Is Win 7 supposed to be officially supported until 2020? Also, is it true that Win 10 does forced updates, and if so, how risky is that to maintaining a stable DAW workstation?

billf wrote: I have a couple of questions on this as I'm beginning to look at PC's. Is Win 7 supposed to be officially supported until 2020? Also, is it true that Win 10 does forced updates, and if so, how risky is that to maintaining a stable DAW workstation?

Win 7 is supported through 2020 at the general level. That isn't the issue - it's developers that release plugins that may not be compatible, or audio drivers. I wouldn't want to limit my future hardware upgrade choices with an older OS version.

Windows 10 does enforce updates, but in Win 10 Pro you can defer those updates until a convenient time. On an SSD, updates take only a few minutes. I haven't had any issues with them on my Surface Pro. I don't like enforced updates of any kind, but unfortunately, OS and software developers don't pay any attention to the pro music/audio market's need. Even iLok requires frequent updates to maintain compatibility with plugin updates.

e-snobben wrote:For me who is a novice on PC it seems that it takes a lot of knowledge in order to get gear that'll work for music purposes. Are there lots of PC configs that'll work or are there just a couple of standard setups that everyone choose between?

Could I use my Mac Pro 2006 Case?

It doesn't take a lot of knowledge - that's just the easiest way to build your own and get exactly what you want for less than retail price. For a pre-built PC, ADK Pro Audio is a great resource. There are other DAW PC builders.

I don't know if your Mac Pro case will work. Apple designs a lot of its' cases with specific hardware, cable runs and layouts in mind. It might work, but you have to buy hardware with the case in mind.

There are plenty of great PC cases with far more flexibility for expansion and cooling than a Mac case - Lian Li, Thermaltake, etc. I have a couple of Lian Li media cases that are basically 4U horizontal cases - very easy to work with.

kdm wrote:

e-snobben wrote:For me who is a novice on PC it seems that it takes a lot of knowledge in order to get gear that'll work for music purposes. Are there lots of PC configs that'll work or are there just a couple of standard setups that everyone choose between?

Could I use my Mac Pro 2006 Case?

It doesn't take a lot of knowledge - that's just the easiest way to build your own and get exactly what you want for less than retail price. For a pre-built PC, ADK Pro Audio is a great resource. There are other DAW PC builders.

I don't know if your Mac Pro case will work. Apple designs a lot of its' cases with specific hardware, cable runs and layouts in mind. It might work, but you have to buy hardware with the case in mind.

There are plenty of great PC cases with far more flexibility for expansion and cooling than a Mac case - Lian Li, Thermaltake, etc. I have a couple of Lian Li media cases that are basically 4U horizontal cases - very easy to work with.

Thank you!

kgdrum wrote:

mikehalloran wrote:The WD Red is a low energy-consumption drive designed for sustained heavy use (NAS requires a very heavy duty drive). They come recommended by friends of mine who work for other HD companies as WD uses a heavier bearing in these. Lower energy use = less noise and heat. A 6T drive should last for years as a backup drive to a 2T system.
https://www.amazon.com/Red-3TB-Hard-Dis ... 3KR96?th=1

I've been replacing the 3T drives in my Time Capsules as warranties expire. Since I back up a number of machines on my network, I'm using 8T drives.

Mike,
A question for you:
I seem to remember there being a limit (a few years ago) with OSX not recognising larger hd's, is this no longer an issue?
I've stayed away from larger hd's because of this.
Has there been changes in newer OS's like 10.10 & 10.11 or have I been misinformed with this?

Thanks
KG

That hasn't been an issue in many years. It was certainly long gone by the time that SATA drive bus was introduced with the G5.

So far I have the processor, thermal paste and the case purchased. Ordered the case today when I saw the $10 off ending today at newegg plus a $20 rebate. Just gotta eat cheap this week so I can make that mortgage payment coming up.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor (Purchased For $324.95)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i v2 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($104.99 @ B&H)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste (Purchased For $7.00)
Motherboard: Asus Z170-A ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($151.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport LT 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($169.00 @ B&H)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO 2TB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($608.18 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R7 370 2GB WINDFORCE 2X Video Card ($146.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair 750D ATX Full Tower Case (Purchased For $109.00)
Power Supply: EVGA 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($118.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro Full 32/64-bit ($199.99 @ B&H)
Total: $1941.08
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-10-24 10:00 EDT-0400

I see you've gone to Windows 10. There was a post a few days ago from a couple of PC users who had their setups crippled by an overnight update. I guess you're depending on the ability to defer the update with the "pro" version.

You also added a video card that wasn't there in the original setup. I don't know about PC motherboards, but wouldn't it have enough oomph for something like DP out of the box?

I'll be interested to see how overall processing power you get out of this system when it's up and running.

bayswater wrote: I don't know about PC motherboards, but wouldn't it have enough oomph for something like DP out of the box?

I am not aware of any PC motherboards that ship from the manufacturer with a GPU installed. Unless one uses the graphics integrated in current (non-Xeon) Intel CPUs, a separate GPU must be used. It is my impression that DP does not demand that much from a GPU.

While on this subject, I'd like to suggest the OP consider one of the current generation GPUs from Nvidia (1xxx) or AMD (4xx); more efficient = uses less power = less heat = less fan noise = quieter studio. They also offer really good bang for the buck.

Also, consider you might someday want to use a large 4k video monitor.

bayswater wrote:I see you've gone to Windows 10. There was a post a few days ago from a couple of PC users who had their setups crippled by an overnight update. I guess you're depending on the ability to defer the update with the "pro" version.

You also added a video card that wasn't there in the original setup. I don't know about PC motherboards, but wouldn't it have enough oomph for something like DP out of the box?

I'll be interested to see how overall processing power you get out of this system when it's up and running.

I'm confident I can turn off the autoupdates and sort out other Windows 10 issues. The video card barely makes the list as an option. I imagine i will be up and running before I make that call. I believe a separate video card frees up some system memory and data bus, but maybe the newer chips differ in some way. Anyway, I have a vague belief there would be some modest gain for the CPU, relieving it from video work. And there may be some gains for video even in a midrange dedicated card like the one I somewhat randomly added here.

A video card is one of those things historically I always added to an out of the box computer, partly due to a couple motherboard failures on Dell computers at the family biz. The stress of the twisting video connectors to the board integrated video in a tight office space trashed the boards. But I may be talked out of that bias.