Build question

Im dithering between i7 and i9 for an audio production workstation.
Are the main differences between the two processors (beside clock speed) the number of cores and threads?
Any advice on the best chipset for the i9?

If I bung win 11 on is the OS capable of being stripped down?
I like the Win 11 interface on my laptop but dont need any of the extras for a DAW.

Thanks chaps!

spottydog10 said:

Im dithering between i7 and i9 for an audio production workstation.
Are the main differences between the two processors (beside clock speed) the number of cores and threads?
Any advice on the best chipset for the i9?

If I bung win 11 on is the OS capable of being stripped down?
I like the Win 11 interface on my laptop but dont need any of the extras for a DAW.

Thanks chaps!

Click to expand...

I doubt anybody can truly tell you whether to use I7 or i9. It really comes down to money. More you spend.....

We have no idea how you use pc so any advice is purely random unless you provide a lot more context.

Re. Windows 11 - just uninstall what you do not need. Too many people cut OS like a surgeon with a chainsaw rather than a delicate scalpel.

The use of the pc is for audio production only, so plenty of memory, fast, large hard drives, half decent video card and a pro sound card.
I already have these items from my current pc so it's the CPU, board and obviously compatible memory that I need the advice on.
Thanks mate.

spottydog10 said:

Are the main differences between the two processors (beside clock speed) the number of cores and threads?
Any advice on the best chipset for the i9?

Click to expand...

There are more differences than speed, cores and threads depending on what generation core processor you buy and which processor you buy within a particular product line.
Each has different amounts of cache, requires a different socket motherboard and different type memory. Some allow overclocking, some don't. Some allow ECC ram, some don't.
Some have integrated graphics, some don't. Some have certain limitations over others.

Do you plan on buying 10th, 11th,12th,13th generation core CPU?
Here is a list for each generation. You can click on each one for its specs that gives detailed info on each. Once you decide on which cpu you are going to buy, then then hardware guys can give you recommendations of a good motherboard for that particular processor.

spottydog10 said:

Im dithering between i7 and i9 for an audio production workstation.
Are the main differences between the two processors (beside clock speed) the number of cores and threads?
Any advice on the best chipset for the i9?

If I bung win 11 on is the OS capable of being stripped down?
I like the Win 11 interface on my laptop but dont need any of the extras for a DAW.

Thanks chaps!

Click to expand...

Which Intel generation?

An I7-13700K supports as many threads as an I9-12900K.

You can run a Gen13 CPU on a 600 series motherboard, but it would require a sufficiently up-to-date BIOS. If you acquired a board with an old BIOS, you might not be able to boot with a Gen13 CPU. (Some boards have an auxiliary processor installed and can upgrade the firmware with no CPU present.)

That won't be an issue with a 700 series board. The best chipset is the 790. There are less expensive chipsets, but they're not that enoughcheaper that I'd recommend one (IMHO).

I doubt that there'd be any large advantage to "stripping down" Windows 11.

Large hard drives? M.2 SSDs would be much faster. I don't do digital audio. Would a 2TB drive be large enough for an active project? (Seems like it should be. 192kHz in 24 bit would use about 2GB per track per hour.) You may want a large HDD for archiving.

My suggestions, since I use my PC for audio production as well. I assume that you already have a good DAW that you are working with. My preferred system would be:

1. Intel i7 (less cost than i9 for similar performance. IMO an i9 is overkill for audio production)
2. The best motherboard you can get for the chosen processor
3. Fast RAM to limit and mitigate the effects of latency (Make sure that the mobo and CPU support the speed of the RAM)
4. A good sound card
5. A Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (optional) to handle professional microphones/mixers/drum machines in stereo. Helpful if your sound card doesn't support balanced audio or condenser microphones. There are a number of companies that make these things. It doesn't have to be a Scarlett. I've just found that mine is top notch for audio quality at the price I paid for mine. Low latency too.
6. A large hard disk for mastering and storing finished tracks. I use a scratch SSD for recording and mixing. When I want to master, it goes on the big drive and is then backed up
7. Decent monitor speakers (I assume that you have these already. If not, get some. You get a more accurate final mix than from headphones).
8. Make sure that you have enough USB3 ports as they are higher speed -> less latency.

One thing I have found with my own system is that AMD processors tend to have a bit of a latency problem in audio production. It can be compensated for, but it is a nuisance. Anecdotally, I have heard that an Intel rig will perform better for this kind of thing, but your mileage may vary on that point. My rig is a bit less powerful than the i7 rig you are looking at and it does the job just fine, which is why I am suggesting that you save the money that you would spend on an i9 and put it into the sound card, or a Scarlett, or faster RAM, etc. Unless you are mixing down 32 or 64 tracks in real time, you'll never need the i9. You'd need serious DAW software to do it anyway, and that doesn't come cheap.

Just my $0.02, but I hope it is some food for thought. Maybe it will help.

I just faced the same decision and chose the i7-13700k since it isn't much slower in benchmarks, runs cooler and is cheaper

Thanks for the input chaps.
I currently have a UR44 soundcard, Cubase 11 pro, both of which I'm happy with, a couple of SSD's and a couple of 3Tb storage drives
and an older i7 with 16gb memory.
I'm running quite a few virtual instruments, drums, piano etc and the machine is slowing down even after re flashing with a saved image.
I checked the date of the build and was shocked to see it was 2015 hence the need to upgrade processor, board and memory.
It's not the amount of audio tracks that are slowing me down it's the virtual instruments.
How does this look?

Intel Core i7-13700KF 13th Gen Desktop Processor
MSI PRO H610M-B DDR4 mATX Intel Socket 1700 Motherboard
Kingston FURY Beast 16GB 3200MHz DDR4 RAM - Black x 2
BTW, what's the difference between the K, F and KF at the end of the processor numbering?

@spottydog10
Get a minimum of 32GB of RAM (2x16GB).
Prices on RAM are very low right now.

I would also go with the 13700 (plain)... it's only 65w. A lot easier to keep cool.

Ghot, It's in the list mate.

spottydog10 said:

Ghot, It's in the list mate.

Click to expand...

I thought you meant 16GB total... 2x8GB.


But I would still get the 13700 plain.
You won't notice the extra 200Mhz boost clock, but you'll definitely notice the extra 60w TDP, on the K or KF models.

spottydog10 said:

Thanks for the input chaps.
I currently have a UR44 soundcard, Cubase 11 pro, both of which I'm happy with, a couple of SSD's and a couple of 3Tb storage drives
and an older i7 with 16gb memory.
I'm running quite a few virtual instruments, drums, piano etc and the machine is slowing down even after re flashing with a saved image.
I checked the date of the build and was shocked to see it was 2015 hence the need to upgrade processor, board and memory.
It's not the amount of audio tracks that are slowing me down it's the virtual instruments.
How does this look?

Intel Core i7-13700KF 13th Gen Desktop Processor
MSI PRO H610M-B DDR4 mATX Intel Socket 1700 Motherboard
Kingston FURY Beast 16GB 3200MHz DDR4 RAM - Black x 2
BTW, what's the difference between the K, F and KF at the end of the processor numbering?

Click to expand...

Second the 32 GB that Ghot said.

The K at the end of the processor means that it can be overclocked. I don't know what the F means. Keep in mind, if you don't plan to overclock, you can get a CPU without the K and it will likely be a fair bit cheaper. That's the way it works with AMD processors anyway. I'm not really up on Intel prices as I don't need a new CPU at the moment. When I bought my Ryzen 5800X, the 5800 was also available from Newegg at a significantly lower price. The same with the 5700 and the 5700X now. The 5700 is cheaper than the X version.

Something to keep in mind.

hdmi said:

No, it's not "only 65W". Maximum Turbo Power is still a whopping 219W for the i7-13700, which, provided that your mobo doesn't wing clip it too much and your CPU cooler is up to snuff, it actually can approximate for much longer when compared to older CPUs from Intel (older than 10th gen, for the most part). Under heavy load, the sustained average power consumption of this particular CPU is easily more than double the "TDP" number of 65W, in shrill contrast to popular belief.

Click to expand...

All the more reason I recommend good cooling. AIO anyone?

Catnip said:

All the more reason I recommend good cooling. AIO anyone?

Click to expand...

The potential risk of a pump failure is why I am forced to vote against AIO LCS on anything that you can't really afford to suddenly melt on you while customers are waiting to be served professionally. So, thanks but no thanks. lol

Catnip said:

The K at the end of the processor means that it can be overclocked. I don't know what the F means.

Click to expand...

From
Understanding Intel® Core™ Processor Number


F means requires a discrete GPU.

Is the processor's onboard video usable?
I know in the past perceived wisdom was never use the onboard, always install a seperate graphics card.
Has that situation changed these days?

spottydog10 said:

Is the processor's onboard video usable?
I know in the past perceived wisdom was never use the onboard, always install a seperate graphics card.
Has that situation changed these days?

Click to expand...

I wouldnt bother unless you plan to browse the web or do nothing that really uses any form of GPU power then yeah fine but otherwise nah, I'd never buy anything other than a k or a KF personally, If youre gonna spend that amount of money, you may as well spend the little extra and get the big boy.

Ghot said:

Like I said. the 13700K and KF have a 125w TDP, the 13700 has a 65w TDP.

Click to expand...

Also. The base for the 13700 is 65w for sure, at min. It will move between that and the 219 give or take depending on the usage ofcourse. So yeah it isn't just 65w and no more required.

spottydog10 said:

Is the processor's onboard video usable?
I know in the past perceived wisdom was never use the onboard, always install a seperate graphics card.
Has that situation changed these days?

Click to expand...

It depends.

The iGPU (integrated graphics processor) is of little use for gaming, or some image processing. It is better than most discrete graphics cards for some video processing.

It's probably adequate for office apps. If your audio software doesn't use GPU acceleration, you may not need a discrete graphics card.

If you wish to use the iGPU, don't get an Intel CPU with an F suffix. (Means no GPU.)

spottydog10 said:

Is the processor's onboard video usable?
I know in the past perceived wisdom was never use the onboard, always install a seperate graphics card.
Has that situation changed these days?

Click to expand...

spottydog10 said:

Thanks for the input chaps.
I currently have a UR44 soundcard, Cubase 11 pro, both of which I'm happy with, a couple of SSD's and a couple of 3Tb storage drives
and an older i7 with 16gb memory.
I'm running quite a few virtual instruments, drums, piano etc and the machine is slowing down even after re flashing with a saved image.
I checked the date of the build and was shocked to see it was 2015 hence the need to upgrade processor, board and memory.
It's not the amount of audio tracks that are slowing me down it's the virtual instruments.
How does this look?

Intel Core i7-13700KF 13th Gen Desktop Processor
MSI PRO H610M-B DDR4 mATX Intel Socket 1700 Motherboard
Kingston FURY Beast 16GB 3200MHz DDR4 RAM - Black x 2
BTW, what's the difference between the K, F and KF at the end of the processor numbering?

Click to expand...

The K CPU isn't much more expensive and offers more performance if you need it. You will need a very good air cooler and set options in the BIOS to limit the CPU temperature and power consumption. The F CPU is slightly cheaper since the CPU has no graphics output. You don't save much money and the built in GPU of the non-F type is useful if your fancy plug in GPU fails (as happened to me) and for fault finding GPU issues.

I discounted buying MSI motherboards in the UK since they only offer a poor 1 year warranty compared to 3 years for Asus and Gigabyte. FWIW I recently chose an Asus Z790 board with 64 GB DDR5 RAM (Kingston Fury Beast as you selected). I suggest you use a NVME SSD drive if you don't have one.