New Desktop for Reaper (DAW) and Office based work

[ChiefB]

Hello PC Specialist Experts,

I have been lurking for a while and I'm taking the plunge to buy a new PC as a first time customer.

I currently own an All-In-One-PC by HP (circa. 2011) with a Pentium G620 @ 2.6Ghz with 4GB of RAM!

I primarily use REAPER (DAW) with Izotope plugins (RX 7, OZONE etc) which is for podcast editing and I use general MS Office applications, Final Draft and YouTube for watching video tutorials and general procrastination! I have an external Audient ID4 (USB) which I use as my interface / soundcard when using REAPER.

And, I don't use my desktop to play games.

I am upgrading because it's a Windows 7 PC that's 10 years old and I'm looking for something to speed up my workload; and to add some colour (RGB) to brighten up my working environment.

My budget for the desktop is under £850 inc. VAT. I plan to connect the desktop to a Philips B Line 346B1C - 34" curved monitor.

My questions are:

1) Can the 1GB NVIDIA GEFORCE 710 output to a Philips Ultra WQHD (3440x1400)? I don't have any intention to use the desktop for playing games but can this card handle MS Office Applications and outputting REAPER at this resolution?

2) Will 1 x 50cm ARGB strip suffice or should I get two?

3) The Memory and the processor cooling use RGB. Can this be easily controlled at the BIOS level or will I need to install some software?

4) Is this setup too noisy because of the fans?


Case
LIAN LI LANCOOL 215 GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600X Six Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.4GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
1GB NVIDIA GEFORCE 710 - DVI, HDMI, VGA
1st Storage Drive
250GB Samsung 860 EVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (up to 550MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB INTEL® 660p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 1500MB/sR | 1000MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 350W VS SERIES™ VS-350 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 100 RGB V3 Series High Performance CPU Cooler (AMD)
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
LED Lighting
50cm ARGB LED Strip
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KK3-00002]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 10 to 12 working days

Price: £810.00 including VAT and Delivery

Many thanks for your help.

 

[Stephen M]

Would change the Intel drive, they do not last as long. Will leave other changes to those with more knowledge.

I see there is a Beta version of Reaper for Linux. You may want to consider a dual-boot with Ubuntu Studio as that has a low latency kernel which is ideal for music production. There is also a lot of good free and open source music software.

 

[ChiefB]

Would change the Intel drive, they do not last as long. Will leave other changes to those with more knowledge.

I see there is a Beta version of Reaper for Linux. You may want to consider a dual-boot with Ubuntu Studio as that has a low latency kernel which is ideal for music production. There is also a lot of good free and open source music software.

Thank you very much for your insight, much appreciated.

 

[SpyderTracks]

I would suggest a rethink on the build slightly with notes on reasons:

Case
LIAN LI LANCOOL 215 GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Six Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.6GHz/35MB CACHE/AM4) The 5000 series have much better latency which is important for audio work, plus better performance
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS WiFi (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready! Includes wifi and has thunderbolt header for optional thunderbolt card
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
1GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GT 730 - DVI, HDMI, VGA Does up to max resolution of 4k so will cover your current monitor fine
1st Storage Drive
512GB PCS 2.5" SSD, SATA 6 Gb (520MB/R, 450MB/W) Separate SATA SSD for libraries and effects
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W) Primary OS drive, far better than the Intel drive
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W CV SERIES™ CV-550 POWER SUPPLY Gives a bit of headroom and better quality. You really don't want the VS series
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
CoolerMaster MasterLiquid Lite 240 High Performance Liquid Cooler Better quality cooler, leads to quieter operation
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED You can legitimately upgrade your current windows 7 to windows 10 and transfer to the new machine
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 10 to 12 working days
Price: £886.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/7FdvctuytV/

 

[ChiefB]

I would suggest a rethink on the build slightly with notes on reasons:

Case
LIAN LI LANCOOL 215 GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Six Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.6GHz/35MB CACHE/AM4) The 5000 series have much better latency which is important for audio work, plus better performance
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS WiFi (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready! Includes wifi and has thunderbolt header for optional thunderbolt card
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
1GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GT 730 - DVI, HDMI, VGA Does up to max resolution of 4k so will cover your current monitor fine
1st Storage Drive
512GB PCS 2.5" SSD, SATA 6 Gb (520MB/R, 450MB/W) Separate SATA SSD for libraries and effects
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W) Primary OS drive, far better than the Intel drive
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W CV SERIES™ CV-550 POWER SUPPLY Gives a bit of headroom and better quality. You really don't want the VS series
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
CoolerMaster MasterLiquid Lite 240 High Performance Liquid Cooler Better quality cooler, leads to quieter operation
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED You can legitimately upgrade your current windows 7 to windows 10 and transfer to the new machine
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 10 to 12 working days
Price: £886.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/7FdvctuytV/

Thank you very much for this specification. It's a very good balance between specification and price.

Thinking about this more clearly now, excessive noise is a slight concern and I was wondering whether increasing my budget for the fractal MESHIFY C case would be a better investment to dampen excess sound.

If my current hardware is not compatible with Windows 10 then I presume I will have to forego the free upgrade and purchase Windows 10, correct?

Thank you.

 

[SpyderTracks]

If my current hardware is not compatible with Windows 10 then I presume I will have to forego the free upgrade and purchase Windows 10, correct?

Yes, although I've not come across a PC that wasn't compatible with windows 10 yet.

Thinking about this more clearly now, excessive noise is a slight concern and I was wondering whether increasing my budget for the fractal MESHIFY C case would be a better investment to dampen excess sound.

The Meshify C is a superb case, in fact most of Fractals cases are extremely good, not just from a sound perspective but for overall cooling. Worthwhile investment if you can afford it.

 

[ChiefB]

Yes, although I've not come across a PC that wasn't compatible with windows 10 yet.


The Meshify C is a superb case, in fact most of Fractals cases are extremely good, not just from a sound perspective but for overall cooling. Worthwhile investment if you can afford it.

I just wanted to say thank you very much for your help. I just ordered the system this morning with the Meshify C case. Regarding Windows 7 upgrade, sadly my current PC has an OEM windows license which is not transferrable - Microsoft only allow transfer of retail editions! So, again, thank you for your help, especially as I'm a first-time customer buying my very first custom-made PC! Cheers.

 

[SpyderTracks]

I just wanted to say thank you very much for your help. I just ordered the system this morning with the Meshify C case. Regarding Windows 7 upgrade, sadly my current PC has an OEM windows license which is not transferrable - Microsoft only allow transfer of retail editions! So, again, thank you for your help, especially as I'm a first-time customer buying my very first custom-made PC! Cheers.

That’s not correct. You can upgrade to windows 10, then tie any license OEM or otherwise to Microsoft account. That’s exactly what a digital license is for.