New Build Questions

[HI 5]

Hi all

I am going to be ordering parts for a new DAW this week.

All of the components are confusing the hell out of me as its been so long since Ive had a build done.

I have 2 possible builds that I am thinking of going for

Option 1....

Gigabyte X79-UD5 Intel X79 (Socket 2011) or Gigabyte X79-UP4 Intel X79 (Socket 2011)

Intel Core i7-3820 3.60GHz (Sandybridge-E) Socket LGA2011

32 GB of Ram. ( upgrade to 64 at a later Date )

Option 2....

Gigabyte Z77X-UD5H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) or Gigabyte Z77X-UP5 TH Intel Z77 (Socket 1155)

Intel Core i7-3770K 3.50GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155

32 GB of Ram.


A few questions why X79 over X77 ?

Why no Thunderbolt on X79 ?

Why no native USB 3.0 on X79 ?

Can I add Thunderbolt or USB 3.0 at full speed to a X79 mobo ?

Because this build is only going to be used as a DAW I have no need for a high end graphics card and since a lot of graphics cards can conflict with DAW'S I would like to take advantage of the integrated graphics on the CPU's listed above.

How would I do this on a X79 main board ?
With the X77 I presume it is with the VGA adapter or thunderbolt on the main board ?

I hear the 3820 is the better bang for the buck for a DAW so I would like to go down that X79 route but don't know if the lack of thunderbolt and USB3 and graphics issue will be a show stopper forcing me towards the X77 route....

Thanks for all help.

[wazza300]

Re: New Build Questions

what the hells a DAW!!!!!

[profJim]

Re: New Build Questions

You don't know what a DAW is? Duh!!
Digital audio workstation - Wikipedia

google can be your friend, do a web search using daw recommendations

I'm curious to see which platform will be best.

[wazza300]

Re: New Build Questions

i didnt know,im not an audiophile!! and its not doh its daw!!!

for sheer grunt and processing power the x79 wins hands down,if your more budget focused the z77 should be more than enough imo,thunderbolt is new on pc's atleast,its been on apple for a few years,idk if you can add in a thunderbolt card atm,no idea why usb3 is missing from x79 either? i thought it had usb3?

one thing that z77 brings over x79 is the built in igpu hd4000 graphics,which is built into the cpu,x79 doesnt have this feature,so that would eliminate the need for a graphic card as its capable of handling hi def video playback and web browsing ect

[HI 5]

Re: New Build Questions

i didnt know,im not an audiophile!! and its not doh its daw!!!

for sheer grunt and processing power the x79 wins hands down,if your more budget focused the z77 should be more than enough imo,thunderbolt is new on pc's atleast,its been on apple for a few years,idk if you can add in a thunderbolt card atm,no idea why usb3 is missing from x79 either? i thought it had usb3?

one thing that z77 brings over x79 is the built in igpu hd4000 graphics,which is built into the cpu,x79 doesnt have this feature,so that would eliminate the need for a graphic card as its capable of handling hi def video playback and web browsing ect

Yeah the bench tests of the z79 v z77 for a Daw is awesome !

Thunderbolt would be good just to future proof it I need to find out if I can get a card or not.....

The X79 has USB 3 but form what I hear it runs on a 3rd party controller so will never reach top speed.

Disappointing the 2011 sockets don't do integrated graphics as I really don't need a high end card.

Even with the USB 3 thunderbolt and graphics issue I am leaning towards a X79 set up

I am going to ask Gigabyte about the USB 3 issue.

[boondocks]

Re: New Build Questions

If you want less possible hassle, go with UD5H or UP5. If you must have sheer processing power go with X79. Which DAW do you use? I occasionally use Audition though not so much these days.
Pro Tools is nice but too far above my pay grade.

[HI 5]

Re: New Build Questions

If you want less possible hassle, go with UD5H or UP5. If you must have sheer processing power go with X79. Which DAW do you use? I occasionally use Audition though not so much these days.
Pro Tools is nice but too far above my pay grade.

I think I will go down the 79 route....

It has to be all about the processing power and low latency when running sessions.

I use Sonar and Reaper but only Pro tools when I have to I hate it its the most over rated DAW there is.

Any one know of any memory issues when using all slots on a 79 board ?

[boondocks]

Re: New Build Questions

The latency is going to depend a lot on what sound setup you are using. If you want to know about issues with X79 look around at the posts. But just because one or two have problems doesn't necessarily follow that you will.

[wazza300]

Re: New Build Questions

dont think theres any major issues with ram on x79,it is rather crippled for quad channel regarding read/write speeds compared to z77 though

[HI 5]

Re: New Build Questions

The latency is going to depend a lot on what sound setup you are using. If you want to know about issues with X79 look around at the posts. But just because one or two have problems doesn't necessarily follow that you will.

Sorry but that is really far from the truth.....

Yes a good audio interface with asio drivers is part of the battle but if someone has not got the processing power to back it up then as soon as you start loading plugins they are in for all sorts of problems they might get away with a few but 60 -100 audio tracks with 100s of plugs .... No chance.

[HI 5]

Re: New Build Questions

dont think theres any major issues with ram on x79,it is rather crippled for quad channel regarding read/write speeds compared to z77 though

What to you mean by crippled ? IS it running slower when you have full quad channels ?

I did hear that having the board full will force the ram to run slower than it should ?

[wazza300]

Re: New Build Questions

just in general,you can run it 2400mhz but the read/write figures wont be as fast as on a z77 board,it doesnt hinder performance its just the way it is on x79,i suppose quad channel will always be quicker than dual channel so its a bit unclear whether its quicker overall

[HI 5]

Re: New Build Questions

just in general,you can run it 2400mhz but the read/write figures wont be as fast as on a z77 board,it doesnt hinder performance its just the way it is on x79,i suppose quad channel will always be quicker than dual channel so its a bit unclear whether its quicker overall

Ahhh thats not so bad then I was thinking of going for 32 or 64 @ 1600mhz I don't think the i7 3820 can take any higher than 1600mhz ?

How are you finding the Samsung Green in your sig ?

I have been hunting for that Ram in 8GB modules but cant seem to find it.

[wazza300]

Re: New Build Questions

its been fine,and it should do higher than 1600mhz,ive seen some 8gb sticks in the us on newegg,idk how well they would clock though compared to the 4gb sticks

[Vinster]

Re: New Build Questions

The approach I've been using is Z77 for gaming and normal day to day, X79 for workstation duties (Mainly 3D CAD in my case). I have not upgraded yet and am still reading, but also having the ability to have 64GB (possibly 128GB in later releases) of RAM and creating a RAM drive is pretty enticing. you won't be able to do that with a Z77 as they typically have a 32GB Max memory barrier.

Your want of going to 64GB is not possible on the Z77.

Vin