New PC Build (Thread Title Changed to Protect the Innocent)

[Alex Kenivel]

EDIT FROM THE FUTURE:

I've decided to build a PC for the first time in like 20 years or so, skip past post 12 for the freshest taste.

-------------------------

OP:

I've had this here Mac Mini since 2017. I bought it used from eBay, it's a late 2012 machine with a 2.3 GHz Intel Core i7 Processor, 16 gigs of DDR3 (2 full 8 G slots), 1TB SATA HDD with maybe a quarter of its storage taken up, with an external 1TB HD using about 1/8 of its own storage.

It's set up pretty efficiently but it drags ass with any kind of video whether it be basic editing or rendering video via Reaper or simply streaming Youtube videos. The SD card reader give me trouble, I have a few devices that just refuse to connect to the machine via USB although they work fine with my wife and son's PCs. A main offender is my Tascam handheld recorder. I take it to every gig, practice, jam, interview, and I have to jump through hoops to dump the audio onto my desktop Mac. It has trouble connecting via USB and every micro-to-SD card adaptor I've tried. No need to mention the troubles I have with my Android phone, the two hate each other.

It has been rock solid otherwise. RT latency with Helix Native in Reaper is between 3 and 4 ms at silly low buffer settings with no hiccups while running Addictive Drums 2, and a few other tracks with Helix Native and various plug-ins. It's mostly a music making machine but I like to make yearly videos for the family and my last Helix repair video was a real hassle to put together.

I came from mostly PCs but had been FED THE FUCK UP with Windows during the headache-filled 8/10 eras enough for me to jump platforms and buy this refurbished Mac but I'm not married to the Apple ecosystem at all, dont have an iPhone or iPad, don't use Logic or iTunes.

I've not really kept up with modern computing since the late 90s and I know there are a few IT types as well as some very opinionated Mac vs PC warriors here and I'm not trying to rustle any feathers but I want to weigh my options and compare what kind of machine it would take to do modern video editing with either platform.

I'll be shopping around, researching, reading and trying to learn as much as I can with the little extra time I have (a few days off of work ought to be helpful) but if anyone would like to lend their opinions, experience, or expertise, I'd be eternally grateful.

TL;DR: What specs in a Mac desktop would cut it for video production for the next 7 years? What specs in a PC desktop would cut it for video production for the next 7 years?

Keep kicking ass.

 

[Moondog Wily]

I am not an expert, but from what I do understand the video card (with lots of mem) and RAM are your two largest factors for video performance. I built a new machine in Jan '23 (because my MB went belly up on me, was not planned) and although I only spent $300 on my video card, I spent a bit more than that on 128GB of RAM. I have assigned Adobe products (Premiere, After Effects, Photoshop, Illustrator) to use 50% of that and the other 50% is for other applications. It is a win10 box and I am satisfied with the performance I have over my old box for video editing. That is about all I have on the topic. I am sure there are other things for optimization, but I am not hip to them. Best wishes on the build(PC)/buy(Mac), I will be following with interest ;~))

 

[laxu]

For Macs, I'd honestly forget about the desktop systems. They aren't any more upgradeable than the laptops and often perform about the same too. The laptops are convenient if you want to e.g record in another location, just bring the laptop and audio interface. I run mine most of the time like a desktop system, with the lid closed, connected to two 28" 4K 144 Hz displays.

For your uses you would probably be fine with a Macbook Pro M2-M4. I'd aim for the Max model only because it has better support for external displays so you won't run into any issues if you add more monitors or upgrade to higher end ones in the future. I'd avoid the M1 models specifically due to their limits on display support, same for the baseline M2-M4 models you find in e.g the MB Air or base Mac Mini. Look for sales or refurbished models to save money. Use student discounts if you have someone eligible in your household.

I'm using a decked out M2 Max Macbook Pro 16" and it works for the most part very well, is almost always silent too.

 

[mavrick102000]

The only "issue" with laptop versions is the number of useful ports before having to shell out more money for a breakout box - Jeez can't think of the term, need more coffee.

 

[Alex Kenivel]

Thanks for the input so far, guys.

The only "issue" with laptop versions is the number of useful ports before having to shell out more money for a breakout box - Jeez can't think of the term, need more coffee.

Still in bed over here, myself. Most of the newer Mac Mini's skimp on USB ports as well. I need at least 4 and using a USB hub for some devices make them unhappy. My wife just told me that she'll throw in on it if it wasn't a Mac (so she can use it too, lol) so all of these reasons are pushing my toward a PC build. I've been on newegg all night.

 

[laxu]

The only "issue" with laptop versions is the number of useful ports before having to shell out more money for a breakout box - Jeez can't think of the term, need more coffee.

Hub or dock. Yeah you definitely want one.

What I do is I have a USB hub in one port, and use another USB-C port for one external monitor and the HDMI port for the second one. I have a mouse, keyboard, Stream Deck Plus and an Audient EVO 8 audio interface connected. All of these come with USB-something to USB-A cables so I need a hub no matter what.

The Mac Mini and Studio only have two USB-A ports and everything else is USB-C. Future-looking, but not really matching the reality of peripherals.

 

[maguchi]

I'd get a new MacBook Pro M3. Over 7 years, that's only a little more than $200 year. I spend 5 times that much at Starbuck.

 

[Aelred]

Try https://www.techradar.com/news/best-video-editing-computer

 

[mavrick102000]

Hub or dock. Yeah you definitely want one.

What I do is I have a USB hub in one port, and use another USB-C port for one external monitor and the HDMI port for the second one. I have a mouse, keyboard, Stream Deck Plus and an Audient EVO 8 audio interface connected. All of these come with USB-something to USB-A cables so I need a hub no matter what.

The Mac Mini and Studio only have two USB-A ports and everything else is USB-C. Future-looking, but not really matching the reality of peripherals.

Only 2 on the Studio and Mini??? They used to have like 6 Thunderbolt ports in the last Intel versions IIRC. That's sad.

I'm not against Apple Silicon, but I really don't like the idea of all components being soldered. Not sure what I'll do when the feature sets for current software I use force me to make a decision.

Because I'm not buying a stereo microscope to do soldering work for upgrades....LOL.

 

[laxu]

Only 2 on the Studio and Mini??? They used to have like 6 Thunderbolt ports in the last Intel versions IIRC. That's sad.

I'm not against Apple Silicon, but I really don't like the idea of all components being soldered. Not sure what I'll do when the feature sets for current software I use force me to make a decision.

Because I'm not buying a stereo microscope to do soldering work for upgrades....LOL.

There's plenty of TB/USB-C ports, but just two USB-A. So you want a hub anyway.

The unified RAM being soldered is acceptable. The soldered disk drive is not.

 

[mavrick102000]

Yes. Although the disk drive can be worked around somewhat with an external. But a true Thunderbolt rated controller( never full throughput) increases the price should the Drive/NVRAM fail at some point.

 

[Alex Kenivel]

Going to put together a PC. It's been a long time and everything is so different than it was 20 years ago.

I've got some parts coming to me, some of which will probably be sent back but I guess I'll start a new PC build thread.

Now the real debate will be where to put this thread, DIY or Recording?

 

[Warmart]

I've built all of my PC's since the mid-90's (ish) - but haven't kept up with all the changes, so back last November I did some research and just decided to buy a pre-built PC. Found a pretty good deal on NewEgg for an MSI desktop, for about $1800 (regular $2200?). So far, so good, very fast, runs my security camera software and shrugs off anything else i throw at it. No fuss, no muss.

 

[mavrick102000]

I could rebuild my Windows tower for a massive upgrade fairly easily. The power supply in the tower is a bit overspec'd for the i7 system I built back in Windows XP days. I just really wish they would port Logic back over to WIntel systems - very unlikely. I could learn another DAW but I'd really prefer not to.

But at some point I may just jump back there, and then go through whatever version of Windows OS is supported and disable/gut what I don't need to make it as reliable, less annoying as possible.

Having a 7 year lifespan in either Mac of Windows world is becoming more and more difficult as the software development cycle is ridiculously rapid these days bumping up OS, driver and other requirements.

 

[laxu]

My take is that if you go PC...just go for ITX size. Most people don't put anything in their PCIe slots except a GPU, and it's nice to not have a big hulking box on or under the table.

 

[Moondog Wily]

Going to put together a PC. It's been a long time and everything is so different than it was 20 years ago.

I've got some parts coming to me, some of which will probably be sent back but I guess I'll start a new PC build thread.

Now the real debate will be where to put this thread, DIY or Recording?

I am guessing you are already aware, but I am going to say it anyway. Be sure to get a board with a NVMe M.2 slot (and multiple M.2 slots if possible). The NVMe M.2 is the fastest drive you can get largely because it is not connected via the SATA interface which maxes out at I believe 600MB/s (for SATA III). The M.2 slots are piped through the graphics routes on the board and support speeds of up to 3,500MB/s. I have 4 M.2 slots on my most recent board (Gigabyte Z690 AORUS Elite AX DDR4) and I have M.2 drives in all of them. One is devoted to video projects (2 TB), one devoted to audio projects (2 TB), one is system drive (500 GB) and one is a sandbox (1 TB - includes second boot path in case system drive M.2 has issues). I love it when I need to transfer files between them ;~)) Watching the data move at many hundreds of MB/s makes me smile ;~))

 

[Alex Kenivel]

I could rebuild my Windows tower for a massive upgrade fairly easily. The power supply in the tower is a bit overspec'd for the i7 system I built back in Windows XP days. I just really wish they would port Logic back over to WIntel systems - very unlikely. I could learn another DAW but I'd really prefer not to.

But at some point I may just jump back there, and then go through whatever version of Windows OS is supported and disable/gut what I don't need to make it as reliable, less annoying as possible.

Having a 7 year lifespan in either Mac of Windows world is becoming more and more difficult as the software development cycle is ridiculously rapid these days bumping up OS, driver and other requirements.

My goal is to build this machine, get it running and stable, and never update it unless I need to.

I did exactly that with my Mac Mini, which is 12 years old and is still a very reliable computer, just not quite the workhorse I want it to be or can become. I'm going to move it into the living room and use it as a CPU for our TV so we can stream movies from our NAS storage .

I've built all of my PC's since the mid-90's (ish) - but haven't kept up with all the changes, so back last November I did some research and just decided to buy a pre-built PC. Found a pretty good deal on NewEgg for an MSI desktop, for about $1800 (regular $2200?). So far, so good, very fast, runs my security camera software and shrugs off anything else i throw at it. No fuss, no muss.

I almost went with their suggested build lists and found the same or better parts on Amazon for better prices.

My take is that if you go PC...just go for ITX size. Most people don't put anything in their PCIe slots except a GPU, and it's nice to not have a big hulking box on or under the table.

I'm splitting the difference here and going micro ATX just in case I do end up wanting to slot something else.

I am guessing you are already aware, but I am going to say it anyway. Be sure to get a board with a NVMe M.2 slot (and multiple M.2 slots if possible). The NVMe M.2 is the fastest drive you can get largely because it is not connected via the SATA interface which maxes out at I believe 600MB/s (for SATA III). The M.2 slots are piped through the graphics routes on the board and support speeds of up to 3,500MB/s. I have 4 M.2 slots on my most recent board (Gigabyte Z690 AORUS Elite AX DDR4) and I have M.2 drives in all of them. One is devoted to video projects (2 TB), one devoted to audio projects (2 TB), one is system drive (500 GB) and one is a sandbox (1 TB - includes second boot path in case system drive M.2 has issues). I love it when I need to transfer files between them ;~)) Watching the data move at many hundreds of MB/s makes me smile ;~))

The Gigabyte B760M DS3H AX I'm getting has 2 M.2 slots but I'm only getting a single 1TB drive for now.

Trying to keep costs low where I can but leave room to upgrade, 2x16G DDR5 Ram chips with two more slots free and I'll want to get another drive too. Need to think about cooling, does the old school small heat sink and fan work fine still or do I need a stupid large heat sink with pipes and a 140cm fan? Lol

 

[Moondog Wily]

My goal is to build this machine, get it running and stable, and never update it unless I need to.

I did exactly that with my Mac Mini, which is 12 years old and is still a very reliable computer, just not quite the workhorse I want it to be or can become. I'm going to move it into the living room and use it as a CPU for our TV so we can stream movies from our NAS storage .


I almost went with their suggested build lists and found the same or better parts on Amazon for better prices.


I'm splitting the difference here and going micro ATX just in case I do end up wanting to slot something else.


The Gigabyte B760M DS3H AX I'm getting has 2 M.2 slots but I'm only getting a single 1TB drive for now.

Trying to keep costs low where I can but leave room to upgrade, 2x16G DDR5 Ram chips with two more slots free and I'll want to get another drive too. Need to think about cooling, does the old school small heat sink and fan work fine still or do I need a stupid large heat sink with pipes and a 140cm fan? Lol

Understood on keeping the costs in check! When I did mine, I already had the 500GB and 1TB M.2 drives, and a lot of other components, so I kind of splurged on the pair of 2TB drives considering the board had the space ;~))

On cooling, as I am sure you are aware, it depends in part on what chip you are running and whether you are going to be overclocking it or really driving it hard for many hours straight. I have a Noctua cooler on mine (NH-D15). It is a bit beastly and does not fit in some cases, but I have had it since 2015 and it is still doing it's job on it's second build. Two fans and a lot of fins, a few pipes. No liquids though. Noctua sent me for free, new mount parts for the NH-D15 when I did my new build in Jan 2023, I thought that was big of them! Also on cooling, without having those giant spinning metal hard drives, boxes are getting a lot cooler these days I would think. I understand that the M.2 and SSD drives throw heat (along with other components), but I would guess it is a lot less than the old school spinning disks.

Your comment about "never update unless I need to" makes me want to mention that if you are not hip to it, Win 10 and 11 have forced updates from time to time. Pro version you get a little bit of leeway and can sometimes delay some stuff 31 days, but the Home version tells you when you are going to get probed and you have no choice! Now if that box is not connected to the internet, your golden!

 

[laxu]

Need to think about cooling, does the old school small heat sink and fan work fine still or do I need a stupid large heat sink with pipes and a 140cm fan? Lol

Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 or 120 SE (smaller) are some of the best air coolers you can buy today. And they cost only about 40-50 €. I have the 120 SE in my system cooling an Intel 13600K and it works just great. While Noctua fans are a bit better, their heatsinks will cost about twice that and perform no better. To me getting a good cooler is worth it just to have a system that is mostly silent.

If you want 140mm fans, Thermalright Frost Spirit or Frost Commander should be good options. I have no idea what the difference is but you can probably google to find out. Thermalright's lineup is confusing because they have a bunch of very similar looking products.

 

[Alex Kenivel]

the Home version tells you when you are going to get probed and you have no choice!

Ugh.. This is what ultimately killed our Windows 8 machine.