Elantric's Computer

Started by Elantric, May 25, 2012, 07:39:08 AM

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rolandvg99

I've been lurking around the Hackintosh scene for years, but I'm yet to take the plunge. I've always thought it seemed more like a "Hassletosh" (or maybe Hasselhoff) solution. Almost bought a Psystar, but Apple killed them off before they were half started.
To V or not to V: That is the question.

My little Soundcloud corner

mooncaine


pasha811

Quote from: Elantric on August 21, 2016, 06:35:57 AM
There remains a bloat with El Capitan
I remain on Yosemite and I never buy new - current fave is a late 2011 17" MacBook Pro with I7 ( the last good Mac IMHO because the user can upgrade the Ram to 16gb and install Dual SSD drives or one SSD and one BluRay burner still has built in SPDIF I/O and 24 bit stereo Line level I/O and a PCI Expresscard34 expansion port I use for proprietary A/V hardware (Matrox/ RME)

They killed that goose after the passing of Steve Jobs

Seek one of those  while you can

if you want to work and be productive a long time , use a dedicated DAW / Music Computer and never connect to Internet. That's what the remaining pro studios enforce with their Protools computer.

Always use a separate computer to try new things or connect to the net , but by design you accept the pre planned obsolescence that occurs when you apply the latest updates of your OS and Apps

They want to make you unhappy with the performance loss after the latest bloat ware is installed which forces you to buy a newer faster computer every few years. Its by design

A gently used 2012 Mac Mini is Good and fast and affordable

My 2013 15" MacBook retina ( like all new MacBooks ) has soldered down Ram and no ability to upgrade. I have 8gb but that's not enough ( need 16gb minimum which is around $110 , but compare prices of a new Mac with 16GB RAM , Apple is laughing all the way to the bank with the premium they charge for RAM

Get an i5 or I7 with ability to upgrade RAM and hard drive

That restricts you to a very expensive new Mac that will be buggy in  9 weeks when OSX 10.12 arrives.

That's why I sought out a used Mac and saved $$

Can't wait to go 100% Linux

I am waiting for Linux as well. Although addicted to Ableton Live, this spinoff was doing Linux from day one and with Ubuntu Audio distribution pairs well. http://www.bitwig.com/en/bitwig-studio.html. Of course no drivers for all of your hardware but you might find a way. If I reach a point where Apple pisses me off more than now.. I'll give it a try.

BTW, I have a Yosemite Image. Do I need to set my system date back to 2014 to install it?

Best
Pasha
Listen to my music at :  http://alonetone.com/pasha/

aliensporebomb

Which is odd.  My first i7 iMac is actually faster under ElCap than under Yosemite.  The bench numbers prove it.  It's more efficient. 

I compared 10179 for multicore under 10.10 and 10268 under 10.11.  Just a bit snappier feeling UI.  I won't post all the numbers but they are all higher 10.11 than 10.10.

That's the 2.7 ghz 2nd generation i7 processor.

I haven't done a comparison with the more recent 4.0 ghz i7 iMac.







My music projects online at http://www.aliensporebomb.com/

GK Devices:  Roland VG-99, Boss GP-10, Boss SY-1000.

Elantric

#179
QuoteWhich is odd.  My first i7 iMac is actually faster under ElCap than under Yosemite.  The bench numbers prove it.  It's more efficient. 

That may be - my issue is lack of El Capitan Drivers for some of my older hardware

on another topic

wanted to mention there are a few opportunities in the used / refurbished channel for 12.1" netbook size powerhouse windows laptop computers with intel i7 CPU and take 16GB ram and have SSD drive

This one is a highlight from 2014 (used to be $980) - often available now (2016) for $450-$550
https://www.manualowl.com/p/Dell/Latitude-E7240/Manual/201625
http://www.dell.com/support/manuals/us/en/19/latitude-e7240-ultrabook/LatE7240SFITS-v2/Latitude-E7240-%E2%80%94-Front-and-Back-View?guid=GUID-BE16A90B-76AC-4920-BC52-7FF22434A185&lang=en-us

DELL Latitude e7240 ultrabook with 1920x 1080 multitouch and m-SATA SSD
http://topics-cdn.dell.com/pdf/latitude-e7240-ultrabook_Owner's%20Manual_en-us.pdf

http://www.dell.com/us/business/p/latitude-e7240-ultrabook/pd
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Dell-Latitude-12-E7250-Ultrabook-Review.135824.0.html
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2150502/dell-latitude-e7240-ultrabook-review-small-fast-and-elegant.html





Has a docking port on the bottom  Supports the optional Dell PROE2X Plus expansion port replicator +1500 watt extrnal powersupply ($35 on Ebay
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-Docking-E-Port-Plus-replicator-for-latitude-0TYNR-0Y72NH-CY640-E6400-k09a-/261121566456?hash=item3ccc0ee6f8:g:NAMAAOSwGvhT8I4w



2 x display / video - DisplayPort - 20 pin DisplayPort
2 x display / video - DVI-Digital - 24 pin digital DVI
1 x display / video - VGA - 15 pin HD D-Sub (HD-15)
1 x serial
1 x parallel
1 x keyboard
1 x mouse
1 x USB
1 x USB / eSATA
1 x network - RJ-45
1 x microphone - input - mini-phone 3.5mm
1 x audio - line-out/headphones - mini-phone 3.5mm

and hackintosh-able
http://forum.osxlatitude.com/index.php?/topic/6073-latitude-e7240/

https://www.dell.com/community/Laptops-General-Read-Only/mSATA-SSD-in-WWAN-slot-in-e7240/td-p/4441260




Recently upgrade with 2nd SSD drive.

Just keep the pictures here - hope it helps guys out there.


mSATA SSD with screws





Elantric

#180
The Dell Latitude E7240  arrived  - its a nice 12.1" size and running Win7 Pro 64 its fast and powerful - retiring a HP mini 110 10" netbook
https://rutgers.forums.rivals.com/threads/ot-performance-and-windows-update-issues-on-windows-7-machine.108025/

Also it can be setup for OSX
http://www.ebay.pl/itm/Dell-E7240-Hackintosh-Laptop-8GB-256GB-SSD-Haswell-i5-4300u-2-5GHz-OSX-Yosemite-/121612244882
QuoteCurrently installed OS X Yosemite using Clover EFI.
Everything is fully functional including screen brightness and volume buttons.

Elantric

#181

https://www.cnet.com/news/apple-turns-a-thrill-into-a-chill-relationship-on-rocks/

Apple turns thrill into chill and our relationship is on the rocks
Technically Incorrect: After Thursday's MacBook event, why does this Apple user's relationship with the company suddenly feel stale? It's complicated.

Tech Culture
October 28, 2016
7:05 AM PDT
Chris Matyszczyk mugshot
by Chris Matyszczyk
@ChrisMatyszczyk

Technically Incorrect offers a slightly twisted take on the tech that's taken over our lives.


A touch of complacency setting in?
CNET
When you've been in a long-term relationship, complacency can set in like mold in a Florida apartment.

It's rarely mean-spirited. It's just a sense of boredom, of finding each other less than inspiring. When you know too much, you start caring too little.

I fear that's happening between Apple and humans. (I've used Apple laptops for more than 20 years.)

It used to be that Apple would find the human mind and its quirks just as exciting as humans would find Apple and its brave, minimalistic pretensions. Cupertino would find surprising, entertaining ways of making its machines enticing.

Now, it dangles a promise and you end up feeling dongled. And when you're feeling dongled, you don't necessarily have the same expectations as you used to. You sense something's up, but you're not sure what it is.

These days, humans like me look upon each new Apple show and can't find the thrill.

We see what's changed. All too often, though, those changes look like the product of bored minds meeting a deadline rather than excited minds who want to have dinner with us and see our eyes light up at some new invention.

I know I'm supposed to be excited by the Touch Bar on the new MacBook Pro. I want to be. But the $1,799 price and the increased need for dongling this and dongling that make it seem a touch less deserving of my drool.

Apple tells me that it takes courage to remove a headphone jack on a phone and then keeps it on a computer. Did that take courage too? Or is the courage in the shilling, rather than the willing to excite customers?

I'm confused. I fear Apple's seeing someone else. And it isn't the customer.

Cupertino removes the MagSafe charging functionality that's both clever and useful and replaces it with something that to me is less clever, less useful and more annoying. Why? Does it have plans that don't include me?

Just like in any long-term relationship, it feels like Apple's stopped thinking about those who love it and has begun to think a touch too much about itself.

More dongles will get mislaid. More profits will be made thanks to the mislaid dongles.

And now you need so many dongles for so many different purposes.

If I want to upgrade my MacBook Air -- and mine is still a lovely thing -- I have to pay a minimum of $1,499 for a little more annoyance in the charging and the dongling. (Yes, I know the MacBook Air is still on sale, but the lower-spec MacBook Pro is supposed to be the upgrade.)

If Apple had at least added its Touch Bar to the Air that might have been something to make me believe it still cared. Now I'm thinking of going through Apple's things to see what's going on.


It's quite painful that, after all the years, I find myself moved by neither the newest Apple phone nor its newest computer. I can't even plug one into the other without dongling, adapting and cabling anew.

It all used to be so simple, our relationship. It just isn't anymore. It could be just a phase we're going through before we rediscover the excitement, each for the other.

Then again, you know what it really means when someone on Facebook says their relationship status is complicated, don't you? It means they're not happy.



--
You'll need $250 in dongles to upgrade to the new MacBook Pro
Jacob Siegal,BGR News Thu, Oct 27 12:26 PM PDT Comments  Like  Reblog on Tumblr  Share  Tweet  Email

Apple's new MacBook Pro is stunning. It's sleeker and smaller than any MBP in history, and it features an OLED touch bar that might make touchscreen computer displays obsolete. But there's one huge problem with the new MacBook Pro: It has four Thunderbolt 3/USB-C ports, a headphone jack, and nothing else.



You might be asking, "how am I supposed to connect my iPhone to my new MacBook Pro?" The answer is that you're going to have to buy a dongle.

Alright, no big deal, but you're also an avid photographer, and the easiest way to upload your photos is by sticking your SD card into the slot on your laptop. Unfortunately, there is no such slot on the new MacBook Pro, so there's dongle #2.

What about an Ethernet port, or an HDMI port or a VGA port or even a port for your old Thunderbolt 2 devices? You guessed it — you're going to need to pick up adapters with those ports if you want to connect devices that require them.

After searching through Apple's online store, I managed to find five different adapters that should get you back on track. There's the USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter ($69.00) with an HDMI port and a standard USB port. Then there's the SanDisk Extreme Pro SD UHS-II Card USB-C Reader ($49.95) for your SD cards. You might also need the Belkin USB-C to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter ($34.95), because wireless internet isn't always dependable.

Oh, and who could forget the Belkin USB-C to VGA Adapter ($39.95), for those who prefer to use other monitors. Last, but certainly not least, how are you going to connect your old Thunderbolt 2 devices without the Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter ($49.00). And depending on what you want to do with your MacBook Pro, you might need even more dongles.

Adding all of those dongles and adapters to my bag at Apple.com, the total came out to $264.40. But hey, at least there's free shipping!


https://www.yahoo.com/tech/ll-250-dongles-upgrade-macbook-pro-192654999.html


Elantric


Elantric

#183
http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-thunderbolt-dock/
Just an Update

I'm working with a 2016 Dell XPS 15 9550-1000SLV

http://www.ebay.com/itm/201758224169?rmvSB=true


Intel Core i7-6700HQ 2.6GHz Quad-Core, 16GB DDR4, 1TB SSD
15.6" UHD touchscreen (3840x2160), 2GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
Thunderbolt, 2xUSB 3.0, HDMI, 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.1, Windows 10



Discovered that the gap between Mac OSX and Windows 10 ( with the right machine) is getting very narrow - in 2017

The big hurdle Ive had with Windows is the lack of a "global Screen Zoom" that works in every app.

Just to be clear - For years there has been the "CTRL +" for Zoom In, "CTRL -" for Zoom Out - that works on Web Browsers

But Ive discovered that Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10 computers with a recent NVidia Video GPU co-processor (GeForce GTX 960M) support the one thing Ive been seeking for years

In any Windows Application, I can press the "Windows key" and "+" and Screen Zoom In - centered on the current cursor Arrow position
In any Windows Application, I can press the "Windows key" and "-" and Screen Zoom Out - centered on the current cursor Arrow position

Yipee!!!

Just as I do with my iMac !




--







http://blog.parts-people.com/category/dell-xps-repair-manuals/xps-15-9550/
http://topics-cdn.dell.com/pdf/xps-15-9550-laptop_Service%20Manual_en-us.pdf

Elantric



Elantric


shawnb

At the other end of the spectrum, I'll share a few thoughts on my computer... 

I bought one of the very first i7s in 2008.  8GB.  Win7 64-bit.  This remains my primary computer. 

I've had no problems ever running any of the FTP software.  I've had no problems running the synths standalone or in VST mode.  I use SONAR as my primary DAW with FTP - no real issues (once I figured out how to get it all running...). 

I have several hobbies, including photography and music.  It is not at all uncommon for me to run:
  -  SONAR, playing back our Friday night jams, 4+ tracks, about 20 VSTs
  -  While simultaneously editing raw photos (50MB each from my D800) in Adobe Lightroom
  -  While simultaneously uploading sports photos to Flickr.com in the background (https://www.flickr.com/photos/shawnbulen/)

I have always run anti-virus (Trend) and anti-malware (Malwarebytes) to keep it safe since it is always on the internet. 

My boys play League of Legends on this same computer (yes, I shudder in fear at the risk there...).  When they were younger, I set this same computer up to be a Minecraft server and they would play with their classmates over the internet using this computer as the host. 

If I need to, I can get 40 tracks & scores of VSTs in SONAR.  (Just don't run anything else...  Also, "freezing" tracks is your friend...)

I have far too many drivers installed - GR55, VG99, Darkfire RIP driver (still works - for now!), Edirol UA-101, etc.,etc., etc...   

Yes, I live on the edge, & have Windows Update enabled, mainly to stay current on security patches since it's on the internet. 

My latest hobby is contributing to open source software over on Github.  For test purposes, I use this same computer as a WAMP server, running Apache, MySql, PHP etc.  I am contributing to the next version of the SMF bulletin board software - the software that runs this forum.   (https://github.com/sbulen)

After 9 years, I'm starting to think about replacing my computer.  Once in a while, it's a little slow...   

I guess my point is that computers have been really, really powerful for quite some time now, with sufficient power to run any & all of the software we talk about on this forum.   
Address the process rather than the outcome.  Then, the outcome becomes more likely.   - Fripp

mchad


What's the latest PC music comp spec? Home studio that is. Not pro.

I believe settling on a CPU then dictates the other components? I can only afford an Intel i5. And even then it wouldn't be the top spec of that line. Sooo...

- intel i5
- asus mobo
- 16g ram ddr4 2133
- ssd for OS and apps - Samsung?
- regular HD for audio content

Could possibly get a copy of Win7. Or is win10 now audio ready?

As for case and power supply I will pay attention to it but not over think it.



alexmcginness

Why limit yourself as to this is what I can afford so I can only get an i5? How much do you have to spend on a computer? My last machine i bought was a refurbished HP z800 with two 3.05ghz hexcore processors and 48gigs of ram for $650 US. The HP machines are built like tanks and very easily up gradable and fixed if need be. Theres plenty of them on Ebay which is where I bought the first of three Z800s I now own. The second one I paid about $700 US for and it is also a dual  hex core with 72 gigs of ram.
  The real question I think is," how much horsepower can I get for X amount of money?"
VG-88V2, GR-50, GR-55, 4 X VG-99s,2 X FC-300,  2 X GP-10 AXON AX 100 MKII, FISHMAN TRIPLE PLAY,MIDX-10, MIDX-20, AVID 11 RACK, BEHRINGER FCB 1010, LIVID GUITAR WING, ROLAND US-20, 3 X GUYATONE TO-2. MARSHALL BLUESBREAKER, SERBIAN ELIMINATOR AMP. GR-33.

HAMERMAN409

>Just to be clear - For years there has been the "CTRL +" for Zoom In, "CTRL -" for Zoom Out - that works on Web Browsers
>
>But Ive discovered that Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10 computers with a recent NVidia Video GPU co-processor (GeForce GTX 960M) support the one thing Ive been seeking for years
>
>In any Windows Application, I can press the "Windows key" and "+" and Screen Zoom In - centered on the current cursor Arrow position
>In any Windows Application, I can press the "Windows key" and "-" and Screen Zoom Out - centered on the current cursor Arrow position

Didn't know about that one. In a lot of applications CTRL+Mouse Scroll Wheel is a nice intuitive zoom in/out control.

mchad

Quote from: alexmcginness on June 08, 2017, 05:59:55 AM
Why limit yourself as to this is what I can afford so I can only get an i5? How much do you have to spend on a computer? My last machine i bought was a refurbished HP z800 with two 3.05ghz hexcore processors and 48gigs of ram for $650 US. The HP machines are built like tanks and very easily up gradable and fixed if need be. Theres plenty of them on Ebay which is where I bought the first of three Z800s I now own. The second one I paid about $700 US for and it is also a dual  hex core with 72 gigs of ram.
  The real question I think is," how much horsepower can I get for X amount of money?"

Thanks for your insights. It's a huge playground to play in and all sorts of scenarios to consider. In terms of my needs and budget I'm restricted in some ways so I'm going to research components see what that looks like. So far the motherboard has figured highly in the calculations. Looking for it to present with USB 3.1, Type C and M.2 SSD drive facilities. This is possibly technology not  required right now but I'll have to use the next comp for several years. Who knows which way the audio industry will go in future with regards to data connection types. Anyways, researching is fun and I get a PC parts knowledge update every few years. FWIW I've seen regular reference to Skylake CPUs, 100 series mobos, SSD drives (Samsung) and DDR4 2133 ram (16 gig?) is considered more than adequate for home studio workloads. Depending on what spec I end up with a budget DAW PC in Australia is gonna be getting up at $1000AUD. Which ends up being near $700US.

Elantric

I should mention that besides audio, I still edit a lot of locally shot video or work on the audio portion of the video, so I need a bit more performance than a typical audio only DAW




mchad

#196
Handy info if you're researching a PC DAW build.

https://support.image-line.com/knowledgebase/base.php?ans=214

In my PC parts procurement project so far I've gotten a motherboard (Gigabyte H270 Gaming 3), an SSD (Samsung Evo 960 250gb) and a hard drive (Seagate Barracuda 1TB). CPU (? maybe an i7 7700), RAM (16gb DDR4) and an OS (? Win10 Home retail) to come.


---
What computer should I get for music creation?
views: 407528
This article is to focus your purchases to provide the most performance for music production. Real-time audio processing and synthesis are key, a fast CPU and an audio interface that has a manufacturer supplied ASIO driver are your top priorities.

Laptop vs Desktop/Tower

Generally laptops offer less power/performance compared to desktops at the same price-point. Laptops also limit your options for expansion and upgrades. Of course, laptops can be used but you should have a specific requirement to be mobile with your music production/performance. If not, definitely go the desktop route. NOTE: By desktop we mean a 'full height tower' style case that will probably live under your desk (see Quiet PC below). The optimum case will fit full-height PCI/e expansion cards for greatest flexibility. You need room for at least - 2 x hard drives, a full size graphic card & a soundcard.  Suggestion: Buy a relatively inexpensive netbook for mobile computing, and basic FL Studio idea-sketching, and get a good desktop PC for music production.  The combined cost of these two will likely be similar to one laptop powerful enough to replace a desktop.

Operating System

FL Studio will work on Windows XP upward. We recommend Windows 10 64 Bit, Windows 8 64 Bit or Windows 7 64 Bit. Note: Windows 8 or 10 is required if you want to use more than the dual-touch available with Windows 7.

Specifications (in descending order of importance)

CPU: The CPU is the primary factor in your ability to run FL Studio with large complex projects. Yes FL Studio utilizes multi-core CPUs but more is not better. Read the section: 'The logic of audio processing' in the manual to learn why. In light of this, the best value for performance is usually to be had 2-3 levels down from the top models. As of 2017 these are Intel i5 and i7 Intel processors, specifically the i7-7700K, i7-4790K, i7-6800K, i7-6700K, i7-5820K, i7-4770K. i5-4960K or i5-5675C, i5-6600K, i5-4670K, i5-4670K or i5-4690. The overall winners are: i7-7700K &  i7-4790K (these CPU have: 1. Reasonable prices < $500, 2. Reasonable heat output - 88-95W TDP and 3. fast single-core performance, win-win-win). Moving to the 'top of the range' CPUs will increase prices by 200%-400% with no improvement in FL Studio performance. We don't recommend spending more than $500 on a CPU! Somewhere between $250 to $400 is usually the sweet spot.

Choose on your own - Search for your CPU's performance score on CPU Benchmark. Here's how we grade multi-core scores for CPUs with 6 or less cores - Weak: Less than 3,999. Medium: 4000 to 6,999. Strong: 7000 to 9,999. Very strong more than 10,000. HOWEVER fast single-core performance is still key when audio processing. So you should look for the fastest single-core performance scores, in a package with at least 4 or more physical cores. For example: An 8 core CPU (14,400) with a single core score of 1800 is less well suited to music production than a 4 core CPU (12,000) with a single core score of 2600, since much of what happens with audio-processing can't be computed in parallel.

Psychology - When comparing benchmarks, a 10% performance gain is 'just noticeable', you won't be impressed with this sort of improvement, so don't bother. 20-30% increases in speed are generally needed before a CPU feels noticably faster in use (for a while). Of course, the bigger the percentage jump, the happier you will be.

CPU Laptops:  The same principles apply as above. Aim for a CPU benchmark score of 6,000+ from a quad-core CPU. Two great laptop CPUs are the i7–4720HQ and  i7-4810MQ. Chose your CPU then go looking for laptops with that spec.

CPU performance reality check - Show respect for your CPU and don't throw 30+ high-cpu load plugins at it and then wonder why it chokes. Audio processing, as performed by DAW software, is one of the most CPU intensive tasks done in real-time on computers today. It's more CPU intensive than 3D games, that offload a lot of work to the video card GPU. Each audio stream needs real-time calculation of at least 44100 samples PER second multiplied by the number of plugins you are running multiplied by their own internal shenanigans. But, all hope is not lost, limitations breed creativity, work with what you have and rejoice in the democratization of modern music production.

Audio Interface (ASIO): Of almost equal importance to the CPU is that your soundcard / audio interface supports ASIO drivers. ASIO is a software device driver standard that allows FL Studio direct access to the soundcard rather than communicating via the Windows operating system (as with the standard Windows driver). This will mean a significant performance advantage when running FL Studio. Look for a sound card for which the manufacturer has written custom ASIO drivers (check the specifications for mention of ASIO or ASIO2 support). NOTE: ASIO is all about software to hardware communication efficiency and performance here has little to do with the capabilities of the underlying hardware.

Where possible, avoid internal/on-mother-board sound-chips as we can't guarantee that the ASIO4ALL generic driver will work with these (although it usually does). If you don't have the specific need to record external instruments / vocals (where you should buy a dedicated music production oriented audio interface), we suggest a Soundblaster Xfi Titanium (PCIe) OR the Sound Blaster Z PCIe  (make sure whatever you get has ASIO at 44.1 kHz 16 and 24 Bit). You may be surprised we are recommending a consumer soundcards, however the ASIO drivers are excellent, they have very wide compatibility from Windows XP to Windows 10 64 bit, plays nicely with the widest variety of Windows software and the A/D & D/A converters in it are excellent. See also 'Choosing a soundcard'.

RAM: 8 GB is a comfortable minimum, 16 GB is enough and 32 Gb is only necessary if you typically use lots of sample based instruments (each running Multi-Gb orchestral libraries & ROMpler style plugins for example). Installing more than 32 GB of RAM is unnecessary for almost all music production purposes, spend the money on your CPU, audio interface, video card or plugins. When installing 8 or 16 GB of RAM make sure you do so in a way that leaves a pair of RAM slots free for future upgrades (RAM usually installs in pairs).

Hard Disk Drive (HDD): SSD (Solid State Disk) vs Traditional (Magnetic disk)? SSD's are great for achieving fast boot times, initial program loading and with programs that thrash the HDD (FL Studio does not thrash your HDD). The biggest factor for music production HDD's is hosting audio files and sound libraries. For most users will need a 1+ TB HDD. While a SSD will load projects faster, you don't load/save projects all that often so we rank a SSD fairly low on this list of priorities. Any traditional 7200 RPM HDD should serve you well, given large SSD's are still prohibitively expensive. The smart solution for now is to have a ~250 GB SSD 'boot drive' (holding the OS + programs) and a 1 or 2 TB magnetic HDD for your personal data.

Video Card: Look for a video card with two DVI or some combination of DVI + HDMI + Display Port outputs (see also Quiet PC below). This will allow you to run two video monitors. Any modern Video card will perform similarly. FL Studio work-flow is significantly improved with two (or more) video monitors.

OS: Windows 7, 8 and 10 x 64 Bit are all known to work very well with FL Studio and, more importantly, peripheral devices. There is no performance or operational advantage for FL Studio by moving from the cheaper 'Home' editions to the 'Ultimate/Professional' edition. Windows 8 or 10 will be required if you want more than dual-touch as it delivers full multi-touch performance.

Quiet PC

Having a quiet PC is very important since you need to hear all the sounds in your mix. We recommend browsing the following sites, they have lots of useful information and can be used to specify components in your shopping list even if you don't build your PC yourself.

A comprehensive review site is - www.silentpcreview.com

The following commercial websites are provided for your information. Both offer pre-made and custom build quiet/silent PC solutions and have international shipping: www.quietpc.com (UK based with global shipping) and www.endpcnoise.com (USA based with global shipping)

Generally the main sources of noise are case fans, video card fans, power supply fans and the CPU fan. Mechanical hard drives will make clicking sounds, consider SSDs (Solid State Drive), although very quiet mechanical drives are available and represent much better value for money. Simply opting for low noise versions of each component in your PC need not cost any more money and can have a huge impact on the noise performance.

Setup

The FL Studio manual has a thorough section here on maximizing the performance of your Windows based PC when running FL Studio.

Reality Check - Please take responsibility for what you are doing!

1. OPTIMIZE: Make sure you really have worked carefully through the optimization settings posted here. 2. RESPECT: Don't throw 100's of plugins at your CPU wonder why it chokes. Audio processing, as performed by DAW software, is one of the most CPU intensive things done in real-time on computers today. It's often more CPU intensive than even 3D games, that offload a lot of work to the video card GPU. Each audio stream needs real-time calculation of at least 44100 samples PER second multiplied by how many plugins you are running multiplied by their own internal shenanigans. 3. FEAR: Not all 3rd party developers fully optimize their plugins and whatever plugin you are using may just be a nasty and or buggy CPU hog. 4. HISTORY: Your grandfather used a four-track tape recorder and made albums like A Hard Days Night and Aftermath that changed the face of modern music. Even the lowliest of modern PCs will put that 4 track to shame. Limitations breed creativity, work with what you have and rejoice in the democratization of modern music production.

Summary

Just in case it was not clear, the information above basically says. 1. Choose the fastest CPU you can afford (this is critical). 2. Make sure you have an ASIO Audio Interface and 3. Add at least 8 GB of RAM but no more than 32. Build your PC around those elements. 

Inspiration



chlorinemist

3 GHz, 10-core Xeon E5 trash can 2013 mac pro going strong over here. No complaints. I would note however that the performance boost I gained from upgrading the CPU from 4 cores is not as dramatic as I expected. It helps a bit with high track count DAW projects but I'm still more than capable of overloading the CPU if im not careful. And working in 96KHz is, perhaps most surprising of all (to me), still not realistic for anything except small projects