Best CPU for new Win 10 setup

[cephalus]

I'm being forced finally to upgrade to Windows 10 from Window 7. Any views / experiences with the most appropriate CPU for optimising Ableton would be welcome. choice is from
i7-8700 /8700K / i7-9700 / 9700K / i9-9900 / 9900K

I also use Omnisphere, so I've sort of got to balance the choice with that.

TIA

Cephalus

[[jur]]

There's many threads asking for the same question here in The Lounge. Did you check them?

[Tone Deft]

if you could meet us halfway and tell us briefly what you know about each one. otherwise you're sending me to the web to look up stuff you already know. some people know the model numbers and stuff, most don't.

[jestermgee]

Any of the above would be fine (tho i'd personally stick with the 9X series) but depends on how you work, how many tracks you will use typically.

When I design my builds (which I do every 3-5 years and am currently comparing AMD to Intel now) I always start with the most expensive CPU I can justify spending money on and start with those specs then build around from there. If the overall cost is too high I then start looking down the notches at the capabilities of the next one down.

With Intel, the only difference between the "K" and non K version is the fact a "K" model is unlocked for overclocking if you really want to fiddle with your stability. If you are not experienced with overclocking and really are not interested in dealing with that aspect, you can save some $$$ and just get a stock CPU.

CPU isn't everything in a system. You also need to consider data access (nvme.m2 for instance is a much better option for a system than a standard SSD for read/write speed access) and memory speed and delay (CAS). Also, the number of cores and core power Vs the number of tracks and the needs of effects and synths is all stuff you need to consider.

Chances are by the fact you are asking the question here, your needs would be more than satisfied with any of the above options with little difference between them

[pottering]

You should consider AMD CPUs.


http://www.scanproaudio.info/2019/07/12 ... ic-number/
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/high_end_cpus.html
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/singleThread.html
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_value_available.html

All the links have Intel numbers too, so they may be useful for you even if you are dead set on Intel CPUs.

Scan Pro has this Intel article too:

http://www.scanproaudio.info/2018/10/19 ... e-refresh/

[jestermgee]

You should consider AMD CPUs.


http://www.scanproaudio.info/2019/07/12 ... ic-number/
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/high_end_cpus.html
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/singleThread.html
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_value_available.html

All the links have Intel numbers too, so they may be useful for you even if you are dead set on Intel CPUs.

Scan Pro has this Intel article too:

http://www.scanproaudio.info/2018/10/19 ... e-refresh/

Maybe a bit off topic but do you happen to know how AMD processors go with things like virtualization for Virtual Machines? I only ask because I run VM for test OS setups such as Windows and MacOS and for intel most MOBOs have a CPU virtualisation option in the BIOS to allow VMs to access CPU cores and I am not sure (due to lack of exposure) how AMD handles this and if it works well/at all.

[pottering]

Sorry, I don't use things like VM.

[dnovosel]

Maybe a bit off topic but do you happen to know how AMD processors go with things like virtualization for Virtual Machines? I only ask because I run VM for test OS setups such as Windows and MacOS and for intel most MOBOs have a CPU virtualisation option in the BIOS to allow VMs to access CPU cores and I am not sure (due to lack of exposure) how AMD handles this and if it works well/at all.

Generally speaking it should be fine. For most basic virtualization tasks, such as running normal OSes (Windows / Linux / etc) it shouldn't pose any issues and AMD and Intel work equally as well. The only main issue would be if you are doing very specific things (running router OSes, or other custom network applications) that require Intel specific CPU flags. You probably know if you fall in this category.

A second advantage for AMD in this regard is for a given amount of spend you typically get more cores. For under $300 you can get a 6 core Intel processor (no hyperthreading) or an AMD 6 core - 12 thread (with hyperthreading). ELI5 version, you basically get 30%+ performance for the same cost when using applications that can properly take care of extra threads (VMs are a very good example of this).

One other thing to note on the AMD vs Intel argument is Integrated Graphics. Intel puts integrated graphics into far more CPUs then AMD does. If you are planning on buying a GPU it doesn't really matter, but something to consider if you are planning on just using integrated graphics.

[jestermgee]

Thanks for the info.

Yeah I don't do major complex stuff with VM, just use it to test things out or sandbox scenarios etc. Mostly use it to run a macOS instance to test for issues etc and after I did some resetting and overclocking adjustments in my BIOS a month or so back it must have reset the virtualisation to off and I wasn't able to launch a VM instance which made me wonder how AMD would go here.

I'm 25 years experienced with intel so know what to expect and how to manage things and cost-per-thread isn't what i'm concerned with really. I had one single build in the early 2000 that was AMD based and a complete failure as I found out about a "floating point" issue they had with audio applications that caused me never ending issues with dropouts and really poor performance. I had to scrap and rebuild all over again (costly lesson) but with Intel and never had another issue so that's been a thorn in my side for 2 decades and have never wanted to consider AMD for anything else, not even GPU. That's not an issue these days but i'm always wary of the unknowns and have been pricing and researching Intel v AMD for 2 months.

[dnovosel]

Thanks for the info.

Yeah I don't do major complex stuff with VM, just use it to test things out or sandbox scenarios etc. Mostly use it to run a macOS instance to test for issues etc and after I did some resetting and overclocking adjustments in my BIOS a month or so back it must have reset the virtualisation to off and I wasn't able to launch a VM instance which made me wonder how AMD would go here.

Just for clarity sake, one thing to be aware of with AMD and macOS virtualization is you might need to apply some configuration changes to make it work to your hypervisor (VirtualBox,VMWare,etc). I haven't specifically tried doing it myself (as I have Intel based macOS machines I can easily virtualize macOS on), but I have read accounts of people making it work with minor changes. It might be worth looking into more if you are considering the AMD route.

I guess all I'm saying is that although it sounds like it is definitely workable, given your use-case it might make more sense to just stick with Intel.