davidburke1 wroteGreetings PreSonus Pros!

I have Studio One Professional 2, coupled with Melodyne Studio 4. I'm about to buy a new PC, but need advice on what level to get to run these programs optimally. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

David

Any Quadcore based PC released in the past 6 years ( preferably Intel based), with at least 6 to 8 gigs of ram, ( ideally 16 gigs or more), Windows 7 64 bit, or higher and a 24 bit Audio Interface with low latency drivers (preferably an external unit as they give you greater flexibility).

Look at other forum users signitures to get an idea of the specifics on gear.

Whatever you choose, remember there is a limit on how much your computer will handle whatever spec you choose.

I recommend you choose the components and have a friend help you build it if you're not into self build, other options are there but remember this would be factored into additional cost.

If you require more information on PC kit look here.
http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/

Or just get a Mac...

And let the games begin ...

I wouldn't build a PC with anything less than 16GB of Kingston RAM and an Nvidia video card with no less than 4GB of onboard memory with multi-monitor support.

Do not overclock anything.

DAW's are all about stability. If you want to run your PC at blazing speeds, buy blazing fast RAM. Overclocking creates more heat, fans run more, case is more noisy, more unstable, and you void warranties.

Pick a CPU. I wouldn't consider anything below the Intel 4790K CPU now. I'm looking at the 5000 series for my next build but that puts you in to a different type of socket and it costs quite a bit more.

Don't go building a brand new system around a 6 year old CPU please. You'll be back in a few days after it's built wondering why Mai Tai is spiking your #1 CPU core causing dropouts and Melodyne is only using cores 3 and 4. There's internal software elements of CPU's that S1 takes advantage of that some older CPU's don't have. S1 will work on those CPU's but not as well.

When you pick out your CPU go to Intel's web site and see which motherboards have been tested with it. They have a nice section of their site dedicated to this.

Pick one of those motherboards and download it's manual and see which Kingston RAM has been tested with that motherboard. Kingston has been rock solid for me and that's all I even consider using anymore.

Find some Kingston RAM that is not overclockable. It's a bit more expensive, but it's rock solid.

At least 1 Solid State drive, preferably 2. A nice big external drive for backups, an Nvidia video card with 4GB of RAM and multiple monitor outputs for multiple monitor support, a Power Supply that is "Certified" to run your CPU of choice, case, CD burner for burning your masterpieces, and you're good to go.

The lifespan of operating systems has been greatly decreased since XP. So as much as I hate to say it, you'd probably be better of going with Windows 10.

So, the short version, pick an Intel CPU, pick a Mobo that's been tested with that CPU, pick some Kingston RAM that has been tested with that Mobo. Piece together everything else.

That's how I do it.

Good luck! Building a new PC is always a lot of fun.