Thunderbolt™ 3 Port issue?

pinerush

Active member
If you want quietness then you need to go with a system designed for quietness rather than restricting yourself to certain components. I have drawn up a spec for as quiet a system as you will get for your budget (well, a bit over but you did say around £1200 and the extra is definitely worth it)....it has a case designed for quietness (sound proofing/deadening on all sides), the fans for the CPU cooler are as quiet as you can get (they are magnetic levitation rather than traditional fans so make much less noise....difference bewteen a Maglev train and a British Rail train on traditional tracks), it has a quiet PSU where the fan only comes on when the system is under high load so is very quiet.

I honestly am not sure you would get anything quieter, even using an external GPU:

Case
FRACTAL DEFINE 7 BLACK QUIET MID-TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600XT Six Core CPU (4.5GHz/35MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1650 SUPER - HDMI
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H100i RGB PLATINUM Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KK3-00002]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Firefox™
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
TIMED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND - MON-FRI (BEFORE 2PM)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 21 to 23 working days
Price: £1,380.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/rK0qseRqqJ/

Wasn't sure what level GPU you were looking at so just put in a basic 1080p one

Hi Nursemorph. I have just tried your link and the price is different: £1,241.00. Also, my original spec was for an AIO. I hadn't realised or appreciated that your spec was for a desktop, which I guess means, I would have to spend more money on a monitor, keyboard, cables etc. It's made the process a bit financially daunting :( Any suggestions for a complete setup? Also, curios to know why you chose Firefox?
 
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pinerush

Active member
Ah...I do apologise for that...I got so caught up in the AIO and Mini-PC discussion and just flat out forgot you had been looking for a laptop to begin with. :oops:

Regarding the link: It's because the case I recommended has been removed from the configurator so that is reflected in the price. They sometimes disappear and then reappear.

Firefox: No particular reason...I use basic specs from a system building guide on here and then tailor them to whatever each person needs and the default browser on those is firefox. It can be changed to any of the browsers.

Given the case removal as well as your need for a monitor and peripherals is going to require a bit of thinking as not sure can get all of them within the budget without compromising somewhere

Perhaps you could give a few different quotes - best, not so good and worst - as I have spent all week searching for a decent spec? It would be a real shame to have to compromise the spec at this stage. I still don't know which would be the better graphics card either. Also, just a wild shot: does PC Specialist provide NHS Discounts? That might help.
 
D

Deleted member 17413

Guest
Thinking about what you would use if for, I had a go at it

Case
CORSAIR CARBIDE SERIES™ 275Q QUIET CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600X Six Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.4GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B450-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.1, 6Gb/s) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1650 SUPER - HDMI
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KK3-00002]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Firefox™
Monitor
AOC I2490VXQ/BT 23.8" IPS Monitor - 1920 x 1080
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
TIMED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND - MON-FRI (BEFORE 2PM)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 21 to 23 working days
Price: £1,185.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/CEhA2fvEHb/
 
D

Deleted member 17413

Guest
Its an IPS monitor with HD resolution (1080p) so no reason to be going about the 1600 series GPU's and you said its for music and video production. Also has inbuilt speakers, you are never going to get amazing ones on a monitor but the review on this one (assuming ive picked the monitor i think it is) says theyre pretty good as monitor speakers go. The spec itself is better than what youd get in a AIO, you would still need a keyboard and mouse but I assume you arent after anything fancy with that.

You might want to look at replacing the two fans in there for ML ones...but the case is designed to dampen noise, the 3600x has been said to come with a decent cooler already.

I would get someone to look at i who knows more than me, but i was thinking youd actually get more noise from a laptop and less for your money, and those specs are still better than what you would find in a AIO for the same too.
 

pinerush

Active member
Thinking about what you would use if for, I had a go at it

Case
CORSAIR CARBIDE SERIES™ 275Q QUIET CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600X Six Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.4GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B450-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.1, 6Gb/s) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1650 SUPER - HDMI
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KK3-00002]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Firefox™
Monitor
AOC I2490VXQ/BT 23.8" IPS Monitor - 1920 x 1080
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
TIMED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND - MON-FRI (BEFORE 2PM)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 21 to 23 working days
Price: £1,185.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/CEhA2fvEHb/

Thank you Sibun1 :)
 

pinerush

Active member
Its an IPS monitor with HD resolution (1080p) so no reason to be going about the 1600 series GPU's and you said its for music and video production. Also has inbuilt speakers, you are never going to get amazing ones on a monitor but the review on this one (assuming ive picked the monitor i think it is) says theyre pretty good as monitor speakers go. The spec itself is better than what youd get in a AIO, you would still need a keyboard and mouse but I assume you arent after anything fancy with that.

You might want to look at replacing the two fans in there for ML ones...but the case is designed to dampen noise, the 3600x has been said to come with a decent cooler already.

I would get someone to look at i who knows more than me, but i was thinking youd actually get more noise from a laptop and less for your money, and those specs are still better than what you would find in a AIO for the same too.

The monitor looks pretty decent :)

I think Nursemorph is going to get back to me re updating the spec.
 

pinerush

Active member
Of course, no worries :) I have been checking out different threads in the forum and noticed that you guys have been supporting the public throughout the day. Your level of commitment to PC Specialist is truly remarkable. It must help to generate a lot of revenue for the company. I hope it is appreciated by the powers that be. I think you're all brilliant!

An update from me (for tomorrow):

Sibun1 kindly suggested the AOC I2490VXQ/BT 23.8" IPS Monitor - 1920 x 1080, which seems pretty decent. Looks like I can get the peripherals for a more reasonable price elsewhere, so please don’t worry about pricing those, although your thoughts on them would be appreciated.

Having a system designed for quietness is absolutely essential, and Sibun1 also mentioned the CORSAIR CARBIDE SERIES™ 275Q QUIET CASE and the ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND, but I don’t know anything about processor cooling or thermal paste.

Just had a thought. I could use Blender for 3D Animation, which is free. This could alter my budget slightly as I will no longer need cash for 3D computer graphics software. To make it more optimal – at least 8 cores and 8GB of dedicated memory – this might up the overall price a bit, as I’m guessing the hardware requirements for an ADM processor and Nvidia graphics card might have to increase? If so, is there any way to tweak the following spec to make it more affordable and usable. As there are so many options, making a configuration workable is proving difficult. I don't really understand enough about all the different options to make sense of a spec that best suits my needs.

Case
CORSAIR CARBIDE SERIES™ 275Q QUIET CASE

Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 3800X Eight Core CPU (3.9GHz-4.5GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)

Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!

Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB)

Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2060 SUPER - HDMI, DP - VR Ready!

1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE

1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)

Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET (£104)

Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)

Processor Cooling
Corsair H100i RGB PLATINUM Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler (£110)

Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING

Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)

Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0 (£18)

USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS

Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - Inc. Single Licence

Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language

Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED

Office Software
FREE 30-Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)

Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE

Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)

Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)

Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)

Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 21 to 23 working days

Quantity
1

THANK YOU Nursemorph :)

Blender requirements: https://www.blender.org/download/requirements/
 

pinerush

Active member
Your Spec:

My understanding of Blender based on what I've read (my knowledge is still limited due to no personal experience of it) is that both GPU and CPU are important but that CPU is the bigger factor. Given budget, I'd be inclined to take the hit on the GPU and get the best CPU...sacrificing CPU will affect things more than GPU. You said you could increase budget but didn't mention exactly how much so not sure how much I need to manouevre.

The spec you posted is spot-on for what you need....lower the GPU to the 1660 Super and that brings the cost down to £1474. If you needed to lower budget further, then dropping the RAM to 16GB 3600MHz will save another £100....you could always buy more RAM at a later date.

The only area where I am still not happy is the case....I am just not convinced by it to be honest. This would be one of the rare occasions where I want to go with the "I have my own case" selection and source a case elsewhere which is an option but depends whether you are willing to do that (you just have to arrange to have it delivered straight to PCS instead of to you) and whether the case I recommend is too big (not much bigger than the 275Q to be honest):

Fractal Design Define S

£15 more but a much better case. If it was me I'd go with the Fractal but then I am a big Fractal fan given my experience with them recently but it is your choice. Also depends on where the budget is too I guess...£15 extra (well, £20 due to postage costs)

I would have responded sooner but had to sort out something for my Mum. I have never spent so much money on something before, which is partly why I was hesitant in suggesting a budget. If the spec is spot-on, perhaps I should bite the bullet and pay £1600? Does spot-on also mean its future proof?

I would be willing to get the fractal case, so how would I arrange with PC Specialist the "I have my own case" selection? Does bigger mean better? I am slightly confused as the Fractal product description mentions 2 x USB 3.0 ports, and the PC Specialist configurator states 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS. It also mentions top and bottom fans which aren’t included. Is that an issue? What are water cooling compatibility radiators, pumps and reservoirs?

Will the monitor Sibun1 suggested be good for 3D animation?

Looking at the PC Specialist website, which link do I choose for ordering the PC. I obviously use the ‘configure a custom PC’ link, and then I click on the ‘AMD based custom PC’ link. But then there are 6 options. Which one do I choose?

Does PC Specialist provide any NHS discounts? Are any of the online discounts and vouchers any good?

Curious to know why you chose the ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS motherboard as I won’t be doing any gaming?
 

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
Case: I believe, when you order, that you simply tell them where you are ordering from, then order from wherever and have it shipped straight to PCS instead of to you. I think it's as simple as that @SpyderTracks could you confirm that please? Thank you
Yes, I believe that’s right, you just make a mention of your PCS order number on the address of the part you’re having shipped to them, and let them know, then have it shipped directly to PCS
 

pinerush

Active member
You are very welcome. Feel free to come back if you have any more questions :)

Hi Nursemorph,

Before I place my order,

What is Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account?

And with the thermal paste, I just need the standard thermal paste for sufficient cooling, not the arctic MX-4 extreme thermal conductivity compound?
 

pinerush

Active member
Essentially it is like a back-up of your system...it's a bit like System Restore in that, if you install an update for example that breaks your Windows, then you can use the Recovery Image to restore it to how it was before the update...that's my understanding of it anyway. And it also means you can use the service unlimited times. Something like that I think...I guess you would need to set it up to regularly back things up.

Thermal paste: No need for the Arctic paste as the cooler comes with high-quality paste anyway

Just had a terrible thought. You mentioned that the AMD 3800x chip has latency issues. Isn't that the one I ordered or is that just with Ryzen 5?
 

pinerush

Active member
Done some more research and I am not even convinced there is an issue (or even where I read it). I have just been reading some posts on a forum (it proclaims itself the Number 1 website for Pro Audio) and the inidcation there is that it's the 3900x with the minor latency issue:

"Past AMD cpus had some significant latency issues, (which apparently affected buffer size, to some extent) due to their memory management architecture. AMD's latest cpus seem to be much better in this regard (due to architecture changes specifically made to address those issues,) but some recent tests have suggested that there are still minor issues, esp with the 3900X. - Hence my recent post asking about the 3900XT architecture vs the 3950X.
-------------------------------------------

But I would say at this point that if there ARE still some minor issues, they are very small and will likely only affect those going for the very smallest buffers, and who's particular systems / sessions are "right on the edge."

I have seen websites that have tested the 3800x on test benches using DAW not mention any issues as well as a few forums so maybe what I read was isolated and not a true picture. I will keep trying to find information. Here's a link to the page on that forum where they discuss latency and AMD:

AMD chip latency discussion

Is this helpful to see? From Hexus:
1594708871331.png
 

pinerush

Active member
You have a good point there and I am not sure where the 3800x currently stands. I went back and revisited this (I first looked at it about a month ago for someone else on here who was looking at an audio system) and I now can't find anything describing the latency issue...in fact I looked at a couple of audio websites that had tested the 3800x (among others) and they don't mention it.

It's not like the chip is unusable because of the slightly worse latency so it's entirely possible that you will never have a problem...however, to be on the safe side, it may be prudent to change your order to the 3700x to be on the safe side (you are allowed to make changes). Performance wise there's not a hug difference between them when it comes to music production

I have read quite a few articles now that state there is very little difference between the 3700x and 3800x. Apparently, as the difference is so insignificant, they recommend 3700x over the 3800x. Of course, I have no idea as to the validity of these claims.
 

pinerush

Active member
There is a difference between them...my understanding is that the overall performance gains on the 3800x over the 3700x is maybe 3% or something. Depending on price the 3700x would be the better economically however the 3800x is only £21 more at the moment so it makes sense to go with it.

On the latency side, I don't really understand how it affects Audio but I don't see 1 nanosecond making a huge difference unless, as I quoted in my previous post, you are on the absolute cutting edge of things.

It's up to you really...given everything I read today, I would say the 3800x would be fine but, if you want to be safe, then just drop it to the 3700x

This article mentions the minor latency issue with the 3900x: http://www.scanproaudio.info/2019/0...00x-dawbench-tested-3-is-it-the-magic-number/

You mind find this article interesting. It briefly mentions both the 3700X and 3800X: https://www.soundonsound.com/sound-advice/core-wars-amd-intel-cpus-tested

Apart from that, I couldn't find any articles that raised concerns about the 3800x regarding latency.

On my current laptop, I could only get up to recording 16 tracks before it froze. I'm hoping the new PC will be able to go way beyond that?

If you do come across any issues, please do let me know.

One final thought. It seems the 3800x runs about 3 to 4 degrees hotter than the 3700x. Would that increase the noise?
 
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pinerush

Active member
I'm afraid asking me about recording tracks is like asking a Polar Bear about Quantum Mechanics....just not happening :ROFLMAO:

But, yes, I would imagine your new system would go well beyond that...frankly, I don't imagine it would freeze at all.

As to the temperature, it will make the CPU cooler work harder...but the cooler is ultra-quiet so you shouldn't hear any noise (not sure if you have ever heard a Maglev train? Well, basically, they are as quiet going slow as they are going fast. Same principle with Maglev fans)

Brilliant, thank you Nursemorph 😀😀
 
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