Helpful ReplyCPU upgrade

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robbyk
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2012/04/30 17:30:16 (permalink)

CPU upgrade

I have a Intel Core 2 Duo E7400 (2.8 GHz) processor (Wolfdale) and can upgrade to a number of Quad core processors eg Kentsfield (up to Q6600) or Yorkfield (Q9xxxx) supported by my motherboard.
 
Can anyone give me some kind of an idea of the performance boost I can get with Sonar going from a Core 2 Duo to a Quad core?
 
Thanks!

"I'm just workin' on a good life, the way it is."
 
Best, Robby K 
 
PC Specs: Dell XPS Tower, Intel Core i5 7400 CPU 3 GHz @, 8 GB RAM
Hardware: Focusrite Scarlett 2i4, Line 6 TonePort UX1, ART Tube MP, JBL LSR2325P 5" Bi-Amped Monitors
Software: Windows 10 Home, Sonar 8.5.3 Producer, Sonar Producer X1, Sonar Producer X2 expanded, Sonar Producer X3, Ableton Live 8.3.4, Ozone, Alloy, Toontrack, Podfarm, IK Multimedia, Garritan, Melodyne, Antares, Bias, Rob Papen, OhmForce, Don't Crack... 

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#1
Fog
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Re:CPU upgrade 2012/04/30 19:10:51 (permalink) ☄ Helpful
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/

will help.. it depends on a lot factors... your memory , hard drive (and the number of them) , gfx card included..
and if you use VST's and how power hungry they are

it's tricky to say. I recently built an i7 machine, and didn't include an SSD and when I did it bumped up the windows index by a bit.


#2
John T
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Re:CPU upgrade 2012/04/30 19:26:58 (permalink) ☄ Helpful
Sonar is very effective at using multiple cores. I upgraded from a dual core to a quad core around the start of the year, and it's been a fairly dramatic improvement. Went from an e6700 to a q6700, rated at the same speed, so the specs were almost identical apart from the number of cores. You'll probably need to get better cooling than you currently had though. 

http://johntatlockaudio.com/
Self-build PC // 16GB RAM // i7 3770k @ 3.5 Ghz // Nofan 0dB cooler // ASUS P8-Z77 V Pro motherboard // Intel x-25m SSD System Drive // Seagate RAID Array Audio Drive // Windows 10 64 bit // Sonar Platinum (64 bit) // Sonar VS-700 // M-Audio Keystation Pro 88 // KRK RP-6 Monitors // and a bunch of other stuff
#3
robbyk
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Re:CPU upgrade 2012/04/30 21:21:38 (permalink)
Fog, thanks for the bench mark URL, just what I needed!
 
And thanks, John T, for the tip on Sonar and effective use of cores; however, I think you are right about the cooling, I will need to address that and that also probably means more noise, I'll see what happens. I'm installing the 2nd HD this week as soon as my SATA data cable arrives and adding 2 GB RAM (total of 8 GB) and I'll first see what that does for me.
 
But you answerred my question well, thanks a lot!

"I'm just workin' on a good life, the way it is."
 
Best, Robby K 
 
PC Specs: Dell XPS Tower, Intel Core i5 7400 CPU 3 GHz @, 8 GB RAM
Hardware: Focusrite Scarlett 2i4, Line 6 TonePort UX1, ART Tube MP, JBL LSR2325P 5" Bi-Amped Monitors
Software: Windows 10 Home, Sonar 8.5.3 Producer, Sonar Producer X1, Sonar Producer X2 expanded, Sonar Producer X3, Ableton Live 8.3.4, Ozone, Alloy, Toontrack, Podfarm, IK Multimedia, Garritan, Melodyne, Antares, Bias, Rob Papen, OhmForce, Don't Crack... 

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#4
daveny5
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Re:CPU upgrade 2012/04/30 22:35:38 (permalink)
I recommend you get rid of Vista and move to Windows 7 first. 

Dave
Computer: Intel i7, ASROCK H170M, 16GB/5TB+, Windows 10 Pro 64-bit, Sonar Platinum, TASCAM US-16x08, Cakewalk UM-3G MIDI I/F
Instruments: SL-880 Keyboard controller, Korg 05R/W, Korg N1R, KORG Wavestation EX
Axes: Fender Stratocaster, Line6 Variax 300, Ovation Acoustic, Takamine Nylon Acoustic, Behringer GX212 amp, Shure SM-58 mic, Rode NT1 condenser mic.
Outboard: Mackie 1402-VLZ mixer, TC Helicon VoiceLive 2, Digitech Vocalist WS EX, PODXTLive, various stompboxes and stuff. 
Controllers: Korg nanoKONTROL, Wacom Bamboo Touchpad
#5
Bristol_Jonesey
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Re:CPU upgrade 2012/05/01 05:20:53 (permalink)
I agree with daveny5

CbB, Platinum, 64 bit throughout
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John T
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Re:CPU upgrade 2012/05/01 05:26:06 (permalink) ☄ Helpful
You can avoid more noise, simply by getting a massive heat-sink and fan. I got one of these, and it's really quiet. You'll need to carefully measure your case if looking at over-sized cooling like this though. http://www.bit-tech.net/h...lo-cpu-cooler-review/1

http://johntatlockaudio.com/
Self-build PC // 16GB RAM // i7 3770k @ 3.5 Ghz // Nofan 0dB cooler // ASUS P8-Z77 V Pro motherboard // Intel x-25m SSD System Drive // Seagate RAID Array Audio Drive // Windows 10 64 bit // Sonar Platinum (64 bit) // Sonar VS-700 // M-Audio Keystation Pro 88 // KRK RP-6 Monitors // and a bunch of other stuff
#7
John T
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Re:CPU upgrade 2012/05/01 05:28:43 (permalink)
Not sure what moving from Vista to Win 7 has got to do with it. In fact, I'd say why give yourself more potential problems to troubleshoot? When replacing a motherboard, you really need to re-install everything anyway, so you might as well do a big overhaul. But replacing just a processor is as painless as replacing memory; you just drop it in and everything carries on like before. I can't think of a single relevant benefit to a full system re-install before doing this.

http://johntatlockaudio.com/
Self-build PC // 16GB RAM // i7 3770k @ 3.5 Ghz // Nofan 0dB cooler // ASUS P8-Z77 V Pro motherboard // Intel x-25m SSD System Drive // Seagate RAID Array Audio Drive // Windows 10 64 bit // Sonar Platinum (64 bit) // Sonar VS-700 // M-Audio Keystation Pro 88 // KRK RP-6 Monitors // and a bunch of other stuff
#8
robbyk
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Re:CPU upgrade 2012/05/01 12:37:31 (permalink)
daveny5


I recommend you get rid of Vista and move to Windows 7 first. 

That's on my to do list, too:
 
While I'm getting the hardware done and the pc is out of the room, I'm building bass traps for the corners which I consider a much needed upgrade.
 
Then, once all is back and in order, I already have the Win 7 discs, I will bakup all and do a clean custom install which I assume will be a fairly big project to get all my apps back on and reactivated, etc...I held off on this because I thought I would have to install over Vista which I thought unwise, but I checked it out yesterday and there is a custom install option so I figure it is best to go that route.

"I'm just workin' on a good life, the way it is."
 
Best, Robby K 
 
PC Specs: Dell XPS Tower, Intel Core i5 7400 CPU 3 GHz @, 8 GB RAM
Hardware: Focusrite Scarlett 2i4, Line 6 TonePort UX1, ART Tube MP, JBL LSR2325P 5" Bi-Amped Monitors
Software: Windows 10 Home, Sonar 8.5.3 Producer, Sonar Producer X1, Sonar Producer X2 expanded, Sonar Producer X3, Ableton Live 8.3.4, Ozone, Alloy, Toontrack, Podfarm, IK Multimedia, Garritan, Melodyne, Antares, Bias, Rob Papen, OhmForce, Don't Crack... 

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#9
robbyk
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Re:CPU upgrade 2012/05/01 12:43:44 (permalink)
John T


You can avoid more noise, simply by getting a massive heat-sink and fan. I got one of these, and it's really quiet. You'll need to carefully measure your case if looking at over-sized cooling like this though. http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2010/01/20/gelid-tranquillo-cpu-cooler-review/1


Thanks for the tip, I'm checking with my son today in LA who builds these monster pcs he uses for film production and has fans galore, heat sinks, water cooled tubing, etc and see what he says (he just built a pc with quad core), but I think you are right, I have got to get the cooling but avoid the noise in my little studio room. Prior to moving to LA, my son lived with us and heated his room through our WI winters by his pcs alone but the fan noise was unbelievable...

"I'm just workin' on a good life, the way it is."
 
Best, Robby K 
 
PC Specs: Dell XPS Tower, Intel Core i5 7400 CPU 3 GHz @, 8 GB RAM
Hardware: Focusrite Scarlett 2i4, Line 6 TonePort UX1, ART Tube MP, JBL LSR2325P 5" Bi-Amped Monitors
Software: Windows 10 Home, Sonar 8.5.3 Producer, Sonar Producer X1, Sonar Producer X2 expanded, Sonar Producer X3, Ableton Live 8.3.4, Ozone, Alloy, Toontrack, Podfarm, IK Multimedia, Garritan, Melodyne, Antares, Bias, Rob Papen, OhmForce, Don't Crack... 

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#10
daveny5
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Re:CPU upgrade 2012/05/01 14:40:32 (permalink)
Make sure you have a good backup before doing the upgrade from Vista to Win7. If there is a problem with the upgrade, you may have to rebuild from scratch and you'll need that backup. The upgrade is not totally reliable. 

Dave
Computer: Intel i7, ASROCK H170M, 16GB/5TB+, Windows 10 Pro 64-bit, Sonar Platinum, TASCAM US-16x08, Cakewalk UM-3G MIDI I/F
Instruments: SL-880 Keyboard controller, Korg 05R/W, Korg N1R, KORG Wavestation EX
Axes: Fender Stratocaster, Line6 Variax 300, Ovation Acoustic, Takamine Nylon Acoustic, Behringer GX212 amp, Shure SM-58 mic, Rode NT1 condenser mic.
Outboard: Mackie 1402-VLZ mixer, TC Helicon VoiceLive 2, Digitech Vocalist WS EX, PODXTLive, various stompboxes and stuff. 
Controllers: Korg nanoKONTROL, Wacom Bamboo Touchpad
#11
robbyk
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Re:CPU upgrade 2012/05/04 13:59:11 (permalink)
daveny5


Make sure you have a good backup before doing the upgrade from Vista to Win7. If there is a problem with the upgrade, you may have to rebuild from scratch and you'll need that backup. The upgrade is not totally reliable. 

Got it done, thanks daveny5, not fun but it's done! Yeah, I'm backed up the Ying-Yang and out the Wahzu...

"I'm just workin' on a good life, the way it is."
 
Best, Robby K 
 
PC Specs: Dell XPS Tower, Intel Core i5 7400 CPU 3 GHz @, 8 GB RAM
Hardware: Focusrite Scarlett 2i4, Line 6 TonePort UX1, ART Tube MP, JBL LSR2325P 5" Bi-Amped Monitors
Software: Windows 10 Home, Sonar 8.5.3 Producer, Sonar Producer X1, Sonar Producer X2 expanded, Sonar Producer X3, Ableton Live 8.3.4, Ozone, Alloy, Toontrack, Podfarm, IK Multimedia, Garritan, Melodyne, Antares, Bias, Rob Papen, OhmForce, Don't Crack... 

Music 
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#12
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