Prebuilt DAW PCs

[cptgone]

Those Scan PCs seem just the thing. I'm in Belgium though. I haven't been well, but I'm gonna try and get my Dell sorted first. Thanks all for your helpful input.

I googled "DAW PC" and found a brand I hadn't heard of: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/pro-audio-computers/.

I contacted them when looking for a DAW laptop. I asked about DPC latency performance. They replied saying it’s something they don’t normally test.

Thank you, that's good to know.

[Kaine]

I'm not a gamer, but I bought a gaming PC with an Intel i7 8700 in it at about the same price as a prebuilt DAW PC with an Intel i5 CPU. Most of these prebuilt DAW PC's are quite overpriced because they are aimed at professionals, but the hardware inside is exactly the same as in a consumer PC.

I can't speak for anywhere else but we charge the same margins on our gaming systems as we do our workstations. Admittedly, our gaming systems come in a bit more than your bottom end box shifters, but we also stand behind every part we use and list them publicly so you know we're not cutting corners. We don't tend to cheap out simply to reduce the system price bottom line, the parts should be right.

I will note, however, that in the audio-specific range I don't use some of the cheaper core components that you find in all our gaming ranges, so yes... that would make them more expensive.

The reason being is that I use the more costly hardware either because the cheaper stuff isn't suitable due to DPC/driver issues, or because the more expensive unit has proven to be more reliable as I'm far, far stricter with my return rates than the gaming guys are. Industry rates for component fails say that anything less than 3% is superb and the gamer system guys tend to work on 3% or better. I work on 1.5% or better because Pro users who use it all day tend to be a lot more pissed off when a system goes down than someone who only uses it to play Fortnite for a few hours in the evening.

I googled "DAW PC" and found a brand I hadn't heard of: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/pro-audio-computers/.

I contacted them when looking for a DAW laptop. I asked about DPC latency performance. They replied saying it’s something they don’t normally test.

Aye, that's the value add from a proper DAW builder, we know what we're doing!

PCS specifically, they tend to be a great workstation systems company if you want to build a render farm and I have a lot of respect for what they do in other segments, but given they now advertise a "DAW" range, that response should shock me and honestly, by this stage, it really doesn't.

In general, I noted that after we entered the DAW market just over a decade ago now, a number of our computer system providing competitors followed suit, launching ranges that often aped, if not completely reproducing the specs that I publish.

This often makes me chuckle because I know for sure that a good few of them wouldn't have the knowledge to carry out the testing and tweaking we do here, it does make me wonder how some of their support phone calls go.

The difference I think is that I'm an audio guy with a decade worth of live and recording experience who then retrained into networking and ended up here. As opposed to a systems guy who's trying to predict what you need to make it work for audio without having spent their youth screaming abuse at DAW screen BSODs... or more accurately, cussing when someone kicked the midi cable off the back of the Atari!

Cptgone - good luck with the Dell resolve, but should it come down to it and you do wish to have a chat with us, feel free to hit me up on here as it saves dealing the sales desk.

[dionenoid]

Long ago I got a rack mount DAW PC from a Dutch shop, https://www.i4-muzique.nl/ - but due to work and my adopting cats I hardly ever used it.

Any experiences, thoughts, recommendations?

I've been using systems from i4 (Eye4 Systems) for many years. Great service, the best systems. Not cheap but having that personalized (and Dutch speaking) support is really important to me. Highly recommended.

[dickiefunk]

I’ve got a high spec Scan i9 9900K system being built at the moment which should be here in a few days.

[don1thedon]

I’ve got a high spec Scan i9 9900K system being built at the moment which should be here in a few days.

Lush, I occasionally window shop there!
Good luck with integrating it into your workstream, please keep us posted about how things work out.

[dickiefunk]

I’ve got a high spec Scan i9 9900K system being built at the moment which should be here in a few days.

Lush, I occasionally window shop there!
Good luck with integrating it into your workstream, please keep us posted about how things work out.

Sure will do

[Heartfeltdawn]

I work on 1.5% or better because Pro users who use it all day tend to be a lot more pissed off when a system goes down than someone who only uses it to play Fortnite for a few hours in the evening.

Come here and tell my 10 year old that

[Kaine]

Come here and tell my 10 year old that

Yeah, I don't think I can argue that point...

[Mikelo]

I purchased a SCAN 3XS PowerDaw in 2009 with an Intel i7 920 and it's still rock solid today.
I would like to purchase an up to date spec in the next year or two and I wouldn't go anywhere else but Scan but for now, my old ten year 3XS system will serve me well.