Recommendations for PC Build (audio production)

BanjoKeith

Hey all,
I was about to pull the trigger on this Dell XPS 8940, mostly for use as general purpose desktop, along with some audio production work (medium duty, not 100 highly processed tracks of pop music or anything). I'm not doing any gaming.

But then I got curious about building a PC, and came up with this list of components. 

However, I really don't know much about this at all so I'm not sure how this all works together; I kind of just threw some things together based on quick Googling and some guesswork. Does anybody have an opinion on whether the PC I put together compares favorably to the Dell that I linked above? Also, part of what I liked about the Dell was the small size of the case, but I didn't see a similar sized case available in the PC Build options. Any ideas about that?

Thanks!

TSTDavey

Hello @BanjoKeith thanks for posting on the Microcenter Community Forum. I think what you have is good as far as your list of components for your build. The only thing we'd recommend is to go with a micro-atx motherboard to match your case and not the mini-atx. Some good micro-atx boards are the Asrock z490M or the MSI B460M. Both support the I9-10850K intel processor. Also you'll have to look at another cost for if you want Microcenter to build your pc. Its $149.99 for Microcenter to build a pc with these parts, so thats another expense. You'll also have to look at costs for a mouse, keyboard, monitor and desktop speakers if your monitor doesn't have speakers. This could add up to your total of $1380 -$1400 plus, especially if you have Microcenter build it. If you're going to build it yourself, then cut out the $149.99. If you've never build a pc before, it is an experience and a great learn, but you'll run into some challenges with building it as your first time. If its your first time and you have patience to work on it, then we'd recommend to try to build it yourself. If you don't feel like being patient with working on your own build and you can contact us for assistance as well; then we'd recommend to purchase the pre-build Dell XPS 8940.

BanjoKeith

TSTDavey said:

Hello @BanjoKeith thanks for posting on the Microcenter Community Forum. I think what you have is good as far as your list of components for your build. The only thing we'd recommend is to go with a micro-atx motherboard to match your case and not the mini-atx. Some good micro-atx boards are the Asrock z490M or the MSI B460M. Both support the I9-10850K intel processor. Also you'll have to look at another cost for if you want Microcenter to build your pc. Its $149.99 for Microcenter to build a pc with these parts, so thats another expense. You'll also have to look at costs for a mouse, keyboard, monitor and desktop speakers if your monitor doesn't have speakers. This could add up to your total of $1380 -$1400 plus, especially if you have Microcenter build it. If you're going to build it yourself, then cut out the $149.99. If you've never build a pc before, it is an experience and a great learn, but you'll run into some challenges with building it as your first time. If its your first time and you have patience to work on it, then we'd recommend to try to build it yourself. If you don't feel like being patient with working on your own build and you can contact us for assistance as well; then we'd recommend to purchase the pre-build Dell XPS 8940.

Thanks Davey, that was very helpful.

When all is said and done, do you think the PC Build would be a superior machine than the XPS for my stated purpose? If it is pretty much a toss-up, I'd probably just go with the simplicity of pre-built.

TSTDavey

@BanjoKeith both systems, the Dell and your pc build are almost identical. There's no advantage over the other from a "pc that meets my needs" perspective. The only benefit to going with the pc build over the Dell is gaining the experience and knowledge of building personal computer (PC).