I am about ready to buy a new computer. A few questions for you folks:

Do BB and RB work the same with an AMD or an Intel processor?

If so, does it matter if it is i3, i5 or i7 if the processor speed is the same?

Can BB and RB take advantage of speeds above 3.0? I have found several desktops that hit 3.6 or more ghz (one of them is an i3). But if the software can't use it, it doesn't seem worth paying for.

I know a few of you build your own. Where did you get the information to know what to order and how to do it?

Any guidance? Thanks.

2b

A faster computer will not have an affect on your tempo but it will affect processing. That is the faster the processor speed the faster the processing. Thus a song's generation will be faster with a faster computer. I have an i7, 3.40 GHz CPU, 64 bit system that is fast.

The difference in i3-i7 is the number of processing cores. The more cores the faster your multitasking processing. Some programs like my Sonar DAW uses all 8 cores. I believe BiaB and RT will use multiple cores.

The question is how are you going to use the computer? Are you going to use it just for BiaB, RT and the Internet? Do you have or will you ever purchase a powerful DAW, or other software like Kontakt, large VSTis, or photographic processing software. If you are only going to use it for BiaB, RT and the Internet then you don't need the most powerful computer and the i3 with 8 gigs of ram should be fine.

Personally I would buy the largest 64 bit, i version with 16 gigs of ram that I could afford. From what others have posted BiaB and RT sound great with large 64 bit VSTis like Kontakt, Sampletank 3 and other.

Great advice above from Mario.

I can't comment on AMD; haven't used it in decades, dating back to when there were software compatibility issues (which I think is not the case now).

I have built all my PCs since 1983. You can see what I'm using in my signature below.

If I recall correctly, an i3 with a slightly faster processing speed may still be slower than an i5 with a slower processing speed. The number of cores, whether they are real or virtual, and the amount of cache memory are a few considerations, especially if the software is written to take advantage of them. Same for moving from an i5 to an i7. In other words, there is more to the architecture than just processing speed. As I understand it, having an i7 that runs slower than an i3 or i5 is actually good, as it may draw less electricity and thus generate less heat. However, this is all relative and not of a great deal of consequence in today's PCs. My laptop is an i5 and I'm very happy with it.

There are two main things that determine speed using BIAB:

The first is the choice of disk drive, to load the program and then to load RealTracks. I have the program on an SSD, and the RealTracks and RealDrums on a fast (10,000 rpm) hard drive by themselves. About loading the program, PG Music recently (this spring) sped up the loading time dramatically, so this no longer matters: we're talking only a few seconds difference now. It does make a difference loading the RealTracks.

The second is the choice of processor. This determines the speed of regenerating the RealTracks. The faster the processor, the less wait you will have regenerating a song. This probably makes more difference in using BIAB than anything else, if you change your song often. I'm a composer and I'm always regenerating, so I have a fast i7.

To put all this another way, things of less consequence for BIAB are RAM and graphics. The exception for RAM would be, as Mario said, if you like to use a lot of software synths or effects. But I tend not to use any of that in BIAB, and do my processing in my DAW (SONAR).

If you really want to consult an expert who builds custom PCs for musicians, then contact Jim Roseberry. He can be found on the SONAR forum. You can have him build you a PC and load all your software (and stand behind the purchase), or just hire him to give you specs of components he knows work well together (and there are plenty that do not).

Found this description on the web.

• The CPU frequency and thermal output (TDW) is largely not determined by the Core i_ name
  
• Core i5 and i7 both have Turbo Boost while the i3 does not
  
• Core i5 and i7 CPUs have 4 cores, while i3 CPUs only have 2
  
• Core i5 CPUs lack Hyperthreading
  
• Core i7 CPUs have more Smart Cache than i5 CPUs, which in turn have more cache than i3 CPUs
  
• Core i5 and i7 CPUs have the same graphics, although the speed of that graphics will depend on the individual CPU. Core i3 CPUs have variable graphics depending on the price-point of the CPU.

So while i7 CPUs do have overall better specifications than i5 CPUs, there is actually quite a bit of overlap between the two except that i5 CPUs do not support Hyperthreading. Especially in terms of frequency and thermal output, the two lines really are not very different. For i3 CPUs, the main difference is that they only have two cores, a smaller cache, do not support Turbo Boost and have overall lower thermal output than i5 and i7 CPUs.

As always, you guys are so helpful.

As far as DAW, I think I am going to add Reaper and process the way Noel does. BB to RB to Reaper.

Thanks again to all of you.

Let us know what you decide. I would tend to put the most money you can afford into the processor (and required motherboard). You can always add RAM, or upgrade a disk or graphics card.