Mini-ITX build for dedicated audio workstation

Clecko

I've recently started getting to grips with recording and have found that my old laptop is having sand thrown in its gears once I use Helix Native VSTs across more than a couple of tracks, so I'm thinking about building a dedicated machine for recording. 

The trouble is that I don't have any real desk space for a new machine, so I'm considering a mini-ITX machine. I've never built one and would love to hear any component recommendations from those who have.

I'd normally be drawn to an AMD chip, but it seems that Ryzen isn't as well-suited to running a DAW as the 17/i9s, plus AMD mITX 'boards seem to very rarely have Thunderbird 4.

Projects will be simple: drum loops, multiple guitar tracks (using plugins), bass, vox. I don't know what the budget is. Essentially I'd like something that will take my requirements in its stride but don't want to pay for component headroom that I won't use.

The alternative is to buy a Mac Mini, which does appeal, but I like buying the bits and putting them together.

What would you guys buy if you were building this from scratch, with the purpose being to record and literally nothing else?  

octatonic

I have a Mini IITX system, an ATX system and a couple of Macs.

Do you need Thunderbolt?
If not and on a budget them a 5700G is a good shout as it mitigates the need to get a GPU (which are expensive right now).

My mini ITX system has the following spec.

NZXT 210 case
Gigabite B550i Pro Ax Mobo
AMD 5700G processor
Corsair H100X AIO
32GB of DDR4 Ram (Corsair Vengence)
A pair of Samsung 980 M.2's
A couple of SSD's.
Corsair SFX750 power supply.

Audio is a Focusrite Rednet PCIER card- this won't suit you, I'd put in an RME card if I wanted it stand alone.
My systems are all networked together, I run a large Dante network.

Clecko

That's incredibly useful. Thank you. 

I don't need Thunderbird. Would be great to have it, but options seem very limited and expensive with mini-ITX boards.

Does your mini-ITX machine handle the kind of recording I'm talking about comfortably?

octatonic

Clecko said:

That's incredibly useful. Thank you. 

I don't need Thunderbird. Would be great to have it, but options seem very limited and expensive with mini-ITX boards.

Does your mini-ITX machine handle the kind of recording I'm talking about comfortably?

Easily.

I run some quite large and complicated Max/MSP patches on it.
The Mini-ITX system is my slowest computer though.

You can see my benchmarks here:

https://browser.geekbench.com/user/131029

If you want more power then add bigger processor (my other system has a 5900X) and maybe an graphics cards to offload some of the work, and more RAM.

octatonic

One thing to think about- Mini ITX cases are a real pain for fitting graphics cards.
Make sure you check out what fits and what you will have to pay if you want to go for a system with a PCIE graphics card (rather than integrated).

Clecko

Thanks again for your help - appreciated. I have an old machine in the loft. Can’t for the life of me remember what gfx card is in it, but I might take a look and check compatibility.