Building the right Music Production PC Build can feel overwhelming if you’re not sure where to start – but with the right components, you can create a machine that perfectly supports your creative workflow. Whether you’re mixing, mastering, or scoring for games and film, a dedicated PC build for music production makes all the difference.
A machine built for one of these purposes will usually do a reasonable job at the other. However, there are some important distinctions to keep in mind. If you’re planning to game on a music production PC – or make music on a gaming rig – a general-purpose system won’t be quite as effective as one that’s built specifically for the task.
Let’s explore what separates a quality gaming PC from a quality music production PC. What can each one do that the other can’t?
Music Production PC Build: Why Graphics Cards Aren’t the Focus
One of the biggest differences between a Music Production PC Build and a gaming PC is the graphics card.
Gamers need powerful GPUs capable of rendering high-resolution visuals at fast frame rates. Music producers, on the other hand, spend most of their time working with DAW interfaces, audio waveforms, and plug-ins – none of which are especially graphics-intensive.
That doesn’t mean GPUs are completely irrelevant for music production. If you’re scoring to video or working in game engines, GPU power might matter – but for most producers, you’re better off putting that budget into your CPU, RAM, or storage.
Do Monitors Matter in a Music Production PC Build?
Gaming monitors feature things like ULMB and adaptive sync, which aren’t essential for audio work. A smoother refresh rate can help your system feel more responsive, but it’s not a must-have for producers.
CPU and Multi-Threading Power
Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs) benefit massively from CPUs with high thread counts. Many DAWs assign each track to a separate thread, so the more threads your CPU can handle, the more smoothly your sessions will run.
This is why many music producers opt for CPUs with lots of cores and threads. AMD’s Threadripper line, for instance, is popular among professionals working with large-scale projects. That said, you don’t need to break the bank to get strong multi-threaded performance. There are many mid-range CPUs that offer excellent performance for both music production and gaming.
MStorage: Think Bigger Than You’d Expect
Modern games often take up huge amounts of space – 150GB to 200GB per install is no longer unusual. Music producers have been dealing with large file sizes for years, particularly those working with orchestral sample libraries.
Take something like Spitfire’s Symphony Orchestra: it can easily exceed 500GB. That’s because every instrument is recorded in high resolution, from multiple mic positions, and with different velocities. The result is a huge collection of uncompressed audio.
Unlike games, sample libraries can’t just be uninstalled when not in use. If you suddenly feel inspired and want to play a piano part, you need instant access. Waiting to reinstall a library could mean the idea disappears before you’ve played a single note.
To make creative work as smooth as possible, it’s a good idea to preload all your instruments into a DAW template – which in turn requires enough storage to handle them all. Producers who rely heavily on samples will benefit from larger SSDs.
However, if your workflow relies more on real-time synthesis than samples, storage won’t be as big a concern. In that case, focus on CPU power instead.
Learn more about Custom Gaming PCs that can handle large storage needs.
Optimising Storage in Your Music Production PC Build
If you work with large libraries, it’s smart to preload your go-to instruments into a DAW template. That means your Music Production PC Build will need fast SSD storage – and lots of it.
If you work mainly with real-time synthesis or smaller libraries, storage is less of a concern – and your money might be better spent on CPU performance.
RAM: A Hidden Bottleneck
Sample-based production is also incredibly memory-intensive. Every time you load a virtual instrument (VST), the associated samples need to be available in RAM for instant playback.
If you’re layering multiple instruments – especially those with large sample libraries – you’ll hit your RAM limit quickly. When that happens, the system will start moving data to your storage drive, which introduces latency and slows everything down.
Professional systems often include 64GB or even 128GB of RAM to avoid this. That may sound excessive, and for most users it is – but for full-time composers or studio engineers, the stability and speed are worth the investment.
Even a modest increase in productivity can justify the cost over time. If you’re a hobbyist, however, you might find that 32GB (the standard for high-end gaming PCs) is more than enough.
It’s also worth considering RAM speed, not just capacity. Make sure your motherboard supports the memory speed you’re considering, and be aware that faster RAM usually comes at a higher price.
How to Work Out What You Actually Need
Before you build or upgrade your PC, take a look at how your current system is performing. Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Alt + Del) and go to the Performance tab. You’ll see real-time graphs for CPU, RAM, disk, and GPU usage.
You might find that you’re not pushing your current hardware as hard as you thought – or that one component is clearly holding you back. The Resource Monitor can also show you how many threads your DAW is using, which will help you decide what sort of CPU is worth investing in.
Build for Your Workflow
The ideal music production PC depends on your style of work. Some producers use sample-heavy orchestral libraries. Others rely on software synths and real-time effects. Some want to game on the same machine. Others don’t.
Understanding your workflow helps you decide where to invest: whether that’s more storage, extra RAM, or a better CPU.
If you want a system that can handle both gaming and music production, it makes sense to look at a custom-built PC that’s optimised for both – or one of our high-end pre-built systems designed to manage demanding tasks across multiple disciplines.