The ideal audio workstation PC for music production using any of today’s popular software production suites such as Steinberg Cubase/Nuendo, Cakewalk Sonar, Reason, Ableton Live and FL Studio. Aimed at both home and professional users.

Need Help To Configure Your DAW?

Andy, our technical manager, uses the latest version of Cubase Pro in his hardware-based (synth) home studio so if you would like help to configure a DAW that is suitable for your needs or just need a second opinion on your own configuration then please contact Andy directly from our contact page.

The Serenity Wavestation

The Serenity Wavestation i17 offers a quieter way to edit and process your music making it perfect for studio use and as such, it is ideal for both home musicians and professionals working in a studio environment where quietness is important.

Case Considerations

All of the cases we offer with this system are selected because they are exceptionally quiet in use and/or have good, internal sound dampening.

The best cases to use for the lowest noise tend to be the cases with solid side panels rather than windowed side panels. That’s because the side panel will be covered with a layer of sound-dampening material on the rear to help keep noise from internal components inside the case.

If you also require a front-panel USB Type-C connection then please check the specifications for your chosen case because not all cases offer a front USB Type-C port.

Which Processors do I need?

Given the need for a good processor with any DAW, we are only offering i5, i7 and i9 processors with this system. Any processor on offer with this system will be fine for music production however, if you use a lot of virtual effects and especially VST instruments, they will have a greater impact on the processor, so do consider a more powerful processor than the default.

Be aware that the processors with the K-suffix run hotter than the non-K versions so they will need better cooling than the regular processors so please consider choosing a better cooler than the one offered by default.

Motherboard Features and Connectivity

High Speed DDR5 Memory

Today, many musicians are using software based instruments, effects and sample libraries and if you are one of those people then the more memory that you have, the faster and more responsive your audio application will be as the PC will spend less time moving data to and from the SSD.

A good amount of memory to have for a typical home based DAW would 32GB but for more professional users, 64GB (or higher) would be a better option.

Additional USBs

All musicians will be aware that today’s modern studio requires a lot of USB connections and while you can use external USB hubs, these USB expansion cards can be fitted inside the PC, which you will find on the configurator below.

Thunderbolt

While the motherboard doesn’t have built-in Thunderbolt, it is Thunderbolt ready and that can be added with the ASUS ThunderboltEX 4 Expansion Card.

Thunderbolt audio interfaces offer many benefits that make them a popular choice among professional audio engineers and music producers.

Low Latency: Thunderbolt provides ultra-low latency, meaning there is minimal delay between the input signal and the output. This is crucial for musicians who need real-time monitoring while recording or performing live. High Bandwidth: Thunderbolt interfaces offer high-speed data transfer, allowing for seamless streaming of multiple audio channels simultaneously. This is especially advantageous for large-scale recording projects and high-resolution audio.

PCIe 5.0

The latest Intel processors bring PCIe 5.0 support to the market. PCIe 5.0 offers twice the data transfer speed of PCIe 4.0, making it robust enough to handle new data-heavy tasks. PCIe 5.0 also brings other benefits, such as electrical changes to improve signal integrity, backward-compatible CEM connectors for add-in cards, and backward compatibility with previous versions of the PCIe bus.

2.5 Gb Ethernet

2.5 Gb on-board Ethernet kicks your LAN connection up a notch with a bandwidth improvement of up to 2.5X. Using your existing LAN cable, you can take advantage this networking upgrade to experience smoother, lag-free gaming, immediately stream high-resolution videos and enjoy faster file transfers.

WiFi 6

The Intel WiFi 6 module is compatible with the 802.11ax standard and pushes theoretical peak bandwidth up to an incredible 2.4 Gbps. Perhaps more importantly for power users, it’s optimised for more efficient operation on crowded networks with a lot of competing traffic. Pair your motherboard with WiFi 6 routers to fully experience the networking potential of WiFi 6.

Graphics Considerations

All modern processors with onboard graphics can easily support your DAW in 4K on multiple monitors just from the motherboard alone. You can always add a graphics card to take some of that processing away from the CPU or you might require a graphics card for other, more graphically-intensive applications.

For DAW use, fanless cards like the MSI GT 1030 or RTX 3050 are all you need for fast, smooth graphics.

To keep the system as quiet as possible, choose a graphics card described as Fanless which, as its name suggests, has no fan. The larger, more powerful graphics cards will have built-in fans. We recommend opting for a graphics card described as Semi-Fanless. This means the fan only start to rotate when the temperature of the GPU exceed its threshold, normally around 50°C. Giving you complete silence under lighter loads with the knowledge that if temperatures do increase then the fans will start and help cool the card back down.

DVD Drive

If you require an internal DVD drive then please check the specifications for your chosen case as not all cases on offerer have the required 5.25” drive bay.

Storage Considerations

While the default system drive offered with the Wavestation i17 D5 may be large enough for many users, it is of course possible to add a much higher capacity system drive if required along with additional data drives.

The configurator offers three storage options: standard mechanical hard drives (HDDs) for cost-effective, high-capacity storage with noise due to moving parts, SSDs for silent operation and faster read/write speeds suitable for regular data access, and M.2 drives with exceptional read/write speeds up to 7500 MB/s, ideal for installing operating systems and your DAW software.

RAID Storage

Users with more advanced storage needs maybe interested in having two drives configured as a RAID array in order to increase read/write speeds or to provide a more fault-resilient storage system. The two types of RAID we offer are RAID 0 (Striped) and RAID 1 (Mirrored) and they store information in completely different ways.

RAID 0 arrays stripe data and write information across two separate drives and is often used to increase the speed at which data is accessed and retrieved. The downside is that if a drive fails then you lose everything, so it is important to make regular backups. Unless you’re using software that can benefit from the increased sequential write speed, there’s no reward for the increased risk. RAID 0 on PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD’s simply isn’t worth it.

RAID 1 arrays mirror data and write identical information across both drives simultaneously without a speed penalty. So if one drive fails, no data is lost and the PC stays running. However, if both drives (or more likely the motherboard) fails then you lose everything, so it is still important to backup regularly.

Please do not rely on RAID 1 for data integrity. No matter how well you think your data is protected, it’s always good practice to backup your data off the PC, either to an external drive or the cloud.

Recommended Accessories

The Acousti Speaker Decoupling Anti-Vibration Pads isolate your studio speakers from the surface on which they stand for a tighter and more accurate sound by helping to eliminate unwanted buzzing and resonance on a hard surface.

Each pack contains 4 Speaker Pads and 4 pre-cut levelling wedge adjusters so you can either have the speakers sat horizontally or adjust the angle of the speakers (upwards or downwards) and have them pointing directly towards your ears for the best possible listening experience.

These can’t be added from the configuration options so please follow the this link to add them to your basket.

Clean Build™ Promise

These days, many pre-built PCs often rely on cash incentives from software companies to support their prices. These companies pay hardware manufacturers to pre-install limited or trial versions of their software, hoping that customers will eventually opt to upgrade to the full version. Unfortunately, this approach has a downside: it fills the new PC with unnecessary “junkware,” leading to an inflated operating system and performance issues.

At Quiet PC, we firmly believe that customers deserve the utmost performance from their brand new PCs. That’s why we proudly offer our Clean Build™ promise with every system we build. When you choose one of our PCs, we install only the essentials: the operating system (if requested), motherboard drivers, OS updates and Windows Security. Say goodbye to annoying pop-ups and nag screens. With our clean build promise you can immediately start using your new PC without the hassle of uninstalling numerous unwanted programs. Experience lightning-fast boot times and enjoy optimal performance for months and years to come.

Free hardware support and fully inclusive warranty

We offer free hardware technical support for as long as you own the machine. This support covers any hardware query or problem, including advice on maintenance and upgrades. We regret we can’t offer software support or training so we would recommend contacting the software vendor in this instance.

Our hardware warranty runs for at least two years and is “collect and return” meaning that you don’t need to worry about getting the machine back to us - we will instruct our courier to collect it from you on a day of your choosing, then after we have checked and repaired it we will send it back to you by express courier at our expense. In addition, unlike many other PC suppliers, we have an “open-case” policy which means you are free to open the machine and perform your own minor modifications or upgrades without worrying that your warranty might be affected.