can my laptop run pro tools at all?
 

Hey I have a Dell Vostro 1500(XP w/ SP 2) and i know its not the nicest laptop and definitly not one of the approved laptops but it does meet a lot of the minimum requirements for using protools. I can't really afford to upgrade my laptop right now so if anyone knows if the software willl work at all on my laptop I would greatly appreciate it. I'm not looking for maximum track counts just smaller projects and basic funcionality.

Also, wana know how effective the setup below would be given my laptop is compatible

daisy chain: Laptop> fW400-FW800(cable) >HD(mercury classic320 GB 934DSB chipset)> FW400-FW400 >mbox 2 pro
note: posible midi control into midi port on mbox

I hope I was somewhat clear on my questions, thanks for any replies.

XP home edition
SP 2
Intel core 2 duo
1.4 GHz
2 GB RAM

Re: can my laptop run pro tools at all?
 

Its impossible to predict without a Sandra report.

FYI DIGI officially supports CPUs of 2ghz and up though I have seen 1.8 GHZ cpus run PT,and this is core 2 duo that are relatively powerful.

Trial and error would be the only way to know for sure.
I would update to windows XP SP3 before installing, and read this to help you optimize your system.

Re: can my laptop run pro tools at all?
 

thanks for the help...ummm what's a sandra report (sorrry that could be a dumb question)?

also, if i buy an mbox and i try to install pro tools (meaning i have to open it) can i return it after i find out it doesn't work? I looked at their return policy and it said i could return hardware after 30 days but it said that you cant return software after you open it (which is kind of standard)? If i cant return it i just dont see myself even trying it out.

sorry if thats not relevant enough to the thread

Re: can my laptop run pro tools at all?
 

Just curious WHOSE return policy? That will probably vary from one dealer to another.
For starters, though, read this....

http://duc.digidesign.com/showthread.php?t=193637

Better to do your research first rather than buy/return/pay restocking charges/be frustrated......trial and error can't hold a candle to developing a little product knowledge before you buy something, cause it usually ends up a LOT of trials and LOT of errors.
BTW, "smaller track counts and basic functionality" honestly is irrelevant, it either works or it doesn't. I've seen guys say "why an extra hard drive, all I'm gonna do is some light projects..." when the fact is, it needs the secondary hard drive to work, period. So taking shortcuts and ignoring recommendations is sure to lead to more frustration.
Happy reading, and get us that sandra report!

Re: can my laptop run pro tools at all?
 

I was talking about digidesign's return policy btw... I've definitely done lots of research but if everyone had to have all of digidesigns prereqs and there werent any alternatives then there would be a lot less people flocking to pro tools. I just wana know the more significant shortcomings that will make my system not work at all with pro tools opposed to just working a little slower.

So if you could asses my laptops compatibility and any problems i will run into i would appreciate it. Hears my sandra report:-)

System
Model : Dell Inc. Vostro 1500
Workgroup : HOME
Host Name : Darin
User : Darin Jr

Processor
Model : Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU T5270 @ 1.40GHz
Speed : 1.6GHz
Cores per Processor : 2 Unit(s)
Threads per Core : 1 Unit(s)
Type : Mobile, Dual-Core
Integrated Data Cache : 2x 32kB, Synchronous, Write-Thru, 8-way, 64 byte line size
L2 On-board Cache : 2MB, ECC, Synchronous, ATC, 8-way, 64 byte line size, 2 threads sharing

System
Platform Compliance : Intel Centrino Mobile Technology
Mainboard : Dell Inc. 0NX907
BIOS : Dell Inc. A01 (08/02/2007)
Bus(es) : ISA X-Bus PCI PCIe IMB PCMCIA USB FireWire/1394 i2c/SMBus
Multi-Processor (MP) Support : No
Multi-Processor Advanced PIC (APIC) : Yes
Total Memory : 2GB DDR2 SO-DIMM

Chipset
Model : Dell Mobile PM965/GM965/GL960 Express Processor to DRAM Controller
Front Side Bus Speed : 4x 199MHz (796MHz)
Total Memory : 2GB DDR2 SO-DIMM
Shared Memory : 8MB
Memory Bus Speed : 2x 332MHz (664MHz)

Memory Module(s)
Memory Module : Samsung M4 70T2864DZ3-CE6 1GB DDR2 SO-DIMM PC2-5300U DDR2-666 (5-5-5-15 3-20-5-3)
Memory Module : Samsung M4 70T2864DZ3-CE6 1GB DDR2 SO-DIMM PC2-5300U DDR2-666 (5-5-5-15 3-20-5-3)

Video System
Adapter : Mobile Intel(R) 965 Express Chipset Family (8 SP, 384MB DDR2 Integrated Graphics)

Storage Devices
TOSHIBA MK1637GSX (160GB, SATA300, 2.5", 5400rpm, NCQ) : 149GB (C:) (D:)
TSSTcorp DVD+-RW TS-L632H (ATA33, DVD+-RW, CD-RW, 2MB Cache) : N/A (E:)
NERO IMAGEDRIVE2 (SCSI, SCSI-2, DVD+-R, CD-R, 512kB Cache) : N/A (G:)

Logical Storage Devices
Hard Disk (C:) : 40GB (NTFS) @ TOSHIBA MK1637GSX (160GB, SATA300, 2.5", 5400rpm, NCQ)
Hard Disk (D:) : 106GB (NTFS) @ TOSHIBA MK1637GSX (160GB, SATA300, 2.5", 5400rpm, NCQ)
Optical Drive (E:) : N/A @ TSSTcorp DVD+-RW TS-L632H (ATA33, DVD+-RW, CD-RW, 2MB Cache)
Optical Drive (G:) : N/A @ NERO IMAGEDRIVE2 (SCSI, SCSI-2, DVD+-R, CD-R, 512kB Cache)

Peripherals
LPC Hub Controller 1 : Dell ICH8M-E (ICH8) LPC Interface Controller
LPC Legacy Controller 1 : SMSC T1 32
Audio Device : Dell 82801H (ICH8) HD Audio Controller
Audio Codec : Sigmatel 76A0h
Audio Codec : Conexant 2C06h
Serial Port(s) : 1
Disk Controller : Dell 82801H (ICH8) Ultra ATA Storage Controllers
Disk Controller : Dell ICH8M (ICH8) 3 port SATA Controller
USB Controller 1 : Dell 82801H (ICH8) USB UHCI #4
USB Controller 2 : Dell 82801H (ICH8) USB UHCI #5
USB Controller 3 : Dell 82801H (ICH8) USB2 EHCI #2
USB Controller 4 : Dell 82801H (ICH8) USB UHCI #1
USB Controller 5 : Dell 82801H (ICH8) USB UHCI #2
USB Controller 6 : Dell 82801H (ICH8) USB UHCI #3
USB Controller 7 : Dell 82801H (ICH8) USB2 EHCI #1
FireWire/1394 Controller 1 : Dell R5C832 IEEE-1394 Controller
SMBus/i2c Controller 1 : Intel 801xx/63xx SMBus

Printers and Faxes
Printer : HP DeskJet 930C/932C/935C (1200x1200, USB, Colour)
Fax : Microsoft Shared Fax Driver (200x200)
Printer : HP DeskJet 930C/932C/935C (300x300, Colour)
Printer : HP DeskJet 930C/932C/935C (Colour)
Printer : HP DeskJet 930C/932C/935C (300x300, USB, Colour)

Scanners and Cameras
Camcorder : Laptop Integrated Webcam (USB)

Network Services
Network Adapter : Dell Wireless 1390 WLAN Mini-Card - Packet Scheduler Miniport (Ethernet, 54Mbps)

Power Management
Mains (AC) Line Status : On-Line
Battery No 1 : 100%

Operating System
Windows System : Microsoft Windows XP Home 5.01.2600 (Service Pack 2)
Platform Compliance : x86

Re: can my laptop run pro tools at all?
 

After seeing your report I can't say for sure it will work.
The CPU speed is low, But more so the FW port chipset is an unknown (dell). maybe somone with a similar Dell laptop can help with this.

If you do go ahead with your plan there are some optimizations you will need to do. Update to XP SP3, disable wireless, disable vitual drives (nero) are the obvious ones. An external FW HD is a must.

Have you considered Mbox2 (USB)? Also PT 7.3 will be less demanding on the CPU than 8.0

Re: can my laptop run pro tools at all?
 

yea ive been back an forth between the mbox2 and the pro version in my head and i landed on the firewire interface mainly because :

-balanced monitor outputs
-higher sampling frequencies
-FW connection and 2 headphone jacks
-less latency(not sure if thats true)
I know those arent great reasons.

yea thanks for the assessment. I'm leaning towards some other softwares and interfaces mainly because of these problems with laptop compatibility/capabilities. It seems to be somewhat of a problem with other interfaces/softwares as well though so maybe i should stick with pro tools.

I just dont want to invest a lot of money and be stuck with a system that crashes a lot or even worse doesn't work at all (i just wana make some music).

more opinions are welcome

Re: can my laptop run pro tools at all?
 

The other red flag I'm seeing...is that a PARTITIONED hard drive? (Trying to treat a partition as a separate dedicated drive won't work, you need an actual separate physical drive.)

Re: can my laptop run pro tools at all?
 

My experience:

I have been running PT7.4 through an Mbox, on a four-year old HP laptop, 2 gig ram, *unsupported* chipset... my work-around is to run the the MBox through a powered hub before going into the laptop's USB port.. my sessions are only short but high-production pieces for radio, 3-4 minutes long - session has maybe 10-12 audio tracks, three aux inputs, stereo master - all tracks have at least two plugins, including aux/masters... no great problems encountered... audio stored on separate partition of main drive... it's trial and error, I reckon... my mate runs a Dell laptop in a similar fashion, and Mbox2 hanging off it, works fine though he uses an external HD I believe...

Re: can my laptop run pro tools at all?
 

...forgot to add... running XP Pro/SP2...

... this theme insersects with my own curiosity about the Intel Atom processors, which is being addressed in another thread, but...

My wife has an MSI Wind notebook - Intel Atom, XP/SP2, 2 gig ram.... I might *attempt* an install of PT8/MBox... I'll get back to you :-)......