[nuno81291]

With the price of HDDs it seems I may just play it safe and not worry about moving the OS/apps to a SSD (my father is a major SSD proponent) but the budget is king here.

Yes I am weary of Apple branded components being an ex PC guy who built a few purpose computers when I had the patience...these days I just want plug n' play and no troubleshooting (in an ideal world eh).

V11 sounds intriguing with 64 bit and the RAM potential...alas I think buying a second monitor screen, sub, control surface versus upgrading the computer to play catchup along with Protools will give me more mileage/improve my workflow which really wasnt hindered in 7...I don't really know what I gained upgrading to 8.

So it is decided then: a new external hard drive for backups, an internal HDD for sessions, replace the 512s with 2GB sticks, and let the rest of the loot go towards workflow/peripherals/etc etc.

killer advice man...time to find what Control Surfaces have the best seeming compatibility with PTMP 8...the project mix was about all I wanted (without pres...) in terms of tactile feel/useful controls/transport. Would rather sink the money into a surface with a warranty that is well integrated than go through another round of ProTools upgrades...alas my buddy's more pro studio has the fancy HD rigs and C|24 and all the bells and whistles...I go there to track anything serious....gotta keep my budget and purpose in mind! Dont fix what ain't broke eh? good ol saying.

Thank you so much!

Nuno