HD2 PCIx to HD1 PCIe

[propower]

Hey all,

After the change to PT8 I am looking at getting into a new Mac Pro 8-core (other options too, but this is the one that most appeals to me). This means either an expansion chassis for my old PCIx cards or Hardware exchange. After much thought I believe I can do just fine with a single card system and make up any shortfall with RTAS power. I prefer the simpler system of everything in the case as opposed to more external hardware. Doing the HD1 exchange and selling my old PCIx accel card keeps the $$ out of pocket pretty low (~$500 at the worst). I always run less than 48 audio tracks (much less a lot of the time) and never need more than 16 simultaneous ins. Expansion for me in the future is all about VI's. I would love to wait for the new Macs but there are no guarantees what the pricing and approval timeline will be like......

I know at least some of you have made this shift. Any input, advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,
-Lee

[Bentley Ferrari]

I hear what you're saying about VI-oriented expansion. My needs and usual session parameters are similar to yours. Maybe I should look at this more closely, but I usually seem to need more than one card once I start adding TDM effects. I like to work at 88.2, so that may be different than what you're doing.

[crizdee]

Originally Posted by propower

Hey all,

After the change to PT8 I am looking at getting into a new Mac Pro 8-core (other options too, but this is the one that most appeals to me). This means either an expansion chassis for my old PCIx cards or Hardware exchange. After much thought I believe I can do just fine with a single card system and make up any shortfall with RTAS power. I prefer the simpler system of everything in the case as opposed to more external hardware. Doing the HD1 exchange and selling my old PCIx accel card keeps the $$ out of pocket pretty low (~$500 at the worst). I always run less than 48 audio tracks (much less a lot of the time) and never need more than 16 simultaneous ins. Expansion for me in the future is all about VI's. I would love to wait for the new Macs but there are no guarantees what the pricing and approval timeline will be like......

I know at least some of you have made this shift. Any input, advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,
-Lee

With MAX of 48 tracks!! at 48k with no delay compensation on you might be ok with one card? BUT i think you will be leaving your options very limited with one card! and you might as well go to LE if all you want is max 48 tracks and no delay comp.

Chris

[drenkrom]

On top of Chris' point, you'll be going mainly native to use your massive computing power to rely on RTAS, but for RTAS to work smoothly, you're going to have to deprive it of most of that computing power and run it on reduced cores. I'd personally wait it out a while longer.

[propower]

Thanks for all the great input so far.......

With respect to reduced RTAS power, wouldn't 5 or 6 dedicated cores be just huge?

as to other points brought up so far......
I have thought about it a lot and I just can't see doing the LE thing. I do a lot of live tracks and latency as well as delay comp are just not negotiable to me today (so far ). I also revisited some of my recent mixes and it is true I would have to change my strategy to squeeze into one card. Not impossible but not totally easy either.

I have given serious thought to going to a windows box but although there are PCI slots on these (if you build em) there is no free lunch there either. After 12+ years of protools on macs I really don't want to switch.

So either go one card or the Magma 2-slot or the Hardware exchange....... hmmmmmm.... or just stay put, keep the VI's light or printed and see what comes up next (just like the last time I went through this ....... Sure would like to track live digital drums with BFD2 though........

-Lee

[soundboy35]

Originally Posted by propower

Doing the HD1 exchange and selling my old PCIx accel card keeps the $$ out of pocket pretty low (~$500 at the worst)

Is the exchange price for PCI-X to PCIe? Core or Accel?

[propower]

Exchange price assumed
HD1 Core PCIx to Core PCIe $1800 +tax = $1950
Sell PCIx Accel card ~$1500
Net out of pocket for HD2 Accel PCIx to HD1 PCIe ~ $450

-Lee

[Mark Dann]

I think 2 cards in the 2-slot chassis might be the best.

[HearInc]

I don't think the 2-slot chassis works right. At least not when you're doing higher track counts or something. That's why only the one Magma box is qualified by Digi.

[Mark Dann]

Originally Posted by HearInc

I don't think the 2-slot chassis works right. At least not when you're doing higher track counts or something. That's why only the one Magma box is qualified by Digi.

The Magma people assure me that it was issueless with PTHD, and they do offer a 30-day money back guarantee. If I wasn't waiting on the updated Mac Pro to come out, I'd be telling you whether it works or not myself.

As far as only the "big" box being qualified, if one is in the business of selling cards and crossgrades, why would you even THINK of qualifying a 2- or 4-slot box? From a purely economic standpoint, that would be incredibly stupid.