May I Please Get Your Advice Re: Upgrade?

[ProTooler]

I am considering the purchase of a new Mac Pro. As you can see from my signature, I'm still in the dark ages, running a G5 dual 2.0 PPC machine, PT 7.1, on OS 10.4.11, with a Magma P7R4 (upgrade kit to the PE6R4 coming with purchase of new mac Pro) with 1 HD Core card and 3 accel cards, all PCIx of course.

For interfaces, I have an older 192 interface (w/ digital expansion card), and 2x888/24's in the legacy port. With this system, I've got 24 analog ins and 32 digital outs. These digital outs go into 2 Yamaha O2r's. Yes, I know, REALLY dark ages, but it works, and I'm on a tight budget.

Anyway, I ask for your advice to guide me toward the smartest upgrade path to get closer to the 21st century. :)

I've gotten a quote for a new Mac Pro for $2,000.00 (8 core 2.8 ghz). I can then get the upgrade kit for the Magma chassis for about $1300, then I'll upgrade my plugs, and then upgrade my PT software.

Anything you suggest I re-think?

Should I upgrade all the way up to PT9 or will I lose my ability to use my 888/24's in the legacy port?

If PT 9 won't work with my 888/24's, how high can I upgrade? 8.?

I've searched, but I can't find a definitive answer for my type of rig.

Your advice is greatly appreciated.

Thank you so much for your time...

[Tom Hartman]

Hey Bill, I don't know about the legacy stuff but just I'd drop in to say that I have that computer and you'll love it. It's asleep most of the time. Very solid...I've had no real urge to get a new Mac for awhile now

Tom

[WernerF]

Hey Bill, yah I have the same computer too. I totally agree with Tom in that you will not find any reason to buy a newer one anytime soon. I also am running a Magma PE6R4 with an HD 6 card set and things are rock solid. The only thing that I would recommend is that if you are going to need to run any number of VI's with this system it would make sense to run them in VE Pro. It all runs totally fine on the one machine.

[BDWillis]

Originally Posted by ProTooler

I can then get the upgrade kit for the Magma chassis for about $1300,

Hello Bill,

I'm in a situation similar to yours... do you happen to know the Magma part number for the upgrade kit to turn a P7R4 into a PE6R4? Thanks much for any info you can pass along! (or if anyone else knows, please chime in, thank you)

Warmest Regards,
Brian

[crizdee]

Originally Posted by BDWillis

Hello Bill,

I'm in a situation similar to yours... do you happen to know the Magma part number for the upgrade kit to turn a P7R4 into a PE6R4? Thanks much for any info you can pass along! (or if anyone else knows, please chime in, thank you)

Warmest Regards,
Brian

Hi,

Its the PE6NE...

http://www.magma.com/oemboard.asp


Personally i would sell the PE7R4 and look around the dealers for better price on the PE6R4. Doing the upgrade isn't a great idea and can have problems and most people end up having to buy new power supplies etc, so it can be a false economy.


Chris

[ProTooler]

Tom, Werner, Willis & Chris. Thanks so much for chiming in and helping me out!
Chris, I will investigate the chassis as opposed to the upgrade board (PE6NE).
Does anyone know what my 888/24 interfaces will act like after I get up to PT9?
Best regards... Bill

[BDWillis]

Originally Posted by crizdee

Personally i would sell the PE7R4 and look around the dealers for better price on the PE6R4. Doing the upgrade isn't a great idea and can have problems and most people end up having to buy new power supplies etc, so it can be a false economy.

Great point Chris, thanks for that. I've had several chassis over the years & all have been rock solid... no sense challenging that track record by trying to save a few dollars, only to lose it to down-time.

Warmest Regards,
Brian

[fourthtunz]

Originally Posted by ProTooler

I am considering the purchase of a new Mac Pro. As you can see from my signature, I'm still in the dark ages, running a G5 dual 2.0 PPC machine, PT 7.1, on OS 10.4.11, with a Magma P7R4 (upgrade kit to the PE6R4 coming with purchase of new mac Pro) with 1 HD Core card and 3 accel cards, all PCIx of course.

For interfaces, I have an older 192 interface (w/ digital expansion card), and 2x888/24's in the legacy port. With this system, I've got 24 analog ins and 32 digital outs. These digital outs go into 2 Yamaha O2r's. Yes, I know, REALLY dark ages, but it works, and I'm on a tight budget.

Anyway, I ask for your advice to guide me toward the smartest upgrade path to get closer to the 21st century. :)

I've gotten a quote for a new Mac Pro for $2,000.00 (8 core 2.8 ghz). I can then get the upgrade kit for the Magma chassis for about $1300, then I'll upgrade my plugs, and then upgrade my PT software.

Anything you suggest I re-think?

Should I upgrade all the way up to PT9 or will I lose my ability to use my 888/24's in the legacy port?

If PT 9 won't work with my 888/24's, how high can I upgrade? 8.?

I've searched, but I can't find a definitive answer for my type of rig.

Your advice is greatly appreciated.

Thank you so much for your time...

Bill, just curious, why do you want to upgrade?
I've contemplated the same move, either getting a new mac and PCi-e card or going the magma/new mac route.
I have an eleven rack that i've used with my HD8 setup and my laptop (dualcore 2.0) which has PT9 on it and have also used 9 on an IMac.
If you want to do lots of vi's and record then you'll want a newer mac.
NO doubt the newer macs have way RTAS power.
You might find that upgrading to leopard and getting PT 8 will give you a few more options vi wise and do what you need?
I just print my vi's so I don't need a newer mac for now.
Or I start my song on my laptop, print the vi's and transfer into my HD setup.

I'm assuming that the folks on here that have upgraded to a new mac and 9 must be running vi's and recording tracks all at the same time?

Power is seductive no doubt! I ran 56 tracks on that IMac I3 with lots of plugs from just the internal drive and it was not even breaking a sweat!
Good luck!

[ProTooler]

Originally Posted by fourthtunz

Bill, just curious, why do you want to upgrade?

Because everything I want to get requires an Intel Mac. I bought this PPC Mac (along with the Magma P7R4), and literally 2 weeks later, Apple came out with the new Intel Macs, and my chassis was then destined be dropped from Digi support.

I'm very fortunate to have been able to rock this rig for as long as I have, but it just feels like it's time to make a move. I'm still open to suggestions.

Thanks so much for your help!

[fourthtunz]

Originally Posted by ProTooler

Because everything I want to get requires an Intel Mac. I bought this PPC Mac (along with the Magma P7R4), and literally 2 weeks later, Apple came out with the new Intel Macs, and my chassis was then destined be dropped from Digi support.

I'm very fortunate to have been able to rock this rig for as long as I have, but it just feels like it's time to make a move. I'm still open to suggestions.

Thanks so much for your help!

Yeah, that seems to be the way, you buy something and it's out of date!
I've never really been a midi guy so I forgot about the midi bug in 8,
I wish I'd known about it before I got my hd pci setup last fall.
I just bought a old macpro last night so I could run 9 with strike, stucture and some of the other vi's.
I'm thinking about the magma chassis to run my HD2 pci accel setup but I wonder how long it will be before magma and pci won't work with Protools?
I don't need the latest thing but I also don't want to upgrade and find that there's another big bug that needs an expensive upgrade to get fixed!