From Mac to Windows - What to Expect

[YYR123]

Originally Posted by Bob Olhsson

I laughed myself silly when I made the move after 15 years on the Mac and that was from system 9 to xp. Windoze 10 is very Mac-like which is most of why you'll hear Windoze enthusiasts bad-rapping it.

Yes cortana search is so very much better than it used to be, much more like spotlight

I love Win10

[athlon64]

Yeah i mean i'm really quiet happy with my win 10 experience. It's damn fast and snappy if you are using a good machine like a P50 or P51 thinkpad.

If apple currently offered really good hardware then it would be a matter of personal preference but considering what they are doing with macbooks and trashcan macs... i just don't even see it as a reasonable option anymore.

Unless you really want to use logic or final cut but then again...
I don't really see any big benefits in using logic over protools.

[YYR123]

Originally Posted by Gaston69

After many many years working with on a Mac I decided to switch platform and purchased a refurbished HP Z420 Workstation with a single 8-Core E5-2670 XEON Processor which is an AVID certified machine for running Pro Tools 2018 plus I was told by the salesman that it is a whisper quit machine.

What I noticed are the poor graphics in Pro Tools 2018 while I still use the same Dell Ultrasharp U2515 Monitor.....

What to do in order to get the same graphic results as I had on OSX, are there drivers to update ......????

Well that CPU is very outdated, but your graphics card is the bomb ( Max Resolution3840 x 2160 at 60 Hz)

But you need to make sure it’s in the x16 slot for sure

I wouldn’t have trusted a salesman....personally but that’s just for me....

I usually just hit forums to find out what works for most people.....

There are some blessing with Mac....due to the limited hardware. Win has a million plus parts...and not all of them work well with PT.

[The Weed]

He's solved his graphics issue: http://duc.avid.com/showthread.php?p...99#post2493799

[bobo mark]

Originally Posted by edwinstar

Hello everybody!
I am seriously considering switching to Windows. My eye is on a Lenovo P51 Xeon Workstation. My main question is: Can i expect a similar Pro Tools HD performance on Windows as i have on Mac (or even better)? Forgive my beginners question, I have never had a Windows Computer, it was always a Mac since more than twenty years.
Thank you all!

FYI, I'm running Pro Tools HD on Dell XPS 15 9560 32gig/1TB . So far so good.. but it has more error on my main Mac Pro 2013... but the XPS is joy to use after I used Mac experiences for 30 years.. I'm also thinking about new Lenovo P52. Since I dont plan to buy any Mac anymore ...

[Kevin VS]

Hi,
I to am switching from Mac to PC I find the soldered battery and memory totally unacceptable in a 'pro' laptop. I am a bit afraid that I run into some problems. Reading through a couple of topics I was wondering is there a list available somewhere of 'off the shelve' decent (repairable) laptops that are fully supported by AVID?

Or can someone point to a good option? I was going to buy one of the new mbp's but as I said not spending 3k on a laptop that has a battery I cannot replace...

[bobo mark]

Originally Posted by Kevin VS

Hi,
I to am switching from Mac to PC I find the soldered battery and memory totally unacceptable in a 'pro' laptop. I am a bit afraid that I run into some problems. Reading through a couple of topics I was wondering is there a list available somewhere of 'off the shelve' decent (repairable) laptops that are fully supported by AVID?

Or can someone point to a good option? I was going to buy one of the new mbp's but as I said not spending 3k on a laptop that has a battery I cannot replace...

Hi: I used Pro Tools HDX, Thunderbolt, or UAD 8P very smooth on XPS 15 9560. 32gig/1T. I used Mac for 30 years without regret, that is reason I chose XPS 15 9560 older model.. Apple is more interested in iPhone than Mac now days....

[Xensori]

Another thing to contend with in moving to Windows (or just adding Windows as a platform to your comfort zone) is the keyboard shortcuts. Most of the Windows shortcuts are the same as Mac but with different modifier keys, (e.g. Mac Control = Win START... Mac Command is now Win Control) Juxtaposing these keys is a bit of a mindfart… especially if you find yourself switching between Mac and PC in different studios.

You can situate things so that you use the Mac shortcuts across both platforms:

• Get a keyswapper program for Windows. "SharpKeys" is free and good.
• Map the Control key to the Start key
• Map the Start key to the Control Key
• Get an actual Mac keyboard and connect it to your Windows 10 workstation.

If you do the above, you’ll just use the Mac Shortcuts whether you’re on Windows or Mac. If you have Windows on your personal rig and wind up working on a Mac PT rig, you'll be comfortable. Same keyboard, same keypresses.

Worth mentioning:

• There are a small percentage of Keyboard shortcuts that don’t apply to just swapping keys.. but its not that many. you can reference Avid's shortcuts guide for that.
• This also swaps the Start and Control keys for the rest of Windows. To restore the normal keypresses (or to swap them in the first place), you have to reboot.
• You’ll probably want to remap the Start/Control keys on both sides of the Keyboard. So, 4 key remaps altogether.

-Steve

[audiobob]

So I'm looking to move on from Apple as well and see an HP Z440 online with 64 gigs of ram for $1500. Pretty good I think. On average, how long will this computer be relevant in the PC world? Also looking at Pro Tools PC custom computers as well. I'd like my next computer to last for a good while and the Apple landscape is just too unsure right now.

The HP Z4's look great but an Avid approved machine is more than 3 grand. I like the $1500 - $2200 price range.

My usage is audio post, no VI's, mostly Avid Pro and DMG plugs on PT 2018 HDX.

Thx.