Windows 8 with Protools

[alito]

Hi,

I am looking to upgrade my Protools set up, which is very old i.e. Windows XP, ProTools 7LE and Digi 003 rack.

I am a fairly basic protools user and not very technical but I want to upgrade as I cannot find any plugins (I need drum software in particular) that will work with my current set up.

The newest Windows I can get seems to be Windows 8 (32 bit version) as anything later requires 64bit capability which I don't have on my PC.

What are my options here? I dont have the cash to buy a new interface or a new computer with Protools 12. I just want to keep the changes to a minimum.

I was thinking of upgrading to Windows 8 and keeping my Digi 003 rack. But which version of protools should I use with this set up and will I be able to access newish plugins with it?

Really confused from reading stuff online. There are so many possible compatibility issues that it's overwhelming and I dont want to waste money.

thank you.

[albee1952]

Hmmm, before I toss out my 2 cents, it might be worth your time to post a sandra Report on your current PC(look for the link near the top named "Help Us Help You" for info on that) so the experts here can look it over and see if any worthwhile upgrade is possible(but I'm betting its a waste of time/money)

Having said that, your best option is to spend some money here. You really need to move up to PT11 at the least(to get compatibility with the plugins you want) and 64 bit is a game changer! But it does require a less-ancient PC(but you still can work on a reasonable budget here). The good news is, the 003 rack will still work(I am using one on windows 10 PRO with Pro Tools 2019.5 here)

If you(or someone you know) can build a PC from parts, scout eBay for a used combo package with an intel i7 6-core cpu, an X79 motherboard and 16(or 32) GB of RAM(the x79 chipset is known compatible). A quick search on eBay shows several at well under $500. Your old PC might have some parts that can be re-used, BUT, some parts will need an update. Power supply should be at least 650 watts(old one probably is not). Hard drives(and optical) need to be SATA(yours are probably IDE). Your old sessions drive can be copied over to a new SATA drive(and stick it inside a USB drive case for backup and access). Get a 500GB SSD for your new system drive($100-150). Graphics: a modest nVidia card under $50 is fine). DVD-RW drives are under $30 on sale. If the new(er) motherboard has no firewire, a compatible card is under $50. Still under $750 easily

I know you want to keep it cheap, but your musical needs outweigh the desire to be frugal. I would actually leave the old PC untouched, on the chance that you need to re-open old sessions WITH the old plugins you are now using(this happens more than you think).

[alito]

seriously, thank you very much for taking the time to write such a detailed response.

I will see what I can do about upgrading the PC and Protools. If I could do it for that price I most certainly will!

I'm delighted to know that Digi 003 rack will still work!! This is great news :)

[Bob Olhsson]

I run windows 8.1 on my backup system and it works great, faster than 10 on the same machine!

[albee1952]

Originally Posted by Bob Olhsson

I run windows 8.1 on my backup system and it works great, faster than 10 on the same machine!

Well, that sounds promising