PC or MAC pro for PT HD native system?

[Rockman413]

Hi everyone,
This is a technical question that :

Apple's new Mac pro is small and expensive, and we have to buy another box for HD native card.

We can get even higher/better CPU with the same price of Mac Pro at a customized PC. Of course more memory but that's not a problem for both platforms,because you can easily add memory instead of changing CPU.

Is it true that even though we can use the same budget to get a higher cpu PC, but since Mac Pro system , OS, drivers, are all by Apple that overall performance especially for PT native system is equal or better than a same money/budgte PC?

The performance meant for large CPU costy tasks inside Pro Tools 12 HD native or 10 ,11, not meant for Pro Tools HD 9 or before.

[reichman]

I haven't used Pro Tools on Windows since v6, so I can't speak to that. But the new black Mac Pro performs terrifically with PT12. Even the 6-core runs a gazillion plug-ins in big sessions.

Before you finish your budget, consider 3rd-party audio interfaces, too. Depending on your needs, you could go with a Mac Pro and a cheaper interface than PT Native. Do you already own a PTHD license?

[noah330]

I'm running Native HD 12 on an old Mac Pro that I upgraded to Quad Core and put Yosemite on (through Hackintosh boot process).

Needed a new video card, but works fantastic.

[ronwasserman]

Remember the new Mac Pro is dead quiet as well...if that's an issue for you. e.g. no machine room etc.

[Rockman413]

Originally Posted by reichman

I haven't used Pro Tools on Windows since v6, so I can't speak to that. But the new black Mac Pro performs terrifically with PT12. Even the 6-core runs a gazillion plug-ins in big sessions.

Before you finish your budget, consider 3rd-party audio interfaces, too. Depending on your needs, you could go with a Mac Pro and a cheaper interface than PT Native. Do you already own a PTHD license?

Yes, I own PT 12 HD native.

[audioman1973]

I'll add a post for the Windows side of the house. When I first began with Pro Tools several years ago I used the Windows platform with PT 6.9 and 7. Then I purchased a new 2009 Mac Pro 8 core computer and ran PT and Media Composer until about 6 months ago on it. Wonderful experience with Mac OS 10.8.5 once it got to that version, especially with PT10 and HD3 TDM hardware. So here comes PT12 and by this time I had already bought into a HDX system and wanted to buy a new computer to get something that would have plenty of horsepower to run future versions for a good while. There were a couple of good reasons why I chose to go the Windows route instead of another Mac. The first thing is I could get twice the hardware horsepower in a PC for less than half the cost of a maxed out Mac. For example the Mac trash an with an 8 core processor can easily get up to 8 or 10 grand maxed out with a bunch of ram. Then you still need to buy external thunderbolt boxes to house a Native or HDX card. Of course you can get by without that if you're running PT Vanilla, but for HD that's an additional cost. I bought a HP Z820 with dual Zeon 8 core processors for a total of 16 cores and loaded it up with ram for a little over 5 grand and it has plenty of internal slots for cards. No need for external bays. It runs on Windows 7 solid as a rock. The issue of stability and even more important not having to wait for Avid to qualify it with the latest OS10 version was also a consideration. Everyone has their own reasons for the platform they choose and they both have their own merits but these are some of the reasons I chose Windows. You have to decide what will work best for your own situation.

[albee1952]

I run HDN on the system below and it runs like a train. 2 HD IO boxes. My template band session has around 40 tracks, plenty of plugins(EQ, comps, reverbs) and 5 AUX sends on every track for headphone mixes. Best rig I have ever had and I came to PT at version 6 with 002. A custom 6 core with lots of RAM can be built for around $2K or purchased for a bit more(but still less than a comparable Mac). pro-tools-ps.com is a great option for those that just want to buy a computer that is ready to go

[zion]

Originally Posted by reichman

The new black Mac Pro performs terrifically with PT12. Even the 6-core runs a gazillion plug-ins in big sessions.

This is my experience and Pro Tools 12.1 doesn't even take full advantage of my six core CPU power and for that reason I didn't go with the 12 core. See my Sig below.

Originally Posted by ronwasserman

Remember the new Mac Pro is dead quiet as well...if that's an issue for you. e.g. no machine room etc.

What he said. A big plus for me!

[Rockman413]

Originally Posted by zion

This is my experience and Pro Tools 12.1 doesn't even take full advantage of my six core CPU power and for that reason I didn't go with the 12 core. See my Sig below.


What he said. A big plus for me!

What does he said means? We should wait for the new updated mac pro?

[vieris]

Originally Posted by ronwasserman

Remember the new Mac Pro is dead quiet as well...if that's an issue for you. e.g. no machine room etc.

To bad the expansion chassis for the hdx/native card sounds like a jet.