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  #1  
Old 11-08-2016, 06:44 AM
ctrack ctrack is offline
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Default Upgrade Pro tools 10 and Lion

Hi there.

My PT 10 is running too slow, and also running low on CPU power. I think it's time for an upgrade....

Anyone who can recommend the best upgrade/combination for my PT and relatively old Imac?

And what about plugins, most of them dating back to 2010, will I have to reinvest?

IMAC: 2.7 GHz intel Core i5 with Lion 10.7.5 - 16 GB 1333 Mhz DDR3 ram
PRO TOOLS: 10.3.9 with M-box pro

Thanks - ctrack
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  #2  
Old 11-08-2016, 06:48 AM
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JFreak JFreak is offline
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Default Re: Upgrade Pro tools 10 and Lion

Hi, welcome to the community.

Here's a compatibility chart for you. If you upgrade OSX you need to upgrade PT as well.
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  #3  
Old 11-08-2016, 07:14 AM
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Drew Mazurek Drew Mazurek is offline
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Default Re: Upgrade Pro tools 10 and Lion

Quote:
Originally Posted by ctrack View Post
Hi there.

My PT 10 is running too slow, and also running low on CPU power. I think it's time for an upgrade....

Anyone who can recommend the best upgrade/combination for my PT and relatively old Imac?

And what about plugins, most of them dating back to 2010, will I have to reinvest?

IMAC: 2.7 GHz intel Core i5 with Lion 10.7.5 - 16 GB 1333 Mhz DDR3 ram
PRO TOOLS: 10.3.9 with M-box pro

Thanks - ctrack
upgrading to a modern computer with a quad core i7 will add a lot of CPU cycles.

As Janne said, this will require you to be mindful of OS and PT upgrades etc.

Plugins will vary by manufacturer and will likely mean some investment. Which is understandable because it took those companies some time to update their products to support the new OSes.
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Old 11-08-2016, 08:06 AM
ctrack ctrack is offline
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Default Re: Upgrade Pro tools 10 and Lion

Right now, unfortunately, I don't have the cash for a new mac, so I'm looking for an upgrade that optimizes my gear to the best possible combination right now.

I know about the comparison chart, but what is the most ideal upgrade that my imac can handle? Some say that I should avoid mountain lion and what about PT11 or 12?
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Old 11-08-2016, 08:13 AM
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Default Re: Upgrade Pro tools 10 and Lion

You have i5 processor so the ideal upgrade would be downgrading to oldest OSX that machine can handle
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  #6  
Old 11-08-2016, 08:17 AM
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Drew Mazurek Drew Mazurek is offline
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Default Re: Upgrade Pro tools 10 and Lion

iMac's aren't really upgradable. Maybe you could add RAM? Not sure. Check with a company like this.

https://www.macsales.com

Regardless, the i5 is an issue and your computer will only support up to a certain OS. Find that out.

Then, maybe 11 or 12 could be a step up since they are 64bit apps and 10 is still 32. If you go to 11 or 12, all plugins will need to be AAX, your RTAS versions won't work anymore.

So, you might have some choices that don't involve a new computer.
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Old 11-08-2016, 08:27 AM
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Ben Jenssen Ben Jenssen is offline
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Default Re: Upgrade Pro tools 10 and Lion

Hi. And welcome to the DUC.

I thought I'd just tell you about one possible route to go:
Buy an old used Mac Pro.

I retired from studio work several years ago, but I still have a small home setup to run PT10: mac pro 3.1 (2008) and Lion. SSD startup disk, 10GB RAM, 3 internal HD's and dual monitor graphics.

I'm still very happy with it. It's 2.8 single Xeon processor still delivers power enough (for me, at least, and certainly faster than your i5). And a typical used price for it would be, I think, around $300, and that's LOTS of value for the money!

You would probably be able to just clone your imac HD and transfer it to the pro, and with a few tweaks you'd be up and running. Plugin licences and all.

With old hardware there will always be the risk, of course, that things might brake, and you'l have extra maintanence costs.

Good luck.
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Old 11-08-2016, 08:37 AM
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Default Re: Upgrade Pro tools 10 and Lion

Yep, but most recommended Mac Pro is the 4,1 model (in case OP is considering)
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  #9  
Old 11-08-2016, 11:24 AM
musicman691 musicman691 is offline
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Default Re: Upgrade Pro tools 10 and Lion

Quote:
Originally Posted by Drew Mazurek View Post
iMac's aren't really upgradable. Maybe you could add RAM? Not sure. Check with a company like this.

https://www.macsales.com

Regardless, the i5 is an issue and your computer will only support up to a certain OS. Find that out.

Then, maybe 11 or 12 could be a step up since they are 64bit apps and 10 is still 32. If you go to 11 or 12, all plugins will need to be AAX, your RTAS versions won't work anymore.

So, you might have some choices that don't involve a new computer.
Every iMac since 2009 supports the latest OSX version so that's not an issue. But considering the op's on PT10 the latest I'd go with would be OSX 10.8.5; OSX 10.9.5 will work but the uninstaller for PT10 won't work. As mentioned though that i5 isn't ideal but can work.
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  #10  
Old 11-08-2016, 11:36 AM
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reichman reichman is offline
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Default Re: Upgrade Pro tools 10 and Lion

64-bit Pro Tools breathed new life into my old 15" laptop. 64-bits is WAY more efficient on old slow chips. Check to see if your iMac will run an OS that is PT12 compatible, and consider getting on PT12 subscription.
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