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  #1  
Old 10-11-2017, 07:54 AM
recordingfun recordingfun is offline
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Default Mac user needs a new windows rig for HDX

I have never bought a decent window cpu before and I will be on a budget here so Im thinking used.
What should I be looking for , I doubt I will ever upgrade past HD12
My last cpu was a MAC 5.1 8 core 2.7 mid 2011 20 gig .
Since it no longer works I need a rig to run HD12 but i need to do it on the cheap. What will work well, what I7 processor should I be looking at , how much ram , do I still need the second hard drive how much ram is effective (says 16g recommended ) am I better off using windows 7 or 8 than 10 , any particular makes I should look into, Also I were not doing this on the cheap used what should I really be drooling over. Im looking for no more than 1000 american used ,(from canada) How does a new $2000 off the shelf computer from a bestbuy or big box store compare to that old 8 core Mac I had . I need some good input for this
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Old 10-11-2017, 09:54 AM
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albee1952 albee1952 is offline
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Default Re: Mac user needs a new windows rig for HDX

Don't buy from Best Buy or any other "big box" store. Buy from a specialist such as pro-tools-pc.com. They build PC's for Pro Tools, so they use the right parts for performance and compatibility. Minimum specs for me would be:

intel i7 6 core(6800K or better)

32GB of RAM(more is better, but 32 seems to be the "sweet spot")

500GB SSD for system drive(yes, people use smaller, but by the time all my VI's are installed, even with samples on separate drives, my system drive ends up a bit over 300GB)

Choose a graphics card to cover your needs(I need 3 screens so I got a card that can handle that. I ran 2 graphics cards in my previous rig).

650 watt PSU would be my dead minimum(running 850 watt now)

As for OS, as much as I preferred Win 7, I am running 10 now(with a little teeth grinding). Overall, Win10 is fine(and since you are coming from the world of Apple, your learning curve will be much the same anyway).

Re the second drive: yes, you NEED a second drive, and you want a 3rd drive(if you have large sample libraries).

If I read correctly that your budget is only $1K, then you should be looking at a used HP Z800 workstation with dual 6-core XEON's like this
http://www.ebay.com/itm/HP-Z800-Work...4AAOSwH09ZFLsY
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Old 10-11-2017, 10:08 AM
recordingfun recordingfun is offline
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Default Re: Mac user needs a new windows rig for HDX

I looked at that link you put up, any idea of how that might compare to the 5.1 8 core 2.7 20 g mac. Do you think that is something usable or should I really be thinking a better cpu . 6 cores on a newer machine should be comparable to the Mac but i am just guessing at that obviously the mac was a expensive cpu but after all these years is the performance similar or even usable .
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Old 10-11-2017, 10:32 AM
recordingfun recordingfun is offline
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Default Re: Mac user needs a new windows rig for HDX

I looked up that suggested cpu and it seems there are 12 physical cores. I dont know for sure but I would imagine this would be at least comparable to what I had and likely enough to run HDX HD12 with many native plugins and some vi,s well. Do you have an opinion on the 8 core processor Intel X5560 usability . I dont know much about these windows cpu,s but I do assume it is compatible with HD12 since you suggested it.
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Old 10-11-2017, 11:49 AM
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albee1952 albee1952 is offline
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Default Re: Mac user needs a new windows rig for HDX

Some of this is a little out of my experience level, so let me drop some thoughts for consideration(and I encourage other's input on this):

1-XEON's are potent cpu's and having 6-8 physical cores at around 3GHz and up should give very solid performance. I have a friend that bought an HP Z800 with dual quad-cores and he loves it. I recommend the dual 6-core as I use a lot of VI plugins that he does not. Whether you pick 8 cores is likely not an issue as long as you keep the speed up(around 3GHz as mentioned) and don't skimp on RAM(the mount of RAM in these dual-cpu systems is split between the 2 processors, so 24GB gives 12GB per cpu

2-you say you want to run HDX AND use lots of native plugins...what is your reason to "need" HDX? Consider that native plugins on HDX can actually exhibit more latency than the same plugin on an HD/Native system(HD Native card with digilink IO as opposed to an HDX card with the same IO). What is your end goal with this rig? Having worked on both, I have fewer latency issues(during tracking) on my HDN rig as compared to my friend's HDX rig that I also work on. I track full bands with a 64 buffer and several dozen plugins and no latency issues(unless I screw up), but I choose tracking plugins for latency performance(my total ADC while tracking is 11 samples). My template session has all of my "mix" plugins in place, but those are inactive until I finish tracking(but I still run dozens of EQ's, compressors, Slate VMR, several reverb/delay plugins, etc).

3-you said you had no need to go past PT12 software? 2 things here; 1-remember that you need the HD version of the software(to run HDN or HDX card) and you should go to 12.4 as the minimum because that version will give you Track Freeze and Track Commit(2 features you really want)
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  #6  
Old 10-11-2017, 12:51 PM
recordingfun recordingfun is offline
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Default Re: Mac user needs a new windows rig for HDX

I already own a HDX card but i have maxed out both the card voices and native resources a few times at 96k. I never had the chance to mix at 64bit because i didnt go HD11 but now i need to. Idnt track freeze the same as disabling the track or did that not free up power . Sounds like a baby step to the old dynamically allocating tracks. Im guessing that freezing can not be animated to but it to use while mixing. Those are good features though , i can only imagine all the engineers getting mixes from artists they hate the fx they use but at least now they can mix in an appropriate amount of each fx with track freeze
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Old 04-03-2018, 08:06 AM
recordingfun recordingfun is offline
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Default Re: Mac user needs a new windows rig for HDX

Quote:
Originally Posted by albee1952 View Post
HP Z800 I recommend the dual 6-core as I use a lot of VI plugins that he does not.
I bought the 12 core Z800 it arrived last night but I can not connect the card to the power I need some help with this .

I need a power cable that connects from a pro tools hdx card to the computer. My card was a first run by Avid and the 2 included cables do not connect to my cpu. Do you know what I need for this. Thank you
The cpu is a 12 core HP Z800.
There is a spot for power but it is a little different than the cables I have , It looks like a bigger square with I think 4 pins top and bottom instead of the 3 top and bottom that I used on my last cpu. I also do not see a connect for the flat 3 pin connect.
Any help here would be appreciated . THANK YOU
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  #8  
Old 04-03-2018, 12:01 PM
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YYR123 YYR123 is offline
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Default Re: Mac user needs a new windows rig for HDX

My HDX Card came with an adapter from Sata power to ide power connections.

it seems thats what you need.

I am not sure of your setup (ie gender of your plugs needed) you will have to look at the power cables you have and see.

but this is the general idea.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...B&gclsrc=aw.ds
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  #9  
Old 04-05-2018, 07:16 AM
recordingfun recordingfun is offline
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Default Re: Mac user needs a new windows rig for HDX

Quote:
Originally Posted by YYR123 View Post
My HDX Card came with an adapter from Sata power to ide power connections.

it seems thats what you need.

[/url]
it turns out the cable in my cpu is actually a BIG 6 pin female. I need a adapter to convert that to a small 6 pin female that Avid provides with the card
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  #10  
Old 04-06-2018, 05:59 PM
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Default Re: Mac user needs a new windows rig for HDX

Maybe a newer power supply will have the proper connector for the HDX card The last couple of PSU's i bought have had extra connections.
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