Windows HD Stability

[stanonbass]

Hey guys. Im just trying to gain some insight on how protools HD performs on PC? I have used OSX at a studio I work at but it seems very unstable at times. Lots of crashes and weird problems. We are running very big sessions at 96k so that could be part of the problem. Im just curious on what some of you think about the differences and if PC is a more stable platform at this point. Seems like PC hardware is getting very good and im wondering if its an advantage. XP seemed pretty stable in Protools LE. I had an occasional crash but it seems nothing like what im getting in OSX.

Not trying to start a mac pc war. Just want to know if you guys are happy with it. Id really like to hook up the HD system to a pc just to see how it works.

[jeff markham]

if you stick to the supported set of Windows hardware (and I mean pay very
close attention to motherboards, chipsets, CPUs, RAM configurations, etc.) an
XP system for HD will work and be pretty reliable. Stray from the tried and true,
and you'll be mighty lucky if it works.

that said, i do find the mac versions to be more responsive and more reliable. mostly
because you don't get as many variations with a mac.

jeff

[BIG D]

Hi Stan,

My experience differs from Jeff. I use HD on XP in my project studio and I also use MAC's in large room studios where I track some of the bigger budget clients and I would have to say that the Macs and PC's are pretty much equal when it comes to reliablity, (read: they both have their share of problems). Especially good, as Jeff said if you keep the system Compatible.

I get the occasional glitch on my system but I run a full time studio (i.e. 15 hours a day) tracking and Mixing as well as doing sound for vision and I am very happy with the XP system. If ever I do have problems I tend to find it is due to plug ins not being updated etc, which is easy to fix. I also use a fair bit of wrapped VST instruments which are RAM hungry. I am looking forward to a compatible VISTA machine where I can run 8 gig of ram or more (up to 64gig) as well as dual core Quad CPUs. The quad core is possible now but the ram is still limited by XP. This is one area the MAC has over PC at the moment, but that will change soon.

all the best,

Big D

[stanonbass]

Hi Stan,

My experience differs from Jeff. I use HD on XP in my project studio and I also use MAC's in large room studios where I track some of the bigger budget clients and I would have to say that the Macs and PC's are pretty much equal when it comes to reliablity, (read: they both have their share of problems). Especially good, as Jeff said if you keep the system Compatible.

I get the occasional glitch on my system but I run a full time studio (i.e. 15 hours a day) tracking and Mixing as well as doing sound for vision and I am very happy with the XP system. If ever I do have problems I tend to find it is due to plug ins not being updated etc, which is easy to fix. I also use a fair bit of wrapped VST instruments which are RAM hungry. I am looking forward to a compatible VISTA machine where I can run 8 gig of ram or more (up to 64gig) as well as dual core Quad CPUs. The quad core is possible now but the ram is still limited by XP. This is one area the MAC has over PC at the moment, but that will change soon.

all the best,

Big D

Im about to build a PC system for myself. I just cant get into the macs. No offense to mac guys. Just not for me. To many glitches. Were having to reload both of our studio computers. OSX has been really unstable on our G5s. All sorts of crazy issues. Im not a mac tech either so I cant fix them. Im going to wait until Vista is fully supported. I just bought a legit copy of it and I really like it so far. Its got hints of OSX visually and seems very stable. People say its a hog but it seems to run great on my old POS home computer. Hasnt crashed once on my computer. I do need to get something speedy. Im looking to fork down some cash on a really good custom PC. I might even bring it to work with me. I just want to trial it for a week and see if its more reliable then the macs we have.

[Rock_Artist]

I'd get Windows XP for now if you PT|HD.
We've started fiddling here with Vista.
It's a hog in-terms of the services they got. it's not mature as 10.4.8 or Windows XP SP2.

When you go HD you still got DSP to handle critical steps.

Both, MacOS X & Windows are RAM hungry. I'd check the memory on the G5 to be sure you have enough and they it's ok.


Windows/Mac isn't what it was.
Digidesign got their act on both those days and they're fairly equal. both has advantages or disadvantages.

Here are some points to consider:
RAM - OS X is capable to utilize more as you know already (so far)

Firewire Out - Windows cannot provide native DV Out for deck if you need to go with picture on additional video monitor.

Plug-Ins -
Mac still got some plug-ins that aren't available on PC (very rare).
On the PC side you get much more variety of VSTs that you can use with VST to RTAS.

- Session Open Speed and Large Density Sessions -
My overall experience is that OS X opens bigger sessions faster (with tons of cross-fades) and after tasks such as beat detective the system is more responsive.

- Kaboom -
OS X crash more easily without prior notice.
Windows might freeze (the alternative for the SWOD on OS X) and get back to be responsive after a while.

[stanonbass]

Memory on the G5s are at the 3 gig mark. Maybe 4 even. I cant remember. That should be plenty. Its not the ram its a definate stability issue. I still swear its the operating system. Even other apps do weird stuff on it. Im hoping the wipe does it some good. I swear I lose an hour and half a night dealing with system issues.

Im not going to be getting my own HD rig for awhile. IM kind of waiting to see if Digi comes out with something new. I mean the 003 just popped in out of no where. When I do Vista should be ready to roll. Vista is a hog but from what I understand you can shut stuff off and get the cpu and ram usage to about XP levels. I havent done it yet because my eyes are loving it. Im loving the stability as well. Man it runs good. Im excited in terms of work to crash ratio on it. I can deal with fades loading slightly slower if the computer is less crash prone. Crash, reboot open back up session can take 15 mintues at times. Do that 5 to 10 times a day and you have lost quite a bit of time. Im hoping Vista will be a stable platform for HD.

I do a ton of editing at the studio im at. I crash a lot using beat detective on the mac. But its what we have so i have to use it. Im hoping it improves. I dont really care what platform we use as long as it works well. If mac is kickin butt im all for it.

As far as ram goes I thought vista is supposed utilize higher amounts of ram?

As far as fades and the sytem being more responsive. Are you using an equally powerful PC? Hardware wise the macs arent slouches in terms of bus speed and processor power. Apple makes some nice hardware.

IM glad digi is finally coding stuff better on the PC side of things.

I'd get Windows XP for now if you PT|HD.
We've started fiddling here with Vista.
It's a hog in-terms of the services they got. it's not mature as 10.4.8 or Windows XP SP2.

When you go HD you still got DSP to handle critical steps.

Both, MacOS X & Windows are RAM hungry. I'd check the memory on the G5 to be sure you have enough and they it's ok.


Windows/Mac isn't what it was.
Digidesign got their act on both those days and they're fairly equal. both has advantages or disadvantages.

Here are some points to consider:
RAM - OS X is capable to utilize more as you know already (so far)

Firewire Out - Windows cannot provide native DV Out for deck if you need to go with picture on additional video monitor.

Plug-Ins -
Mac still got some plug-ins that aren't available on PC (very rare).
On the PC side you get much more variety of VSTs that you can use with VST to RTAS.

- Session Open Speed and Large Density Sessions -
My overall experience is that OS X opens bigger sessions faster (with tons of cross-fades) and after tasks such as beat detective the system is more responsive.

- Kaboom -
OS X crash more easily without prior notice.
Windows might freeze (the alternative for the SWOD on OS X) and get back to be responsive after a while.