What is an Avid-qualified PC

[TylerW]

My computer now doesn't run Pro Tools 8 well at all, and I'm looking at getting a new computer. I can't seem to find any documents telling what an Avid-qualified PC is, all I can find is that you need one to run Pro Tools. Can you guys tell me what I need to make my computer Avid-qualified? Thanks!

[justindbutler]

You're computer will have to meet different expectations based on what you're needs are out of Pro Tools.

http://avid.custkb.com/avid/app/self...p?DocId=353265

That page has quite a bit of compatibility related information on it. Pay particular attention to the OS section--Windows 7 is not yet fully supported by Avid/Digidesign so that's something critical to consider (as I did not when I just recently built my PC). Macs are almost always going to have less issues in comparison to Windows.

[mykhal c]

Originally Posted by TylerW

My computer now doesn't run Pro Tools 8 well at all, and I'm looking at getting a new computer. I can't seem to find any documents telling what an Avid-qualified PC is, all I can find is that you need one to run Pro Tools. Can you guys tell me what I need to make my computer Avid-qualified? Thanks!

your best bet is to check out the stickies in this forum. here is the REAL old stuff too...

http://avid.custkb.com/avid/app/self...p?DocId=317577 (link and info follows....)


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Is my PC compatible with Pro Tools on Windows XP?[317577]


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Table Of Contents
Section


Is my PC compatible with Pro Tools on Windows XP?
How to determine PC compatibility with your Pro Tools system if you are using Windows XP. If you are on Windows Vista, see this page instead:

• Is my PC compatible with Pro Tools on Windows Vista?

The information below gives instructions for collecting information about your PC and how to cross-reference that information against the compatibility information on the website.

We are going to collect the following information:

• Form Factor
• Processor
• RAM
• Operating System and Service Pack
• Motherboard Chipset
• FireWire Controller
• Graphics Controller

Collecting Information About Your PC


You may need to contact the manufacturer of the computer to verify the components of your computer, however you can use the information below to collect that information using tools that are available to you. You can download and print the Compatibility Worksheet (Download at bottom of page), to assist you in documenting the information you collect.

Form Factor
In the context of this information form factor refers to the type of PC that you are checking compatibility of, against the website. Form factor will only be used to help you navigate to the correct information. The compatibility information is divided into two groups:

• Desktop PC
• Laptop PC

Note the form factor of your system to help you navigate the website in a later section.

Processor, RAM, Operating System, and Service Pack
You can view information about your Operating System, Service Pack, Processor, and RAM from the System Properties window. To view the 'System Properties' window (screenshot example below):

• Click the Start Menu
• Right-click on My Computer
• Select Properties

This brings up the System Properties window. Select the 'General' tab from the top of the window. From this window, write down the Operating System (A), Service Pack (B), , Processor (C), and RAM (D).

System Properties Window Example:



Currently you need to have Windows XP Home Edition or Windows XP Professional Edition installed on your PC to be compatible--you can verify this information on the Specific Compatibility Page (Covered below). At the time of this writing the current Service Pack that is supported is Service Pack 2.

Note: Windows XP Media Center Edition, 64 bit edition, and Tablet PC edition are not supported.

Motherboard Chipset
There are a few different methods of determining which motherboard chipset you have on your computer. If the computer was custom built or is being built, then the literature about the motherboard should list the specific chipset. If you purchased a name brand computer, you should contact the manufacturer, and they should be able to give you this information.

Note: Verifying all this information is the user's responsibility, so you may want to double check any information that is provided to you.

This example will use a system analyzing utility, PC Wizard, to profile out the components that are built in to the computer. For instructions on determing the chipset through Device Manager see Article 26726. First you need to download and install PC Wizard from:

www.cpuid.com/pcwizard.php

On this page look for the Current Version towards the upper-left hand corner of the webpage, and click on the version to initiate the download. After downloading install and run PC Wizard. On the first launch of PC Wizard, the first view that comes up should be the "System Summary". In this information you will see the Chipset, please write down this information.

PC Wizard Example:



FireWire Controller
The FireWire controller is an important component of your system since this will be utilized if you use a FireWire interface (like the 003), but also if you connect a FireWire drive to the system to use as your audio drive.

If you don't have a FireWire connection on your desktop PC, you can add a qualified FireWire HBA Card.

To determine information about the FireWire connection of your system, this information will be found in the Device Manager. To open the Device Manager:

• Click the Start Menu
• Right-click My Computer
• Click Properties
• Select the Hardware tab
• Click the Device Manager Button

Once you are in the Device Manager, click the '+' next to 'IEEE 1394 Bus host Controllers'. When that expands, you should see something that looks like the following:



Note all the information listed here, as it will be used later for determining the compatibility of the PC.

Graphics Controller
The graphics controller needs to be a dedicated AGP or PCIe graphics controller for compatibility with Pro Tools. To determine this information please see Article 24903.

Navigating the Website to Specific Compatibilty information


When you choose a product (Mbox 2, 003, etc.) from the Support section of the website, it will automatically list the general compatibility information for all platforms (Macintosh and Windows). To view specific compatibility information for your PC, you need to choose Desktop PC or Laptop PC under the "Windows Computer" section (if you are unsure, see the "Form Factor" section above).

Example
1. Go to the Support section: Support
2. In the Pro Tools LE section near the top, choose a product from the drop-down list.

If you choose Mbox 2, you will find the following:

Computer

Windows Computer

Mbox 2/Mbox 2 Mini/Mbox - Desktop PC
Mbox 2/Mbox 2 Mini/Mbox - Laptop PC

Once you select one of these categories, the next page will display the different combinations of hardware and software versions. Choose the one that is most appropriate for the compatibility you are trying to verify, when in doubt choose the most current version of Pro Tools listed, as this willl provide the most up to date information.

Note: Digidesign only qualifies certain makes and models of laptops. Once you get to the Specific Compatibility Page for a Laptop PC, you will need to have one of the models listed on the site for compatibility with Pro Tools.

For Example:
Clicking on "Mbox 2/Mbox 2 Mini/Mbox - Laptop PC" will bring up this page:

Windows Laptops with Pro Tools LE 7.x USB Interface Systems
Please see the following pages for specific requirements with each Pro Tools LE 7.x USB interface system:

Pro Tools LE 7.3

• Pro Tools LE 7.3 - USB Windows Laptop Systems
  • Mbox 2
  • Mbox 2 Mini
  • Mbox

Pro Tools LE 7.0/7.1

• Pro Tools LE 7.0/7.1 - USB Windows Laptop Systems
  • Mbox 2
  • Mbox 2 Mini
  • Mbox

If you are looking for compatibility information for 003 Family, Digi 002 Family, or Mbox 2 Pro products, see the following:

• Windows Laptops with Pro Tools LE 7.x FireWire Interface Systems

After you select the proper option, it brings up the Specific Compatibility Page. This information changes with the previous selections of hardware and software (i.e. Pro Tools 7.1 Windows Laptop with USB Device is different from Pro Tools 7.3 Windows Desktop with FireWire Device) so you need to make sure that you have made the correct selections up to this point.

Once you are to the Specific Compatibility Page you should bookmark this page and print this information out, for quick access since you will cross-reference all the information you gathered against the information listed on this page.

Determining PC Compatibility


Now that you have gathered all the appropriate information about your PC, and have navigated to the correct specific compatibility page, you can determine if your PC is compatible with Pro Tools. At this point you should have documented the Processor, Chipset, RAM, OS and Service Pack, FireWire Controller, and Graphics controller. You should also have a bookmark of the Specific Compatibility page for your product.

Processor and Chipset
Only certain processor and chipset combinations have been tested by Digidesign for use with Pro Tools. These Processor/Chipset combinations are specifically listed on your Specific Compatibility Page under "Processor and Chipset Compatibility". For example, see the folowing:

Windows Desktop Processor & Chipset Compatibility Grid — Pro Tools 7.3 Native System
Expand the following sections for supported AMD and Intel Processors and Chipsets, including examples of computer manufacturers and Do It Yourself (D.I.Y.) configurations. In the Intel Chipset Family column, all versions of that family are compatible unless otherwise noted.

AMD Desktop Processors
AMD Chipset Family Opteron X2 Opteron Athlon 64 X2 Athlon 64 nVidia nForce Professional2 Colfax (Mobo- Tyan S28951); HP 93001 Not Tested N/A N/A nVidia nForce42 N/A N/A D.I.Y. Mobo - ASUS A8N-E3 Not Tested nVidia nForce3 N/A N/A Not Tested D.I.Y. Mobo - MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum VIA K8T800 N/A N/A N/A D.I.Y. Mobo - SK8V (FX-53) AMD Not Tested Not Tested Not Tested Not Tested N/A = Not Applicable (processor/chipset combination not available)
1 Also supported with Pro Tools|HD systems
2 Based on same family
3 Requires AMD Dual-Core Optimizer

Although not tested, there have been reports of incompatibility from some users with Pro Tools and motherboards with the NVIDIA nForce 405, nForce 410, and nForce 430 graphics chipsets:
NVIDEA Motherboard GPU Technical Specifications
Please Note: Quad-Core AMD Opteron processors have not been tested by Digidesign.


Intel Xeon Desktop Processors
Intel Chipset Family Xeon 51xx & 50xx* Such as: Dell Precision 6901; Dell Precision 490; HP xw84001 7525 Such as: Dell Precision 6701; HP xw82001 7505 Such as: Dell Precision 6501; HP xw80001 1 Also supported with Pro Tools|HD systems
*Dual-Core Intel Xeon 5100 series and 5000 series.
Please Note: Quad-Core Intel Xeon processors have not been tested by Digidesign on Windows.


Intel Core 2 Duo and Core Duo Desktop Processors
Intel Chipset Family Core 2 Duo Core Duo 975 Such as: Dell Precision 390; Dell Dimension 9100; Dell Dimension 5100; HP xw4400 D.I.Y. Mobo - Intel D975XBX CoreDuo 965 D.I.Y. Mobo - Intel DP965LT Core2Duo Not Tested 955 N/A Not Tested 9452 N/A Not Tested N/A = Not Applicable (processor/chipset combination not available)
2 First support for dual-core CPUs
Please Note: Intel Core 2 Quad processors have not been tested by Digidesign.


Intel Pentium D and Pentium 4 Desktop Processors
Intel Chipset Family Pentium D Pentium 4 975 Not Tested Not Tested 965 Not Tested Not Tested 955 Such as: Dell Precision 380; D.I.Y. Mobos - ASUS P5WD2 and FoxConn 955X7AA1 Not Tested 9452 Such as: Dell Dimension 9100; Dell Dimension 5100 Not Tested 9253 N/A D.I.Y. Mobo - Intel D925XECV2 9153 N/A D.I.Y. Mobo - Intel 915PBL 875 N/A Such as: Music XPC C4; HP xw4100; Terra M6 (Mobo - ASUS P4C800-E)1 865 N/A Such as: Music XPC C3. D.I.Y. Mobo - Intel 865PERL N/A = Not Applicable (processor/chipset combination not available)
1 Also supported with Pro Tools|HD systems
2 First support for dual-core CPUs
3 USB devices (such as Mbox 2, Mbox 2 Mini, Mbox) require Intel ICH-6 stepping B-1 or later
Please Note: Intel Pentium Dual-Core processors have not been tested by Digidesign.

[critza]

The compatibility that avid provides makes one wanna cry, if you dont want to go to the garbage dump or a museum to find pc-parts that will do the trick, look inside the d.u.c. for successfull builds.
Alot of threads about PC´s that work well with ProTools