Accel PCI to PCI-e exchange is back

[fasttraxx]

Not sure who knows about this, but I saw Avid has now brought back the PCI to PCI-e exhange for HD users once again. Pricing is still the same issue.
I would have done this a long time ago had they made a fair price option.
It's kind of a bummer that the thing holding us G-5 users from a newer intel MAC is going from PCI to PCI-e Accel cards. Avid Native is not an option for me. Avid trying to push this on Accel users won't work for guys tracking. And besides the native card is way over priced. We kind of got the shaff when Apple went to PCI-e and we just bought Pro Tools HD accel PCI cards that now will not work in the newer Macs. Of course things change and we all have to upgrade at some time. I am only whining about the cost vs performance issue here. In my case, paying $4000 to go from PCI to PCI-e for basically the same performance doesn't make a lot of sense. But this keeps me from using a newer intel Mac.
My options are
1.) Magama external chassis $2,300-$2,500
2.) PCI to PCI-e exchange $4000
3.)P.C. computer less then a grand and my PCI cards will work in this (possibly do the MAC OS thing some have done with PC's) I have used my buddies quad core P.C. to give this a try for a day and it worked just fine. (I didn't try with MAC OS only Window XP) This seems to be a viable option as who knows when Avid is going to present the latest HD systems? But it is way past do. I am thinking this option might be a good option to hold off until Avid finally does.

[Stig Eliassen]

Thanks for sharing.

[Keith Robichaux]

Email from my sales person:

Ebay prices will fall even lower than they are now.

Description
USD Retail

PRO TOOLS|HD 3 ACCEL-PCIe CROSSGRADES
(Does not include HDPack)

Pro Tools|HD 3 Accel to Pro Tools|HD 3 Accel (PCIe)
$3,795.00
Pro Tools|HD 3 to Pro Tools|HD 3 Accel (PCIe)
$4,295.00
Pro Tools|HD 2 Accel to Pro Tools|HD 3 Accel (PCIe)
$4,795.00
Pro Tools|HD 2 to Pro Tools|HD 3 Accel (PCIe)
$5,295.00
Pro Tools|HD 1 to Pro Tools|HD 3 Accel (PCIe)
$5,795.00

PRO TOOLS|HD 2 ACCEL-PCIe CROSSGRADES
(Does not include HDPack)


Pro Tools|HD 2 Accel to Pro Tools|HD 2 Accel (PCIe)
$2,795.00
Pro Tools|HD 2 to Pro Tools|HD 2 Accel (PCIe)
$3,295.00
Pro Tools|HD 1 to Pro Tools|HD 2 Accel (PCIe)
$3,795.00

PRO TOOLS|HD 1 ACCEL-PCIe CROSSGRADES
(Does not include HDPack)


Pro Tools|HD 1 to Pro Tools|HD 1 Accel (PCIe)
$1,795.00

Original hardware MUST be returned to Avid within 30 days of Exchange.

[Drew Mazurek]

Originally Posted by fasttraxx

Not sure who knows about this, but I saw Avid has now brought back the PCI to PCI-e exhange for HD users once again. Pricing is still the same issue.
I would have done this a long time ago had they made a fair price option.
It's kind of a bummer that the thing holding us G-5 users from a newer intel MAC is going from PCI to PCI-e Accel cards. Avid Native is not an option for me. Avid trying to push this on Accel users won't work for guys tracking. And besides the native card is way over priced. We kind of got the shaff when Apple went to PCI-e and we just bought Pro Tools HD accel PCI cards that now will not work in the newer Macs. Of course things change and we all have to upgrade at some time. I am only whining about the cost vs performance issue here. In my case, paying $4000 to go from PCI to PCI-e for basically the same performance doesn't make a lot of sense. But this keeps me from using a newer intel Mac.
My options are
1.) Magama external chassis $2,300-$2,500
2.) PCI to PCI-e exchange $4000
3.)P.C. computer less then a grand and my PCI cards will work in this (possibly do the MAC OS thing some have done with PC's) I have used my buddies quad core P.C. to give this a try for a day and it worked just fine. (I didn't try with MAC OS only Window XP) This seems to be a viable option as who knows when Avid is going to present the latest HD systems? But it is way past do. I am thinking this option might be a good option to hold off until Avid finally does.

Been said before:

chassis can be had for approx $1900 if you beat your dealer up real good.

Buy a used Mac on eBay. I bought a three year old single processor Harpertown 2.8ghz with 16gb of RAM for $1300 and with 4 cards in the chassis, I can't choke it. Granted I don't do very much VI.

Tried the Hackintosh and it didn't work, USB conflict and PT9 wouldn't authorize. And Windows? well, it's Windows, not gonna go there.

[Phil Buckle]

Because of all the great reports about the Magma PER64-I I finally purchased one.
This will give me another couple of years out of my Accel system.
Fortunately for me I already have a dual quad 3.2 Intel Mac Pro so I'll run VEP and PT9 on the same machine.
Which reminds that I better buy PT9.

I never understood the high price of the PCI exchange plan.
If Avid could at least justify the price in some way.
It makes one think ill of them.

[Phil Buckle]

Well I just read those prices again. I COULD have made the exchange to PCIe and it would have cost me $600 more than going the chassis route.
Hmmmm............I might have done that if I had seen it a fortnight ago.

Then again.......$600.
Oh well I need another future anchor, at least I've taken care of that!
(I do have another Magma chassis out in my shed that has made a nice home for some spiders and other insects)

[Barry Johns]

There is a system at GS now with a Chassis and an HD2 pci for 2k.

[Phil Buckle]

That's a good deal but it's an old unsupported Digi Chassis.
Still it's cheap.

[fasttraxx]

Originally Posted by dmazurek

Been said before:

chassis can be had for approx $1900 if you beat your dealer up real good.

Buy a used Mac on eBay. I bought a three year old single processor Harpertown 2.8ghz with 16gb of RAM for $1300 and with 4 cards in the chassis, I can't choke it. Granted I don't do very much VI.

Tried the Hackintosh and it didn't work, USB conflict and PT9 wouldn't authorize. And Windows? well, it's Windows, not gonna go there.

Thanks for the info. Glad to hear your single processor works great, that's encouraging. I do use VI's though, and that's part of the problem I have now. I also thought about Hackintosh, so I am glad you told us yours didn't workout. I won't go that way then.

[WarrenG]

I'm in the same boat - here's my take on this:
Running 8.0.3 on a 2GHz G5 HD3 system. PT9 on a Macbook Pro.
I bought a Magma chassis to connect the HD3 cards to the MBP and it was a complete disaster, so much so that I returned to to Magma. It was noisy (even with the so-called quiet fan), the MBP became very unstable (which it isn't when the chassis isn't attached) and it really didn't like having PT9 running with the HD cards one session and then without on the next. Emails to Magma support were replied quickly but with answers like "that's not supported/can't do that/that is the normal behaviour" I returned the unit which, being based in the UK, was slow.
So, I've decided to stick with things as they are and see what happens with Thunderbolt technology as I see this will be the way forward.
What do I do in the meantime? I use a lot of VIs and many of these don't work on the G5. I'm using VEPro to host these on my MBP (or even on a PC if I really felt I needed it, which I don't). This gives me everything I need. In fact, it's better than that. I don't have to use RTAS VIs and all the problems that seems to bring with it as I run these now on VEPro. Need more processing for more VIs? Add a cheap PC on the network and distribute the processing around.
Total cost? £0
If the G5 stops working then I'll just get another. You can pick them up for peanuts these days.
Native is not an option - too expensive for what it is and what it can do.
Come the Great Day Of The Revolution then I'll look at the options and make my move then, but at the moment I have two very stable systems that both do exactly what I need - why should I change now just because one of them is "out of date"?
If I feel the need to, I can put aside what it would cost for me to "upgrade" (which has a ridiculous cost/benefit ratio) so that when (and not if) the next generation comes along I won't be thinking "Dammit, just spent £xK on upgrading and look what's come along".
I'm not running a commercial studio and I'm sure if I was I would have had to upgrade, but I'm not going to upgrade just for the sake of it.