computer compatibility/hard drives

[kyluigi]

Can anyone recommend an external usb hard drive preferably under 200? Also here is my sandra report. Is my computer really compatible with Pro Tools 8? I have been using 8.05 on windows 7 and i'm convinced its my computer thats holding me back. (as well as the hard drive i was using to record to) but can anyone tell me if my computer is really not suited for pro tools 8 le and if so why. thanks!


Computer
Model : Sony Corporation VPCEH14FM

Processor
Model : Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-2310M CPU @ 2.10GHz
Speed : 2GHz
Cores per Processor : 2 Unit(s)
Threads per Core : 2 Unit(s)
Type : Dual-Core
Integrated Data Cache : 2x 32kB, Synchronous, Write-Thru, 8-way, 64 byte line size, 2 threads sharing
L2 On-board Cache : 2x 256kB, ECC, Synchronous, ATC, 8-way, 64 byte line size, 2 threads sharing
L3 On-board Cache : 3MB, ECC, Synchronous, ATC, 12-way, Exclusive, 64 byte line size, 4 threads sharing

Computer
Mainboard : Sony Corporation VAIO
BIOS : INSYDE R0180Z9 04/28/2011
Bus(es) : X-Bus PCI PCIe USB i2c/SMBus
Multi-Processor (MP) Support : No
Multi-Processor Advanced PIC (APIC) : No
Total Memory : 4GB DDR3 SO-DIMM

Chipset
Model : 4173 0104h
Front Side Bus Speed : 1x 100MHz (100MHz)
Total Memory : 4GB DDR3 SO-DIMM
Channels : 1
Memory Bus Speed : 2x 667MHz (1.33GHz)

Memory Module(s)
Memory Module : CE M471B5273DH0-CH9 4GB DDR3 SO-DIMM PC3-10700S DDR3-1334 (9-9-9-25 4-34-10-5)

Video System
Video Adapter : Intel(R) HD Graphics Family (12 SM4.1 650MHz, 64MB DDR3 2x666MHz, Integrated Graphics)

Graphics Processor
Compute Shader Processor : Intel(R) HD Graphics Family (12SP 650MHz, 64MB 2x666MHz, Integrated Graphics)

Storage Devices
TOSHIBA MK6465GSXN (640.1GB, SATA300, 2.5", 5400rpm, NCQ, 8MB Cache) : 596GB (C:)
Optiarc DVD RW AD-7710H (SATA150, DVD+-RW, CD-RW, 2MB Cache) : N/A (E:)

Logical Storage Devices
System Reserved : 100MB (NTFS)
Hard Disk (C:) : 586GB (NTFS) @ TOSHIBA MK6465GSXN (640.1GB, SATA300, 2.5", 5400rpm, NCQ, 8MB Cache)
Recovery : 11GB (NTFS)
Hard Disk (Q:) : N/A
Optical Drive (E:) : N/A @ Optiarc DVD RW AD-7710H (SATA150, DVD+-RW, CD-RW, 2MB Cache)

Peripherals
LPC Hub Controller 1 : 4173 1C49h
LPC Legacy Controller 1 : T0 FC-11
Audio Device : 4173 1C20h
Audio Codec : 5361 506Eh
Disk Controller : 4173 1C03h
USB Controller 1 : 4173 1C2Dh
USB Controller 2 : 4173 1C26h
SMBus/i2c Controller 1 : Intel 801xx/63xx SMBus

Printers and Faxes
Printer : Microsoft XPS Document Writer (600x600, Colour)
Printer : Lexmark Z2400 Series (4800x4800, USB, Colour)
Printer : HP Officejet 4500 G510n-z fax (200x200, Colour)
Printer : HP Officejet 4500 G510n-z (1200x1200, Colour)
Fax : Microsoft Shared Fax Driver (200x200)

Scanners and Cameras
Scanner : Hewlett-Packard 4500 G510n-z,10.0.0.3 (Scanner, 2400x2400, USB)

Network Services
Network Adapter : Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller
Network Adapter : Intel(R) Centrino(R) WiMAX 6150
Wireless Adapter 1 : Intel(R) Centrino(R) Wireless-N 6150 (802.11g (ERP), TKIP, 54Mbps)

Power Management
Mains (AC) Line Status : On-Line
Battery No 1 : 45%

Operating System
Windows System : Microsoft Windows 7 Home 6.01.7601 (Service Pack 1)
Platform Compliance : x64

Windows Experience Index
Current System : 4.7

[albee1952]

You have several issues going on here. The i3 is a budget processor(like the old Celeron) so horsepower is limited. Then you have integrated graphics, which is often a show stopper for Pro Tools. The wifi networking should be disabled when running Pro Tools.

As for USB drives, the details you need are USB2, 7200 rpm(or faster) and no "green" drives(which have power saving functions you don't want in a DAW system).

[kyluigi]

Well as of now I have no funds for a new computer. How can I work around the integrated graphics issues? Im sorry for asking all these noob questions! What would be the maximum functionality i could/should be able to get out of my system now? i.e. track count, plugin usage. etc assuming I have followed all the optimizations.

[albee1952]

Nothing you CAN do on a laptop, other than do the tweaks, get a recording drive and say a few prayers(and maybe sacrifice a live chicken). Remember, with Windows 7, you need PT 8.0.4 or later(go with 8.0.5 as 8.0.4 has a serious timing issue).

[kyluigi]

Thanks again man! I am running 8.05. I'm still a little confused on the processor though. I was combing through the avid site and noticed that Avid qualifies any version of the latest imac for pro tools 10 including the i-3. Why is my i3 not as good as the imac i3? At this point i am almost ready to go to the macworld it seems as if pro tools runs better on macs?

[albee1952]

I doubt there's much difference between an i3 PC and an i3 Mac. I stand by my opinion, but that's exactly what it is...an opinion. If I were buying or recommending a Mac, I would still recommend the i5 or i7. Pro Tools runs great on either platform, assuming compatible parts. There is only 1 company building Mac's, while there are hundreds of possible PC iterations between the several companies(like Dell, Gateway, Lenovo, HP, etc) and all the custom built stuff. There's just no way to test and approve every combination of PC hardware, while every different Mac could likely be tested in a single day

BTW, if you get an external 7200 rpm drive that has both firewire and USB connections and an Oxford chipset(like Glyph and OWC have) then the drive would be usable on either a Mac or a PC(you might need to reformat if you switch platforms).