New to Mac..

[danander11]

OK.. I've found a reasonably, (I think), priced 2.1 Mac Pro 8 core (2 x 4 core xeon 3.0ghz). 16 gb ram, 7300 gt video with 528mb running OS X 10.6.4

Will this handle PT9 with minimal difficulties?

I realize there are many variables to consider when asking a question such as this, but I'm looking for experienced mac people to give me a heads-up on potential issues.

I realize there are faster, more capable Macs out there, but for the dough, this one seems like a deal.

Finally, is PT really that much more stable on Mac than PC? (I'm gonna start a war with that one). I'd really like to get to 32 samples of latency as opposed to 64 with a PC.

Cheers!

[Keybeeetsss]

To the last question of ur post... "Heck no".. is jus as stable, or not jus as stable @ all on either so pleassseee don't by into the BS Mac fanboys shoot out.. either is jus as good & i'd think u would kno that Oh great danny. U will however, lose ur Hobo'ness :P

Sent from EPIC 4G using Tapatalk On'eim...

[Dism]

Originally Posted by danander11

OK.. I've found a reasonably, (I think), priced 2.1 Mac Pro 8 core (2 x 4 core xeon 3.0ghz). 16 gb ram, 7300 gt video with 528mb running OS X 10.6.4

Will this handle PT9 with minimal difficulties?

I realize there are many variables to consider when asking a question such as this, but I'm looking for experienced mac people to give me a heads-up on potential issues.

I realize there are faster, more capable Macs out there, but for the dough, this one seems like a deal.

Finally, is PT really that much more stable on Mac than PC? (I'm gonna start a war with that one). I'd really like to get to 32 samples of latency as opposed to 64 with a PC.

Cheers!

That system will smoke. Anything with dual Xeons, even the older Mac Pros, will still rock for Pro Tools. If you are getting a good deal, provided it is in good condition, then you really can't go wrong.

In my experience, (which I do have plenty of) a Mac does Pro Tools a wee bit better than a PC. Ignore the misconceptions, and take in the facts.

- Yes, for some interfaces you get a lower buffer. However, the difference between 32 and 64 is basically negligible. I haven't found an artist who has a problem tracking at 64, but if you feel it's worth the difference, then it's your call.

- Aggregate I/O in Pro Tools 9. According to some, this can be achieved with ASIO4all... but that driver isn't guaranteed to work with everything, and it often doesn't give you very lower buffers, which definitely fudges with the first point.

- General audio device compatibility and stability. While I can't say I've had any problems getting a device to work in Windows, some definitely work better than others. In OSX, I've never had this problem. Many times in OSX I never even had to install a driver. Just plug it in and go. OSX also handles MIDI internally and much better than Windows... but there are programs for handling that in Windows.

- Tweaking. Mac requires a bit less... but at the cost at not being able to tweak like you can on a Windows machine. It's definitely easier to customize a PC to perform exactly how you want it to. Personally, I just feel a Mac already does. Obviously, opinions will vary.

In the end, there's nothing you can't do on either platform. It just depends on what you expect out of the system. I will tell you that an 8 core Mac Pro will certainly rock Pro Tools, and you won't regret it if the price is right.

[danander11]

Cheers fellas... I am intruiged (sp?) by Mac.. Have been for awhile now. Even if I went this route I'd still keep the PC.. I know it and would depend on it until I felt comfy with Mac.

I have always shied away from apple because of the cost and the limited tweakability and options..

But I want 2011 to be trouble-free.. It was always one thing or another with the PC for the last two years.. and now, oddly, It's working beautifully. I guess I just want options. I can get into this for less than going up to a i7-980x.. by quite a bit.

I think this box would get me ahead of where my 920 is right now as well..

I dunno.. Just gonna have to pray on it and think a bit more.

Thanks again!

[getz76]

Originally Posted by danander11

OK.. I've found a reasonably, (I think), priced 2.1 Mac Pro 8 core (2 x 4 core xeon 3.0ghz). 16 gb ram, 7300 gt video with 528mb running OS X 10.6.4. Will this handle PT9 with minimal difficulties?

Yes. You should be fine.

Note, the 2,1 version has a 32-bit EFI, so it will never run the 64-bit kernel of Mac OS X. Shouldn't be a big deal, as OS X has memory extensions that allow 32gB of memory addressing and run 64-bit applications, even with the 32-bit kernel. You will not be able to use 64-bit device drivers, but that is unlikely to be a problem.

Originally Posted by danander11

Finally, is PT really that much more stable on Mac than PC? (I'm gonna start a war with that one). I'd really like to get to 32 samples of latency as opposed to 64 with a PC.

No.

In my experience, Mac OS X is a bit more convenient. You know it is compatible. That's nice. Also, optimization involves turn off Time Machine and making sure Spotlight doesn't index my session drive. Pretty simple.

Keep a couple of things in mind. Apple makes a habit of abandoning legacy users. You get what Apple gives you, and you'll like it. There is good and bad...

[getz76]

Originally Posted by getz76

Apple makes a habit of abandoning legacy users.

...and yes, I am still pissed at the decision to abandon the Apple IIgs before it even hit the shelves. I go back to an Apple ][e...

[danander11]

Originally Posted by getz76

Yes. You should be fine.

Note, the 2,1 version has a 32-bit EFI, so it will never run the 64-bit kernel of Mac OS X. Shouldn't be a big deal, as OS X has memory extensions that allow 32gB of memory addressing and run 64-bit applications, even with the 32-bit kernel. You will not be able to use 64-bit device drivers, but that is unlikely to be a problem.

Hmmmm.......... Not sure why this is bugging me, but it is. I guess because I would like to be able to use this thing for awhile and not have to worry about ugrading.. then again., if it works with PT9 and works weel, I wouldn't need to upgrade anything.

Thanks Getz! That link is a wonder!

[AxeDye]

what you have there is great for video or intense animation/program design. So yeah the audio recording performance is like the least of your worries there lol.

Mac's and PC's are just as stable. Hell I got PT8LE to run on a vista home premium 64 bit when it first came out. I think the UI looks nicer in OS X, i don't know why, even a plain but advanced program like Reaper looks ugly as hell on PC but pretty on Mac lol But that right there won't improve anything really. If you were comparing a workstation dual xeon pc to a mac I would say the workstation would kick the Mac to the curb but I have always thought Mac's are over priced. If you pay 3-4k for a workstation pc you are getting what you pay for, hell to build a decent server or workstation is about 2-3k. I built my first hackintosh for $1200 with a core 2 quad. The performance and upgrade options makes a iMac look worthless and it can hang with a 2006-2007 mac pro. However I am going with real mac's because laws to apply and I am sick of working on audio and having to deal with working on the hackintosh to keep it from a KP. That's only an issue on installing certain things or just updating the OS. I have never never had a KP but it's because i know how to protect my kexts and how to back track if an update kills my OS.

Anyways in the end there is a reason Apple over charges. there is a reason upgrading to snow leopard is $30 opposed to $200. Also I hate the Windows crap with Home, Pro, Ultimate, Enterprise 200-500 dollars. For that price you should get internet protection for at least 3-5 years.

Also a KP is something you can fix yourself either by downloading something off another computer or resorting to a back up. A Windows Blue Screen is far worse than a KP. Also unless you do heavy gaming you can do a lot on Windows 7 via Parallels on OS X.

[getz76]

Originally Posted by AxeDye

A Windows Blue Screen is far worse than a KP.

95% of the time it is due to a crappy video card that does not conform to available drivers. The other 5% of the time it is bad memory.

Buy quality components and use the right drivers and generally there are no blue screens. I had one blue screen in the past 10 years, and it was due to a bad memory module.

I like Windows 7 a lot, actually. It is likely where we will all end up as Apple starts to wall in the garden with OS X 10.7... if Steve Jobs has his way, my 8-core Mac Pro will be an iPad XXL.

[daeron80]

There's no such thing as trouble-free. At least not for very long at a stretch. Instabilities happen. The difference for me is one of mindset. When a system crash happens on my Windows machine, I'm immediately gripped by a fear in the pit of my stomach (born of years of experience) that I'm going to have to suddenly switch from music man to techie boy, google an error message, read geek speak on tech forums, comb through my Task Manager list and Services list, and go through multiple layers of tabs and buttons to straighten it out. When a crash happens on a Mac, I know I'm probably only going to have to hit the restart button and get a cookie. Which I need anyway. Even when the Windows crash doesn't turn out to be a show stopper, which it usually doesn't, I've lost my groove. When I get PT open again, I've got the wrong hat on. Maybe that's my own fault, IDK.

But I get plenty done on both platforms anyway. I must say, I'm delighted with PT9 on my Win7 system at home. Everything is working brilliantly so far. I'm in danger of Avidolatry.