Best Desktops for Pro Tools LE

[Allen Hallada]

Hi all!

I have a question, and I really need an answer. I have been offered to buy a desktop computer through my job, its a HP. It has an ATI RX480/SB400 (according to the specs, I hope that they have got it right) chipset on the motherboard and I wonder if anyone here has ANY idea if it will work with my M-box. The processor is a Athlon 64 4000+ and the deal is REALLY good but if it doesnt work I dont want it. The chipset is not listed as compatible by digidesign, but on the other hand its not listed as incomatible either..... I would be REALLY grateful for any oppinions...

That is the first ATI chipset I've seen so far. I would only go this route if you can return it for full price if it doesn't work.

Allen

[Ermag]

That is the first ATI chipset I've seen so far. I would only go this route if you can return it for full price if it doesn't work.

Allen

Thanks Allen for your answer. That was the reply that I expected but did'nt want..... It seems like I have to accept that I am in a real moment 22 situation. I have the oppertunity to buy any of these 3 machines;
1. Laptop pentium M 1,7ghz with the 855GM chipset.
2. Laptop pentium M 1,73ghz with the 915GM chipset.
3. The desktop mentioned above.

I can not test them before I buy them and I will not be able to return them if they don't work and I can not afford to buy another computer cash (these are through my job). And I have to descide at the beginning of next week......


If I go with any of those machines I will keep you posted. Otherwise I'll just keep running on my P4 2.0ghz and save up for an Athlon 64 laptop.....

[Jake001]

Hey All:

My friend in atlanta just sent me this link. He was wondering if it would work for PT. I have talked about the excellent luck that I have gotten from my eMachings M6805 but was unsure of how that compared with the desktops.

I have pointed him towards this thread but he isn't interested in building a DAW at the time.

If anyone has anyfeed back about this:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...CCODE=WEM874BB

It would be much appreciated.
Sincerely, Scott

[brent1395]

Bought this system: http://webinfinity.biz/pcSpecs.gif

Just plugged it in and booted it up for the first time.
THIS THING IS NOISY!!! Is it me? I'm used to my T30 laptop,
which I can barely hear right on top of it, but this thing
sounds like an AC unit is running. Is it the fans?

How can I possibly be in the same room with thing and a mic?!
My Neumann mic practically picks up my heartbeat!

Help! Ideas? Thoughts?

Thanks,

Eric

My PC was also way louder than I had expected when it arrived. Check www.silentpcreview.com. There you will find a lot of people who are obsessive compulsive about the noise coming from their computer. I'm not sure why people who aren't audio professionals would be so geeked out about the noise from their computer, but they are. I'm guessing most of the noise is probably coming from your video card. My video card was the loudest part of my PC, so installed the aerocool vm-101, which is a fanless heatsink that fits any videocard. It made a huge difference and seems to keep the card pretty cool. Nexus fans and powersupplies are probably the quietest. Getting a fan controller is probably the best idea, that way you can turn them down during a take, and then crank them up again to cool the system back down. Noisy hard drives are the hardest things to quiet down.

[Doogz]

Hey Allen

Tease me some more!

Cheers

Doogz

[jiagap]

Forgive my ignorance, I am looking at this thing, and wondering about firewire. To run PT 6.7 on 002R, with this system is this everything I need except a monitor and WindowsXP? And would there be any complications if I bought a third 80 gig hard drive or a larger one?

Thanks,
Richard


The new AMD processors have achieved over 100% better performance than Mac G4 and PIII systems and 50% better than Mac G5 and P4 systems. With rock solid stability, they easily push past the 32 track/160 effects limit. These are all top quality components proven to work with Digi001, MBox, 002, and 002R.



The Allenstein Machine


Aspire X-Dreamer II case with 350W PSU 54.00

Asus K8V SE Deluxe Motherboard-Retail 114.00

Athlon 64 3700+ 2.4Ghz , 1MB L2 315.00

Micron PC3200 512 MB DDR SDRAM CT6464Z40B x2 (1GB total) = 120.00

ATI Radeon 9600 256Mb DDR 8x Dual Video Card 86.00

Western Digital 80GB 7200RPM 8MB CACHE Hard Drives 58.00 x 2 = 116.00

Lite-On DVD/CDRW Dual Drive 59.00

Total = approx. $850.00 US

[drummerjock]

I have a quick question regarding the specs of the Allenstein Machine....

We did not do our homework before (shame on us) and purchased a Dell 4700 --- loaded with what we thought would be great technology for our 16 year old son to begin his entry into the recording world with MBox and ProTools 6.7. We learned the hard way the incompatibility issues with Intel Pentium 4 chipsets . Fortunately, Dell is taking back the computer and we searching for another option. Son is getting quite impatient, but Mom does not want to make the same mistake twice.

I have printed off the specs of the Allenstein. My question is......if we want a slightly less expensive machine (he is ONLY 16 and we are not sure that this interest will last), are there some specs on the machine that are set in stone, but perhaps others that be substituted for a less expensive choice? For example -- the machine specs for processor is Athlon 64 3700 --- would the 3200 be just as good for our purposes?

Mind you, I am not terribly computer "hardware" literate (although I have learned a lot over this past week with the ProTools scenario)....so any "plain english" advice you could give would be GREAT.

Thank you so very much!
Brian and Mom

[oudplayer]

I would think a 3200 would be more-than-fine. I've gotten great results from a 2500+ Barton when building a "previous incarnation" of the Allenstein machine - heck, I'm still working with that machine today!

[Ducky]

Have you considered a Mini MAC with MBox? They seem to be pretty good out of the box (with added ram) for the money. I know it's like learning Chinese for a PC guru, but dedicated audio hardware is often preferred anyway. Just a thought.

You can save on RAM by installing 512 Megs. If heavy Software Synths is in the works, then you might opt for the full meg. ProTools LE is CPU hungry, not memory hungry. Slower AMD CPU's also means less expensive ram. Video too is a open book. ProTools runs at lower screen bitrate (16 bit color instead of 24 or 32 bit) works just fine and sometimes improves performance. Dual screen options is always nice, but that means a dual head video card and another monitor. Some third party ProTools add-ons can choke on these also. Do you home-network with other systems through a router? If you do, you may just use a burner on one PC and have a simple reader on this one (not to much saved though). Do you really need the super cool fishtank-neonbluelight case too? I doubt it

Just have the right amount of ram that matches the CPU and do not vary on the allenstien motherboard (the SE DLX). A simple video card, CD rom reader, 2 hard drives (the OS drive can be smaller than the audio drive, 40 & 60Gig hard drives are almost being given away), and a basic case that fits the motherboard. Screwdriver in hand and your ready to assemble. Be sure to follow the CPU heatsink mounting instructions exactly!

[Ducky]

Anyone want to start a 'el~cheap~oh' Allenstein Thread?

The cheapest PC to run ProTools LE would make for a good contest.
The configuration must pass DaveC 24+0 as~built/loaded default.
Must qualify with MBox and OO2(R)

Believe it or not, my Digi Qualified MusicXPC 2.8/512 can't hit 24+0 w/PTLE6.4.

And before you start! This PC is dedicated and 100% virgin clean. Tweaks did nothing!