Upgrade Mac Mini for my PT 10 setup?

[Trainwreckmusic]

I am currently running PT 10.3.2 on 2009 mac mini 3.1
2.53GHz Intel core 2 duo 4 GB 1067MHz DDR3
OS X 10.6.8(Snow leopard)


I was recently gifted a Mid year 2010 Mac mini 4.1
2.40GHz Intel core 2 duo 4 GB 1333 MHz DDR3
OS X 10.10.3 Yosemite

The 2010 is very easy to upgrade the ram to 16 gigs.
To upgrade to 16 gigs will run about $150.
What kind of performance improvements should i expect and should I go for 8 or 16 gigs?

I also understand that Yosemite will not work with PT 10 so I will need to install an earlier version of the OS.

Is this worth doing or a wast of time & money?
Thanks

TWM

[Craig F]

depends on what kind of work you do

[Trainwreckmusic]

WE are recording our live shows 16 tacks at a time via a 003R & ADAT and Mix and edit on 003 console at home.
Does that help?
Thanks
TWM

[Obsidian Dragon]

I would try loading Mountain Lion and Protools 10.x and try it out first (before buying RAM) as that won't cost you any money (just time). The Core 2 Duo is the bottle neck but it will run PT10. PT10 is still 32 bit so it only addresses up to 4 GB of RAM anyways. You need to record to a separate drive than your system drive (7200 RPM or get a SSD).

[musicman691]

Originally Posted by Obsidian Dragon

I would try loading Mountain Lion and Protools 10.x and try it out first (before buying RAM) as that won't cost you any money (just time). The Core 2 Duo is the bottle neck but it will run PT10. PT10 is still 32 bit so it only addresses up to 4 GB of RAM anyways. You need to record to a separate drive than your system drive (7200 RPM or get a SSD).

Pay attention to the latter as the default drive in this Mini is 5400 rpm. I know because I have one that's my internet and Photoshop machine. Could do with a speed boost in that department. Should be possible to swap out both the system drive and the optical SuperDrive for a pair of ssd's but be aware that these little machines tend to run hot to begin with and the internal fan at full throttle is on the loud side.

[Craig F]

Originally Posted by Trainwreckmusic

WE are recording our live shows 16 tacks at a time via a 003R & ADAT and Mix and edit on 003 console at home.
Does that help?
Thanks
TWM

for tracking you should be OK
straight miking of the live tracks should also be OK
you do need an external hard drive to record to, Firewire interface w/ a 7200 RPM drive (preferably WD Black) or a good SSD (think Samsung) in the case

[Trainwreckmusic]

Originally Posted by Obsidian Dragon

I would try loading Mountain Lion and Protools 10.x and try it out first (before buying RAM) as that won't cost you any money (just time). The Core 2 Duo is the bottle neck but it will run PT10. PT10 is still 32 bit so it only addresses up to 4 GB of RAM anyways. You need to record to a separate drive than your system drive (7200 RPM or get a SSD).

Thanks for the replies.
We are recording to 7200 RPM Glyph Hard drives.
So 4 gig ram is the limit Pt10 can use?
If so then it seems there is no benifit in upgrading RAM at least as far as protools.
I guess I would be better off saving my money to buy a faster computer in the future.
Especially If I plan to upgrade to PT12
It seems these Duo core minis are about as obsolete as my 003’s.

[Obsidian Dragon]

Originally Posted by Trainwreckmusic

Thanks for the replies.
We are recording to 7200 RPM Glyph Hard drives.
So 4 gig ram is the limit Pt10 can use?
If so then it seems there is no benifit in upgrading RAM at least as far as protools.
I guess I would be better off saving my money to buy a faster computer in the future.
Especially If I plan to upgrade to PT12
It seems these Duo core minis are about as obsolete as my 003’s.

There are some ways to make use of additional RAM for plugins but not for the core Protools application. You are correct to assume it makes the most sense to save your money for a more up-to-date computer, processor wise. Protools has always been demanding on computer resources so don't skimp there. A good quad core i7 makes Protools hum nicely.

[musicman691]

Originally Posted by Trainwreckmusic

Thanks for the replies.
We are recording to 7200 RPM Glyph Hard drives.
So 4 gig ram is the limit Pt10 can use?
If so then it seems there is no benifit in upgrading RAM at least as far as protools.
I guess I would be better off saving my money to buy a faster computer in the future.
Especially If I plan to upgrade to PT12
It seems these Duo core minis are about as obsolete as my 003’s.

If you plan on running any vi's that have a memory server like Kontakt or Play 4 engine libraries expanding above 4 gig would be a good thing.

[Trainwreckmusic]

Thanks for all the replies.
@ OD I dont use VI at all.

The 2010 mini running Yosemite was a gift from sister ( She bought her mini after she saw how much I liked my 2009 3.1 mini)
She just bought a new macbook so passed this mini on to me.

Unfortunately she no longer has the original OSx software that came with it. I tried using the OSX install DVD that came with my mini but it will not allow me to install it.

Looks like going from Yosemite back snow leopard is a PIA.
Any suggestions?
I would love to be able to run PT 10 on the gifted mini.

Thanks