I'm not sure I understand the comment either. I updated from PT LE 8 to PT 11 and now 12 when a) it was time after 7+ years to upgrade my computer and b) my third party plug-ins were updated to AAX64. I have backup images so that if a hard drive goes out I can easily be back up and running with little fuss and, while I have copies of all my software downloads I also have the ability to download my software from my accounts if I want/need to. A little foresight, planning, budgeting and backup strategy will take you a long way.
Now back to the question at hand. I found this on a
gamer website, but it's also applicable to computers used for audio:
"
H81: As with H61 and other HX1 predecessors, H81 is most at home in "living room PCs" and use-focused HTPCs. You lose all advanced storage functionality, drop 2 of the SATA ports, drop to a single x16 PCI-e slot, lose 2xPCI-e 2.0 lanes, and lose one DIMM per channel (meaning you're restricted to 2 memory slots). There's no overclocking support and BIOS is effectively relegated to controlling your boot devices, seeing as there's not much else to do in there.
I've already stated this throughout the above text, but we can simplify things pretty heavily:
- If you enjoy playing with settings, tweaking, and getting your hands dirty in DIY-type modifications, then opt for Z87 and K-SKU CPUs.
- If you don't care for any of the above and simply want to play games and leave BIOS alone for the duration of the system's life, opt for H87.
- If you're building a function-limited HTPC or desktop machine, consider H81, but favor H87 for its higher build-quality."
While I salute Sam Ash for at least being concerned about their customers Windows computers as far as Pro Tools is concerned, I think it would be more appropriate to advise their staff to ask about the computer rather than saying they "can't confidently recommend Pro Tools 12 to any customer running it on Windows..." which is probably as far as the sales type is going to get in the memo. Talk about negative marketing.
Cheers,