PC Requirements for PT Ultimate

[timtech]

Are these requirements still OK (taken from AVID site)?

i.e for Ultimate you need Windows 10, Intel I9 and 32Gb RAM, 2TB disc space?

but is USB OK though to connect to an external sound module - or do you need Firewire? What are the recommended external audio modules for Ultimate?

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Windows:
Intel® PC Windows 10 Home, Pro, and Enterprise 64-bit Editions (please find version specific qualifications in the Windows OS Compatibility Grid below)
Windows 10 for Workstations supported on Intel® Xeon processor-equipped machines
Pro Tools - Intel® Core i5 processor
Pro Tools | Ultimate - Intel® Core i9 or Intel® Xeon processor
16GB RAM (32GB or more recommended)
Internet connection for installation
15GB disk space for installation
PCIe slot for HDX or HD Native card (incl. one power connection on motherboard)
USB-port, FireWire-port for ASIO-supported audio device
Compatible NVIDIA graphics card (see machine-specific Slot Order & Configuration pages linked below for tested NVIDIA card models)
Pro Tools | Ultimate requires a Pro Tools DigiLink I/O license to access HD hardware. For more information see this article

[Darryl Ramm]

FireWire is museumware, why would you be looking at that over USB 3 or Thunderbolt 3? Or PCIe card interfaces?

And USB-What? USB 3.x is very different than USB 2, and faster than FireWire. Thunderbolt faster again, and typically Thunderbolt interfaces will have some of the lowest latencies... is that important to you for tracking? And upcoming USB 4 may include Thunderbolt 3, you have to check, USB standards are a confusing mess.

What interface you purchase depends on your needs... and we have no clue there. Same with what spec computer you should really purchase... we have no clue what you are doing... how about describing that. Type of work, session size, number of tracks, how much VI work etc.

If you need more than 32 inputs or outputs with Pro Tools you have to use DigiLink interfaces... which needs Pro Tools ultimate and a DigiLink license and HD Native or HDX Card or HD Thunderbolt box.

What compute power you really need depends on what you are going to do. Avid tries to provide a starting point. Tracking a dozen tracks for your band vs. doing post sound on a movie (where Ultimate is a natural fit) require radically different resources. Most folks who need to purchase ultimate have enough experience to guesstimate a setup. Since you are asking basic questions do you need Ultimate? And want to be paying the extra annual tax for that? What Ultimate features do you need? How much experience Faldo you have running Pro Tools... doing what type of work what spec computer?

Are you doing video? Do you have suitable drive space for video? Are you working with VI samples? Do you have fast SSD drives (nobody should be using HDD for that nowadays) and space on them for sessions and samples (with PCIe SSD you can put sessions and samples on the boot drive, and may be better off doing that, unlike what the out of date Avid advice says)

There are no hard reasons you a-priori *need* a Xeon or i9 or i7 or i5 for any of this software, the choice is up to you depending on how much power you need and other needs/systems config stuff. It’s sure easy to configure an overpriced Xeon that is more expensive and slower than say an i7 system. AMD processors are also becoming hard to ignore if folks need a lot of more affordable CPU power.

[timtech]

Thanks for your reply. I have a small set up - I currently have an old Windows 7 computer which is several years old running PT 11 using an EMU 1616 and I am thinking of upgrading.

This is for a songwriter/composer (myself) - I don't need a lot of inputs - two would be fine (which I get with the EMU 1616). I don't record bands and I usually just record a vocal or a guitar along with tracks I record in PT using midi and plugins via a keyboard.

So maybe I don't need Ultimate.

[JFreak]

Compatibility info here. If you are not so knowledgeable, buying a Mac is easier as those do not have so many configurations.

[The Weed]

And since you seem to just starting out, or at least not very knowledgeable about computers and DAWs, and especially if you wish to stay with Windows, I would humbly suggest you look at Reaper. It has the functions of a major DAW, is inexpensive, updated regularly, and will run on almost any Windows computer (or Mac) regardless of hardware components. The same cannot be said about Pro Tools - and may never be said about it. Avid is DIVA spelled backwards.

I say this as a Pro Tools user since 2001, with my perpetual license paid up to 2022 and with no desire to stop using Pro Tools and making money with it.

[albee1952]

Another 2 cents; why are you looking at Pro Tools Ultimate over the standard version(not Pro Tools First, which I never recommend)? The standard version is way cheaper and probably does everything you need(unless you plan on mixing in surround) I also think Reaper and Studio One are both solid programs that seem less finicky on Windows(when it comes to hardware)

PC specs are a moving target. Intel i5 quad is the bare minimum. i7 is also fine and i9 represents the "latest and greatest"(speed matters more than how many cores). AMD has a few solid options as well, but compatibility is the most important thing, and it can be tough to figure that detail unless you are copying a known-working setup(the motherboard chipset can be a "make or break" detail. 32GB of RAM is most user's recommended minimum(mine too).

As for drive space, a few things need to be considered(regardless of DAW choice):
1-How many sample-based virtual instruments will you use? If a lot, then you probably should have a separate drive for sample libraries. 2TB seems like a good amount for the "average" user(but heavy sample users may need way more)
2-Do you need to be portable(on a laptop)? Laptop PC's are a much bigger crapshoot and a desktop gives the best performance per dollar. A laptop with a 2TB SSD would be fine for many(as long as its compatible) but I prefer a desktop. With a desktop, I would do a 500GB NVME drive for system, a 1-2TB SSD for samples and another 1-2TB SSD for sessions. Sure, you can stuff everything onto a single SSD, but that makes backups more complex, and "puts all your eggs in one basket"(which is not a great idea). You also need to pay attention to backups, no matter what setup or DAW you go with

[timtech]

It looks like i'll be better off with the PT standard edition - thanks for pointing that out. I do want to stick with PT though having used it since 2014.

I also want a desktop PC - not a laptop.

So how will I do the audio interface side of things - via a PCI card - connecting to - what, a Focusrite scarlett box?

[JFreak]

Focusrite Scarlett is USB interface. So if you are buying everything at once, pick your interface first and then take a look what else you need later.

[timtech]

So if I use a scarlett 2i2 - that is a USB 2.0. Are there any external sound modules that specifically use 3.0?

[JFreak]

Maybe you should do your own research, but if you are concerned about inteface connection and like Focusrite, why not take a look at Clarett which is ThunerBolt and much better (also more expensive but you get what you pay for).