Processing Power

[tsungchot]

Just need a clear answer about HD Native.
I know LE uses CPU as Processing Power.
My computer crashes alot when i mix. (I record from studio and just bring sessions over to my computer which has Pro Tools 8 LE)

Now... since it crashes alot I want to upgrade to Pro Tools 10 HD with HD Native.
But my question is that... HD Native PCIe Card is actual Processing Power card? or is it still same as LE? like CPU Processing Power.

should i upgrade to ProTools 10 HD with HD Native PCIe Card from ProTools 8 LE Firewire for Better Mixing? is that could fix freezing problem?
Thank You Very Much.

I need perfect answer for this because if it's same thing as far as for mixing... i don't need to. but if its not then i will upgrade my system.

[albee1952]

This is not going to help much. HD/Native still relies on the computer for the vast majority of power(the HD/Native card only handles minor mixing and IO routing). You really should post a Sandra report(click the Help us Help You link near the top of this, and every DUC page). Your computer may just not be up to the task, or maybe you have some hardware issue that is holding the system back. Since we know nothing of your skill/experience level, no offense is intended here, but have you set the Playback buffer to 1024? That can make a huge improvement with a marginal computer(and since you are mixing, the IO latency won't matter).

[tsungchot]

Hi albee1952.
Thank You Very Much for your reply.
I recently built my computer.

Windows 7 Ultimate 64 Bits
Intel i7 3770k Ivy Bridge.
Gigabyte Z77-DS3H Rev.1.1
DDR3 16GB Ram (2x 8GB) 1600
Mbox 2 Pro - Firewire (which PCIe Firewire port Installed seperately since mobo didn't have one)
Pro Tools 8.0.5 LE
On Board Video
SATA III (6gb with SATAIII 6gb cable) Samsung SSD 840 250GB (where Windows 7 Ultimate Installed) - NTFS
SATA II (3gb with SATAII 3gb cable)Seagate HDD 500GB (where I store & load Sessions) - NTFS
Playback Buffer 1024 (which i already tried)
Its not like its freezes in certain point. it freezes randomly. (altho...theres one point where it freezes. its when i close session (not closing protools) and open different session but i usually close protools and run protools again and open different sessions or restart (this doesn't really bother me much tho)
I use Many Plug-Ins (mostly i do hiphop)
hope this is enough information.

and... you said HD Native card only handles minor mixing and IO routing....
can u be more specific about what you meant by "minor mixing"?

again albee1952 thank you for any help. really... thank you.

[albee1952]

We really need the full Sandra report. Z77 and Ivybridge are not nearly as "solid" as the original socket 1366 i7/x58 motherboard, and the latest socket 2011 i7/x79 motherboard. My own socket 1155 build was a complete bust for Pro Tools(but its a nice office machine). Sorry if my "minor mixing" comment is confusing, but HD/Native simply does not have processing power that will solve your issues. Maybe if you describe your typical session, that would help(how many tracks, what plugins, and how many plugins....). Especially if you use certain plugins that use a lot of power, such as AutoTune, Melodyne or amp simulations.

[Darryl Ramm]

And crashes a lot with exactly what error(s)...

And what standard Pro Tools systems optimizations have you applied to this computer?

[joesackic]

---> "On Board Video" <----

This is almost always a problem! Pro tools hates on board video. I don't know if this is your main problem since this report on your computer is largely incomplete. I would however ask a friend to borrow a video card and try it out and see if it helps.

If not you may need to buy one. Check the list of qualified video cards Avid has tested. You can select one of those. Another way is to look at all of the approved Mac Books that have shipped recently and see what cards they are shipping with. (Not 100% sure they will all work but its better then taking a shot in the dark).

From my own personal experience I know these ones play nice:

Nvidia Geforce: 210, 220, 510, 520. <-- all cheap!
Amd Radeon: 5850, 5870. <-- (ships with some current MacPro's)

Your system is almost identical to mine, except I'm using a different interface, a Asus Sabertooth Motherboard and I have a Radeon 5850 graphics card. No problems with Pro tools on my end.