Pro Tools (PC)

[Johnny Deil]

Hi Folks , looking for advice, want to start building my own recording set up.
I currently use macs in college but think they are too pricey, I have a friend who would be willing to build a pc for me but any help with which components etc i need would be appreciated .
I have had a look at the other threads but to be honest there are loads of different suggestions and i`m struggling to get my head round them all.
what i really want to know, is there a general consensus as to what i need to get started, I'm not looking for cheap option, just a less off a rip off option as it looks to me that macs are over priced.
Or should i just forget it and go for the easy way out and buy a mac ?

[musicman691]

What you need to get started depends on what you want to do now and in the near future with PT. That's why there are so many options that as you say make it difficult to wrap your head around it all. It's good that you have a friend that's willing to help build the machine but understand this: if you're doing that to save you from having to become a computer geek - that's not going to work. There's a lot of stuff to learn and it's not just PT but how to get the computer to do what you and PT want it to do.

You could always go Mac and you don't have to buy new; refurbs are a cool way to go and can save some bucks, if the refurb has the hardware needed to make PT run.

[albee1952]

Building a PC is a great way to go, but you MUST be careful There are some builds that will give you killer performance, but there are far more that will ruin your day. The safest bet is to copy a known-solid build by reading user's signatures(like mine below) or reading the first and last few pages of this thread:
http://duc.avid.com/showthread.php?t=238426
Here are some reasons that matter:
the motherboard chipset(X58, X79, Z99, etc) can make or break the system(poor choice of motherboard=fail)

firewire controller(if you plan on using a FW interface or external FW drives). TI(Texas Instruments) is the safest choice. VIA controllers are hit&miss at best

RAM, pay attention to what the motherboard is capable of. IOW, if its rated for Quad-channel RAM, then install 4(or 8) MATCHING sticks of RAM(chosen from the motherboard maker's approved list)

Power supply-don't skimp. 650 watts is the lowest I would go.

Hard drives-Samsung EVO and PRO are excellent SSD's for system. For recording, I would go WD Caviar BLACK(no other WD model belongs in an audio machine). Adding a 3rd drive for large sample libraries is a good idea(and will free up space on the system drive)

[Shan]

Originally Posted by Johnny Deil

I have a friend who would be willing to build a pc for me but any help with which components etc i need would be appreciated

Have your friend go through this. Stick with what works for Pro Tools. Optimize the system for the particular OS you'll be installing. I also recommend reading through this and bookmarking it.

Shane