Which Mac Tower is best for the TDM parts I have now?

[QuakerOffroad]

I’m Looking for the best Apple tower to run with the following TDM bits I have been collecting: PCIe cards ( HD Core, HD Accel, and Accel Core). Two Avid 96 I/O 8x8 units, Protools HD 9, and a stack of memory and two cards to expand it with (4GB 2RX4 and some 2GB 2RX4)

And a Presonus Digimax 8 channel pre with light pipe to use for drumming mics and running the mix for drums down one light pipe to the protools rig

I own a G5 PCIe model M9590 Dual core 2.0

https://everymac.com/systems/apple/p..._dual_2.0.html

Can I make this G5 work well? Do I need an expansion chassis for this Mac or should I use a newer Mac Tower and which ones work best with the old system I’m putting together.

Thanks!


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[tonwurm]

Get a 2009 4,1 or 2010 5,1 Mac Pro, should work well with your hardware components

[Darryl Ramm]

What are you trying to do?

Is the ability to monitor through TDM plugins really worth putting up with all this old gear? To put up with 32-bit memory limits? And not having all the other features of modern Pro Tools? Or better sounding converters in modern interfaces?

Why not just buy a CoreAudio interface and a modern Apple silicon Mac and a current version of Pro Tools Studio (not Ultimate)?

If you really want to do this start by throwing that Power Mac as far as you can.

If I had fallen and hit my head and was going to build this as a tracking rig I would get a later model Intel Cheesegrater as suggested above. Maybe upgrade the CPU(s). Get the latest boot ROM images in it, add SSD/NVMe boot drives in PCIe slot adapters (I cannot recall the PCIe slot configs, you have to check slot budgets). Might install a USB 3.x card if needed. Maybe update the GPU, install the last version of Pro Tools 10 HD on it (and running the latest version of macOS supported/easy to install, buy a used HD 10 license. Work out what TDM Intel plugins you can still purchase/obtain. Etc.

Or sell all that museumware on eBay and buy a nice little third party CoreAudio interface and a new Apple silicon Mac.

[Sardi]

Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm

If I had fallen and hit my head and was going to build this as a tracking rig...

HAHAHAHA!


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[QuakerOffroad]

I’m trying to set up a decent quality tracking system for 16 tracks or more to donate to a youth organization for musicians in our city.

I do think that having young people work through the challenges of using an older TDM system will only give them better skills if they can get their hands on a more modern tracking system.

It would be for tracking, live music, not sampling, and all other elements of music production.

I don’t have the fiscal resources to donate a modern system as is being described. I do think it’s reasonable to affordably put together 16 tracks of a TDM system. Please let me know if this is not correct.

Thanks!
Quaker Off-road


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[s.d. finley]

Originally Posted by QuakerOffroad

I’m Looking for the best Apple tower to run with the following TDM bits I have been collecting: PCIe cards ( HD Core, HD Accel, and Accel Core). Two Avid 96 I/O 8x8 units, Protools HD 9, and a stack of memory and two cards to expand it with (4GB 2RX4 and some 2GB 2RX4)

And a Presonus Digimax 8 channel pre with light pipe to use for drumming mics and running the mix for drums down one light pipe to the protools rig

I own a G5 PCIe model M9590 Dual core 2.0

https://everymac.com/systems/apple/p..._dual_2.0.html

Can I make this G5 work well? Do I need an expansion chassis for this Mac or should I use a newer Mac Tower and which ones work best with the old system I’m putting together.

Thanks!


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PT9 is not PPC compatible. You will not get that version of PT to work with your G5. Get a Mac Pro 4.1 or a 5.1, the proper Mac OS which I think is Snow Leopard and that should all work.

[JFreak]

Hi, welcome to the community.

Just that you know, low post count and tapatalk is a troublesome combination. Please only post once, the post goes to manual approval for now.

[QuakerOffroad]

s.d Finley Thanks! I was able pick up a better option off EBay. Next I should have the following Apple tower in hand to work with:

Apple Mac Pro A1289 Quad Core Xeon W3540 2.93GHz, 2 x 500GB HDD 32GB RAM

I believe this one meets the requirements you described.


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[QuakerOffroad]

I picked up a very reasonably priced Mac Pro 4,1 with 32 GB memory and two 500 gb drives.

I just tried to install the HD core card and the other two cards but the Available width is about 1/2 to 1 inch too narrow to install the 3 PCI-e style cards. I’ll start googling , but I am IMG_6937.jpg
assuming the slots in the Mac Pro 4,1 are not going to work with my HD PCI-e cards.

Thanks for any help.


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[QuakerOffroad]

I posted a question about why the PCIe Protools cards were so long and not fitting. I found the answer to that question and the unique way the 2209/2010 Mac Pro towers have their fans move to accommodate the very long Protools cards.


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