Luck is with me - DAW computer

[Motterpaul]

I have a Windows 7 DAW computer that was state of the art when I got it (retail cost was about $1700 but I found it on eBay from another musician who for some reason bought it and decided it didn't work for him - so I paid about $700). It shipped in a box that broke open.

I have an interface I love - Digi003 Console, and I use Protools 10, which is the first PT 64-bit system, and also the last OS where Avid made a driver for this Digi003. Protools 10 does not require a subscription. So - I have the best of all world as far as cost-free ProTools goes.

BUT - my DAW computer died a few days ago - wouldn't even start. No screen. I finally figured out it was the BIOS so I downloaded that last version for the ASUS Sabertooth X69, and fortunately, they included a USB port just for the purpose of re-writing the BIOS. Wiped my BIOS and uploaded this system. I had to do like three times, but dang, soon I had the BIOS screen, then windows safe mode, and by the end of the day I had full-blown windows again.

Lost no files, and it is working better than ever.

 

[wildschwein]

That’s a win!

 

[Captngeetch]

Sounds like it’s time to make a backup of that drive. And check the battery on the board. Nice save BtW

 

[Motterpaul]

Yeah - I really need to start doing full backups - the kind where you can restore everything you have. That used to be a constant topic over at the DUC forums.

 

[Tone_Terrific]

Yeah - I really need to start doing full backups - the kind where you can restore everything you have. That used to be a constant topic over at the DUC forums.

Don't we all..don't we all

 

[Mister Natural]

HappyOldComputerDay !

 

[Motterpaul]

Yeah, I should have mentioned this is about 15 years old - started with PT.LE 6, but it still does everything I need it to do. I never run out of tracks or resources. Designing and running the perfect windows computer for ProTools is something of an art form.

 

[1N4007]

Yeah, I should have mentioned this is about 15 years old - started with PT.LE 6, but it still does everything I need it to do. I never run out of tracks or resources. Designing and running the perfect windows computer for ProTools is something of an art form.

ProTools memory recommendations (as opposed to minimum requirements) is where most people miss it, in my experience. And in many cases the motherboard spec re. max supported memory is the limiting factor. Therefore old systems may not be appropriate PT platforms. Each mfr/make will be different. Check online for mfr support documents for more detail.

 

[Motterpaul]

It is funny you would say that because one of my RAMs is 8GB but it is only showing 4GB. The BIOS shows it as having something wrong with it, and I don't recall ever seeing that in the bios before. I don't think it is a motherboard limitation but I will check.

Yeah, I just checked, it will take up to 64 GB. It is acting just fine with the 12 GB I have. I do have an i7 chip, one of the top of the line back when I bought it.

I have built two ProTools computers - Hardware compatibility for PT used to be a huge topic on the DUC. I specked out the perfect computer at NewEgg before I bought this one, and my BOM was over $1700. That was when I saw this computer on eBay. It had almost the exact specs I had picked, so I contacted the seller and he had built it for ProTools. I don't know why he didn't want it, he said something about the case.

 

[Captngeetch]

With PC motherboards, some require modules be in pairs ONLY. So if your other module is a 4gb, that might be why. Also some memory is two sided and when in certain slots on the board (depending on the MB of course) it will only read one side. I was a HUGE PC fan and built every computer I owned myself. I was anti-Mac for decades lol. Now, I swear by Macs. I have a Windows box I built for my father that I inherited. I8 Ryzen AMD w/16gb RAM running W10 Pro but my older Mac Pro Dual CPU w/48gb of RAM outperforms it with PT by leaps and bounds. I run Parallels on it so I can enable BT 4.0 oddly enough.

 

[Motterpaul]

"I run Parallels on it so I can enable BT 4.0 oddly enough."

I don't know what that means.

I know about the memory DRAM matching, it should be 16 GB. I see the manual prefers I put the second one in a different slot so I will try that. There is also a memory test function I can try to see if it fixes the problem.

I also know PT will run better on a MAC, it was built for MAC from the start. I guess I just like having a PT system that isn't draining my wallet. And I actually don't do anything where it seems slow to me, it does everything I ask it to do. I think there was one time when I had maybe four Melodyne plugs running at the same time where it got uppity.

I used to be a little anti-apple, but I would take a MAC if someone gave it to me (don't like the phones or iTunes). The truth is that I don't know the OS so I would be slow at first. If you are a computer builder and you understand the MAC OS then that's cool. It seems like a few Apple owners have them because they don't want to have to learn how they work.

 

[Captngeetch]

My older Mac only supports BlueTooth 2.0. Parallels is a program that allows Windows to run inside a Mac. So I use Windows to enable BlueTooth 4.0 so I can switch back to Mac Os and use BT4 devices