How much RAM do I need for Pro Tools?
This huge guide will teach you everything you need to know about running Pro Tools on a computer.
A computer that was considered top of the line a few years ago is going to be left in the dust by anything that comes out this year.
If you want to build your own, you can either choose every component individually or buy a prebuilt one.
If you don't know how to build a computer from scratch, you should buy an off the shelf option since it will work as soon as you get it out of the box.
The graphics card is already installed in off the shelf options.The price of graphics cards has gone up and it's not uncommon to pay double the price for a good card today.
You can use your money elsewhere in your studio if you stick to prebuilt computers.
It's best to start with what the manufacturer recommends.
The minimum requirements are for Pro Tools.As the software gets faster and more resource intensive, those requirements are likely to go higher and higher.
We recommend looking at an Intel i7 processor or more.These small upgrades will help future proof your computer a little bit and will only add 10% to the cost of the computer which we think is a good value.
All those plug-ins, real time automation, and everything that happens inside of Pro Tools depend on the processor, so if you ever wondered why adding endless numbers of reverb plug ins freeze up your session, you should read this twice.
Some plug-ins consume little resources while others consume a lot.
You will definitely need an i5 processor if you start to work with large sessions.Having an i7 will provide a noticeable benefit if you work on larger sessions.An i7 is slightly more expensive than an i5 processor, so we strongly recommend you spend the extra money on a more powerful processor.
Hyper threading, smart cache memory, and other smart technologies can be found in the processor.Don't spend a lot of time trying to understand what each feature means, just know that they will make your computer faster and more pleasurable to use.
You can learn more about the processors that are out there and which ones work best with Pro Tools by reading this article.
This isn't usually true with computer parts.You can't add more graphics cards.You should buy as much RAM as you can fit in your budget.
A library is the best analogy.If you want to find an individual book, you have to walk all the way to the back shelf.
The front desk has a shelf that shows the featured books.You can quickly switch between any of the books they have there.
The processor can go back quickly to the RAM and grab the data instead of waiting for the hard drive to return the information.
The more you have, the more RAM you need to keep your computer from slowing down.
If you want to see a huge performance increase, you should get at least 12 or 16 gigabytes of RAM since it will only cost about $25 more.
The connection options are where desktop computers have the biggest advantage over laptops.
Laptops are designed to be small so manufacturers have to make trade offs like limiting the number of ports.
The motherboards on the market have a wide range of options for what ports they offer.
Most desktop builds on the market have at least 8 ports, usually a combination of HDMI and Displayport, and mic and line out ports.
If you have specific needs for your studio like firewire or eSATA, make sure you find a board that has those ports.If you want to future proof your desktop by adding more RAM or a faster processor, you should choose a board with options that will meet your needs in the future.
Don't buy a computer with only 4 ports if you have more than one device.If you don't plan ahead and build that extra capability into your machine from the start, you'll find yourself restricted later on.
Until the last few years, computers came with hard disk drives.The discs were very slow.
There was a huge speed increase when solid state hard drives came along.If HDDs were like the books on a library shelf from the analogy we used earlier, then SSDs would be like having a Librarian running back and forth to retrieve information.
It's a better idea to choose a solid state drive over a spinning disc hard drive if you want a smaller amount of storage.
You should only buy as much as you need.You can keep your operating system, Pro Tools software, and any other programs on this main SSD.
You can use a secondary HDD to store all your files.This allows you to get all of the performance gains of a SSD without paying the high price tag for storage.If you want to save money and maximize the value of your studio setup, use a HDD to store files.
This article has a list of the best storage options on the market today.
Now that you know what to look for in each of the components, here are the top 3 pics for best desktop PCs to run Pro Tools.
The iMac does not fall short in any of the categories that Apple is known for, and that's a good thing.
You can choose between a 2.3 GHz and 3.8 GHz processor.You can find the fastest processor that fits your budget.
Another cool feature of the iMac computer is that you can order it with a fusion drive.
The computer stores the most used files and information in the non-volatile flash memory and uses the rest of the hard disk to store everything else.You get the best of both worlds - storage space and fast.
The iMac comes with a variety of standard port options.There are a lot of different iMac models that you can choose from.
The computer has a 'gamer' tag on it.It makes a lot of sense to use the power of the computers to run Pro Tools.
If you're looking for a Windows based computer that can run Pro Tools, this is one of the best options because of its powerful processor and graphics card.
This computer comes with an Intel i7-8700 3.2 GHz processor, 16GB ofDDR4 ram, a 1 terabytes hard drive, and Windows 10 home on a 120 gigabyte solid state drive for faster boot times.
It has a much beefier graphics card than most iMacs.It's a great card for playing video games but it will also handle a lot of the workload when running Pro Tools that would normally be sent to the processor in other computers.
In the last few years, computers have gotten faster but they've also started including touch capabilities in certain models.
You won't be able to fully appreciate it until you try it, because it's so convenient to switch between using a keyboard and mouse and touching the screen.
The Intel i5-8250U processor is 3.4 GHz and has a touch screen on it.
The newer version of the computer's memory is faster than the older version, and it has 12GB of it.
The hard drive is slower than normal.One of the biggest disadvantages of this computer is that most HDDs run at 7200rpm.
You'll have to decide if the trade offs are worth the cost savings if you're buying a model with better hard drive options.
Buying the best computer to run Pro Tools is a big decision and you should spend a lot of time researching.
What are you going to use your paper for, film scoring or making pop songs with five instrument tracks?How many hours a day?Do you work with Pro tool as a hobby or do you want to become a pro?If you fall into one of the following categories, remember that technology quickly becomes outdated so buy something that you can use for at least a few years before it loses its value and try as much as possible to plan ahead to help future proof your investment.
Thanks for that.Is it possible to recommend some Windows laptops?I don't know which ones will work.Thanks.
These high quality shufflers are meant for professional use.
I would like to know which components to buy.I don't know which parts are the fastest as of today, I'm trying to build a really fast gaming PC.
I've seen this computer on Amazon, but it's not the same as the one on the avid website.I would like to purchase a HDX card.Thank you.
I9 will work well.It is a solid upgrade for multitasking.
The minimum requirement on the website is 16gb.Not sure how much would be enough.Pro-Tools-12-System-Requirements can be found at theavid.force.com.