Need suggestions for $800 Best Buy Computer for Pro Tools 12

SteveAlton

Member
Hi All,

Long time member of Home Recording, just not this particular Forum. Gonna be around here a lot now....

Zero DAW experience...Pro Tools 12 on the way & will be delivered in 3 days. Moving up from a TASCAM DP24. PROS: I get really good recordings and it flows. CONS: Limited volume on finished tracks. Editing is hard on a 5" screen. Cannot really work with other writers & performers on tunes.

At first I was just going to use a DAW to edit only, but am going to transition fully here over the next few months. I'm sure my learning curve will be extensive.

Musical Styles: Country/Pop/Contemporary Christian....

My process is I sequence initial rhythm tracks on Korg PA 4X....Add acoustic Guitar, VOX, & BGV'. Maybe add strings, ear candy and I am ready to mix....

I just got $800 credit for the Computer for Best Buy....Leaning toward a tower and a PC. No MAC experience, but not closed-minded as my learning curve is gonna be there anyway. I will pay $300 cash for a huge Monitor since I have trouble seeing on even 17" screens. I need it at least 27"....So we have $800 for the Computer.

Gear I have currently or is on the way with order:

1. Pro Tools 12
2. Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 USB Audio Interface
3. M Audio M38 8 Inch Three Way Powered Studio Monitors
4. Audio-Technica ATH-M70x Professional Headphones
5. AUDIO TECHNICA AT4040 Condenser Microphone
6. Blue Encore 200 Dynamic Microphone
7. Korg PA 4X 76 Keys
8. Korg Triton Extreme 61 Keys
9. Breedlove American AM-CE25 Acoustic Electric Guitar
10. Fishman LoudboxPerformer Acoustic Guitar Amplifier 3 Way 180 Watts
11. TASCAM DP 24 Digital Recorder (cannot be used as an interface)

So........$800 for a PC tower or Mac Mini? But I noticed the Mac mini is 5400 RPM..........All I really know is I need between 8-12 GB Hard Drive space & 7200 Rpm

Lap top I think would be too small, and mobility is not what I'm looking for.

Once again since I have $800 Best Buy credit that is the source and budget....


You guys know some of the issues a computer mis-step can have on anyone, so I'd like to hear some thoughts.
 
Last edited:
Hey man,
I don't really know dollars or best buy but regarding the learning curve...

Protools will be pretty much the same on mac or windows.
If everything is working well you should barely be able to tell the difference.

In fairness, your bang for buck probably lies with a windows box for that money but I thought I'd let you know. :)
 
I run PT 10 and 12 on the same Dell Inspiron 560 I've had for 6 or 7 years. It's a dual core and I upgraded to 8GB ram. Windows 7 still on it. It handles many tracks fine, with waves plugins and others.

Avid says that Windows 10 isn't supported yet for PT. But if you can still find a Win 8.1, go for it. It's compatible with PT. Others have upgraded to Win 10 and said there's no issues, but it's not officially supported yet. You may be fine though.
 
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