My DAW PC hates me though I shower it with nothing but love..time to switch to a Mac?

[THE INTRANCER]

OT- from this thread but ..if you live in the UK, you'll find lots of tiger slapping, (whatever that means) on ITV4 at 9pm tonight with Rocky III, 'Eye of the Tiger theme tune and all that". That's exactly an hour away from this post.

[Hink]

Just saying, I can't be the only one. I'm sure Mac folks have troubles as well. It seems to be less on their side though. What CAN I do to get a good working setup? That's all I'm interested in. If it's a PC from a known vendor, great. If it's getting rid of some plugins, sure. WHAT IS THE MAGIC SPELL? sigh..

One less than magic spell on Windows is to always completely shut the machine down every time you use it.

I do this just because I'm a cheap bastard

[chk071]

Well, without insight of what exactly is happening on the OP's computer, it'll be very difficult to call the "magic spell"... something's wrong for sure though. And it's unlikely to be the OS.

I know what i'd do. Complete harddrive sweep, and start new. Always a good decision. Ranges from quite a bit, to a whole lot of work, though.

[Sascha Franck]

it took like 6 pages to find out how old his computer is. It's 6, maybe 7 years old.

There's zero reasons for 6-7 year old computers to not work flawlessly. Slower than a brandnew machine? Sure. But still flawlessly in case the original built was fine.
You may not be able to install all the latest updates on that older machine and especially things such as surfing the web and/or watching high definition videos (especially as streams) might become a no-go one day, but others than that computers can very well work for a decade - or even more, if you take a bit care of them.
I'm typing this on a 2008 Macbook. Which, btw, runs Logic 9 pretty much like a champ, too (for LPX I got the Mac Pro already mentioned - which again is 6 years old already and almost a smoking machine, even given todays standards).
The Windows machines I used in the past lasted almost as long, at least the two main desktop DAWs.

Thing is, you need to be careful with what you update and what you're doing on older machines. Pretty much everybody is trying to force you into buying new computers (or related devices such as smartphones and tablets) as often as possible.
Watching YT on this old Macbook has become almost impossible. Doesn't work at all with Safari since a long time already, is a pain with Firefox, so I'm using an older version of Chrome for that. I can't update any of these browsers to their actual versions as Apple won't allow me to update my OS (artificial limitation). It's not as bad on Windows as you can basically install anything on older machines as well, but not only do browsers, YT and what not require up to date OSes but they've also gotten more and more resource hungry. The same is true for sequencers. Even if you don't use whatever new functions and plugins, expect an almost empty Cubase project to consume around 1000x more horsepower than an empty project in V1.0 (and possibly even more).

[acYm]

why do you have 20GB of memory? multiples of 2 only

do you have a good system idle? you can easily hunt for problematic drivers or services with Process Explorer's system information view. while you're idling, nothing should happen in any tab, ever

now, about the intel z68 platform, that was just a truly godawful chipset. I was stuck on it for a long time as well and I couldn't be happier to be rid of it. many models of motherboard were trash, with buggy early third party usb3. it's quite possible that it's giving you issues, especially with something like the latest cubase. even moving to a z77 mobo and keeping the cpu would perhaps help.. or maybe it was just my bad luck. the cpu itself was pretty good.

windows shouldn't have odd behavior like that when so few things are installed, so something is fishy. there's a problematic element somewhere.

do you have means of backup and imaging? it's crucial to image a windows install when everything is working fine.

[fmr]

I have a Z68 MoBo and it is working flawlessly. I have a dual boot system with Windows 7 and Windows 10. Windows 10 doesn't like dual boots, apparently, and I had to reinstall it two times already. But Windows 7 has been working OK for many years already. All the quirks I occasionally experienced have been solved, with no need to reinstall or whatever.

Now, I am experiencing the need to change my graphics card (but that's not because of the music software)

[jdoo]

PCs / Macs. Interesting, the continued battle. I am retired from the world’s largest semiconductor chip maker (20 years). The same chips that drive PCs… are in *gasp* the Mac. Some of the differences,have been the open ecosystem of the PC versus the closed/controlled ecosystem of Apple. There are (cost) benefits to the PC and integration/performance benefits to Apple. I converted my my families PCs to Macs about 12 years ago and haven’t looked back. As the “IT” guy for a large family, it has been just a ton easier to support my wife, kids, and eventually grandkids.. in the Apple ecosystem. PCs and Windows OS’ have come a long way though.

From a music perspective, I only have a little more than 8 years of using Mac-based software - Logic Pro, MainStage.. They have been solid for me, as I am sure software for the PC side is solid for folks with several years of using them. One thing that puts Apple music ahead of the competition, that isn’t mentioned enough is the software they practically give away. Logic Pro is a professional grade DAW, which at $199, is basically giving away the product. https://www.apple.com/logic-pro/specs/ Logic continues to be used along side other DAWs, in professional studios. The software instruments alone (23) including Alchemy, are worth far more than the price. Don’t want to drop $200 for the full Logic Pro DAW? MainStage includes the same plug-ins, instruments for a whopping $30. Crazy power there… for folks with a Mac. $30 for all of Logic’s instruments and plug-ins.

Are Macs more reliable than PCs? Hardly. It comes down to which manufacturer and internals you pick up. Are Macs more expensive? Maybe.. but if you start counting the price to configure, maintain, add music software, etc.. they start looking a lot more similar.

Oh.. and powering down? I rarely power down our iMacs. I have a MacBook Pro which I power off, as it is stored regularly. My wife’s MacBook Pro.. sits on the kitchen counter.. and hasn’t been powered off in months.

JDoo. Still in the Mac camp, but a use a PC for side work/consulting.

[dellboy]

PCs / Macs. Interesting, the continued battle. I am retired from the world’s largest semiconductor chip maker (20 years). The same chips that drive PCs… are in *gasp* the Mac. Some of the differences,have been the open ecosystem of the PC versus the closed/controlled ecosystem of Apple. There are (cost) benefits to the PC and integration/performance benefits to Apple. I converted my my families PCs to Macs about 12 years ago and haven’t looked back. As the “IT” guy for a large family, it has been just a ton easier to support my wife, kids, and eventually grandkids.. in the Apple ecosystem. PCs and Windows OS’ have come a long way though.

From a music perspective, I only have a little more than 8 years of using Mac-based software - Logic Pro, MainStage.. They have been solid for me, as I am sure software for the PC side is solid for folks with several years of using them. One thing that puts Apple music ahead of the competition, that isn’t mentioned enough is the software they practically give away. Logic Pro is a professional grade DAW, which at $199, is basically giving away the product. https://www.apple.com/logic-pro/specs/ Logic continues to be used along side other DAWs, in professional studios. The software instruments alone (23) including Alchemy, are worth far more than the price. Don’t want to drop $200 for the full Logic Pro DAW? MainStage includes the same plug-ins, instruments for a whopping $30. Crazy power there… for folks with a Mac. $30 for all of Logic’s instruments and plug-ins.

Are Macs more reliable than PCs? Hardly. It comes down to which manufacturer and internals you pick up. Are Macs more expensive? Maybe.. but if you start counting the price to configure, maintain, add music software, etc.. they start looking a lot more similar.

Oh.. and powering down? I rarely power down our iMacs. I have a MacBook Pro which I power off, as it is stored regularly. My wife’s MacBook Pro.. sits on the kitchen counter.. and hasn’t been powered off in months.

JDoo. Still in the Mac camp, but a use a PC for side work/consulting.

Just as a quick exercise I visited the UK Apple store and picked an i-Mac with 21 inch display, 8 GB ram, 1 TB hardrive and an intel i5 processor. I also opted for Logic Pro X at an extra £199. Total cost = £1248.99.

Could I buy a better configured PC from the local big box seller PC World for less ?

HP 22-c0021na 21.5" Intel® Core™ i5+ All-in-One PC - 2 TB HDD,8 GB ram,White =£679,this has a better 2 TB hardrive. But this is without additional software.

I noticed that the Apple i-MAC hardrive is only 5400 rpm,so not the best for DAW use.The HP hardrive is 7200 RPM,and twice the size,which is much better for DAW use.

Apple i-MAC = £1248.99

HP all in one PC = £679

Difference = £569.99

So is Logic Pro worth the extra cost ?

*EDIT*

I have just noticed that the same i-MAC is on sale at PC World for £1,049 with a discount code that brings it down to £949. There is also a further possible discount of £200 for a trade in for a working laptop. So this brings it down to a possible £749 without Logic Pro x included.

[fmr]

*EDIT*

I have just noticed that the same i-MAC is on sale at PC World for £1,049 with a discount code that brings it down to £949. There is also a further possible discount of £200 for a trade in for a working laptop. So this brings it down to a possible £749 without Logic Pro x included.

Which means Apple is ripping off its customers, and could very well be selling the £1248.99 by almost half the price.

[Coxy]

*EDIT*

I have just noticed that the same i-MAC is on sale at PC World for £1,049 with a discount code that brings it down to £949. There is also a further possible discount of £200 for a trade in for a working laptop. So this brings it down to a possible £749 without Logic Pro x included.

Which means Apple is ripping off its customers, and could very well be selling the £1248.99

Yeah like Audi, Mercedes, BMW, Lexus rip off their customers too. Cause the end of the day it's just a 2.0 petrol car with 4 seats and a steering wheel right...?

[zerocrossing]

I think a lot of Mac vs. PC arguments are based on the pre-intel Apple days. The reason to buy Apple hardware now is that they’re easier to maintain (usually) and have a good ecosystem of products. We’ve got an iMac, MacBook, MacBook Pro, Mac Mini, iPhone X (2), iPhone 3 (used by daughter as iPod) Watch (2) iPad, iPad Pro and an Apple TV. (the old laptops are mostly retired due to the iPads.

They all work great, and more importantly, work great together. That said, other than my illustration and graphics work, my music production is done on a Dell XPS. I’ve hear a lot about Apple releasing OS updates that break software and if the software never gets an update, you’re s.o.o.l. Not sure if that’s a big problem, but I do remember having to wait a long time to update my computer when Apple went from Motorola to Intel because Native Instruments was dragging their feet. Also, when I started using a laptop for live shows, I needed a plugin called Mobius, and that was PC only. So, I went that route. Now it’s available on Mac as well, so maybe if I were startout out today, I’d go that route. The problem is, I’d want a Mac Pro desktop, and they’re too damn much. Not sure if I would deal with a Hackintosh setup. Mostly, my Windows 10 system works great.

[fmr]

*EDIT*

I have just noticed that the same i-MAC is on sale at PC World for £1,049 with a discount code that brings it down to £949. There is also a further possible discount of £200 for a trade in for a working laptop. So this brings it down to a possible £749 without Logic Pro x included.

Which means Apple is ripping off its customers, and could very well be selling the £1248.99

Yeah like Audi, Mercedes, BMW, Lexus rip off their customers too. Cause the end of the day it's just a 2.0 petrol car with 4 seats and a steering wheel right...?

Not quite. Last time I checked there were some substantial differences between them (much more than there are between Macs and PCs). Not to mention that the most expensive are usually more powerful, not the opposite.

But, leaving differences alone, do you find Audi or Mercedes on sale in some third party for almost half price? If you do, please tell me...

[T-CM11]

For those curious, my specs:
Primary: ASUS P8Z68-V LX INTEL Z68 CROSSFIRE, i7-2600K 3.40 GHz, 20 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD (OS), 2 TB (Samples), 1 TB (Audio), nVidia GTX 750 Ti, GT520, Win 7 x64, NI Komplete Ultimate 11, iZotope MPB, Cubase stock plugins, Waves plugins

DAW: Cubase 7.5.4/Cubase 9.5

Soundcard: RME Babyface.

I'd hazard a guess it's related to you using two different graphic cards together, you are literally asking for trouble.

^^^THIS^^^

I would start by removing the second graphics card.

Why? Windows only uses one card, and he can always disable it in Device Manager or BIOS. How about the Integrated graphics? You can't remove that one.
Anyway, I've never heard of issues with multiple graphics adaptors and music production. (feel free to enlighten me and post some sources )

[DrGonzo]

Don’t want to drop $200 for the full Logic Pro DAW? MainStage includes the same plug-ins, instruments for a whopping $30. Crazy power there… for folks with a Mac. $30 for all of Logic’s instruments and plug-ins.

Totally OT. But I just wanted to thank you for your post. I never realized Apple is selling Mainstage with Alchemy and all the other plugins. That's the biggest no-brainer ever.

/C

[highkoo]

Nine pages before someone pointed out two different cards and 20GB of ram..?
Those are the obvious redflags.