Cheap Windows PC Setup advice?

[harlemheat]

Hi!
I got tired of my laptop freezing every 5 seconds from running Ableton, so I have an idea to replace it with cheap windows pc(intel core processors of 1st-2nd generation, 16gb ram)

Is it even a good idea?
What specs would be ok for running Ableton 11?

P.S. The main reason for such approach is that I'm limited in budget, and in my country I can find such pc for around 75-80$. I cannot afford to change laptop rn.

[eLawnMust]

Well, I run 32bit laptops with XP & get laptops off EBAY for as little as ten bucks that can run most anything I got...No they won't run ableton 11 but I would not want it even for free bloated shite it is...I typically get an old dual-core @ 2 GHZ with 2-4 GB RAM then run OLD DAWs that don't use hardly any resources, Reason 3 can run 40-50-60 tracks easy no bouncy...

Lotta stuff FREE that run on XP still & never better time to stick with 32bit with all the former 32bit plugs becoming free or donationware...THAT saves even more...

Here's CHEAP DAW that's real good-

http://www.makingwavessoftware.com/

Running great in XP don't need the bloat of newer...LMMS is free & pretty good these days

[BrokenTrance]

Hay. What is the current specs of you laptop that freezes?

[harlemheat]

Well, I run 32bit laptops with XP & get laptops off EBAY for as little as ten bucks that can run most anything I got...No they won't run ableton 11 but I would not want it even for free bloated shite it is...I typically get an old dual-core @ 2 GHZ with 2-4 GB RAM then run OLD DAWs that don't use hardly any resources, Reason 3 can run 40-50-60 tracks easy no bouncy...

Lotta stuff FREE that run on XP still & never better time to stick with 32bit with all the former 32bit plugs becoming free or donationware...THAT saves even more...

Here's CHEAP DAW that's real good-

http://www.makingwavessoftware.com/

Running great in XP don't need the bloat of newer...LMMS is free & pretty good these days

Thought about XP, but specifically to deal with old akai samplers (if I ever buy one ). But I'm kind of used to ableton workflow

[harlemheat]

Hay. What is the current specs of you laptop that freezes?

Intel Core i3 7100U, 8gb ram, Windows 10

When I try to use Kontakt or Arturia plugins (or any other 'heavy' soft I constantly get freezes or sudden shutdown of ableton every now and then). Even when I try to reduce cpu usage, typical numbers for cpu meter is around 70-89%, and it's with 8 tracks only (I use ableton Lite)

[FranklyFlawless]

What specs would be ok for running Ableton 11?

On the Ableton Knowledge Base, there is an article listing the minimum requirements.

https://help.ableton.com/hc/en-us/artic ... quirements

In particular, this is what you need to know for Windows.

Live 11

• Windows 10 (Build 1909 and later), Windows 11
• Intel® Core™ i5 processor or an AMD multi-core processor
• 8 GB RAM
• 1366x768 display resolution
• ASIO-compatible audio hardware for Link support (also recommended for optimal audio performance)
• Approximately 3 GB disk space on the system drive for the basic installation (8 GB free disk space recommended)
• Optionally up to 76 GB disk space for additionally available sound content

[BONES]

Honestly, I think you are basically shit out of luck. You'll need to find really old versions of any software you want to run on a machine with those specs.

Running great in XP don't need the bloat of newer...LMMS is free & pretty good these days

Windows 8 uses HALF the system resources of XP, one-third less than Win7, so it's XP that's bloated. Those efficiencies have flowed into W10 and W11, AFAIK, but it was with Win8 that they did most of the work to lightweight Windows.

Thought about XP, but specifically to deal with old akai samplers (if I ever buy one ).

Anything that runs on XP should still run on Windows 11. I've got very early versions of Orion that still work in Win10.

[eLawnMust]

OK, Well, Mr GRrrrrr mustard is back....

Windows 8 is garbage & if what you say would be fact then there would've been NO WAY XP would've EVER RUN on old systems with 256 or 512 MB RAM... Just like always to be 'contrary'. If these 'efficiencies' were to have been passed on there would be no need for 8-16-32-64 GB of RAM in modern machines...

I have run XP with as little as 128 MB RAM try THAT on windows 8-10-11...LOL...

All your modern windows are spyware garbage...Any machine I buy that has anything past XP get's wiped out & XP put on it...

[BrokenTrance]

Hay. What is the current specs of you laptop that freezes?

Intel Core i3 7100U, 8gb ram, Windows 10

When I try to use Kontakt or Arturia plugins (or any other 'heavy' soft I constantly get freezes or sudden shutdown of ableton every now and then). Even when I try to reduce cpu usage, typical numbers for cpu meter is around 70-89%, and it's with 8 tracks only (I use ableton Lite)

I think your computer should handle Ableton without freezing to be honest. I think the problem is somehwere else. I might be wrong though.

[vurt]

Hi!
I got tired of my laptop freezing every 5 seconds from running Ableton, so I have an idea to replace it with cheap windows pc(intel core processors of 1st-2nd generation, 16gb ram)

Is it even a good idea?
What specs would be ok for running Ableton 11?

P.S. The main reason for such approach is that I'm limited in budget, and in my country I can find such pc for around 75-80$. I cannot afford to change laptop rn.

you using onboard sound or audio interface?

[vurt]

All your modern windows are spyware garbage...Any machine I buy that has anything past XP get's wiped out & XP put on it...

well, considering i do one thing on my computer, if they want to spy on me doing that, then thats what im calling a "follower" so thanks, i added whole swathes of fans who work in various spying agencies

[Amon1973]

The problem with that laptop is the processor, not the age, I'm afraid.
It's a dual-core i3 with HT (min. specs list i5 for most DAW software, Live 11 does), and U series are the low power processors, with a TDP down to 15W. They don't heat too fast, due to the thermal profile, but are slow for DAW use and if they throttle, you're out of luck. There are DAW vendors that actually specify to avoid low TDP CPUs.

1st and 2nd Gen are not going to cut it, if you need a (or an almost) current OS - Intel supports Win 10 only running on 3rd Gen Ivy Bridge and later: MS generic drivers tend to not work as good as the vendor's specific drivers, and may use SHIMS, which add another layer of instability, while Win 11 supports only 8th Gen and later (with no hacks). DAW that support Win 10 and later do not do that due to artificial limitations, but because they use dependencies that do not exist on XP or 7 (.NET 4.8, HiDPI per-monitor awareness, Redist 2015-2022, etc., etc.)

If you're thinking about going desktop, you might think about getting an older K series processor (or the 'normal' ones with no letters at all), either looking to find components or an already built machine in good conditions. I used a Win 10 desktop PC built around an i5-4690K until just a couple years ago and completed mixes with 60 audio tracks and over 200 plugins with 30% performance left. In not too busy projects, I can still play Arturia and other heavy synths with a 32/64 samples buffer comfortably (it will show problems if I need to play a synth live on a close-to-completion mix).

Good luck!

[harlemheat]

Hay. What is the current specs of you laptop that freezes?

Intel Core i3 7100U, 8gb ram, Windows 10

When I try to use Kontakt or Arturia plugins (or any other 'heavy' soft I constantly get freezes or sudden shutdown of ableton every now and then). Even when I try to reduce cpu usage, typical numbers for cpu meter is around 70-89%, and it's with 8 tracks only (I use ableton Lite)

I think your computer should handle Ableton without freezing to be honest. I think the problem is somehwere else. I might be wrong though.

Maybe I have to clarify, when it's just audio clips in a session with little bit of processing, or some light instruments then yeah, it's ok. When it's a complex vital patch or whackload of processing - pc starts to freeze.

I've inspected the cpu and ram load, nothing besides ableton

[harlemheat]

Hi!
I got tired of my laptop freezing every 5 seconds from running Ableton, so I have an idea to replace it with cheap windows pc(intel core processors of 1st-2nd generation, 16gb ram)

Is it even a good idea?
What specs would be ok for running Ableton 11?

P.S. The main reason for such approach is that I'm limited in budget, and in my country I can find such pc for around 75-80$. I cannot afford to change laptop rn.

you using onboard sound or audio interface?

Audio interface by m-audio

[harlemheat]

The problem with that laptop is the processor, not the age, I'm afraid.
It's a dual-core i3 with HT (min. specs list i5 for most DAW software, Live 11 does), and U series are the low power processors, with a TDP down to 15W. They don't heat too fast, due to the thermal profile, but are slow for DAW use and if they throttle, you're out of luck. There are DAW vendors that actually specify to avoid low TDP CPUs.

1st and 2nd Gen are not going to cut it, if you need a (or an almost) current OS - Intel supports Win 10 only running on 3rd Gen Ivy Bridge and later: MS generic drivers tend to not work as good as the vendor's specific drivers, and may use SHIMS, which add another layer of instability, while Win 11 supports only 8th Gen and later (with no hacks). DAW that support Win 10 and later do not do that due to artificial limitations, but because they use dependencies that do not exist on XP or 7 (.NET 4.8, HiDPI per-monitor awareness, Redist 2015-2022, etc., etc.)

If you're thinking about going desktop, you might think about getting an older K series processor (or the 'normal' ones with no letters at all), either looking to find components or an already built machine in good conditions. I used a Win 10 desktop PC built around an i5-4690K until just a couple years ago and completed mixes with 60 audio tracks and over 200 plugins with 30% performance left. In not too busy projects, I can still play Arturia and other heavy synths with a 32/64 samples buffer comfortably (it will show problems if I need to play a synth live on a close-to-completion mix).

Good luck!

Thanks for the advice!