Logic Pro 7 & earlier Logic 5.5 PC hardware limitations?

M

mikomi

New Member
Hello there,

I have been using Logic 5.5 on my ageing Windows XP laptop but need more horsepower.
I am loathe to turn to the devil therefore I am exploring installing it on new hardware. I am aware that 5.5 on Windows 7 or Vista is a no-no, but are there hardware limitations that would prevent 5.5 running on new hardware?
I am thinking
a) 64-bit architecture?
b) 2GB RAM limit?
c) anything else?

The worst case scenario is having to fork out for an Apple Mac and the latest version of Logic but that will cost a fortune therefore I would much rather get a cheap new desktop PC install XP and logic 5.5 if it can be done

Any help will be very much appreciated thanks.
 
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Logic Pro and a new iMac that will blow the doors off many of the current PC's (especially considering the beautiful monitors that come with an imac) would cost less that a couple of grand.

The crap you will have to go through to get Logic 5.5 working on a new PC will be way more costly than that, I guarantee you.

So, a new iMac is a much better choice (and I have both mac's and PC's, including a hackintosh, so I am not a Mac Fanboy).
 
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Hi George

Thanks for the advice, but what I'm looking for is reasons why 5.5 won't/can't run on modern hardware. Do you know of any? Have you tried? As I said, buying an Apple Mac is the worst case scenario as for me a couple of grand is a lot of money.


Thanks.
 
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I'd say the issue will be the fact that Logic 5.5 for windows is for XP. I guess if you have XP 64 installed on your system, and are willing to go that way, you can use it.

No, I gave up on Logic for the PC just after it was dropped by Apple, mainly because I couldn't get it working as well as on a Mac at the time (I run both systems and my old emagic dongle is authorized for both Mac and PC). And now with Windows 7 and 64 bit allows me to access so much more ram, why bother. As a 32 bit PC app it will not access as much ram (in fact I remember having to go through some frustration getting Logic to access even 3 gig of ram on a 64 bit version of XP).

I guess that, if you don't have the $$$, I hope you have the time to play with your system to get things working, and to find plug-ins that are compatible with the VST of 3 or 4 years ago.

I'll be curious how it goes... good luck.
 
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Buy the upgrade to Logic 9 and install it on a Core 2 or newer Intel Mac Mini. You will be amazed how far the interface has progressed from 5.51. It will cost less than a grand and save you 1001 headaches.

Even with 4GB of ram, 32 bit XP will only let you use 2.5 to 3GB of it. Logic 5.51 will give you out of memory errors if you do not regularly delete your "history" file.

The presets and templates alone are worth the upgrade price.
 
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Thanks guys. I would like of course in an ideal world to take advantage of the latest bells and whistles in 9 but I wasn't even aware it was possible to upgrade from 5.5 to 9. Where can I get that? Also if I'm going to go the mac route it's going to be hack not mac for obvious reasons...not the least of which that I can build a hackintosh for £300/$500. Thanks.
 
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You can upgrade from as far back as either 5.5 Gold or Platinum, but you need the Emagic dongle. Hang onto the dongle, it is required whenever you install -- although I have read you can use your new serial number if you do a reinstall. Do a search on the web for the upgrade, prices vary, there are discounts. Full retail is $199.
 
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JuanTahnahmahrah said:
Even with 4GB of ram, 32 bit XP will only let you use 2.5 to 3GB of it. Logic 5.51 will give you out of memory errors if you do not regularly delete your "history" file.
Click to expand...

Hey, Juan,

I was asking about these memory problems, and I got the answer that I need to limit my Windows maxram. But, what's a "history" file? Do you mean the Logic Trash? Or?

Cheers
 
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On the topic,

I'm successfully running Logic 5.5 on an HP Core2Duo laptop, with 2G ram, and Windows XP. Only minor setbacks (actually, memory problems, which do not influence the general operation of the program, and can be avoided). But there were also problems with USB controllers, in that Logic loses input. But this may not be related to Logic itself.

If only we could have something like Atari laptops with MIDI built-in. Where did Atari computers dissapear? All this software started there. And now all these compatibilities and stuff. They should get back into business, seriously.
 
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djstkora said:
On the topic,

Where did Atari computers dissapear?
Click to expand...

Atari, Commodore 64, Sinclair are in PC heaven. But I still have an Apple IIe with a Z80 card: $2,499 if you are interested. I can throw in an extra external 5-1/4 inch floppy for $50...

But, what's a "history" file?
Click to expand...

Logic keeps track of your edits. There is a pull-down menu where you can revert your changes...you can also "delete" your [undo] history file. Not sure if it remains a problem with L9, but my son ran into it repeatedly with Logic 8: he had to delete the undo history after every three undo tags...but his template was huge, for full orchestra.

I remember reading that Logic 5.51 ran better with only 1GB, and actually removed physical memory from my PC (an AMD dual Opteron with 4GB) for a while. But the problem of "out of memory" was resolved by occasionally deleting the [undo] history file.

[grumpy old guy stops typing on his Mac Mini, sipping coffee and murmuring something in French while his Mac Pro fires up...screen is up before he can set his mug down...]

In Logic 9's main menu, one can click on <edit> and the top four choices are "Can't undo" "Can't redo" "Undo History" and "Delete Undo History" ...Logic 5.5 indubitably is similar.

Satisfied Logic users agree, the devil is in the details.
 
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