Mhz = Processor speed
MB = Memory
Get the fastest that you can afford.
Ram can be added later if you need more.

I think you'll want the G4, even though it appears slower. It will be completely adequate for more than 8 tracks of simultaneous recording. But again, that will really depend upon your audio interface for the computer. That M-Audio Octane unit is pretty cool but do you know your computer will require a ADAT capable optical inputs & outputs. And so your computer has that? I think my dear friend, you need to do a lot more investigation?

800MHz & 733MHz when it involves the model number of the unit, refers to the speed of the processor. Memory is handled at different speeds within different machines. And it doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the speed of the processor but can be influenced by many factors. Memory comes in various available speeds. Only one of which is appropriate for whichever machine you decide upon. Don't want to make a wrong decision on the purchase of an old used computer? It's already the wrong decision. Why are you getting such an old slow machine? Especially when you don't have the interface available for the Octane? It's not as easy as it looks in the made-for-TV movies.

As you have already realized the Macintosh operating system is not fully supported on some older machines. So you're already backed into a corner of yesterday's problems. You might do better with a newer, faster, PC clone, laptop? And a FireWire or USB 2.0 interface. If you're going to run ProTools, you really have to buy everything exactly the way they recommend it. Not what you think is best. But with their specifications are. Otherwise, no cookies for you. So are you already a serious & highly specialized ProTools accomplished user?? If not? You may want to consider other software? Especially since the Octane doesn't appear to be ProTools M-Powered compatible? Even though they seem to be advertising ProTools on that Octane page? The Octane says nothing about ProTools compatibility. It does say it has and requires the optical interface on the computer. Which I don't believe either Macintosh has ? So time to do a little more research. All this stuff looks great until you try to get it to work properly. Then the frustration, confusion & second thoughts begin.

What have you accomplished up to this point? What software have you tried? What mixers & microphone preamps have you worked with? What kind of instrumentation will you be recording and where? What were you considering for microphone selection? Oh, I can still be done on the cheap and quite well I might add. But how will you learn if you don't make your own mistakes? You could start now?

Full of advice & other stuff
Ms. Remy Ann David

RemyRAD wrote: I think you'll want the G4, even though it appears slower. It will be completely adequate for more than 8 tracks of simultaneous recording. But again, that will really depend upon your audio interface for the computer. That M-Audio Octane unit is pretty cool but do you know your computer will require a ADAT capable optical inputs & outputs. And so your computer has that? I think my dear friend, you need to do a lot more investigation?

800MHz & 733MHz when it involves the model number of the unit, refers to the speed of the processor. Memory is handled at different speeds within different machines. And it doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the speed of the processor but can be influenced by many factors. Memory comes in various available speeds. Only one of which is appropriate for whichever machine you decide upon. Don't want to make a wrong decision on the purchase of an old used computer? It's already the wrong decision. Why are you getting such an old slow machine? Especially when you don't have the interface available for the Octane? It's not as easy as it looks in the made-for-TV movies.

As you have already realized the Macintosh operating system is not fully supported on some older machines. So you're already backed into a corner of yesterday's problems. You might do better with a newer, faster, PC clone, laptop? And a FireWire or USB 2.0 interface. If you're going to run ProTools, you really have to buy everything exactly the way they recommend it. Not what you think is best. But with their specifications are. Otherwise, no cookies for you. So are you already a serious & highly specialized ProTools accomplished user?? If not? You may want to consider other software? Especially since the Octane doesn't appear to be ProTools M-Powered compatible? Even though they seem to be advertising ProTools on that Octane page? The Octane says nothing about ProTools compatibility. It does say it has and requires the optical interface on the computer. Which I don't believe either Macintosh has ? So time to do a little more research. All this stuff looks great until you try to get it to work properly. Then the frustration, confusion & second thoughts begin.

What have you accomplished up to this point? What software have you tried? What mixers & microphone preamps have you worked with? What kind of instrumentation will you be recording and where? What were you considering for microphone selection? Oh, I can still be done on the cheap and quite well I might add. But how will you learn if you don't make your own mistakes? You could start now?

Full of advice & other stuff
Ms. Remy Ann David

My audio interface/MIDI and controller will be the M audio project mix. You can record 8 tracks at the same time right into Pro Tools M powered. To expand into more tracks i can use the Octane via Adat (hopefully im explaing this right)
I have been certifed in Pro Tools however I wasn't using my degree when i grad. what u dont use you will lose.

Well then, you got it down good. Yes, you got the right stuff and are therefore not having any compatibility issues. Not everybody is as thorough as you have been. So I stand corrected. But I really think you should get a newer machine? Or am I reading that wrong? You want to use an eight-year-old machine? Why? 16 track tracking? Sure, those will do it. I guess that's why?

Thinking about my old machines, all sitting in the corner of the basement. I should recycle them. But they'll still record eight simultaneous tracks, some even 16 & 24 if I wanted to. But no. That wasn't good enough for me. So I wasted a lot of extra money on a lot of other faster bigger better machines. Especially since I don't use much more than my laptops these days. Love my laptops!

whatever gets it done
Ms. Remy Ann David

RemyRAD wrote: Well then, you got it down good. Yes, you got the right stuff and are therefore not having any compatibility issues. Not everybody is as thorough as you have been. So I stand corrected. But I really think you should get a newer machine? Or am I reading that wrong? You want to use an eight-year-old machine? Why? 16 track tracking? Sure, those will do it. I guess that's why?

Thinking about my old machines, all sitting in the corner of the basement. I should recycle them. But they'll still record eight simultaneous tracks, some even 16 & 24 if I wanted to. But no. That wasn't good enough for me. So I wasted a lot of extra money on a lot of other faster bigger better machines. Especially since I don't use much more than my laptops these days. Love my laptops!

whatever gets it done
Ms. Remy Ann David

Well im looking for something that can hold up to rrecording LIVE. Atleast 8 tracks at a time now but in the future 16 tracks. will a Mac laptop with 2GHz of processor and 2 GB of ram with stand??

i would think so. i can run many tracks with many FX and also virtual instruments on a 2GHz imac (though with 3 GB) which is, i think, almost the same as a laptop... not sure if the laptop would need 7200 drive for audio... i have a 7200 MBP, but i use it to edit HDV, so it may not be a concern for you.