If you getting a PC then one with Windows 11 installed and USB ports will suffice. A laptop will be sufficient. At least 16GB of memory would be preferred. Built-in Wifi also.
If using it for a DAW, a 2k or 4k screen resolution is preferred so you can see more of your track layout.
Something similar if you get a Mac.
if you are mainly buying it for Rig Manager, you don't need much horsepower. things get expensive quickly. I'd look for a used laptop or mini-PC with at least win10 and 16GB of ram. consider win11 and 32GB of ram for a bit of future-proofing and headroom for other process-intensive apps.
16 GB or even 32 GB memory - for what? Sure not for RigManager. For a DAW- or video producing machine.
16 GB or even 32 GB memory - for what? Sure not for RigManager. For a DAW- or video producing machine.
16GB is the new low end right now.
16 GB or even 32 GB memory - for what? Sure not for RigManager. For a DAW- or video producing machine.
if you are using a system with a meager CPU and on-board GPU, it is a good idea to increase the RAM.
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-3320M CPU @ 2.60GHz 2.60 GHz
Installed RAM 8.00 GB (7.87 GB usable)
System type 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor
This is my laptop. It runs rig manager without any glitches.
When I use my D.A.W. I find its adequate for travel but I need more processing power in the studio and the amount of memory is really noticeable. I use 32GB in my desktop and a Intel Core i7-14700F. Its a gaming computer basically that works very well in the studio not the best maybe but its what I have. Oh yeah also 2 terabyte SSD and its time to get another one because I only have 175GB left in it.
So bottom line is:
If you just want to use it for rig manager, my laptop is more than good enough. (i5-3320M CPU @ 2.60GHz with 8 gigs of ram). If you want to use it for recording. Then you probably need more of everything. I went with a gaming computer for that, but I do like gaming as well.
I read that AMD cpu like AMD Ryzen may not be compatible with all hardware and software. Ex, sound card or DAW software. I never used AMD so I don't know if those claims are true. If anyone out there is using the AMD Ryzen cpu it would be nice to know if it works ok because its cheaper and has excellent benchmark specs.
I Hope this helps... Cheers...
If you want a computer that you dont have to worry about crashing, blue screen, freezing, viruses, malware, running out of memory or having to trade in every 2 years just get a mac.
If you want a computer that you dont have to worry about crashing, blue screen, freezing, viruses, malware, running out of memory or having to trade in every 2 years just get a mac.
... as long as it's able to run one of the "newer" operating systems.
Mine are already incapable of running the latest Rig Manager, which means I'm holding off on installing OS10 on my Kemper 'til I'm able to service it with RM.
To the OP:
You'll need to be able to run OSX 10.14 Mojave if you get a Mac.
2012 desktops and 2011 laptops cannot "officially" support this OS.
In the case of desktops (and maybe the laptops as well?), you can install what's called a "metal-capable graphics card" and that will allow you to run Mojave.
... as long as it's able to run one of the "newer" operating systems.
Mine are already incapable of running the latest Rig Manager, which means I'm holding off on installing OS10 on my Kemper 'til I'm able to service it with RM.
To the OP:
You'll need to be able to run OSX 10.14 Mojave if you get a Mac.
2012 desktops and 2011 laptops cannot "officially" support this OS.
In the case of desktops (and maybe the laptops as well?), you can install what's called a "metal-capable graphics card" and that will allow you to run Mojave.
In all fairness, I said without trading in every 2 years. I didn't say 12 years! You're certainly getting your money's worth on that machine 
Indeed mate.
12 years on my 2012 cheese grater and 13 on the November 2011 model MacBook Pro.
Unfortunately the graphics card in the laptop died just 2 weeks ago. The unit was never moved. I cycled the battery once a month for all these years and it still was able to be charged to 98 or 99% every time.
I put it down to playing so many H265 (HEVC) videos through VLC. The codec is much-newer than the laptop so I'm guessing the graphics processing was pushed pretty-hard and the chip simply burned out over time.
Unless the Mac interface is your go-to already it's a bad idea to get one because you think it'll be better for rig manager.
Get a modest priced version of whichever platform you know.
FWIW - I had a brand new MacBook Pro that developed a motherboard fault the first weekend I used it and never had an HP laptop with any issues. 🙂
In the great crusade against hyperbole, my wife and I have been using MACs and PCs for the last 20 years. Now being sensitive of language redundancies, neither of them are invulnerable to crashing (blue screen, black screen, & freezing are types of hard & soft locking), or malware (viruses are types of), or privacy concerns, or of running out of memory (replaceable on PCs), or of being pressured to subscribe to numerous services, or of possibly needing to trade-up in every 2 years (which is much more of a Mac directive).
My always-on PC desktop has everything it had when i built it in 2015 except for a graphics card i bought 5 years ago and a PSU I bought some time before that. Any major issues I've had were directly caused by power outages and brown-outs but I've always been able to recover relatively easily. My wife's Macbook had to be replaced once because it bricked without warning. Logic boards on Apple devices can just drop dead on you and you're left with precious few options because of their very closed proprietary designs. She also had issues with the display not turning on and the display port not working.
you aren't safer on either platform. neither are perfect but having serviced both along with iOS and Android devices, PC is the best choice for my needs and my abilities.
This is becoming too generic/off-topic.
