Hello,
 
This must have been covered previously but i've search and not found the answer.
 
Long story short, i have an old desktop PC which used to run HS6 fine, had a load of performance issues, upgraded to Win8 and now HS 6 won't play audio or record anything :-(
 
I have limited funds for a new PC and can't afford to upgrade to the latest sonar anyway.
 
What i want to do is but an old laptop, refresh an install of WinXP with service pack 2 and plug in my old edirolua25 interface and start again. Yes, it would be an old / outdated system but it should work fine and it's all i can afford right now.
 
Trouble is i cant find the system requirements for HS6 XL 6.2.1 anywhere so I know what i need to look for when buying a second hand laptop!
 
hope someone can help.
 
Ben

Hi Ben,
I couldn't find specific system requirements either but here are a few points to consider:
1. HS 6XL was released January 2007.  In general, i am guessing that each vintage of Sonar is capable of running on mid-range and up hardware.  As such, any mid-range system built in the last five or six years is probably acceptable. 
2.  Obviously, there is huge variation based upon what demands you are placing on it.  Using many audio effects, soft synths, etc will stress the hardware.  If you are just doing straight ahead recording and mixing without a lot of add-ons, lower end hardware is probably fine.  I had a five-year old mid-range machine that was fine running 6XL until i started applying many audio effects to multiple tracks.  Even then, it was still capable, but I felt it was time to move on...and I am currently struggling with the transition.  But that is another story! 
 

It is not the official specs from CW but found this article

Min Processor Speed (GHz)

1.3

OS Requirements

Microsoft Windows Vista Microsoft Windows XP Microsoft Windows XP x64

Platform

PC

Processor Type Required

AMD Athlon XP Pentium 4

Ram Required (MB)

256

Required Hard Disk Space (GB)

2

Required Hard Disk Space (MB)

100

dup

scook

Ram Required (MB)

256

 
I can't take that part seriously.  The rest of it seems ok though.

Kev999

scook

Ram Required (MB)

256

 
I can't take that part seriously.  The rest of it seems ok though.

I agree, it does seem low but I have found other sites that also list it as the minimum RAM required. It is the minimum and I would imagine the recommended RAM would be at least double that or more.

And with a little more research here are the recommended specs from this site:
Recommended System Requirements

• Operating System: Windows XP/Vista/Vista x64
• Processor Speed: Intel® Pentium® 4 2.8 GHz [EM64T], or AMD™ Athlon 64 2800+or higher
• RAM: 1 GB or higher
• Graphics (resolution, color depth): 1280 x 960, 32-bit color
• Hard Disk Space: 2 GB for program and content
• Hard Disk Type: EIDE/Ultra DMA (7200 RPM) or SATA
• MIDI Interface: Windows-compatible
• Audio Interface: WDM- or ASIO-compatible, including WaveRT for Vista
• Optical Drive: DVD-ROM, DVD+/-R, or DVD+/-RW for installation, CD-R or CD-RW capability required for CD audio disc burning

Benjamonk
What i want to do is but an old laptop, refresh an install of WinXP with service pack 2 and plug in my old edirolua25 interface and start again. Yes, it would be an old / outdated system but it should work fine and it's all i can afford right now.

 
A few thoughts:
 
1. Some decent reconditioned laptops are available on Ebay.

2. If you intend to install XP, get a laptop that was designed for XP (not Vista or W7). Otherwise drivers for the internal hardware might not work. Most laptop hardware is proprietary and only works on the platform for which it was designed to be used.

3. I would recommend looking out for a "studio" laptop, i.e. a model intended for graphic work, as it will contain a separate graphics card and therefore not waste CPU power on updating the display.

I do use some soft synths and effects so my logic is to get something a little over spec'd for the time (2007) so the system can cope.

Thanks everyone for replies. What are your views on this laptop? Would it fit the bill? Doesn't say what the Hdd speed is, plenty of Ram I'm not very good at processors! This one ok? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm...26sd%3D271013612244%26