Pro Tools 12 & Sierra with Gigabyte Z390 Designare

[BillieJo]

Hi all.
I haven't posted in a few years. My GA-P75-D3 build is stable and runs wonderfully.
That machine runs OSX 10.8.4 and Pro Tools 10HD4 (PCI) as well as PT 11HD Native without the Avid PCIe card via the onboard SPDIF output.
It's a great tracking rig and mixing rig combined in one. It's overclocked, fast, stable and I don't want to take it apart.

Two questions if I might...
I'm thinking of building a new machine and wondering if the Z390 Designare is a good candidate for PT12 and Sierra 10.12.3?

Also in reading a few threads about this motherboard, someone posted that they are running OSX 10.8.5 and PT 12 without any problems.

Let's start there.
Anyone running Sierra & Pro Tools 12 with this MB?
Can I run PT12 on Mountain Lion (10.8.4)


Thanks for your time,
BillieJo

 

[trs96]

Z390 motherboards don't have native NVRAM that your older Gigabyte board does have. They can be very finicky. I've heard of some running Sierra on Z370/390 systems but there isn't complete support in Sierra for those newer chipsets.

If you want to run Sierra 10.12.6 you'd be better off going with a Z270 motherboard and an i7-7700K. If you look you can still find them new or at least used and in good condition. I know they're not the latest greatest but if stability is of prime importance I would use one of these for a Sierra pro audio build. If your P75 3770K still gets the job done these will be even more capable running audio software.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MXSI216/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/macos-sierra/id1127487414?mt=12

You could even go as far back as Skylake Z170 + i7-7700K if you'd like to.

Supported 10.11.4+

Skylake Buyer's Guide (100 Series)
https://www.tonymacx86.com/buyersguide/archive/skylake-100-series/

Supported 10.12.6+

Kaby Lake Buyer's Guide (200 Series)
https://www.tonymacx86.com/buyersguide/archive/kaby-lake-200-series/

Looks like Mt. Lion only supports up to PT 12.4 and no higher.

Pro Tools 12 System Requirements

 

[Jamesbond007]

Hi all. I haven't posted in a few years. My GA-P75-D3 build is stable and runs wonderfully.

That machine runs OSX 10.8.4 and Pro Tools 10HD4 (PCI) as well as PT 11HD Native without the Avid PCIe card via the onboard SPDIF output. It's a great tracking rig and mixing rig combined in one. It's overclocked, fast, stable and I don't want to take it apart.

Two questions if I might...
I'm thinking of building a new machine and wondering if the Z390 Designare is a good candidate for PT12 and Sierra 10.12.3?

Also in reading a few threads about this motherboard, someone posted that they are running OSX 10.8.5 and PT 12 without any problems.

Let's start there.
Anyone running Sierra & Pro Tools 12 with this MB?
Can I run PT12 on Mountain Lion (10.8.4)

Thanks for your time,
BillieJo

If you are asking whether you can run Sierra 10.12.6 on the Z390 Designare, the answer is yes, you can. I have MacOS Sierra 10.12.6 / High Sierra 10.13.6 / Mojave 10.14.6 on my main system using a i7 9700KF.

However, as trs96 said, there are some problems. For example, Sierra was unable to shutdown successfully on my system. Every time I asked it to shutdown, it would simply restart. High Sierra, however, is able to shutdown successfully. I am unable to fix the issue so far.

On my Kaby build with a Z270X-UD5 and i7 7700K, Sierra 10.12.6 runs beautifully. I agree with trs96 that you should try to find a Z270 or Z170 motherboard paired with a 7700K or 6700K which should run Sierra well. Make sure it is 10.12.6 though since only 10.12.6 contains support for Kaby Lake.

 

[BillieJo]

Wow.
Thanks for the incredibly fast replies guys.
OK, will this MB/CPU combo work for starts?
Gigabyte GA-Z270X-Designare LGA 1151 / Intel Core i7-7700K Kaby Lake Quad-Core 4.2 GHz LGA 1151
The MB is used with a warranty and it has a fair amount of current connections.

Thoughts?

BillieJo

 

[Jamesbond007]

Wow.
Thanks for the incredibly fast replies guys.
OK, will this MB/CPU combo work for starts?
Gigabyte GA-Z270X-Designare LGA 1151 / Intel Core i7-7700K Kaby Lake Quad-Core 4.2 GHz LGA 1151
The MB is used with a warranty and it has a fair amount of current connections.

Thoughts?

BillieJo

You mean this motherboard ?

GA-Z270X-DESIGNARE (rev. 1.0) Key Features | Motherboard - GIGABYTE Global

Lasting Quality from GIGABYTE.GIGABYTE Ultra Durable™ motherboards bring together a unique blend of features and technologies that offer users the absolute ...

www.gigabyte.com

If so, I think it should work with MacOS Sierra 10.12.6. Are you planning to use CPU integrated graphics?

 

[BillieJo]

You mean this motherboard ?
GA-Z270X-DESIGNARE (rev. 1.0) | Motherboard - GIGABYTE Global
Supports 7th/ 6th Generation Intel® Core™ ProcessorsDual Channel Non-ECC Unbuffered DDR4, 4 DIMMsFront USB 3.1 Gen 2 HeaderFast USB 3.1 Gen 2 with USB Type-...

www.gigabyte.com

If so, I think it should work with MacOS Sierra 10.12.6. Are you planning to use CPU integrated graphics?

Yes. I'd be using the HDMI port to one monitor. Possibly 40". Not bigger.

 

[BillieJo]

Hello all.
I'm creating the bootable Sierra USB. Per the question above about using the CPU integrated graphics.
Do I add the optional graphics configuration to this boot loader?
Will I get the dreaded BLACK SCREEN OF DEATH if so?

Any help provided will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[BillieJo]

Well everyone reading along, I'm getting ready for this build now.
All the parts have arrived.

Sierra 10.12.6 with Pro Tools 12.7.1 (HD Native)

Here's the list of components:
Fractal R6 USB-C Case
EVGA SuperNova 1000 G2 PSU
GA-Z270X-DESIGNARE MB
Intel Core i7-7700K Kaby Lake CPU
Hyper Predator 64GB DDR 2400MHz DRAM
Noctura NH-U12A CPU cooler
Samsung 970 Pro M.2 2280 512Gb SSD (System HD)
WD BLACK SN750 NVMe M.2 2280 1TB SSD (Audio HD)

Not adding a graphics card if I don't have to. Do I really need one for Pro Tools?
Wish me luck.

BillieJo

 

[BillieJo]

I've moved this to macOS Mojave Install on GA-Z270X-DESIGNARE
as I changed the macOS after many discussions with other Pro Tools users.