mixers vs. in the box ?

Good morning. I've always considered mixing with a mouse,(I.E.) in the box, to be not only hectic but a good waste of time. The last control surface that I owned was the Project mix I/O. It worked great and I enjoyed mixing with it. Unfortunately It stopped working and I gave up trying to find out why. I've seen posts here on the forum from people who still own and use it but not being a techy I moved on to PT's 9 and now do all my work in the box. Still I miss the feel of a mixer. Question. What options are available under $1K for a 3rd party, control surface/mixer that is actually compatible with PT's 9 running on a PC, Windows 7, 32 bit ? Thanks.