I've often attributed my generally trouble-free history with software (not just Sonar, all my other programs as well) to using a PC Audio Labs computer that's integrated specifically for music. Of course PCAL isn't the only game in town - Jim Rosenberry and Scott over at ADK also have the recipe down - but PCAL went outside of their comfort zone several years ago to make me a laptop that was optimized for video production, and I've been using their gear ever since.
 
However, after a couple years of pretty continuous operation my desktop machine had developed a noise that had me concerned (CPU fan?) so I figured I better get it looked at, just in case.
 
Fortunately there's a PC Audio Labs office in Albuquerque, so I drove down and saw the tech (Brain Lorelle) do all the secret optimization stuff they do for hardware to keep noise down, run cool, etc. as well as some software tweaks he did. He also did in fact replace the CPU fan. I promised I wouldn't tell exactly what he did, trade secrets and all that, but I was kind of surprised at just how much stuff they do to optimize a system...when I first got it, as far as I knew it was Just a Box that Worked. Now I have a better idea of what goes into making a computer that's designed specifically for music production.
 
I solemnly swear I will never buy a $399 computer from Office Depot for doing music

I wish you would tell all the others that seem bent on buying the cheapest bargain they can and then come here with problem after problem. 

Thank you Criag... 

i just shared this article on my FB page. There are just too many folks out there using "toys" to do professional work. 

Cheers!!!

Anderton
 
I solemnly swear I will never buy a $399 computer from Office Depot for doing music

Yep, I would never try to use a store bought machine for audio or video editing.  That's why I build my own machines.  They have none of the excess garbage that comes on a store bought machine...and I can pick and choose the components that I want to use.
 
One thing that I would advise anyone to do is add a cooling fan to EACH hard drive in your system.  Even the cheap ones made in China on Ebay for $3 each work OK (although you sometimes have to replace them more frequently).  A hard drive without a cooler will be so hot within 3 minutes of turning it on that it will burn your finger if you touch it.  But a hard drive with a cheap cooler will be cool to the touch even after an hour.  I know this for a fact because I have tried it.

i was looking at pc audio labs a while ago, but honestly i don't really think i'd be comfortable with any company that's willing to charge over a grand for a 32-bit pentium machine.
i've never had bad luck with a laptop from a decent mfr - or any machine for that matter.  
one key point i think makes a world of difference on my production machine is rarely installing 'cute little apps' or programs that are freeware (if it has 'install these other great programs' prompts during installation i pass).  i know what i'm putting on my system and if i'm not sure, i rtfm first.  
and i NEVER edit my registry unless specifically recommended by someone from tech support as a last resort...
 

I concur - having a dedicated DAW from one of the audio pros is a great investment.
Building your own is a great idea and you end up with a much_better_than_stock PC, but these guys DO have it down, specifically for audio/video.
They build hundreds if not thousands of these things.

I keep up with the tech for the most part, but these guys do it at a much higher level.
Jim, Scott, the PCAL folks (and others) spend a lot of time getting the right recipe for a stable DAW/DVW - so their expertise is something to factor in.

Audio interfaces/sound cards have a lot to do with stability is as well.
If you're running 60-160+ audio/MIDI tracks with gobs of plugs & synths, the laptop on sale at Best Buy and the $120 sound card may not cut it.
 
Due to my consistent lack of issues, a pro DAW + great sound card is/was at the top of the best music investments I've made.
Didn't come cheap, but it was worth it.
Note: I only have Sonar, Sound Forge and purchased 3rd party plugs (ok, and reputable freebies like SPAN & Podolski).
Also, I'm off the grid unless I need to reg or d/l updates ...and the off-line reg is too wonky to make it worth the effort.  

swamptooth
i was looking at pc audio labs a while ago, but honestly i don't really think i'd be comfortable with any company that's willing to charge over a grand for a 32-bit pentium machine.

Huh?!? All their desktop computers use 64-bit Core iX processors. Their $1,299 laptop uses a 2.4 GHz Intel Core i7-4700MQ (4 cores, 8 threads) with 8GB of RAM.
 
Their $1,899 laptop uses a 2.7 GHz Intel Core i7-4800MQ (4 cores, 8 threads) with 16GB RAM, a 120GB mSATA SSD C: drive, and for a secondary drive, a 750GB SATA2 drive. Hardly a 32-bit Pentium machine...

+1 on the right tools for the job!
 
I was trying to prove this point to a friend while standing in front of a bunch of "generic low-end laptops" and was trying to pull up the "Windows Experience Index" on a Win8 machine and couldn't find it! Sort of shot myself in the foot there, but was trying to make the point of "Never even consider one of these things for something important."
 
LOL... on that note... does Win8 still have the "Experience Index" in it??

Couldn't agree more!

+1 for a home built box.  I have been building boxes since 1986 using a new 386 chip and 2 Mb of RAM.  Plus DOS 3. I have never had major problems for music or video outside of equipment development.