I run two Win 7 machines, a now 2.5 yr old HP Pavillion with a quad 3.4 Ghz core I3770 w 12 GB RAM and 2 displays and a 6 yr old Lenovo T500 Laptop duo core 3.06 Ghz.   I also made sure I ordered the HP  with upgraded power supply.  The HP cost just under a grand!   I also needed multiple PCIe slots which it had and beat audio which I didn;t need but to get a comparable machine from a custom manufacture would have been easily twice the price.    When I got the machine, I immediately disabled the Beats Audio (i don't even know how it sounds!) and removed any misc junk prpograms I didn't need.  All that took under an hour.  Also I disabled CPU parking which later I saw the cpu spiking at sort  regular intervals and read up and found the fix which was easy.   My projects usually average 60 - 70 tracks, mostly of live band, real drums and overdubs but I do use a couple of Synths like Dim Pro or CSC in almost all projects as well.   I also have 2 UAD 2 cards and slave another PCIe to a Star tech expander (which works for me) for more cards (Firewire and FW 800) for 2 more UAD Satellites so my system is well equipped and I run large projects and lots of plugins including many UAD and VSTs.  Only one time did my machine even start to pant and I think that is because of some issue deep in Sonar when I tracked a full band using comping by accident and had tons of comp tracks buried inside my project so a project that should have been 5 - 9 GB was 29 GB (Still have not solved it) but even with that, my HP Pavillion kicks most every projects ass and all for under 1000.00.  I also make sure I disabled services not needed run normal cleanup activities regularly.  I also run Vegas 12 occasionally too and the machine has never crapped out on me.    Oh... my machine also barely makes sound, very quiet!!  I am not dissing custom Music / Video PCs but if if you're not making feature films these days or constantly using huge sample libraries on many tracks (nothing an SSD drive can't cure) , there's just no reason to spend the twice the cost of an HP (or likely any other well know manufacturer).   
 
Basically the nature of my setup , I do that actual recording in another space using my laptop which handles 30 incoming tracks simulataneously with no issues, even when the project approached 2 hrs and multiple starts and stops.  Then I take out the ultra bay drive and plug it into the desktop and away I go.
 
"Store bought" configurable machines can be awesome and if you make the right choices and you can save a lot of money too!

stxx
"Store bought" configurable machines can be awesome and if you make the right choices and you can save a lot of money too!

 
Totally agreed, but "if" you make the right choices is a reason why those who don't know how to make those choices will pay someone to do that, and give you support if you run into problems. If you have a deadline and a seemingly intractable problem, it's very reassuring to make a call, have someone diddle with your machine using remote desktop, and get you back on the air. 

joden
A solid well spec'd off the shelf unit with later versions of Windows (7, 8.1 or 10) and you are pretty good to go.

Well I'd certainly agree a computer like that can be good to go, but it's not necessarily going to be acoustically treated, have a graphics card that doesn't use a fan, include an overrated power supply so you can run all those UA boards, incorporate enough RAM to stream all your Kontakt instruments from memory, etc. Granted, if you're savvy you can probably make those changes yourself, but sometimes it's a lot easier just to pay the extra bucks to get what you need as soon as you flip the power switch to "on." Think about it for a sec...Apple has pretty much built its business on "pay us more, and we'll take care of you." It's the same with custom integrators and Windows.

I'm still using my Atari...as a museum piece at least.
 
Completely sold on custom made systems. I've had 3 generations (decade) of PCs from End Noise PC / Cool Tech up in Washington state. Originally went to them because I was desperate for a QUIET system. (Get the irony of yelling "quiet"?)
 
But not only did they have mastery over serenity in systems (incredible insulation) but they're all musicians as well and have a line of audio systems. My "silent PC" has been absolutely stable, and the only time I've had any issues have been the times I inserted myself unwisely. (Note to self...)
 
Luke's great with configurations and Abraham's a great builder. I have no affiliation other than happy customer.

shmuelyosef
5. If you are going to use a browser, use Chrome...it is the most secure, and least evil. 

Everything you wrote was spot on except this comment. Chrome is really bad. It's not secure, it's government run spyware. Do not use google unless you want to support the NWO. Duckduckgo and firefox are your friend.

Anderton said ""  Apple has pretty much built its business on "pay us more, and we'll take care of you." It's the same with custom inta-grators and Windows ""
 
 
Sir Les says:
 
Yah...I said it before, and I will not say it again...Key Word...Keeps being the Key word.
 
 
And we still pay and pray, more and more, and more and more, and more, and still more, to yet more in paying to make more pay to fix...more...and it still goes buggy to, pay for ...Yah... you know, because what Anderton said in the quote. sure is showing signs...paying does not solve or fix anything...but it sure goes on being said it does....eh?.
 
 
 
 
 

Anderton

joden
A solid well spec'd off the shelf unit with later versions of Windows (7, 8.1 or 10) and you are pretty good to go.

Well I'd certainly agree a computer like that can be good to go, but it's not necessarily going to be acoustically treated, have a graphics card that doesn't use a fan, include an overrated power supply so you can run all those UA boards, incorporate enough RAM to stream all your Kontakt instruments from memory, etc. Granted, if you're savvy you can probably make those changes yourself, but sometimes it's a lot easier just to pay the extra bucks to get what you need as soon as you flip the power switch to "on." Think about it for a sec...Apple has pretty much built its business on "pay us more, and we'll take care of you." It's the same with custom integrators and Windows.

hahaha I don't disagree Craig - just saying I think it is all just a tad overblown! Personally I run my system with the "box" in another room...It's a drywall with a hole cut so that cabling goes through the wall to the box. All that is in the studio is monitor and keyboard/mouse. The distance between box and me is only about three feet, but the noise floor is practically zero. 
 
In regard to specs, well you do write it so that it sounds pretty heavy, but any decent off the shelf (OTS) unit with 8-16gig of ram and an i7 2500+ processor will handle that, and these days those systems are more or less pretty standard and not bespoke -  and further, decent OTS units also have "decent" power supplies and a non-fan GPU can be installed easily. If you want to spend $'s using these guys (or similar) then have at it, all I am saying is it is really not necessary. 
 
As a footnote, I have read tales of people getting PC's from companies such as this and STILL having a hell of a time with them, things not working, crashing constantly etc etc...all good m8, still love your work, just a friendly disagreement on this one

Fair enough. If my computer ever dies and I go the "make my own" route, I'll find out what's changed since Vista-64 was in vogue (which is when I got my computer, and it just keeps on going and going...).

Anderton
............................I'll find out what's changed since Vista-64 was in vogue (which is when I got my computer, and it just keeps on going and going...).

  Vista 64? So I see you like to keep up with current trends then?! hahaha!

shmuelyosef
I, too, have been building my own since the 70s (my first was an Altair 8800 running Microsoft Basic!!) and have actually never bought a 'turnkey' desktop system. In the early 80s some of us at Hewlett-Packard got a version of a MIDI sequencer and Sysex backup going on a few of these. I have had experience with laptops and music and there are a couple of things that are not tweaks, but rather completely mainstream that are important:
1. Don't ever expect good performance with the system load from the vendor with all the advertising, teaser applications, etc. Do a fresh system load from an OEM loader disc...you can use the same Microsoft registration code, if you load up the same system...I have always used the Professional version systems, as there are always a few important capabilities available...mostly around networking/shares
2. Load only what you must....don't put Microsoft Office or Adobe products on the system, as they are ugly culprits. 
3. Disable all auto-updates, but make yourself a schedule of updating. 
4. Learn about page files, and set up yours as static (i.e. not resizeable) using 30-40% of your RAM. 
5. If you are going to use a browser, use Chrome...it is the most secure, and least evil. 
6. For me, audible noise is important, so I have, for the last decade or more, used high-tech internal cooling (i.e. heatpipes or monster heat spreaders with low-speed, variable speed fans of large diameter...these are the quietest and coolest. My Shuttle system puts a lot of stuff in a very small box, but it is silent with some of the lowest disk/CPU temperatures that I have managed to see. 
7. Get familiar with Mike Lin's startup management tools and use them slavishly to get clean system starts. http://www.mlin.net/StartupMonitor.shtml
8. Don't use encryption (you would be surprised how many people don't pay attention to this)
9. Don't make your expectation of building your own to be mainly about saving money...make it about getting the absolute best system you can while gaining the knowledge of why it is the way it is...
 
The list could go on....but these are some of the obvious ones

 
Be sure to not use encryption on that Fender - Rhodes 73!