Starise
Jim's name comes up usually within the first few posts here on this subject. I've never used him but many have happily had him build their computers. He offers a pretty good deal.
 
I would like to see some competition though. Either that or make him the officially recognized Cakewalk computer builder. I know there are others who do it as well. We just don't hear about them as much.
 
I think most of the big name daw builders are over priced for the tech they offer. JMO YMMV. They usually drop back a generation or two to assure there are no issues or offer a minimum build for your needs at a higher price. Chips and builds having been on the market awhile are proven and less of a liability for them.
 
At one time there were more fixes that could be done in software that would streamline a machine for daw work. With  more recent OS and better hardware performance many of these basic issues are now moot. At one time I think you needed to lean more on a pro computer builder who knew what needed to be done. Much of this was more software related than hardware related. I don't believe we need that as much anymore.
 
Many report great results with high spec'd mass factory built computers. Even the basic ones can record smaller projects with no problems. The hardware in mass made machines is reported to be of less quality in many cases. How this actually plays out in terms of years of reliable use is anyone's guess. Especially if you have a good replacement repair warranty in place.
 
While I would recommend you either have a better machine built or build it yourself, this isn't always mandatory all depending on your needs. Of course buying the bottom tier machines for audio work is always asking for trouble.
 
I built my own after some brief research and I saved a lot of money in doing it. For me it's just assembling parts and loading the OS. It can potentially get complicated, but much less so if you use good hardware. 
 
I don't want to be the one to tell you to build your own, because all of those who bought from Jim or another similar will say, " I told you so" if something doesn't go right. I was willing to take that chance and it payed off for me. For those not technically or mechanically mediocre a builder is probably best with a higher spec'd factory computer being a second option.

The reason my name comes up a fair amount... is because I've been part of the Cakewalk community since the CompuServe days.
 
Speaking for my company:
We offer the latest generation i9 (Skylake Extreme) architecture.  
Caveat being only the top-tier 7900x offers 44 PCIe lanes.  The mid-tier 7820x (and below) are limited to 28.
For simple builds, 28 PCIe lanes is fine.  For more complex builds, 28 PCIe lanes can be limiting.
ie: X299 motherboards offer three M.2 Ultra slots.  Each of these requires 4 PCIe lanes.
For more complex builds, the 6850k (Broadwell) is a better mid-tier choice... and still a quite formidable CPU.
 
We do NOT offer Ryzen/Threadripper... because the first generation motherboards are super flaky
(I've covered this in numerous threads).
 
If you think we're over-priced for what we offer, consider that we have to warrant the machine (top to bottom) for two years... and offer lifetime technical support.
If you want to see more competition, I invite you to try and do the same... do it for less... and manage to stay in business for 20+ years (to be around to support your clients).  
 
Whenever this subject comes up, it's a little ironic...
If you threw out any career... I'm guessing someone could make statements that those services are over-priced.
Mechanics, Doctors, Lawyers, Contractors, Financial Advisers, CEOs, etc...
 
Speaking in general terms about performance:
In any high-performance application (doesn't matter what type of machine; cars, computers, etc), you're always best off with a machine custom built for that exact scenario.
It's exactly what you need.  Nothing more... nothing less
If your company's business is racing automobiles, you probably won't do well with a stock Toyota Prius.  

If you are technically and mechanically inclined, and don't mind troubleshooting, then building your own can be a very rewarding hobby. 
 
This website can assist you with picking out compatible parts, and assembling a parts and price list for your dream machine.  https://pcpartpicker.com/list/
 
After you do that, take a look at Jim's site and ask yourself if you build your own, can you live without the warranty and support, and making it all work together?  His prices don't look all that bad, considering the support included.
 
I have an IT background, and training in service and support, so I have been building my own for almost 20 years.  So definitely, your mileage may vary.  If you do this as a hobby, you may have the latitude to DIY, but if you're a music pro, you may want the extra assurance of dealing with a computer pro!

Do you want to troubleshoot, or make music?
 
I admit I just upgrade store bought computers, for the most part.  But if I expected to make real money I'd get Jim to make me one and get on with the fun part.
 
@

Jim I wasn't referring to you personally. I was actually excluding you from that group since I don't see you as one one the " big name daw builders " , see my comment here- 
 
I think most of the big name daw builders are over priced for the tech they offer
 
In comparison you're a small builder. I look at your service much like I see auto repair dealerships. The big name dealerships are more expensive. I have a mechanic locally who does great work and is MUCH less expensive. I put you in that same category. I know you're not the only good builder around. From that perspective I think some comparison shopping is in order. If I lived in the UK I might look for a similar builder there, unless I could justify the expense and seen better quality. I know you've sold to people over there, so I guess this is all subjective.
 
I've looked at what you offer and I think you're very fair. You would certainly be in the running if I were looking to buy a daw. 
 
I'm still a little stubborn I guess, I think the line between building your own and having it built is thinner than some imagine it to be. With recent advances in tech and ease in connectivity of parts, it isn't rocket science. Neither in hookup or in software configuration. There's an answer for any problem you could possibly run across online. An average computer now would have had NASA drooling even 5 years ago.
 
I am also well aware that much of sales is based on fear. "what if" this or that happens? What will I do then?? If that kind of thing scares you, then maybe go for a pre built. I don't have tight time frames and I suspect that many if not most who come here don't need to get something done immediately. If there's a failure it still needs trouble shooting online or the computer needs to be mailed to your location. It all starts to look like an apples .vs oranges comparison to other options IMO. The percentage of Sonar users who use a Jim built computer is probably very small compared to the total. What are the others using? Is this a liability? 
 
Groups tend to have favorites and you're clearly a favorite here and for good reason. Even so, if someone is asking the question- " Should I build my own computer ?" This means they have some faith in themselves to try it. If they had no faith, they wouldn't ask the question  The answer to that question shouldn't always be- Forget that> Go see Jim  
 
TBH when you get older you tend to be more apt to pay someone to do things you once did. I see that in my own life right now in some areas. And although I'm reluctant to say this, we have some real antiques here, myself included. The younger chaps might not be so easily discouraged.

It also depends on whether your sound creation is a hobby or business. I clean toilets. Do I need an $80,000 custom shop 600 hp Mustang Special Edition GT to get to work every day?! No. Can I afford one?! No. Would I like having one?! Sure.
 
For a hobby, buying a ready made unit has served me OK, 'cepting the occasional crashes, glitches, driver issues, etc. If a custom build can guarantee those things won't happen then it might be worth it... for a hobby. If your livelihood depends on it then a custom build should be 1st choice.

Jim Roseberry

AdamGrossmanLG
hmmm... who is Jim? 

Jim is me...
I am Jim  

Too funny. After reading the OP, if you are not comfortable building your own or tweaking things (which can be painful unto itself), touch base with Jim. He is very diligent and will take care of all of the things you don't want to deal with, plus he is always around so he will look after you down the road.

AdamGrossmanLG
Hello Everyone,
 
First off, I must say - I am really bad with my hands.  I remember trying to put a desktop together in the 90s, and it was the LAST time I would ever try such a feat.

If your only experience building and/or modifying PC hardware is from the 90's, without question buy something ready built. 


It is very true that the systems of today are in many ways simpler than they were back then (no IRQ's to worry about etc). However just about every hardware spec that exists in common use today did not exist back then. And while they can be simpler to put together, many of them still have certain caveats or requirements that you MUST know about and plan for. Heck just getting the thermal paste applied incorrectly, or forgetting it completely, can turn a $400 processor chip into a worthless lump in a matter of minutes.
 
Its one thing if you've got no experience and you want to build a $350 bookshelf machine to be home media server. Spend some quality time with youtube and a forum or two and have at it. But if your goal is reasonably powerful DAW machine, leave it to those who build them for a living. The parts are too expensive and there is still too much that can go wrong IMO.

I've built PCs for myself, and a few for others, since the early/mid 90s.

One thing I've always done is extensive, and in depth, component reseach. Identify potential motherboards, see what "the internet" thinks of them. Download the manual and see how configurable it is, what the BIOS can do etc. And, of course, check it has the right socket for a cpu that's in the performance and price range I'm working to, the ports I want etc. I stay away from "bleeding edge" hardware because I'd rather wait for the price to fall and let other people find out the problems with it, if any.

Then repeat that process for all other components.

And always bearing in mind I want a DAW to be as nearly silent as possible. Which means checking Nokia or similar quality heatsinks and fans are available, that they will fit the case etc.

Then put the PC compnents together, which is usually a pretty quick job because everything nowadays can only fit the socket intended for it.

Then configure the BIOS to suit my needs which may not be what the motherboard manufacturer ships as the "average user standard settings". Stuff like processor sleep state settings can have a significant effect on the performance of a DAW. Then, finally, install Windows and configure that then the necessary software and configure that.

I can do this stuff and I seem to be fairly capable of doing it. The downside is if a component is malfunctioning it's me who has to find out which component and replace it - which might mean replacing different things until the fault goes away.

If unhappy with taking responsibility for all that there are three options.

Buy an off-the-shelf mass market PC recommended by others who've used then as DAWs. Hopefully that will be fine for your needs, though mass market PCs tend to be rather noisy.

Or go to a specialist DAW builder and pay a possibly higher price but get a package that has support, a warranty on the PC as a whole and is put together by someone who knows what makes a PC a good DAW.

Or buy a MacBook or iMac, ideally an i7 one with as much RAM as you can afford. Which means paying more - maybe quite a lot more - and getting maybe less power per buck and no internal expansion possible, but it almost certainly will work very well as a DAW and will have one of the best displays around. It won't run Sonar under OS X, but using Apple's free "boot camp" and Windows drivers you can install Windows and boot into that.

I built my own last year. Fun and rewarding with some frustrations. If you dont think you would ENJOY the process, then I wouldn't recommend undertaking the project. You gotta be at least something of a nerd to like doing this. That said, if you are into recording you are, almost by definition, a little bit of a nerd! One thing to be aware of, if you think you would enjoy the process, is that it requires some manual dexterity. A lot of the parts and connectors are quite small. Also, your vision needs to be up to the task or you need a decent mag glass. If you are not familiar with the parts you will need to study them in some detail, especially the connectors, and read tiny print on the mobo and elsewhere. 
 
Brian

For anyone interested in building their own.
 
I tend to write way too much, but I wrote an article awhile back with pictures when I built my last computer. You could skip right to the assembly and pictures and probably be ok. Block out all my rambling riff raff :-) or it might be helpful.
 
I have run 50 plus tracks on this build loaded with vst effects and software synths with no problems whatsoever.
If you plan to use something like Thunderbolt or high resolution video cards I would opt for a cpu with 40 lanes.
 
This spec didn't have on board video and I liked that for my purposes. There are plenty of mobos with onboard video.
 
I loose track of time but It's probably been over two years or there abouts since I built it. I run it clocked higher which is easy peasy in the bios. It never overheats and runs quiet.
 
If you use different hardware, this will still give you an idea if what's involved. There was another guy here who documented a higher end build in pictures. I don't remember who he is. Maybe someone else could post info.
 
The internal hardware I used is probably very inexpensive now two years later. I love the Noctura cooler. I also can't say enough good about the case I used. A very quiet system.
 
Might as well do someone some good if possible - [link=http://www.recordinghound.com/how-to-build-an-audio-computer-the-hardware/]http://www.recordinghound...computer-the-hardware/[/link]