Hey Guys,
I'm planning on getting a new computer in the next few months.  Any recommendations?  It will be used only for SONAR and the occasional Photoshop project.
 
Thanks!!

Are you building a system yourself, or buying one off the shelf?

Amicus717
Are you building a system yourself, or buying one off the shelf?

 I'll be buying it. 

I'm very happy with my StudioCat DAW.  Jim Roseberry is great to deal with and an active member of this forum as well.

Also check this fred: http://forum.cakewalk.com/Computers-f84.aspx

jude77
Hey Guys,
I'm planning on getting a new computer in the next few months.  Any recommendations?  It will be used only for SONAR and the occasional Photoshop project.
 
Thanks!!

Hey, you didn't mention a budget, but I'll just go ahead and add this.
 
If you are going to buy off the shelf, you will probably be happier in the long run with a custom built PC, such as the DAW PC's from StudioCat.
 
The stuff that you may find a good deal on in the big box store is not optimized for audio, so you will still need to do that. 
 
And most likely it is stuffed full of mass produced low quality components, where soon an outdated BIOS or drivers can become end of life before you realize it.  You are often dependent on the PC maker to continue updating, when they are actually more interested in selling next years model.  And support, do they even still have any?
 
So consider how long you want the computer to last.  For useful longevity and smooth operation, maybe a little extra cost for a custom PC could make purrrfect sense

abacab

jude77
Hey Guys,
I'm planning on getting a new computer in the next few months.  Any recommendations?  It will be used only for SONAR and the occasional Photoshop project.
 
Thanks!!

Hey, you didn't mention a budget, but I'll just go ahead and add this.
 
If you are going to buy off the shelf, you will probably be happier in the long run with a custom built PC, such as the DAW PC's from StudioCat.
 
The stuff that you may find a good deal on in the big box store is not optimized for audio, so you will still need to do that. 
 
And most likely it is stuffed full of mass produced low quality components, where soon an outdated BIOS or drivers can become end of life before you realize it.  You are often dependent on the PC maker to continue updating, when they are actually more interested in selling next years model.  And support, do they even still have any?
 
So consider how long you want the computer to last.  For useful longevity and smooth operation, maybe a little extra cost for a custom PC could make purrrfect sense

All of those are excellent points!  Studiocats seems to be leading the poll.

I've always built my own but if my current rig ever expires I'd consider StudioCat too.
 
It's a real pain having to do a HUGE amount of research to try to ensure you get a stable system...which motherboard?, which CPU?, which RAM?

Shambler
I've always built my own but if my current rig ever expires I'd consider StudioCat too.
 
It's a real pain having to do a HUGE amount of research to try to ensure you get a stable system...which motherboard?, which CPU?, which RAM?

Ha, I was in the same boat several years ago and made that switch to Purrrfect Audio and a StudioCat system.  So much easier, and really, you don't save much doing it yourself, considering the cost of good parts.  I'm on my second StudioCat DAW now.  My first one lasted me several years and I just formatted it and sold it to a friend for a decent deal to get him started with recording.  It would probably still be fine even for me, but I'm a bit more power hungry with synths and plugins than he is.  My new one barely breaks a sweat so far, unless I get really carried away with Omnisynth and Diva.

Shambler
I've always built my own but if my current rig ever expires I'd consider StudioCat too.
 
It's a real pain having to do a HUGE amount of research to try to ensure you get a stable system...which motherboard?, which CPU?, which RAM?

YES!!  It's good to have somebody who knows what you need guiding you.