> Surely the point of buying a custom build DAW machine is to help ensure you get a set of components that are tried, tested and set up correctly
 
Most PC's are nowadays. You generally have to remove some crappy software they bundle in (like McAfee) - but that's about it. And reinstalling Windows nowadays is hardly rocket science.
 
> thus eliminating many of the common causes of DAW software 'malfunction'. Also, if it doesn't work properly for intended purpose then you have a guarantee.
 
99% of the time it's software not hardware that's the issue assuming you buy the correct sound interface. Now if you want to buy a machine of the shelf and pay somebody to "tune it up" because you don't want to do it yourself, or your are not confident, I could see that (but that's lazy and is going to cost you $$$ in the future!).
 
Also, if it doesn't work properly for intended purpose then you have a guarantee.
 
Really? So if Windows update or a driver or sonar has a bug, you would take back your PC?
Nope your hardware is guaranteed, you also have similar guarantees with off the shelf PC's, and you are covered from all angles if you buy an onsite repair warranty for 4 years.

> So many hardware incompatibilities with recording audio etc I'm not sure what you mean.
 
Like what exactly? Get the right interface, find the right port to plug it into, do your research and you won't be left with a stinker. Actually it's quite hard to get things wrong nowadays if you keep your eye on the specs.
 
> It's actually cheaper to have a custom build than it is to build one yourself i
 
And it's even cheaper if you buy off the shelf. I wouldn't build my own box nowadays, buy it off the shelf... plug in the interface... Optimize windows... Done.
Hassle free.
 
> if they wanted the best chance of a hassle free experience
 
Says you.... :)
 
Half the issue I believe is not learning how to optimize the windows environment I suspect, in which case sure, pay somebody to do it if you haven't got the time and have got the $$$. But remember that you will need to keep optimizing it and paying somebody to optimize it.... or just learn how to do it... it really isn't that hard.
 
The end of the day it's all chips, software and stuff. Believe the hype if you must :).
And learn how to maintain your tools, if you get somebody else to do it for you.... they will never do as good a job as you will yourself. They don't live with your PC you do. Just like you live with your guitar, keyboard... whatever.... it's just a tool to make music.

Thanks for the input from everybody...I like the 18 Grand thing ctfu...so if i stick with pc, which is really what i'd like to do and not build one, which way should I go?

wizard71

I don't see why a rational human being would not invest in a custom built daw by a reputable company if they wanted the best chance of a hassle free experience, especially give that a musician may not have much PC knowledge. Also i would say it depends on the type of music you are composing.

Exactly. I work in the film and theater industry (composer myself), and it would be insane buying a pre built "run of the mill" PC in hopes of having a reliable system for professional level work. Anyone who thinks otherwise has never worked in such an environment. The last thing a musician has time for is fiddling around with tweaks and compatibility issues. With a specialized build from a reputable company, you're getting a machine specifically designed to meet your demands, plus the proper support. For example, I use multiple slave PC's with 64GB Ram (using VEPro), and require certain peripheral ports that CANNOT be found on consumer grade units.     

How are the custom builds from say like Guitar Ctr, Sam Ash, or Musician's Friend, or Sweetwater.  Would you recommend any of those places? Someone said something about studio cat previously building good quality daws...Or prolly better to go with the daws listed on cakes site?

Saffires rock! Focusrite make the best interfaces. And from the UK so what do you expect.

Definitely - sounds interesting...

Someone mentioned something about Sonar running better with amd chips vs intel. Any truths or comments?  I run mad plugs, including wave bundle, maschine, komplete, and additional soft synths along with mbox pro 3rd gen.  I need to buy a computer that will work well with what I have.

20 Grand
Someone mentioned something about Sonar running better with amd chips vs intel. Any truths or comments?

No, SONAR runs fine on either, however; most of the comments on this forum I have read from DAW builders and CW developers, when they express a preference, usually recommend Intel processors.

ok...so it seems like Intel is the way to go...Just need some recommendations in the $800-1000 price range with as much bang for the buck and where to buy it from.

Re Intel vs AMD Intel is way better.
AMD is ok on the low end, and the integrated graphic chip is generally better than on Intel.
But for the processing power itself Intel processors are more powerful.
Depending on what you want to achieve a Core i5 may be enough.
But you may want to get a Core i7 with true hyperthreading to be on the safe side if you are a heavy plugin user.
 
Re XPS 15.
So far I am totally satisfied from a business / dev / graphics use point of views.
I haven't had time to do lots of X3.
 
You can have only one SSD but if you take the smaller battery you can have the 512GB mSata (Samsung btw) + a full size SSD/2.5 HD.
I don't think there are many notebooks with this size and thinness that allow this.
 
Regarding repairing there is no comparison with the new MacBook Pro which is in fact a serious downgrade to previous generation repairwise: it is way better.
 
I would like to see benchmarks usb 3 vs thunderbolt but I doubt there will be much difference with ssds.
I used to have esata and FireWire on my Dell M4400 workstaton but esata never really took of and improved, and I am so happy never to hear from FireWire again as there were always problems with chipsets/cards compatibilities.
 
If someone has monstruous projects that bring his pc/mac to its knees do not hesitate to send it to me for testing.
 
Additional information so far.
Really happy with this Ultrabook
Being more of a mouse guy I find the huge touchpad quite fine. Too bad it is a fingerprint magnet.
 
The screen is definitely outstanding. I have watched a few 4k videos from talented Jacob Schwarz, it is amazing. I calibrated it with i1, it is spot on 6500K and has huge luminosity of 365 cd/m2. Colors are very vibrant but there is a little metamerism: you may notice a slight hue change while changing the view angle.
I still think the huge resolution 3200x1800 is a marketing gimmick in most cases except for photography / graphic / design work but there are people who insist they can't go back to FullHD once they used retina or higher res displays even for office-type work. Indeed the text looks very sharp but one has to make do with old applications that aren't scaling aware and scale poorly (hello Photoshop CS6). Hopefully the situation will improve in time.
 
 
As habit would have it one of the first thing I did was to uninstall McAfee especially when I saw it happily using 600MB of RAM or more. True that's not a problem with 16GB but I never saw Windows Defender take that much.
 
The keyboard is very good for a chicklet keyboard. I did not like at all that the function keys had other uses by default (media keys, luminosity, wifi on and so forth) and that you had to press fn-Fx key to get the standard use. Thankfully I found that you could switch this behavior in Bios. The backlighting is very usefull.
 
For music production I'm always using the Quad-Capture. On the go though the xps15 speakers are suprisingly powerfull and decent. They come with Waves Maxx Audio 3 "enhancers" but I haven't played with the software so far.
 
Nuance Dragon Assistant (of Siri fame) is included with the notebook and I will test it this week.
 
So far I haven't used the touch screen that much, but it needs lots of firm pressure. It really isn't smooth the way a Microsoft Surface 2 tablet is, and I have limited success with a stylus. I'll have to investigate if the sensitivity can be configured.
Update: there is indeed a configuration app in the control panel. Touch is fine now even with my capacitative stylus.
 
I am still in awe of the boot time. SSD + Windows 8.1 = win, and it sure feels highly optimized on the xps 15. Some of us may remember the 3+ minutes boot times of yore, I sure don't miss them.
 
So far I'm very satisfied, I'll keep in touch.
 

It looks like most of the  new laptops aren't including thunderbolt... Taking Dell as an example. HP and Apple appears to be the exception, but I'm wondering if thunderbolt is dying as a PC standard. I was surprised Intel didn't insist on it being included in all ultrabooks.

Wifey just surprised me with an HP Envy 700-210xt. Has some good specs.  Quad-core processor 4770, upgradable to 32 gigs of ram. I just noticed that is has DR DRE's BEATS Audio.  Will that be a problem for me as far as drivers and stability?  I will return this **** before it gets shipped.

so you think this puppy will get her done?
 

Also I didn't check but wonder how many free slots you've got on the motherboard (2 or 3 would be handy).