New System Build - optimal hardware?

After a very long time with my last build (8 years?) I finally have a little money put aside for a new PC.  I want to tailor my hardware to work with Sonar as well as possible so I thought I should check some of the basics here before I settle on a CPU and motherboard.  My budget for those two is around $us900 - not crazy Xeon or i9 money - I guess I'm looking at i7 or Ryzen.  So...
 
Should I be looking at AMD or Intel, hyper-threading and number of cores (what can Sonar take advantage of here - is there a limit to the cores in can actually utilize?), a particular mobo brand, chipset and architecture, and how much RAM should I be aiming for?
 
I have Sonar Platinum btw, and a USB-interfacing Focusrite Scarlet 18i20.  It will basically be a dedicated DAW machine, I don't play games, watch movies or really do anything else but sometimes browse the internet.
 
I appreciate any advice that can be offered.  Remember, this is the key phrase "tailor my hardware to work with Sonar as well as possible"
 
 

I built an Intel I7 4790k LGA 1150 about a year ago and I have been very pleased.
your best bet (to save a few bucks) to get exactly what you want is to build your own.
Its pretty easy actually.
You can buy a CPU + Motherboard bundle and then all you need is a Power supply, SSD hard drive, a Case and a copy of windows.
I shop here for all my builds:
http://www.microcenter.com/site/brands/intel-processor-bundles.aspx
 
You can get a decent bundle CPU/MOBO for around 300.00+ bucks.
I wouldn't be too concerned about video unless your Mobo doesn't have onboard video.
I use onboard video that has Dual DVI for 2 monitors.
 
I salvaged my old case, my old Hard drive and Windows copy from my previous build which was an AMD FX.
I built this new Intel system for under 600.00 bucks.
 
I should also mention it depends on how many sample library's, plug ins, exc you plan on using.
My typical projects have 5 Synths, 20 Audio tracks and upwards of 50 plug ins.
Ive yet to see my system stutter or bog down.

If you decide to go with an i7 7700k, be sure you get a big heat-sink/fan (unless you go with water cooling). I just built a video editing system using that CPU. It's awesome, but runs kind of hot. I ended up using a Noctua NH-D15 on mine. It's quiet, but HUGE. Might not fit in a mid-tower case.

Yeah. The Noctua is very quiet here, especially at idle, as the fan is barley spinning (I'm only using one of the two fans). My idle temp is also around the high 30's. I'm plenty fine with that, as it's really nothing for the CPU. My temp now will max out at about 70 at full load. It drops down from there as the fan/heat-sink catch up. I would go the water cooling route, but I don't want to deal with the maintenance/limited life span. The Noctua products are known for their efficiency and longevity. Install it and forget about it. It just works.