So short of RAIN of adk - what other big "name" brands should we start to focus on first?

ASG: I'm in the same position you are in terms of needing to replace my system. The system I have now I bought from ADK (about five years ago!). It has been a great machine. Not only that, their support is even better than I would have expected. I even called recently to describe the issue that I am having and Eric said it sounds like I only need to replace my RAM sticks - that they are going bad. Hopefully that's the case. But eventually I am going to need to replace my sys and also don't really know much about what specs I would or wouldn't need to get a functional replacement and can't really spend what I would like to get another system from them. I am always recording only one instrument/track at a time - so that's probably not as demanding as other guys that say, record live bands. But I do use Omnisphere and East/West samples (to name two) which can sometimes tax my current system a bit. Got some research to do, I guess.

Oops - posted twice. [deleted] ... just went to the ADK site. I guess I would be fine with their starter sys for under $1500. I just don't have that right now. Might make more sense though, in the long run, to just wait until I do.

Seems odd to me to ask these question here instead of asking the company directly?? 
Pick 3 builders, Look at the web site and ask them directly any questions if the web site is not showing you what you need to know. 

Hey Cactus - not sure if you were responding to me, but I don't have the money to spend on an ADK sys right now (as is the case with the original poster) and am trying to get some info (helpful info) in terms of what less expensive alternatives there might be. And as nice as the ADK guys are (and as top-shelf as their stuff is), you don't go to a new car showroom to ask questions about a used car. And although I am certain they would help me find a less expensive alternative (being the helpful/knowledgeable souls that they are) I wouldn't feel right taking up their time with a question like that. Hence the reason for checking out this thread. I hadn't been to this forum in years. I am immediately (only one post in) reminded why. You actually went to the trouble to post and express your opinion that you think others' questions are odd. That seems odd to me. Lot of things to consider when purchasing a system and any bit of info that others might offer could be helpful.

http://www.inta-audio.com/pc-builder/index/69

I just want to put in a good word for Rain Computers. I've picked up a laptop from them and it has been great for working with Sonar. They set the settings right from the beginning when I received it. If I've had a question, when I get support they truly know both my computer and Sonar and tons of stuff about external devices and how to avoid conflicts. I think their support adds considerable value and makes them a good decision. You could spend countless frustrating hours trying to research and figure out why something doesn't work, and then be too exhausted to feel musically creative, or take advantage of a good company that can help you out of a jam even a year or more after your purchase. Last thing I'll mention is that in my upgrade I moved from a desktop to a powerful laptop and I'm definitely putting in more productive time since the laptop frees me to roam.

i recently got a DAW from ADK, paid around $1900 for it i think. i got the acoustic treatment along some other noise reduction options. brought some friends over to show them my mini-studio (10x10 or thereabouts). standing by the door, i thought to myself, "that's weird, why is my computer off?"

it wasn't. not asleep either. just really, really quiet. you had to listen for it and then you could hear it, barely. 

the most important thing you can do in home recording is work on your recording space. having a nearly dead quiet computer addresses the most common source of noise in home recordings. it's the one thing you can't turn off. a DAW builder can do that for you, dell and HP not so much. it costs extra but it's worth it.

  love it!

ive built daws for under 450-500 bucks that are more than suffient.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFZ7ZrsTl3g

if you think you have the skill,build your own.
its not rocket science.

but if you want absolute quality,jim is a great builder from everything ive heard.

good luck