@jschild..why dont you put a link in your sig to your company.
i wouldnt mind checking it out either.
is yout name Scott Reams ???

Hey, chuck. Here's their site. http://www.adkproaudio.com/ The stuff looks amazing and the prices are pretty darned good too. If I wasn't so broke and needed to deal with cross border customs/shipping/whatever I really would have ponied up the extra money. I ended up only saving about $600-700 after my build if I had been able to order one of their systems and just been able to pick it up and it would have saved me a LOT of hassle. Not to mention I would have had a better build, properly optimized for what I was doing and had support afterward. Great stuff. Like I said... when it is time for me to snag a decent portable laptop rig I want an ADK. Cheers!

Also they are listed in the Cakewalk recommended computer section. That's how I found them in the first place.

thanks beep,i did fid them,as you were probably writing this.
nice info on that site,theres another guy on here how does builds for alot of people on here,his name is jim.

he also chimes in alot to help others with questions about custom builds,hes the one who pointed me in the right direction when looking for a computer case.
one that is dead silent,insulated so you dont hear fans,psu,exc.
i even went with these shock mount fans,they have rubber gromets instead of screws,this way they are not even touching the case(there is a rubber barrier)that way vibrations dont interfer either.

there is alot of little things in building a daw computer,a regular computer,well those are easy,daws are too but just a little detail.

tell you what if ever you want to build your own i can post the videos ive made on you tube...there step by step.
starting with an emply case and finishing with an install of windows 7.
(even shows how to install win 7)
i do this for every build i do for customers.
i cant tell you how many customers ive got from handing them a dvd with their build on it.
word spreads around,someone calls and says,i watched the dvd of you building my brother,sister,exc, computer..can you build one for me.

ive also had one guy call saying..i borrowed my fathers dvd for the computer you built for him..its not working...lol

my reply is..does your father work?...yes.
then you did something wrong didnt you?..lol

he brought it down and i fixed it no charge...the mobo he had choose didnt come with a drivers disk.
so it wasnt recognizing the usb mouse.
wasnt till i pluged in a p2 mouse it fired right into the bios.

it was the strangest thing..screen was just black but running,all fans and such.
i got turned on to building computers from a buddy of mine.
back in the early 90's i built printed curcuit boards for the largest pcb in the world.
the reason your cell phone is the size it is because people like us building smaller boards,smaller components.

we built the first pentium 1 and when the pentium 2 came out it was like a revalation.

Cool stuff, Chuck... and the story about the young feller thinking he could do it himself is exactly why it's better to just get someone who knows what they are doing to build it for you. This system was my first build but I researched EVERYTHING for a very long time and had a super awesome tech friend guiding me through every step of the process from purchasing to build. Even then there were DAW specific things that they could not answer. I did run into a few problems (as you know) when I first tried to get Sonar up and running but with some patience and perseverance I have it all going now. I wanted to learn how to do it and really I had the time to do it (and also I'm a completely broke SOB so any money I could shave off my final total was important) so to ME personally it was worth the endless hours and pitfalls. For someone just looking to get a rig that'll record their stuff? Forget about it... your time is worth more than the extra money spent on a pro built system even if you only make minimum wage. It's just that simple of an equation.

And just to expound on that a bit if I had gotten a system build by Blue Cat or ADK they would have KNOWN what was needed to run my Layla 3G and either told me at the time I should replace it or make sure I had a motherboard that would handle it properly. I waste well over a month wrangling with that issue because I just... didn't... know.... and there really was no way for me TO know.

Hello All,
  Sorry about not posting.  I took this weekend for researching and came up with a choice of three processors.  I still like the focusrite saffire pro 40 or the Motu Ultralite mk3 hybrid and lastly the MOTU 828 mk3 hybrid.  personally I'm leaning towards the 828, what are everyone thoughts please.

I've never used a MOTU but they supposedly SMOKE most other interfaces out there. If you can afford it definitely get the 828. Without a doubt. If you get that I will be more than jealous.

Also if you still wanted access to Focusrite pres you can just attach one of their Octo Pre units to the MOTU VIA the ADAT connectors.

Hey Buddy, I think, you do not need to buy a new CPU. Definitely you have your reasons but even if I was filthy rich I wouldn't buy that thing unless it was absolutely necessary.