Hello,
 
I am a long-time user (started with Pro Audio 9) and have owned every version of Sonar.  This past week, I upgraded to X3 but the install failed on my 8+ year old system running Vista-32.  I have an Emu-1820m which has served me well since 2006, but it looks like it's time to upgrade that as well as the computer.  I bought the components for a new system based on an ASRock Z87, 16GB of RAM, I7 and Win8 64.
 
My first few DAWs were based on PCI audio interfaces for the low latency they provided (especially over early USB/Firewire interfaces).  Nowadays, it doesn't look like PCI is even an option without spending a lot of money.  I haven't built the new system yet because the 1820m isn't supported and I can no longer find the 64-bit beta drivers anywhere (Creative Labs has pulled them).  
 
So, my question is...what are people using now?  Is there something out there that could give me reasonably low latency with 20-40 audio tracks and a handful of VST instruments?  I would be using stuff like Komplete 8, SampleTank, Omnisphere, Trillian, VB3, etc.  I have no problem freezing tracks if/when necessary, but I don't want to deal with pops, clicks, dropouts and the other things that I've experienced with non-PCI stuff in the past. 
 
Thanks for any input/advice you can offer,
Bill

If you're just lacking in drivers,  I've had my 1212M working with Win7 X2.  Although I haven't pushed them to hard.  The most recent driver can be found in the thread.  They're probably the last beta drivers before they pack up shop.  Good luck.  
 
http://forum.cakewalk.com/Sound-Card-question-m2867281.aspx
 
 

Thanks -- I have those beta drivers.  I'm just afraid that the $950 I just spent on components will go to waste if I can't get the drivers to work for whatever reason.  I am also interested in what other people are using for audio interfaces now that PCI  and PCIe seem to be disappearing.  I do everything in the box (virtual instruments and effects) so I need something that can consistently deliver low latency with a lot of plugins.  

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/9182832-post434.html
 

That chart shows a lot of hardware, but its 3 years old and there's been a lot of new stuff in the last 3 years. 

On Z87 you would want a PCI Express (PCIe) interface, as PCI is no longer "native" but bridged, which can cause performance issues for audio interfaces.
 
You might check out the LLP results for the ESI Juli@ XTe (which actually uses an onboard PCIe-to-PCI bridge chip but tested pretty well):
 
http://forum.dawbench.com/showthread.php?1548-Audio-Interface-Low-Latency-Performance-Data-Base/page2
 
Another option would be a PCIe Firewire controller (with TI controller chip) and a decent Firewire interface.

Thanks for the info.  I'm going to put the components together and order a Roland Quad Capture.  That seems like the best option.  I have a Muse Receptor VIP that I wanted to sell, but I'll just keep it and run software synths in that.  

I used a MOTU 24io for a long time with absolutely no crashes or freezes ever. 24 ins and 24 outs setup as tape sends and returns on a Soundtracs Topaz 8 mixer. The latency was usually around 128 and 256 samples in ASIO for 40+ tracks. I have this summer replaced it with 2 Roland Studio-Captures 1610s and gotten rid of the board and I am very pleased. Although X2 for whatever reason causes me to have to use a little higher latency setting. I'm hoping that X3 is better.

But Roland does not have real low latency according to a post by Jim R a few months ago. The Rolands/ Cakewalks were all middle of the road RTL. at over 6ms if I remember correctly. I wish I had book marked that thread, but it was in the X series forum. I think RME was still the leader. 

Happy with the MOTU Ultralite MK III - it's one of the better ranked units for latency, but it's built-in effects and mixer allow real-time tracking too.