My preferences list (not only for music production):
1) SSD only solution. No noise, less heat (less noise from fans), no jitter in file loading
2) RAM. All your Synth should fit into it, otherwise it is nightmare
3) CPU. Faster reaction = smaller latency.
4) GPU. Till you play games, you should not care (as long as it supports the number of monitors you are going to use).

I have a Nvidia card that does support CUDA and I have it set in Vegas Pro. Some users have done tests and can cut rendering time using it. I haven't had any trouble with it and though what was said above about it would give some pause. Still, if you have a program that can use it I don't see why not get a card that has it. In any case it is optional.
 
 

@John I won't be editing or creating video but scoring to video in Sonar X3 Producer, thanks for the info anyway.

liamflanagan
@CakeAlexS Sorry to hear about your bad experience with them. I'm going to getting an external extra monitor most graphics cards can handle an extra monitor, can't they?

That would be a likely assumption.
You need to find out the make and models and look at the specs yourself on the internet. Don't take anything for granted I suggest from sales people. Note one day you might want a two external monitors, that's always a nice option. And how about HDMI for instance? Bid your time and research carefully I suggest (then buy a Dell , of course loads of people will now be posting that Dell's are crap now I've posted it ! hahaha). I would also look at HP and ASUS. Scan might tell you their PC is custom built but that in reality means sod all, the components are everywhere even in mass produced machines.... And remember the after service support is a really important factor.Ta.

@CakeAlexS I understand what your saying but don't know anything about Graphics cards so don't know what I'm comparing. I've had good experiences with Dells but wasn't wanting to go for something pro audio rather than consumer laptop. Can consumer models compare to the one I was thinking of buying from Scan?
 
Thanks

> Can consumer models compare to the one I was thinking of buying from Scan? 

Absolutely.. it's all made in China or whatever anyway. Cakewalk uses HP laptops for instance.
 
Get into the specs and do your research on the internet, just type in the make and model numbers, and look at the reviews. See what's inside the box, find out what it all means.... That's my recommendation.
 
The audio interface is extremely important as is memory and CPU. Hard drive space and specs is another factor.
 
Cheers...
 
 

I used to have 2 $400+ video cards.  Didn't much matter,
 
I now use literally the on-board graphics, and have no issues with graphics.
 
Bob Bone

I forgot to say the main reason you would buy a PC from a DAW specialist (of which scan micro is not) is so they customize and optimise the software perfectly for Sonar. You can do this as well BTW (in time you would probably do a better job yourself, plenty of tips in these forums). It is not as hard as you think. I suggest you don't waste your money although plenty of people here have paid for this sort of service (nothing against that, these people though think a PC is like a formula one car and always want the latest parts and clock up their PC like games machines). I though prefer larger companies because they can source replacement parts easier when they go wrong.
 
Sonar will almost certainly work straight out of the box anyway with a laptop of the right specs (check the Sonar product page for this). Ask yourself though if you need a laptop, you only need one if you are going offsite, a desktop would be better and cheaper otherwise.

@CakeAlexS I'm getting a laptop as I may have go off site in the future, so good to have that option. I can see what you mean about doing my own research. What is Scan then? Who is a DAW specialist. I thought of going with Scan as they could tune up the laptop to work at maximum capacity and I wouldn't be have to deal with all the crap that you can't remove from a consumer laptop that takes up hard drive space and processing power.

I will add that with laptops, in particular, please note that MANY Wi-Fi adapters on laptops cause massive latency spikes, which doesn't matter other than when you need low latency for things like Sonar or other music applications.
 
Sooooooo, my suggestion is to be prepared to either physically switch off the Wi-Fi (if there is a switch), or use a function key to do do (if it uses a function key for controlling the Wi-Fi), or go into Windows Device Manager and temporarily 'disable' your Wi-Fi adapter, ONLY doing so just prior to launching Sonar - or some other music application that is streaming audio.
 
I used to use a laptop for gigging, and lots of other folks have used theirs remotely as well, and many have to do as I have posted above, to prevent real problems with latency from the Wi-Fi adapters.
 
As soon as you finish using your music application, Sonar or whatever, switch the Wi-Fi adapter back on, or enable it in Windows, and you are good to go for surfing again.
 
It's not a big deal to switch them on/off, but if can make a HUGE difference in your sound quality.
 
Oh - I would also recommend you make sure your laptop has at least 1 USB 2 port, as some USB-connected audio interfaces freak out if they get plugged into a USB 3 port.
 
Also, I recommend trying to pick one up that has at least 8 GB of memory, and if possible, get one with a 2nd physical hard drive.  Splitting things off so that the OS and applications are one the primary drive, and data libraries and projects and such are on a 2nd physical drive REALLY makes things run a lot zestier.
 
Best of luck with all of it - we will be here to assist you with anything we can.
 
Bob Bone