While I am not against the rack mounted stuff.... and I really like the lights on them.... it just looks so cool...
I have all my stuff "in the box" and do not regret it the least bit.
I never really had much quality stuff that was rackable anyway so what I did have I sold on Ebay and moved forward with a totally software based studio.
I suspect that if you are going to hire the studio out to bands and artists......the rack gear is a plus.... it looks more impressive to clients than a simple computer and a USB interface.
As far as the synths getting better.... I think you will be pleasantly surprised. But again, like anything, in many, but not all cases, you get what you pay for.
Sonar includes some nice stuff.....I'm a fan of the Cakewalk Sound center and Cake sells a number of low priced (and nice sounding) sound paks. Some of the sample libraries and the synths to play them are totally freaking amazing in their reality. The better ones set you back a few hundred to a few thousand but.... it's really hard to tell that you didn't have the philharmonic in your studio, or a $50,000 grand piano.... or that string quartet..... or... you name it.
Anyway.... you'll see..... the progress has been amazing. I got back in the recording thing in late 2006 with MC4.... which puts me here for 6 years now.... and the things that have happened in those 6 years are pretty impressive.....