After working for Samsung building custom made PC's for customers around 1996 for about a year I decided to build my own (5th?) PC and decided it would be AMD. I got all my parts (the fastest!) from scan.co.uk at the time, and I spent a lot of money as I wanted this to be a supercharged PC.
 
What happened? It didn't matter what I did the damn thing kept freezing up on me. Of course it had to be hardware and in the end I bought new memory/hard drive/new motherboard/new graphics card and even that didn't make it totally stable. I think what was going on was I was buying faulty part after faulty part and nobody would care to admit it. This was the worst PC I ever had, for example I was a victim of the IBM Deathstar farce (something I found out about years later), and I had about 5 deathstar hard drives before I decided to go with another manufacturer; why? Because I absolutely didn't want a slower and therefore inferior hard drive. That was a big lesson learnt, stability counts for far more than performance in the end.
 
It's ironic for I must have built around 1000 custom PC's for customers the year before, at that time PC's weren't as easy to build as they are now, and I don't think I came across a single return (well I must have had one or two, memory fails me), and yet this happened to me. Sods law. Anyway all my ills were lifted once I put it in the loft and forgot about it, which reminds me I should throw it out. Anyway horror stories like this are less frequent as the hardware and software is a lot more reliable, that doesn't mean to say it doesn't happen.

Just another thing to add, the other thing I learnt is with performance PC's stability is the risk you take. If you are using parts that are so much faster than what is being used in common mainstream mass production PC's, you could end up being the beta tester before it goes mainstream, in software it's the norm nowadays, but when it happens with hardware it is a nightmare. Big rule for me is always wait for the third revision.

Yah.. but, when Buying into Motherboards, some Cards, CPUs, HARDDRIVES, revision numbers are held out from sight, or were in past years, when Buying...if one buys over the internet...well that has its own problematics.
 
Now in store, they show you pins before buying motherboards, so they open the package, and we know that that is a risk as well ...static discharge, could be a problem with it being done, by them who do this practice, with out discharging static first...especially in winter cold months of dry air...
And them showing you Pins...takes the eye away from the revision number printed small on the board, and thoughts of static go unaddressed by most...So one must train the eye, to wander, and the info to put forward on static discharge, when doing the buy..if that is done, and remembering to check that revision number before buying in.
 
As you say, buying the newest, or updating towards some form of bliss with OS being renewed constantly, or Software and or devices and their drivers...(it could mean that the product, no matter what revision number you have is Faulty when bought)...has its problems and merits to continually update!...The balance of the problems with third party software being installed using those things, is suppose to be R&D out...before release....but that is not the case anymore....mostly because people buy with their eyes, not with the truth of it being what it says it is, or can do when falling under recommendations and claims of being able to do...Thus we all know about the sonar x3 double engine work around....not that code is never bad?...cause that is proof it is......well that just occurred for sonar...and I believe Macs PT line also has issues with the new engine for 64 bit....SO it may come down to a library of C+++ with a bad coded entries, and some devices having a hard time with them...that both camps are using for...X...when we find the root ...the code may be exposed?...or the hardware causing the issues.
\
 
So in a sea of SH*T looking for the right revision number does not really solve for, if it was R&D with OS 7 64 build 217, and one updates to 246 build, the product you just researched and sought out no matter the revision, may not work correctly anymore...and so you have to wait for a updated drivers, so it will work with the new build...thus revision numbers may help you buy newer bug free version only for a specified build of the os....Which is now in play again to change the OS...and will continue to do so...with out adding more physical IRQs to the motherboards...and touch screen stuff coming in, the OS is sharing more, and doing more behind the scence in background, causing even more possible problems....with software, and hardware to R&D...and the cash cow grows fatter for it being so.

Ok seems that, The sabertooth x58 motherboard's HD controller was buggy...I received a new board from ASUS, although it has the same controller and exactly the same rev number..I know now that SSD drives on this board cause issues.
 
Solution: Change the board and such to something more up to date.
I opted  for the Asus Z87 quad with thunderbolt 2© and am now using the Allen and Heath r16 via Thunderbolt.
Seems to  be working ok.
 
So I would say thanks for all who tried to help...Although it went in the wrong directions, and I was getting frustrated...as were others...Sorry if I ruffled feathers, But I kind of knew that through tweaking the system, there was a problem with it...Not saying it was bad code or OS...it just helped revealed more so, that it was not addressable through normal means of conduct...Routing out the issue, through Tweaking OS, only proved more so, a Hardware issue was present....Driver updates may have caused with flashing the latest firmware for the ssd, while using the buggy controller onboard.
 
So this has been solved with much mead...the hard way....LOL
 
Sir Les

Wink

So, Sir Les - things are OK now?  If so, that IS good news.
 
If I didn't already HAVE gray hair, hardware/software adventures would surely GIVE me gray hair.  :)
 
I hope your system remains stable for you, so you can finally get to the whole objective of it all - making music.
 
Best of luck to you with it all, 
 
Bob Bone
 
 

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees !

BIG THANKS...It is too soon to tell if this will work out with the new parts, I am still installing, devices, Programs, and putting in the key codes for oh so many Plugins, and libraries and such....and then once all is updated and working, with dongles and bells...looking ok so far though...."I will back up the hole deal once testing is over" ..Wink...And begin testing the setup, without INTERNT most likely tomorrow....And see what clicks or pops as it goes,...on..always it seems in past builds,...Again Thank you Alex and Bob...together we snuffed out the bad...And brought in the new!...With much mead made consumed by all? or just me, to reduce the hair changing colour, or falling out I hope...if not..in future a possibility you might wanna try?
 
My next computer coming in Feb, is a Mac...and what a costly investment...I hope it does the job better than PCs have for me in past.
Always learning something new PC, and now mac ...could be a good thing?
 
But we still have this new PC to try out...with Thunderbolt 2 before it gets here.
 
Remember sometimes updating does not always solve for X...sometimes it creates the issues!
 
And we learned from each other...
 
Best wishes and Regards!
 
 
Sir Les
 
 

 
Looking at you system specs, I'd say you're slightly underpowered.
 

Nah, I think I am at level ground..LOL....I was over specified once upon a time, and that didn't turn out to well.... So we gotta do what we gotta do, and down size so sonar and other Daws can keep up with me...As far as I know the x58 boards all have the same controller chips, or do not have sata 3 ports,...So the six core 980 x cpu is now a wall decoration..,,Until I find a reasonable replacement with a better HD controller for SSD drives, or. and better or great reviewed MB from brand X...with HDD only and sata 3 could be something to consider later on with what has been restored By ASUS with the Sabertooth x58....
 
This PC build is just for now testing the thunderbolt 2 firewire adapter with Allen and Heath R16, Sonar x3d, and other programs...Sonar seems to have issues still with cpu hickups...Hmmmm and I turned up the cache in Sonar to 1024 record and read,..not sure if it is the SSD causing this, but it is something moved from the old build..and so is the  Corsair TX 750 PSU....But I am now going to find out!...I've cloned the ssd drive to a 1tb wd black HDD, and then will be removing the M4 Crucial ssd.... Seeing if it still causes spikes with out the ssd plugged in...would rule it out....That should be interesting...I am now booted to the New Cloned drive, and all things seem installed ok...I may have to re-enter the key codes and such...but it beats reinstalling everything....Just checking in before the shut down and removal of a possible suspected variable....as I hate those things....wink.
 
And then the mac is coming in Feb, so far, no emails saying otherwise.. fingers crossed, as I have read it may be delayed for some who ordered after Dec 23 ....That will make me over specified for everything Mac, and Windows can be run on a mac I am told...again Issues?...and the issues will come with it, I guess with mead needed more of...for the "to be sure" fun.
 
Thanks Paul P....I love it when so directed to check the specified requirementss....thrice !
 
oh I have a Asus P9x79WS board 980x cpu running my Gaming and testing of PT 11.1, Propellerhead reason 7.1, Acid Pro 7.0e. Vegas pro 12, Fruity Loops 11, Mixcraft 5, and Soundforge 11, and UAD Solo..which I did not remove from my specs till now......with Motu pre 4...Seems rock solid...and it doesn't have SSDs...So one system may be telling me something here and now about them?...to reflect on what Bob said more so , ponder, and try...The same formula on this one.
 
More testing, and results to come soon.
 
Stay tuned in...and see what burns out first....(I think the mead store may run out of my favorite Stock before that happens again.) But I've seen a flying pig...so nothing phazes me in them terms anymore...lol
 
Sir Les is building a studio...and something has to work soon..or else more mead is in need.