Here's what I use for a Computer system in my studio
Intel based computer

• RAM : 16gb
• CPU : Intel Q9650 Dual Quad Core @3.0 ghz , with 12mb Cache
• Motherboard : Gigabyte EP45T-UD3LR motherboard with LA775 Socket
• Heavy Duty Power Supply : Anatec modular 1200 watt power supply
• Video Card : Nvida GE Force 210 (Dual Head) with 2gb ram

4 Internal Hard Drives with 4 different operating systems accessed via a boot menu listed below

• Boot Drive #1: 120gb Corsair SSD (Win 7 64bit OS)
• Boot Drive #2: 2tb Seagate 7200 rpm (Win XP 32bit OS) Partition #1 (Used for Sonar 8.53 32 bit)
• Boot Drive #2: 2tb Seagate 7200 rpm (Win XP 64bit OS) Partition #2 (Used for Sonar 8.53 64 bit)
• Boot Drive #2: 2tb Seagate 7200 rpm (Win XP 32bit OS) Partition #3 (Used for Office & Utility Norton image software)
• Data drive #3: 2tb Seagate 7200 rpm to store additiional items other than recording projects
• Data drive #4: 2tb Seagate 7200 rpm to store image backups of all the Operating systems.

2 External Drives on Esata :

• External Drive #1 :2tb Seagate 7200 rpm (streaming VI back to Sonar)
• External Drive #2 :2tb Seagate 7200 rpm (used to store wave, wov and Sonar sequences files)

Video

• 2 x 27" HP LCD with LED high resolution monitors

Audio

• Maxio 032 PCI based 32 channel audio card with MIDI I/O
• Presonus Firewire 24.4.2 mixer
• Samson Rubicon 8 monitor system with Ribbon tweeters & 10 sub

This system was created about 5 years ago and has steadily been updated due to equipment needing to be replaced. The entire system was used with Sonar 8.53 and then upgraded to Sonar X1. After X1 was installed I tried it for 1 month but reverted back to Sonar 8.53 due to several issues that I was not willing to sacrifice by dropping sonar 8.53.
 
Ok here's where it gets nasty!
 
I upgraded recently to X3 and now I've got problems. While playing any song I go along and after a few minutes the computer simply starts re-booting. No warning, no message, no anything, not even a message requesting to create *.dmp file to analyze what was being processed when the issue happened. This has never happened in the past. Never!
 
Anyone have this happen? I need help because I use the machine 7 days a week for 10 to 16 hours daily.
 
Thanks guys!

I read this twice and might have missed it. Which OS are you running?

From what you wrote there is nothing in your system that would restrict X3. As long as you are running Win7 SP1 or newer, you should be fine.
 
Did you install X3 explicitly as administrator? And are you running it explicitly as administrator as well? Have you installed the X3c patch (X3d is coming next week, so a couple days from now this will be moot).

1.  Please confirm the crashes are occurring in Sonar x64 running in Windows 7 x64.
 
2.  Please explain whether this is for existing projects, brand new projects, or all projects.
 
3.  Please  tell me what happens if you load a brand new project with ONLY an imported MP3 or WMA song file into an audio track, with NO effects, and hit Play.  (does it still crash with this test?).
 
4.  For one of your problematic projects, what happens if PRIOR to hitting play for the first time, you hit 'E' to toggle all effects off.  (don't forget to turn them back on after the test).  (And indicate if you have any 32-bit soft synths loaded into one of these problematic projects)
 
5.  Please detail your Sonar Sample Rate, record bit-depth, driver mode, audio interface device, and for your audio interface, please also list the Sample Rate and ASIO Buffer Size.
 
6.  Also, what update level is your X3 at?  (a, b, c?).
 
7.  Is your Windows maintenance up to date?
 
8.  Are there any crash logs?
 
9.  Do you have any critical errors showing up in your Windows Event Log?  If so, please detail.
 
Thanks, 
 
Bob Bone
 

I upgraded X3 to X3c about a week ago. This problem only happens with the Win 7 OS. When I revert back and play the same file with V8.53 there is no problem to be had but, take that same file and try playing it in X3 and it shuts the machine down. It is not even a re-boot, it turns it off and it stays off. This is is not related to a specific point in the sequence as it happens at various times throughout the midi file (never the same place).
There are no audio files as of yet in the songs I am trying (I have tried three different songs today) and all of them do the same thing at various points in the song. Not once can I get the song to play through to the end.
Damn, I feel like someone is playing an April fools joke on me.
Does anyone know what the theoretic limit of a sequence is for Sonar? Could a song be 5,000 kb & still play OK? All of the songs are fairly large because I use a template that pre-loads all the generic VI's that are needed to playback the midi file and provide a standard layout for all the songs I produce. But then why does V8.53 handle the same song without any issues?
 
Thanks guy's, I hope you don't mind helping me?

The only time I've had spontaneous reboots was when the thermal paste on the CPU had detoriated and the result was overheating whenever SONAR would push the system.  Something along these lines, aka hardware vs. software, might be worth monitoring just in case X3 is a red herring.
 

Hey Steve! Thank you so much!
I'm going to tear in to that tomorrow. I certainly can happen considering the machine is on 24/7 365 days of the year it just might be an overheating issue. Man that would be a simple fix. I think I'd better put a thermometer utility on it to keep track of the CPU temperature.
 
Thanks again Steve!
CBJ

You're welcome!  
 
FWIW, I run a Q9300 on an Asus MB and it is also on 24/7.  The circumstances could certainly be coincidental, but better to know for sure before spending a lot of time troubleshooting!
 

@CBJ - can you please take a couple of minutes and post back with the info per my requests?
 
Thanks, it will help me to help you, 
 
Bob Bone
 

+1 Bob

Please run windows update several times and this:

http://forum.cakewalk.com...aspx?m=2928792&p=1

Update your sound interface drivers.

And check windows event viewer for errors.

This smells of a hardware issue and software related to hardware. If I were forced to place bets I suspect its drivers.