Ebosell
Say . . . can I really expect Sonar X2 Essentials and the Rapture plug-in to work in the specified minimum system requirements? *Windows 7 or Windows 8 (32 and 64-bit). *Intel Core 2 Duo E8200 2.67 GHz / AMD Phenom Quad Core 9750 2.4 Ghz or higher *2GB of RAM Given the Monster Machines most of you gentlemen appear to operate, it seems like a lot to ask. At best I'll have an i3 or i5 with 4GB RAM and integrated soundcard (it's laptop, you understand....).
It should work (my laptop has similar specs) , but you'll need to be realistic with your expectations.
Numerous tracks and or plugins (especially soft synth's with big multisamples) will probably take some time to load, and you could experience dropouts if you get too carried away!
One of the easiest performance improvements would be using a decent external USB audio interface (look for one that has drivers specifically for your OS) instead of the onboard sound card. If you shop around, you should be able to find a decent, basic interface for around $100 or so.