I am wondering , cause still can't find any real audio performance differences , apart from the graphical interfaces and new way of doing things. 

Is X1 optimized for new computer standards like 64 bit Win 7 ? 

i can only tell you my own experience.  i never had any serious issues with 8.5 but i did have an occassional crash.  x1 has been the most stable and solid feeling daw i've ever used.  never hiccups or crashes.  i haven't crashed yet in just over a month of use.
i am impressed with the low latency for playing soft synths.
i find that the cpu usage is slightly better than 8.5 but i was already impressed with the cpu usage in 8.5.
there are some bugs  that need addressing but for my use, none are very significant (audiosnap and low res monitor issues)

Never used 8.5 long enough to comment but find X1 less glitchy than 8.3 which would drop out quite easily.

X1 will drop out occasionally if I'm swapping screensets frantically but other than that it keeps on going although the screen tracking will drop behind reality for a short time. I also have just one project that takes forever to save and that can provoke a dropout.

Etostone

Is X1 optimized for new computer standards like 64 bit Win 7 ? 

Absolutely, but so are the previous few versions. This is definitely one are where Cakewalk have been way ahead of the curve.

... am impressed with the low latency for playing soft synths. 
i find that the cpu usage is slightly better than 8.5 but i was already impressed with the cpu usage in 8.5. 
Hey fanboi don't post this sort of thing!!!
JK, like FBB I went from 8.3 to X1 and see a remarkable difference in performance...ie using a 5 year old dual core laptop we couldn't run True Pianos in a live situation...with X1 we can use not only True Pianos but Session Drummer 3!

8.5.3 is presently the best version of Sonar and probably will continue to be for the next year or so.

When taking people's advice on this, bear in mind that some posters - 10Ten for example - don't actually have x1.

They did say that they further optmized the audio engine - specifically for win7.  I'm expriencing basically zero dropouts and lockups.  I'm using Win7 64bit and the engine seems more solid than before with my 8.5.3 32bit DAW.  I've read a couple threads now by some users that have had zero problems during very long sessions.  Of course there are a lot of bugs in the software that add some frustration, and there are those that are having issues I think with specific hardware.  Aside from the bugs, the engine seems to been advanced for me.

John T


When taking people's advice on this, bear in mind that some posters - 10Ten for example - don't actually have x1.

Since I do own X1 and have said so many times, I guess you have perfectly illustrated your point.

guitartrek


They did say that they further optmized the audio engine - specifically for win7.  I'm expriencing basically zero dropouts and lockups.  I'm using Win7 64bit and the engine seems more solid than before with my 8.5.3 32bit DAW.  I've read a couple threads now by some users that have had zero problems during very long sessions.  Of course there are a lot of bugs in the software that add some frustration, and there are those that are having issues I think with specific hardware.  Aside from the bugs, the engine seems to been advanced for me.

The problem is that none of that means anything because people's projects are different. I have a tendency to abuse everything and others think that 1 or 2 tracks at 30ms is a big deal.