I hadn't really considered building my own, but I agree it's always the best value for money. I should ask around and see if I can bludge the favour of someone before I commit to buying something out of the box. But I will look into the prices of some of the complete machines with the specs you have suggested here too. Thanks again, love that there are computer gurus on this forum.
Well, I'm no 'computer guru' but I built my own computer (with some help). In fact, a friend put it together but I was present for most of the decision making process.
Be very careful going this route as it is possible to make mistakes. The theory is, you go to Ebay and computer discount shops for new, unused parts and everything should work. Many times it works out but there are potential pitfalls, unless you're highly savvy about long term performance and compatibility issues of each individual part. For this reason, I've had the best performance out of factory builds, such as HP and Dell systems that other people have finished with.
The point is, companies like HP and Dell cherry pick their components so they know everything will work in a stable fashion, where it concerns mechanical build and driver stability. In some cases, the hard drive may come loaded with a host of extraneous stuff, such as trials of software and things they hope will appeal to you. Most of it useless rubbish which you can do without.
Going up a rung or two, there are companies who build computers specifically for the music and sound engineering trade, which I assume are built in a more focused manner. Mostly their users will likely not use them for any other purpose than recording and editing sound. So that's a potential elimination of typical Windows bugs and viruses which affect the PC platform.
Mac, on the other hand, limit their hardware and software choices to only that which they can confirm works seamlessly - hence the term "Just works" you hear from most Mac users. They still get hiccups and problems, but not usually on the same scale.
This doesn't mean you have to have a Mac to get reliable performance but, judging from a lot of users experiences, it arguably does take the guesswork out of building and organising a computer system. The only drawback is the expense. But then, arguably, you might pay a similar amount for a PC built to high professional standards. I haven't researched exact prices, so I guess only you can confirm that when you go shopping.
So it depends a lot on how much you're willing to shell out. There are people in this forum who self build and report extremely high levels of performance and stability and there are 'callers' coming into this forum every day, seeking help with fundamental problems, like sound cards suddenly ceasing to work and a host of other irritating bugs and glitches. From this, we can surmise knowledge and homework, prior to building plus, perhaps a measure of luck... Who knows?
I guess your choice will depend on how much you plan to rely on the computer in your own workflow as a recording artist. This obviously differs from person to person and their position in the industry. If relied on by others, in a 'time=money' situation, a studio MUST have a computer which can be relied on 100%. It's no good throwing together a bunch of parts which seem like good value at the time, like I did and hoping for the best. I wouldn't want to see anyone else go through what I did.
You might want to set a budget for a computer that gets used for certain tasks, as and when needed to allow more for other gear such as musical instruments. Or, you might want this computer to form the 'central hub' of your operation and be responsible for a host of complex tasks. I think that might be the first place to start drawing up your plans and from that, you'll get an idea of how much you'll need to spend.
I hope this helps. But remember, all advice you receive is subjective and based on each person's experience. Mine is not extensive, so all I can do is throw in to contribute to the 'melting pot'. Only you can decide what to do with it.
All the best.
