Advice on a new PC & audio interface

[Hook]

Good times brother!!!

[Mike Huntingford]

Loads of terrific advise.

I don't know exactly how you are recording (e.g., VSTs or real instruments, guitars, keyboards, mics).

I do not use VSTs or loads of FXs (so processing power is not big thing).  I have been recording multi-tracked audio (upwards of 60 tracks) into a conservative PC:

- Operating System: Windows 10 - 64 bit (saw improvement of music production with windows 10)
- CPU: Intel i3 3.5 GHz
- RAM: 12 GBs
- Primary Hard Drive: 480 GB SSD
- Recording Hard Drive: Another 480 GB SSD (yes I record to a SSD - no clicks no pops - always fast)
- Backup Hard Drive: 1TB HHD
- Firewire Card (Texas Instruments Chip)
- Audio:
  -- 1 x MOTU 4Pre
  -- 1 x MOTU Audio Express (both hooked via Firewire 400)
- DAW: SONAR Platinum 64-bit (although, I have used REAPER with great success and its cheap!)

NOTE: Any PC you select, you might want to ensure it has USB 3.0 as audio interface manufacturers catch up on that format (which is incredibly fast compared to USB 2.X) and offer new interfaces with greater performance.

A modest PC will suffice if you use an external audio interface (and its ASIO drivers) and use limited VSTs and DAW or plug in FXs.  If you are going to use loads of FXs and VSTs, you'll need to move up your game, investing on multi-core fast CPU (eg. i5 or i7) and use a DAW that uses multiple CPUs (like SONAR).