Looking for a PC with minimum....

[raytray]

- VR ready
- Eight (8) 3.5in HDD bays minimum for future RAID purposes
- Win 7 installed on a (?1TB) SSD
- a decent soundcard to attach MIDI instruments to record music

Its been a good while since I looked into buying a PC. I already have a monitor and a SATA HDD so I don;t need these.

The cost of the spec below comes to just under £5k (yikes!!! ....but if its a machine that can last me another 10years - I'll consider it).

Wonder if any PC specialists can help/advise here.

Thanks

Case
COOLERMASTER COSMOS 2 ULTRA TOWER
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Eight Core Processor i7-6900K (3.3GHz) 20MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® RAMPAGE V EDITION 10: E-ATX, USB 3.1, SATA 6 GB/s, RGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
128GB HyperX SAVAGE DDR4 2666MHz (8 x 16GB Kit)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1080 - DVI, HDMI, 3x DP - GeForce GTX VR Ready!
1st Hard Disk
500GB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 16MB CACHE
1st PCI-E SSD Drive
1.2TB INTEL® 750 SERIES PCIe SSD (upto 2400MB/sR | 1200MB/sW)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
16x BLU-RAY WRITER DRIVE, 16x DVD ±R/±RW & SOFTWARE
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W CS SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H80i V2 Hydro Cooler w/ PCS Liquid Series Ultra Quiet Fans
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Extra Case Fans
2x 120mm Black Case Fan (configured to extract from rear/roof)
Sound Card
Creative Sound Blaster ZxR 5.1 PCI-E Soundcard
Wireless/Wired Networking
ASUS PCE-AC88 AC3100 2100Mbps/5GHz, 1000Mbps/2.4GHz
USB Options
2 PORT (1 x TYPE A, 1 x TYPE C) USB 3.1 PCI-E CARD + STANDARD USB PORTS
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
DVD Recovery Media
Windows 7 Professional (64-bit) DVD with paper sleeve
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Internet Explorer (Windows 7 & 8 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Platinum Warranty (3 Year Collect & Return, 3 Year Parts, 3 Year labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 8 working days
Promotional Item
FREE WATCH_DOGS 2 with select GTX 10 Series GPUs!
Quantity
1

 

[Oussebon]

Well you can save £250+ off the bat by going with a 1TB SM961 M.2 SSD instead of the intel PCI-E one. It's also faster: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/samsung-sm961-ssd-256gb-512gb,review-33601-2.html

1st Hard Disk
500GB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 16MB CACHE

You can ditch that if you only need the SSD - if you scroll to the end it says "not required" as an option. If you're keeping it a 1TB HDD is literally £6 more for double the storage and cache.

Wireless/Wired Networking
ASUS PCE-AC88 AC3100 2100Mbps/5GHz, 1000Mbps/2.4GHz

I take it your wifi network supports these speeds?

Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W CS SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET

For a build of this budget I'd strongly suggest an RMx PSU, which is much better quality and also has a passive mode making it quieter when not under the heaviest of loads.

 

[raytray]

Well you can save £250+ off the bat by going with a 1TB SM961 M.2 SSD instead of the intel PCI-E one. It's also faster: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/samsung-sm961-ssd-256gb-512gb,review-33601-2.html


You can ditch that if you only need the SSD - if you scroll to the end it says "not required" as an option. If you're keeping it a 1TB HDD is literally £6 more for double the storage and cache.

I take it your wifi network supports these speeds?

For a build of this budget I'd strongly suggest an RMx PSU, which is much better quality and also has a passive mode making it quieter when not under the heaviest of loads.

Hi Oussebon. Thanks for the reply.


I amended the spec above to show the RmX PSU, and the 1TB SSD. [ The network card I kept the same for future-proofing. ]

I did actually go for the 1TB SSD when I first used the site but unfortunately I get :

"The Samsung PM961 M.2 SSD that you have selected will not function correctly with a Windows 7 operating system."

That's why I put the minimum SATA HDD (i.e. 500GB) in my spec PLUS the 1.2Tb as the PCI-E SSD

If there was a way to avoid having the SATA HDD and still get Win 7 on SSD that would be good. Any suggestions?

 

[Stephen M]

W7 will work on a normal SSD or m2 just not the Samsung you have chosen.

 

[Scott]

Win7 goes onto the SM961 just fine. The only catch is that you need the NVMe drivers handy on a USB pen to install during the setup process

I would personally look at an overclocked build, especially for VR where the clock speed is important. Do you really need an 8 core processor? It's a LOT of money if it's not going to be put to the best of use. Even the 6 core 6850k is quite pricey. The 6700k overclocked will smash any current game with a GTX1080.

Also, is the 128GB of RAM necessary? I would be amazed if you ever managed to use even half of that. If going down the overclocked route I would recommend the 3ghz RAM or even the 3.2 if it's an option.

The budget is excellent but the options seem a little scattered to be honest. Will your primary use be audio processing? Video? Gaming?

 

[Scott]

W7 will work on a normal SSD or m2 just not the Samsung you have chosen.

What makes you say that? I installed Win7 on my SM951 with minimal fuss. Is there something wrong with the SM961 that I'm missing?

 

[Stephen M]

I was assuming the PCS warning was correct as I have had problems with that drive on some older OSs.

 

[raytray]

Win7 goes onto the SM961 just fine. The only catch is that you need the NVMe drivers handy on a USB pen to install during the setup process

I would personally look at an overclocked build, especially for VR where the clock speed is important. Do you really need an 8 core processor? It's a LOT of money if it's not going to be put to the best of use. Even the 6 core 6850k is quite pricey. The 6700k overclocked will smash any current game with a GTX1080.

Also, is the 128GB of RAM necessary? I would be amazed if you ever managed to use even half of that. If going down the overclocked route I would recommend the 3ghz RAM or even the 3.2 if it's an option.

The budget is excellent but the options seem a little scattered to be honest. Will your primary use be audio processing? Video? Gaming?

thanks for the posts so far.

I tried putting the other Intel SSD or other Samsung SSD options but I still get the same

"The Intel M.2 SSD that you have selected will not function correctly with a Windows 7 operating system.
Please amend your M.2 to a model that is not NVMe or amend your operating system"

You might be able to help me based on a bit more detail :
My last desktop PC was an intel 486 about 20yrs ago. On that I was started out creating music using a Creative Soundblaster card, MIDI keyboard and n-track studio.

Then stuff got in the way and I've managed to make do between now and then on a laptop and I've kept up with gaming on console.

What I'm looking for is a desktop that's going to let me go back to my music days PLUS be ready for the next gen in gaming (i.e. VR) and hopefully not need any replacement/upgrades for another 10yrs.

I've tried Win 10 - I don;t like it - and I know Win7 is getting phased out soon - this is the MAIN reason for wanting to buy a machine now.

I'm prepared to go top spec if I needed to but I also think the spec is overkill for what I need.

More advice welcome.

Edit : plus I don;t watch/have any Blurays - so I don;t think I need that drive - or would I need it for next gen gaming?.

 

[ubuysa]

I've tried Win 10 - I don;t like it - and I know Win7 is getting phased out soon - this is the MAIN reason for wanting to buy a machine now.

I understand and respect this choice but you really are making a rod for your own back. And that's not just in the compromise you're having to make in your new build, that SM961 is outstanding I have the earlier SM951 in my build and it's well worth the money. The problems you're creating will only get worse for you, it's not just that Windows 7 will end in a few years, hardware vendors are already no longer writing Windows 7 drivers for their latest hardware and the number who drop Windows 7 will only increase with time.

I didn't particularly like Windows 10 when it was fist trialled with the Technical Preview and I'd decided not to install the RTM. I did give it a go on one of my laptops and quite quickly got used to it. It really isn't that different from Windows 7 that it's going to take you an age to get used to and even though it's a work in progress it's already a far better operating system under the covers than Windows 7. I really would encourage you to install Windows 10 and take the (short) time to get used to it. Not only will that enable your current build to take seamless advantage of that SM961 but you'll have no problems installing new hardware and finding drivers for them.

 

[raytray]

I understand and respect this choice but you really are making a rod for your own back. And that's not just in the compromise you're having to make in your new build, that SM961 is outstanding I have the earlier SM951 in my build and it's well worth the money. The problems you're creating will only get worse for you, it's not just that Windows 7 will end in a few years, hardware vendors are already no longer writing Windows 7 drivers for their latest hardware and the number who drop Windows 7 will only increase with time.

I didn't particularly like Windows 10 when it was fist trialled with the Technical Preview and I'd decided not to install the RTM. I did give it a go on one of my laptops and quite quickly got used to it. It really isn't that different from Windows 7 that it's going to take you an age to get used to and even though it's a work in progress it's already a far better operating system under the covers than Windows 7. I really would encourage you to install Windows 10 and take the (short) time to get used to it. Not only will that enable your current build to take seamless advantage of that SM961 but you'll have no problems installing new hardware and finding drivers for them.

well you may be correct that I am limiting myself with going for Win 7 but Win7 is mandatory for my build - I recently tried the Win10 free upgrade - Win 10 decided to start an update when I didn;t ask for it and I could not stop it. And I really needed access to my machine that day - it was dire and a hard learned lesson. Reverted back to WIn7 straight away and will never go back.

Essentially what I'm asking or is the best machine I can get Win7 on, without the overkill (i.e. minus any features that absolutely won;t benefit from Win7).

 

[Stephen M]

Are you going to use it for gaming or are there any programs you use that will only run on W7, if no there could be another option. For music production a low latency OS, like Ubuntu Studio or one of the other Linux Studio distros would be ideal. There are some great recording editing Open Source Freeware programs and you could stay away from W10. There could be some issues with the SM961 but they are being ironed out and I have installed Ubuntu Studio on one.

It will still be a new OS to get used to but you will have complete control over it, choosing what you update and when you update is a big bonus for me.

 

[raytray]

Are you going to use it for gaming or are there any programs you use that will only run on W7, if no there could be another option. For music production a low latency OS, like Ubuntu Studio or one of the other Linux Studio distros would be ideal. There are some great recording editing Open Source Freeware programs and you could stay away from W10. There could be some issues with the SM961 but they are being ironed out and I have installed Ubuntu Studio on one.

It will still be a new OS to get used to but you will have complete control over it, choosing what you update and when you update is a big bonus for me.

Thanks for the suggestion - no music specific software at the mo - something for me to dabble with in future; gaming yes - hopefully there will be some sweet VR games in future that I could then use this build to play.

Must be Win7 I'm afraid just for familiarity's sake.


OR should I just get a basic build without all the VR bells and whistle and maybe look into VR in the future in case its a flop like 3D turned out to be? Hmmmmm.

 

[raytray]

So you got me thinking and I just knocked off 1.5K off the asking price by being modest with my processor and soundcard and bluray drive requirements. I'd say that's still a very meaty build and satisfies my mandatory requirements.

Case
COOLERMASTER COSMOS 2 ULTRA TOWER
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Six Core Processor i7-6800K (3.4GHz) 15MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® RAMPAGE V EDITION 10: E-ATX, USB 3.1, SATA 6 GB/s, RGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
64GB HyperX SAVAGE DDR4 2666MHz (4 x 16GB Kit)
Graphics Card
6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1060 - DVI, HDMI, 3 x DP - GeForce GTX VR Ready!
FREE HOLIDAY SEASON BUNDLE with select GTX 10 Series GPUs!
1st Hard Disk
500GB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 16MB CACHE
1st PCI-E SSD Drive
1.2TB INTEL® 750 SERIES PCIe SSD (upto 2400MB/sR | 1200MB/sW)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H80i V2 Hydro Cooler w/ PCS Liquid Series Ultra Quiet Fans
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Extra Case Fans
2x 120mm Black Case Fan (configured to extract from rear/roof)
Sound Card
Creative Sound Blaster Z 5.1 PCI-E Soundcard - OEM
Wireless/Wired Networking
ASUS PCE-AC88 AC3100 2100Mbps/5GHz, 1000Mbps/2.4GHz
USB Options
2 PORT (1 x TYPE A, 1 x TYPE C) USB 3.1 PCI-E CARD + STANDARD USB PORTS
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Internet Explorer (Windows 7 & 8 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Platinum Warranty (3 Year Collect & Return, 3 Year Parts, 3 Year labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 8 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £3,427.00 including VAT and delivery.

 

[raytray]

Lol. So just looked up the sound card in more detail. I see no MIDI ports to plug my MIDI keyboard into!!! What's happened over the past 20 years? Would I have to buy an adapter or I'd have to just get a modern day keyboard peripheral?

Sigh.

 

[Scott]

I would be more inclined to go with something like the following. I have no idea why the SM961 cannot be selected as it works just fine, a quick google search finds that it works fine so it would be best to call PCS and discuss why it's not selectable in the configurator. It leaves you with a tricky situation. To be honest, the easy solution is to select Windows 10 and just be done with it, if that truly is not an option then your other options are to live with older tech or choose no operating system and install windows 7 yourself. I'm fairly certain that PCS would be happy to charge you for both Windows 7 and the SM961 with you stipulating that you are happy to install windows 7 yourself. Windows 10 would be installed in trial mode allowing testing etc. You will need to be comfortable with configuring drivers during the Win7 setup itself as long with being able to add drivers to either a DVD or edit the Win7 boot file (a lot to go into in detail, it's not a case of putting the DVD in and clicking "install" though).

With Windows 7 selected and the 1TB SM961 drive selected the total cost comes to £2536.

I've simply selected the same Soundcard as you had previously chosen as I'm years behind on the latest sound tech.

Case
FRACTAL DEFINE R5 BLACK QUIET MID-TOWER CASE (amazing case, takes 8 3.5" drives too)
Overclocked CPU
Overclocked Intel® Core™i7-6700k Quad Core (4.00GHz @ upto MAX 4.60GHz) (6700k is most definitely more than you will need, overclocked just means it'll keep up for years to come and gobble up VR with ease. There's no point in going with the older X99 CPU's just for the sake of it, they cost a fortune)
Motherboard
Gigabyte Z170X Gaming 3 ATX, LG1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs (Best board for the cash and does everything with ease)
Memory (RAM)
32GB HyperX PREDATOR QUAD-DDR4 3000MHz X.M.P (2 x 16GB) (From what I can tell 16GB would be more than enough for your use, 32GB more than covers the bases. The 2x16GB option means that should you require more in 5-10 years, which is unlikely, it's a simple case of popping in more RAM)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1080 - DVI, HDMI, 3x DP - GeForce GTX VR Ready! (Amazing GPU, will knock VR out the park)
FREE WATCH_DOGS 2 with select GTX 10 Series GPUs!
1st Hard Disk
2TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE (may as well have a 2TB drive, they're cheap as chips anyway. Good for storage)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET (more than you need power wise but an excellent PSU and will be stress free for years)
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H100i V2 Hydro Cooler w/ PCS Liquid Series Ultra Quiet Fans (The ultimate cooling solution at a standard price point, might as well)
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Extra Case Fans
2x 120mm Apache Black Quiet Fan (fitted to extract from rear/roof)
Sound Card
Creative Sound Blaster Z 5.1 PCI-E Soundcard - OEM
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS 802.11 AC1300 867Mbps/5GHz, 400Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD (more than enough, it's likely that the standard will change before you get to the limits of the card)
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (Silver warranty is only £5 extra and covers any shipping)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 8 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £2,112.00 including VAT and delivery.

Unique URL to re-configure: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/intel-skylake-overclocked/Y4pBvCWfZg/

 

[raytray]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^


wow. thanks for these suggestions...the FRACTAL case especially...I glanced over that and far cheaper that the one I'd gone for!!

it leads me to a further question. Lets say I wanted to add a second drive to the system : either a 1TB M2 SSD or a 1.2TB PCI-E SSD....

- firstly I'm not sure what's the benefit of one over the other and
- secondly, could I ask PCS to consider a WIn10 install on the SSD and a Win7 install on the SATA so that I'm not limiting myself due to OS in future (i.e. having a dual boot option where I could choose Win7 for now and in future, if needed, use the Win10 OS)?

would this be a good idea?

 

[Scott]

The M2 SM961 is one of (if not the) fastest drives you can get. It's FAR cheaper than the 1.2 PCI-E variant and it's much faster. The SM961 is a no brainer IMO.

I would give them a call and ask the questions, spend some time going through your options with the pitfalls etc. Just thinking out loud.......

If you choose the dual boot option (regardless of the details of how it comes about) I would predict that Win7 would rarely see the light of day. Every modern system is geared towards Windows 10. With an SM961 updates etc would be instant, they can also be configured to only install when the time is convenient for you (you can set a time in the morning, a day of the week etc).

Installing Win10 on the SM961 and Win7 on the SATA will see a HUGE gulf in performance between the operating systems. Win10 is generally faster at booting up anyway, before adding in a conventional drive to the mix.

Installing both OS is a waste of money IMO, if there is no specific requirement for Win7 then it's a bit pointless.

Windows 10 supports DX12, Win7 doesn't. There may be a way to patch this but I've not even bothered looking at that. With that in mind any future gaming development will likely be optimised on Win 10 and within a fairly short amount of time Win7 will be completely taken out of the loop.

I'm a HUGE windows 7 fan and a major Win 10 disliker. However, I'm what I would call a high end user in that I tweak and play with operating systems to the point where I completely make my own. This means I'm very comfortable customising my install images allowing for custom drivers, custom options, registry tweaks etc, etc, etc. This effectively means that installing and living with Win7 on a new system with USB 3.0 and M2 NVMe drives is a relatively straight forward process. Without that sort of experience and confidence it could be a daunting process and not one I would wish someone to carry out on new hardware, as it would just lead to major frustration and regret. I now have windows 10 running relatively close to how I want it (everything uninstalled that I don't use including that awful Cortana, updates disabled, all telemetry properly disabled, etc, etc, etc... I'm now happy enough with it that I've ditched Win7 completely).

If you want this PC to last, you're going to have to come to terms with Win10 sooner or later, it might as well be right now with a fresh new system

 

[SpyderTracks]

For a soundcard, integrated ones and the ones from creative and asus are totally designed for gaming, there's no decent inputs on them, mainly mini jack and digital.

If you want a proper daw soundcard, you'd best look at something from Native Instruments (Komplete audio 6) or Focusrite (scarlett series) or something like that for an entry level one.

 

[raytray]

The M2 SM961 is one of (if not the) fastest drives you can get. It's FAR cheaper than the 1.2 PCI-E variant and it's much faster. The SM961 is a no brainer IMO.

I would give them a call and ask the questions, spend some time going through your options with the pitfalls etc. Just thinking out loud.......
.....

If you want this PC to last, you're going to have to come to terms with Win10 sooner or later, it might as well be right now with a fresh new system

Thanks. Your advice has been great so far. The SM961 I will go for. Will see if I can have a chat to PCS in the next day or two about the dual boot thing. Win 7 is what I'm used to and the days of tinkering - well - I really really don;t want to go back to them if possible - too time consuming. I'm confident the setup you've suggested would be ideal. With a dual boot I'd know I could play the games I have and with Win10 on SSD I could play Win10 only games like Forza and then future VR games that come out. I could treat Win 10 as my gaming hub and Win 7 as my organisational hub - I like the sound of that!!

For a soundcard, integrated ones and the ones from creative and asus are totally designed for gaming, there's no decent inputs on them, mainly mini jack and digital.

If you want a proper daw soundcard, you'd best look at something from Native Instruments (Komplete audio 6) or Focusrite (scarlett series) or something like that for an entry level one.

Thanks - so it sounds like for my gaming needs I could go for the cheapest option [ Soudblaster Audigy (£25) ] and in future look into your suggestions when I get more serious about the music scene. For gaming I'd probably connect some headphones anyway so it seems choosing anything better than that card at the moment would be overkill for me.

Great feedback guys - I'm digesting all this.



Edit : Okay so you got me thinking again. If I was to go dual boot is it even possible to have both OS's running at the same time and outputting to different monitors? Woah!!! That's another level right there - bet its not possible though....or is it?

 

[Scott]

Thanks. Your advice has been great so far. The SM961 I will go for. Will see if I can have a chat to PCS in the next day or two about the dual boot thing. Win 7 is what I'm used to and the days of tinkering - well - I really really don;t want to go back to them if possible - too time consuming. I'm confident the setup you've suggested would be ideal. With a dual boot I'd know I could play the games I have and with Win10 on SSD I could play Win10 only games like Forza and then future VR games that come out. I could treat Win 10 as my gaming hub and Win 7 as my organisational hub - I like the sound of that!!

Unfortunately I meant that Windows 7 would require a bit of tinkering to get it working properly rather than Windows 10. It will work right off the bat there's just things that annoy me that most users won't even notice.

Thanks - so it sounds like for my gaming needs I could go for the cheapest option [ Soudblaster Audigy (£25) ] and in future look into your suggestions when I get more serious about the music scene. For gaming I'd probably connect some headphones anyway so it seems choosing anything better than that card at the moment would be overkill for me.

Great feedback guys - I'm digesting all this.

There's no point in selecting any sound card at all. The motherboard will have at least 5.1 sound onboard, to a reasonable degree too. The only time to bother with a soundcard is when it's for a particular reason such as your midi requirements, at which point you'll need to go to a different level. Years ago the onboard sound wasn't very good, nowadays it's more than reasonable.

Edit : Okay so you got me thinking again. If I was to go dual boot is it even possible to have both OS's running at the same time and outputting to different monitors? Woah!!! That's another level right there - bet its not possible though....or is it?

Not possible unfortunately. You may be able to run a virtual machine with it but that's about it.