I did the same thing last year and had similar concerns. I stick with desktops because of the available monitor sizes. I picked up a used 32" Sony Bravia for $260 and all I can say is what a revelation. Working with these programs on a screen that size is great. I have a 17" Acer laptop and when I boot that up the screen looks like my cell phone in comparison.

I went for a custom built PC. If you can find a builder in your area then that allows you to do detailed research as to what works best with what. It's all available using Google and various music forums. I'm using the EMU 1820M that requires two dedicated PCi slots and a lot of newer mobo's only have one so that's one example of having something custom built knowing up front what I'm going to need with no surprises later. With a limited budget like you I determined that the AMD Phenom with a Gigabit mobo was the best bang for the buck. The one thing it doesn't have is USB 3 but adapter cards are only 30 bucks or so and I can upgrade any time. The PC in my sig cost me exactly $600 including Win 7 64 Ultimate. Best Buy had a similar HP on sale for $749 last year. Considering how fast PC parts change pricing it's probably less now.

Bob

Biab/RB latest build, Win 11 Pro, Ryzen 5 5600 G, 512 Gig SSD, 16 Gigs Ram, Steinberg UR22 MkII, Roland Sonic Cell, Kurzweil PC3, Hammond SK1, Korg PA3XPro, Garritan JABB, Hypercanvas, Sampletank 3, more.