mike.
this will be my last comment on this subject as i am going through rehab after a major surgery.
people can easily check on reaper by going to the pg biab win forum here at pgmusic and asking if people are happy with it.
or the main reaper.fm forum.

i am not willing to get into a mac vs pc debate as this has been hashed out thousands of times over the years in various recording forums.
eg. gearslutz.com has many threads on the subject.
with pros and cons on both sides.
lots of mac and pc threads. configs etc etc.
also reaper.fm has forums for both mac and pc. lots of info.

frankly i'm not happy with any computer architectures currently.
we are stuck STILL with slow cpu's for example.
I yearn for the day when we have ultra high speed processors and busses etc.
but until that day comes one works with what is offered by the marketplace.
as everyone knows,, new product introductions are rapid these days.and obsolescence is just as rapid. thus i am carefull.

(yes i'm well aware of the M.2 as well as the new SSL interfaces.but i typically wait awhile on new products to see if there are any problems.)

its rather interesting you should mention telephone support as your major criteria because just the other day , an organisation ive trusted for years with their telephone support and instant accessibility was not available when i really really needed them, and didnt get back to me for 2 days.
(note, the occasional time ive called pg phone support. no problem).
even the most well run organisation can be flooded with calls, as they can only afford the overhead of so many people in a call centre.
because call centres are a cost centre.

respectfully.
mysterymuso

my songs....mixed for good earbuds...(fyi..my vocs on all songs..)
https://soundcloud.com/alfsongs
(90 songs created useing bb/rb)
(lots of tips of mine in pg tips forum.)