After the power supply unit quit on my old computer (600 MHz, 1 GB RAM) I invested a little money in what I have now:
an i7-2600k 64bit, 4-core processor with 8 threads, and (only) 8 GB RAM plus a gamer-motherboard with overclocking capabilities.

I won't use overclocking, but the other features make it interesting:
It uses the processors graphics -- hence no graphics adaptor needed, since I don't play such games. It is sufficient for TV and office and music software.
It may hold up to 32 GB memory.
It already has USB3 ports on board for fast connections with harddrives.

I will expand on RAM when 8-GB-chips are available at reasonable prices.


No, I won't go back to the old system. Even my previous laptop with 2.2 GHz and 4 GB RAM had the hiccoughs when using more than two RealTracks and four different chords per measure.

Guido


Desktop; i7-2600k, 8 GB mem., Win 10 Pro, BIAB 2017; RB 2017 - latest build
Laptop: i5-2410M, 4 GB mem, Win 10 Pro, BIAB 2017; RB 2017 - latest build