Best specs for an animator's PC?

[Fim]

I'm in the process of updataing my computer, I guess it's only been about 4 years since I bought it new, but I was working on a pretty chunky flash file the other day (I think it was just under 1.5GB) and it took my PC 7 minutes to save. Not good. So I am updating it to something more slick, and this time round I think I'm going to go for something specifically tailored towards animating,

It got me thinking, what is the best specifications for an animator these-days? What do you use? And what's the best thing to go for?

Do you think it's better to go Windows or Mac?

What's the best spec for working with things like Flash, Toon Boom Pro2, Maya, or 3DS Max?

How often do you update your computer?

And how much would you be willing to spend?

[KhanhCPham]

I need an update too. I use a fijutsu laptop t4220 and its really outdated. I am working for something thats great towards animating and music creation.

So far the specs I am looking for is:

Wacom Cintiq which is expensive and I am looking for other alternatives with a drawable screen

SSD (solid state drive) so the hard drive can run/save faster. I know the painful feeling of long saves because it interrupts with my creativity. It is expensive but I heard its worth it. Time is money overall.

I am going for a Windows because I have more experience with that OS. I dont know much about the macs but I heard the hardware customization is limited.

I definitely need more research myself. Since I constantly animate, I might as well invest a powerful PC.

I am in the same boat as you dude.