Xps for audio production?

Associate
Joined
30 Sep 2007
Posts
75
Hi there folks

just need an answer here, would you believe no luck with any KVR/Google searches on this....

I have specced up a nice laptop - a Dell XPS. Identical [almost] to the Macbook Pro I was gonna drop £800 more on...

2.5GHz C2D 6MB L2/ Santa Rosa 800Mhz FSB
4GB DDR2 667Mhz
15.4" 1440x900 screen [CCFL, not LED]
Nvidia 8600m GT 256MB DDR3
320GB HDD/ 5400rpm


Bear in mind my usage will be heavily Word, Powerpoint, Photoshop Lightroom, CaptureNX, and Games such as HL2 and Portal aswell as Tracktion/VSTi's [FM8, Atmosphere, Stylus RMX and V-station, no incoming audio]

Now, the onboard soundcard is a SigmaTel, which ain't so great, but I have two questions regards this laptop:
1. Will Asio4all turn this card into a competent runner for my synths [simple setup - USB controller, 2-4 tracks at most?]

2. If not, will a cheaper USB audio interface turn this into a decent-enough music scratchpad?

I know it has Vista, and I also own a Mac, so don't need advice on OSX - I know coreaudio is better, but £800 better? Remember I'm running no mac-specific programs thus far - both are dual-platform. I'd also have to pay for an OEM copy of XP to run bootcamp...

Advice much appreciated, thanks! I've posted this across on a music production forum, too - if I get a definitive answer in either, I'll let the other forum know to spread information to others interested in this..


Dan
 
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