Got a Laptop Advice Needed.

[Analog-X64]

The advice that I need is do I need to buy any additional Audio Hardware for this Laptop?

Should I get one of these?
http://www.echoaudio.com/Products/Expre ... /index.php


Now read below for full details.

A laptop was given to me which was destined to the garbage bin, by the original owner.

To make a long story short, it was a BIOS problem and there is a recall on these units,
I did the repair myself and now I have a working Laptop

So I was thinking what use I should try and get out of this thing? Music Production is what came to mind.

My current Music/Graphics/Render Box was built back in 2001, its an overclocked 2.2Ghz AMD 64 Barton 2800+
It serves me well, however If I'm running a long render, I cant work on any music.

You can see the specs of the Laptop at the bottom of this thread.

- I've already upgraded the ram from 2 x 512MB (1GB) to 2 X 2GB (4GB)
- Currently it has Windows 7 Home Premium (32-BIT).
- it has a 160GB Hard drive, and it has a 2nd Compartment for an HD and I've already ordered an adapter ($6) that
would allow me to connect a 2nd Hard drive, for additional storage.
- I use FL Studio which the laptop should handle ok.

So I was thinking of getting on of the Echo cards which is available in the card format that this laptop has.


** SPECS **
Microprocessor 1.7 GHz AMD Athlon â„¢ 64 X2 Dual-Core Mobile Technology TK-53
Memory 4096 MB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
Video Graphics NVIDIA GeForce Go 6150 (UMA)
Video Memory Up to 287 MB
Hard Drive 160 GB (5400 RPM) SATA
Multimedia Drive LightScribe Super Multi 8X DVD±R�W with Double Layer Support
Display 17.0" WXGA+ High-Definition BrightView Widescreen (1440 x 900)
Network Card Integrated 10/100BASE-T Ethernet LAN (RJ-45 connector)
Wireless Connectivity 802.11b/g WLAN
Sound Altec Lansing
Keyboard 101-key compatible
PC Card Slots
* 1 ExpressCard/54 Slot (also supports ExpressCard/34)

External Ports
* 5-in-1 integrated Digital Media Reader for Secure Digital cards, MultiMedia cards, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, or xD Picture cards
* 4 Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0
* 1 Headphone out w/SPDIF Digital Audio
* 1 microphone-in
* 1 VGA (15-pin)
* 1 TV-Out (S-video)
* 1 RJ-11 (modem)
* 1 RJ-45 (LAN)
* 1 Expansion Port 3, 1 IEEE 1394 Firewire (4-pin)
* Consumer IR (Remote Receiver)

[Commie_User]

Only you know what you need in terms of features and connectivity. Looks alright though, but don't judge by the promo alone.

You've probably already seen the reviews (if any) but also try and find the frequency response graph if it's online. Some soundcards even now can have shocking peaks and dips which are just unacceptable if trying to do anything professionally. If no data's available then a frequency sweep will show you how things are.

Or at least you can check what the curve looks like and correct any bumps in the line with EQ.

[Analog-X64]

Good advice Commie.

There are also external audio devices but I'm not sure how good they with Laptops.

I figure there must be some people here who use their laptops to make music and wondering what they are using.

[Analog-X64]

A bit of a setback, it turns out in addition to the BIOS Problem there is a design flaw in the way
the video chip and processor are cooled.

So once again the laptop is dead. I've taken it apart, and going to try and re-flow the solder
for the video processor, with a torch etc..