I'm shopping around for a laptop that I can use for recording with my M-Audio Firewire 410 external interface. Problem is that some places I go to record may not have many power outlets (or none at all). As such, I've been looking around for laptops that can power the 410 via 6 pin Firewire.

I can't seem to find any new models! I know that some older Dell and IBM models had them but I'm not sure how effective they'll be in handling audio recording and editing. Short of going Mac (expensive here) or USB (don't wanna go there), what are my options? The Firewire 410 is 12 watts (12 volts DC at 1000mA).

Thanks in advance.

V.

I think your options are a little limited.

whats wrong with usb2.0? there is a good chance you'll be fine with it..

have you checked musiciansfriend.com lately? they got all sorts of neat stuff that might fit your bill.

I'm shopping for a laptop. I already have an interface. It is reliable, works great and has more features packed into it than anything else in it's price range.

OK, let's go this route. I'll look around for a used laptop with 6 pin Firewire.

1. What sort of processor should I get?

2. What's the minimum L2 cache? Will 512KB do the trick?

3. What's the minimum recommended RAM?

4. What should I look for in a used Mac? I know next to nothing about Mac.

V.

people over kill it all the time..

i did full blown 24bit 96k recordings on my 750mhz p3(6 years old) with 256 megs of ram for YEARS. With the exception of my function 41 mix, all my mixes were recorded on that 750mhz machine.

I used a pci recording card.. but yea.. recording music really doesnt steal serious resouces. just need a decent capture card to pull it off.