I've been running Sonar for several years on an i5-based laptop using a Presonus Firestudio Mobile audio interface. Have had mostly good results, but needing a bit more horsepower for several projects. So I'm curious whether any other X3 users have a Focusrite Scarlett-based configuration. I'm definitely looking at an i7 based system, but a little concerned about going to USB, and am not finding laptops these days with Firewire or ExpressCard slots for adding a Firewire card, so seems like I will have to move to a new interface at this point. I have the Focusrite which I've used with my iPad.
 
Any suggestions for a laptop are welcome. I'd like to stay under $1000, and I don't plan to record more than 2 or 3 sources at a time. I'm doing some live coding projects (not with Sonar), so am leaning toward a laptop rather than a desktop system.

This may be of interest http://forum.cakewalk.com/FindPost/3131731 a little more than $1000 but can use your FW interface.

Here's the page of ADK's pro recording laptop offerings...
 
http://www.adkproaudio.com/laptop3.asp
 
The lowest price seems to be a little under $1500 but you'll get a solid rig. Not sure if BlueCat has a laptop selection for recording. With either of those companies you'll get tested hardware, the system will come configured professionally and you get support so it's worth it to know you've got something that will work.
 
However since that is out of your price range just take a look at the specs on some of those rigs and see if you can find something similar for less. Laptops will come crammed with bloatware though that can screw things up BUT they also come preconfigured with all the drivers and wierd gunk to make the system work. You could buy a copy of Windows and do a clean install and then download/install all the drivers and necessary programs from the manufacturers website. However I did that recently on my Acer and it was a) a pain in the butt and b) the system didn't work quite as good as it did with the preconfigured installation(s). So I went back to my old way of using the recovery partition to reinstall Windows and then using CCleaner to uninstall all the bloatware... which again is kind of a pain. Then you can do optimization tweaks to stop start up programs and other junk that interferes with recording (I use the Sweetwater Optimization guide for this but there is one tweak in that that is not advisable for Sonar... I forget which one, I think it is the thread scheduling stuff).
 
So you gotta ask yourself... is all that extra screwing around worth it? If I had the cash I would definitely take the custom/pro built computer.
 
As far as laptops... I'm a fan of Acer's simply because they seem to be the best price for a solid rig.
 
One thing you may want to do with a laptop though is leave enough money in your budget for an SSD to replace the mechanical hard drive (if it has one). Otherwise you will want your hard drive to spin at a minimum of 7200RPM and NOT be one of those Green drives that power down to save energy.
 
As far as USB vs. Firewire... USB 2.0 technically does not have the same throughput as Firewire but unless you are recording an entire orchestra with 100 inputs it is unlikely you will even notice. USB 2.0 is well suited for audio. Just make sure the laptop you get actually HAS a USB 2.0 port instead of all 3.0. It might be fine due to backwards compatibility but I've read that occasionally there are problems.
 
Cheers.

Be aware that you may have DPC Latency spikes caused by a laptop's Wi-Fi adapter/drivers, so if you DO, the fix is to either turn it off (switch or function key) or go into Windows Device Manager and 'disable' it just prior to launching Sonar, then when finished with Sonar - simply turn it back on or enable to get internet working again.
 
And, clean off the bloatware that normally comes with a new computer purchase, including all the free trial junk and the endless utilities you don't choose to have running.  (I always additionally remove the Norton or MacAfee antivirus software and install my own choice - happens to be the free version of Avast for myself - others use different ones, matter of personal choice).
 
Lastly, I always change some configuration stuff in Windows Power Management options - and advanced options:
 
1.  I always set minimum CPU state to 100%
2.  I NEVER let computer hibernate or sleep or turn off hard drives
3.  I always turn off USB Selective Suspend.
 
Bob Bone
 
 

I use my Focusrite 6i6 with my wifes Lenovo Laptop It's an W7 64 bit i5 ,4 gigs RAM and was around $900 3 years ago. I think the model is T 460. 
Running latency monitor without any tweeking on my behalf and it was always under 100. 
I later discovered the wireless was turned on so go figure. It is her office computer from work so I don't touch it. It was set up by the office IT guy but I don't think he did to much. 
Anyhow, it has absolutely no problem with Sonar when I'm away from home and I do some overdubs and editing. I have also used it with my Tascam interface to record 14 audio tracks through a 2 hours concert. 
Bottom line is off the self laptops are a crap shoot but many are more than capable, some are hopeless because of bios issues that cannot be changed. 
I think it will really depend on how crazy you get with you projects. 
Mine are average in size with 8 to 20 tracks mix of audio and midi. 
 
The 6i6 is an excellent portable interface. I like the drivers and have installed them on at least 5 computers now. They co exist with on board without hassle. So I don't generally have to alter the computers I'm borrowing while on the road. For me it's been a good investment and I will keep it for travel even if I upgrade my main studio interface. 
I can put my whole travel rig in a 12x12 gig bag. 
I take a SM57, a few mooer pedals and headphones etc.
 
 

I've been on a laptop for years. I couldn't be dragged back to a desktop for using Sonar. It's very freeing to be able to work on Sonar wherever you care to sit.

I suggest that you investigate whether the laptops you're looking at can be set up with two internal hard drives. That has been a big plus for me.

Thanks for the input on this thread, and the vote of confidence on the Focusrite and using USB. I guess I'm "old school" enough that it's taking some convincing to move over to USB :-)

I typically do disable WiFi and have some other specific profiling on my existing i5 system that has helped with stability and performance. Just need a little more and am finding some live coding tools that need more CPU horsepower for even some non-audio functionality.

Any other input is still welcome :-) I'm especially looking for a laptop model that would support adding additional 7200RPM hard drives. (And having to look pretty hard to make sure that existing laptops do have 7200RPM drives...)

Swapping out a laptop HDD isn't a big deal if you have a bit of computer saavy. You just need to make sure the replacement drive has the right connector (IDE, SATA, whatever). The drive bays on laptops take 2.5" drives which if you search Newegg.com or any other parts retailer you will see are easy to find. They tend to be a little more expensive than 3.5" desktop sized drives. The only real problem is getting at the darned thing so make sure the laptop has an easily accessible drive bay (like one where you don't have to tear the whole system apart to replace the drive). Then you just plug the new drive in and load Windows (clean install, from a system image or using the recovery disc that came with the system). Then if you have a cage or the right connectors you can use the old drive for external storage.
 
There is also the SSD option. The process isn't much different AFAIK but I've never used one.

7200 drivers are in the past SSD is what you go for now. 
I just put one in my old Netbook and it is amazing how perky it runs now. And battery's life is improved too. 

johnnyV
 
I later discovered the wireless was turned on so go figure. It is her office computer from work so I don't touch it. It was set up by the office IT guy but I don't think he did to much. 
 

There is probably a FN Key + F key combination from the keyboard, that will turn the wireless off and on. Saves you messing with it inside.