...I'd like to know the following: I installed Sonar X2 on a small laptop with Windows 8, mainly in order being able to record vocals elsewhere. All editing etc. will still be done on my desktop. I have the Edirol FA-66 which is firewire so I can't use it on that laptop.
 
I was hoping the laptop itself, simple as it may be, would be enough to at least record some vocals but I noticed that the imported backing track already wouldn't play without pops and noises and what not. I changed the driver setting (WDM) from low to (extremely) high and although the pops became less at very high settings, they still were there.
 
Now this was mainly a test because I was curious what that RealTek 'soundcard' could handle and I of course know the RealTek device isn't suited for all this so I am planning on getting the M-Audio M-Track but there was one remark made by someone else on another forum that made me doubt if that is going to work.
 
I expected an external soundcard to take the load off the laptop so it wouldn't struggle so hard and make playback and recording easier (without pops). But that bloke said that a USB-soundcard only makes it HARDER for the laptop to do its job... which would mean I would get even more pops and artifacts!
 
Now the problem is that I can give that M-Track a try so I'd like to know... can I be 100% certain that the M-Audio M-Track will enable me to record vocals and to play things back without pops and artifacts...?
 
The CPU in the laptop is a Intel Core i3 3217U: not the fastest around but since some people have been recording without problems on 7 year old laptops, it SHOULD be okay, I think.

I'm using a desktop only, but it's a Q9300 so much older than an i3.   I'd imagine the most important factor isn't so much the CPU or what USB can handle, but rather the soundcard drivers.   I have no idea what realtek drivers are like though...   You may want to try ASIO4all - I understand that in some cases it can help even though it's only "wrapping" the WDM drivers.
 
Can you cleany record and play back VSTi at relatively low latency vs. audio?  I'm also wondering if the hard drive is coming into play...
 

There is more than one "moving part" in DAW that may affect the recording, playback and processing quality.  For instance, if you are using a 5400 rpm HDD for audio, your are certain to encounter problems.  Audio processing is very demanding on any portable system, so it's a matter of utilizing your resources well.  Consider your buffer recording and playback buffers as well as your sound card's driver buffer.  Otherwise, the M-Track should work for your needs.
 
Kind regards,
 
Living Room Rocker

I may have missed the specs on your laptop, but in general if you are trying to record a single audio track, almost any laptop built in the last few years should be able to handle that with the built in audio chipset. If Sonar is too demanding for your laptop (not likely), you could load Audacity (free software) and then move your recorded audio files to a Sonar installation for editing. In fact a trial of Audacity might be wise before purchasing new hardware to see if your laptop handles another audio editor without problems. In any case, you are probably better off diagnosing the problem with your laptop before you buy new stuff. Laptops are notorious for running a bunch of crap that can affect Deferred Procedure Call (DPC) latency, and as SteveC notes a driver issue is possible. USB input should not be any problem at all for audio, in a standard laptop.
 

stevec
I'm using a desktop only, but it's a Q9300 so much older than an i3.   I'd imagine the most important factor isn't so much the CPU or what USB can handle, but rather the soundcard drivers.   I have no idea what realtek drivers are like though...   You may want to try ASIO4all - I understand that in some cases it can help even though it's only "wrapping" the WDM drivers.
 
Can you cleany record and play back VSTi at relatively low latency vs. audio?  I'm also wondering if the hard drive is coming into play...
 

ASIO4all adds considerable latency. Not good for recording (which the OP wants to do) but is quite good for mixing (which the OP does not want to do).
 
I know, I ran ASIO4all on my Dell laptop for about two years with excellent mixing results using a realtek sound card.
 
Then I upgraded to an ADK laptop DAW and funny enough I have not had the need to do anything outside my studio since.

asio4all is definitely worth a try

Hm, my bad... turns out CW advices to use MME (32 bit) as a driver for RealTek. I just changed the settings and things worked flawlessly. Not a pop or hickup or stutter. No problems with sync or anything either: it's just as if I am recording a vocal on my desktop! It's ideal for what I want to do so that saved me a lot of money!
 
What a difference a driver makes...

If you're using an off-the-shelf laptop to record audio, you need to optimize it for working with audio.
First, you need to get DPC latency under control.  As low/consistent as possible.
If you have large spikes well into the yellow/red, you *will* experience glitches/dropouts.
Next, you need to disable power-management features... and any settings that allow the OS to throttle speed.
Once that's done, shut down any application running in the background that's not absolutely necessary.
 
Ironically, even though mobile CPU have gotten faster, laptops in general have gotten worse for our purposes.  Off-the-shelf laptops are designed for the general-purpose user... who's primarily surfing the Internet, using Facebook, and running office type applications.  These folks aren't concerned with DPC latency.  If there's a couple of ms "hiccup" in data flow... they'll never notice.  These end users are much more concerned about long battery life than absolute maximum performance.  This is the polar opposite of our needs (maximum sustained thru-put and maximum processing power).
This is why you'll often find that older laptops (although limited in CPU speed) are better (more trouble-free) for recording audio.