x1 vs x3 studio system required

Hey Tony.
In my experience any of the X series Sonars, as  well as Platinum, run equally well on the same computer (I had all 4 installed on my PC up until mid last year), so you would certainly be better off using the latest version you could (Sonar X3e). That said, I am not sure you can even buy it anymore, and you may want to take a look at the new Sonar.
 
As far as a laptop that will run Sonar,  obviously the faster the better, but I have a pretty standard HP i5 dual core and i7quad core (both running only intel shared graphics chips and 8gb ram) that I use for live gigs and they easily run Sonar as well as a PC based DMX lighting controller concurrently without any problem. 

Hi Tony.
I run 32+ backing tracks with FX and Synth tracks in the studio on my i7 Quadcore, but I always bounce the synths to audio and disconnect VST Synths prior to gigs. I can always reconnect the synths should I need to edit anything later.
You still have separate audio tracks for all instruments and full control - the sound is identical - you just aren't pushing your luck on stage with VST synths.
This also cuts load times of songs during the show. If using a playlist,  it makes it much easier for Sonar to load the next song whilst the current one is playing.
 

tony2000
so you saying that a standard  dual core 2.6ghz i5 or i7  will run the sonar x3?

Don't get me wrong - If you've got the dollars and want to spend them on a full gaming laptop
you will have the luxury of more processing power, but yes, a dual core 2.6ghz i5 or i7 will run sonar just fine. Obviously a quad core is even better.
 

tony2000
keep in mind that I need to use multi synth tracks and vst's...
see my biggest fear is that my system is going to crap out when out on the gigs ,

To be honest I am not sure that I would trust any computer to run Multiple VST Synths during a live gig, but that could just mean I'm old school:)
If you intend to run VST tracks AND play VST instruments reliably live on stage, you are going to need some serious grunt as you do not even have the luxury of increasing buffers/latency to take the pressure off your CPU.
If you work smart however, and bounce your synths down to audio tracks (you can still have separate tracks), you can most certainly run a show with an i5 Dual Core machine. I've done about 400 shows with my current i5 without issue.
 
 

 
I run 32+ backing tracks with FX and Synth tracks in the studio on my i7 Quadcore,
 
 
 
well the good thing for me is that I don't run 32 plus tracks , 10 the must for me ,I can tell that you are a professional musician , for me is more like a second job ....I guess that bounce tracks is the must safe thing to do but for me the last resort is to do so , also I am not intend to run any light show , and just like you I am also an old school guy ,would you recommend any brand ?