laptop recording set up-HELP!

[kaye]

I've got my heart set on investing in a PC laptop to start recording. I want to record vocals and guitar and hopefully combine this with electronica. After shopping around, I discovered the Motu 828, but am a bit confused over its compatability with certain laptops. For example, the Sony vaio comes with i-link, not Firewire and I've been receiving mixed messages about whether this is the same thing, or whether the Motu is compatible with i-Link. Can anyone finally clear this up for me? Also, could anyone recommend a certain brand of PC laptop that works particularly well with the Motu 828? (I've heard that it can run into troubles with the Dell Inspiron?)
PLEASE HELP!! :(

[AcousticPro]

If you want to run less risk of wasting your time worrying about whether the system works and more time invested in perfecting your craft and getting into the world of recording then go with an Apple Laptop. I am not a big fan of getting into the Apple vs PC discussion because it doesn't really matter. You wouldn't think of buying a Corvette to haul your family of 5 around in. Why would you think of buying into a computer that the audio world doesn't truly embrace but you could maybe make work? I-Link is not the same thing and MOTU will not work with that protocol at this time. Let me know if you have further questions.

[kaye]

Thanks for the reply! The only reason I'm interested in PC over apple is because of the sheer amount of extra software there seems to be made available- not to mention that seemingly excellently rated packages like FruityLoops for example, only work for PC. (I've kinda got my heart set on using FruityLoops.) Also i'm on a bit of a budget too, and unfortunately, the Apple laptops are just a tad out of my price range. Is there ANY brand of PC laptop that you know of that is as well known and respected as Sony, that work in harmony with the Motu 828? There must be a laptop PC out there somewhere with the FireWire connection needed to support this hardware, otherwise why have Motu claimed that the 828 works just as well with PC's as Mac? :confused:

[bobnjul]

I've been using an 828 with my Dell laptop for three months now, you can get a PIII Dell Latitude for relatively cheep $$$. Make sure you use Win 2000 pro instead of Win XP until the support for XP gets better!!! Dell's have a firewire port integrated... you will need to get a 4 pin to 6 pin firewire adapter (the port on the 828 is a 6 pin & the port on the computer is a 4 pin).

This setup has worked well for me running Cubase 5.1

[kaye]

Thanx for the advice- after all my dilly-dallying, i finally decided to fork out on a Sony Vaio. I researched into Dell but found that buying through sales, although being the best for customising your product, were again just too expensive. Cheers again for the advice though! ;)