Laptops with firewire & texas instruments chipset

R

RATONA

New member
Anyone out there using soundcard interfaced to laptop via fw?
What laptop do you use and how is your latency?


I built a computer and it is great, but need to look for something to use when I am traveling. I have a motu 8 pre which uses fw. I suppose I could use an express card that is controlled by intel that has TI fw. So any of you out there, I'd be intrested in your laptop and the latency. Doesn't have to be new, but somewhat new would be nice and really new would be even nicer.
 
Belkin or SIIG expresscard with TI chips is what you want.

I have an older Gateway laptop with TI firewire built in and have no problem running under 10ms to my 828mkII.
(but I dont. You only need to run low enough that you dont notice it - anything below that and you're wasting cpu. Run TOO low - like sub 5ms - and you can actually get problems with comb filtering. I generally run about 17ms.)
 
I'd suggest going with SIIG if you can. I've had generally good luck with their hardware, and generally bad luck with Belkin gear (DOA) over the years. YMMV.
 
Got this off another internet site regarding the firewire on most laptops currently.
If you already bought a notebook computer that has a problematic 1394 chipset, you may be able to Disable it in the Device Settings area of your control panel and purchase an ExpressCard 1394 with the TI chipset. I have been told that this only works is you have an Intel ExpressCard bus. (Thanks to ADK Pro Audio)

But I'd be intrested to hear from anyone on new laptop recommendations for a DAW
 
What matters most is that the ExpressCard should not be sharing interrupts with anything, ideally, and certainly not with any of the following:

* Graphics chip
* Any type of USB silicon
* Any Wi-Fi hardware (whether hanging off a PCI or USB bus)
* Any other network hardware

Ideally, it should be on its own hardware interrupt (not shared with anything). However, it's reasonably safe to share an IRQ with most legacy hardware (serial, parallel, PS/2, etc.) when unused. Sharing an IRQ with ATA is somewhat dubious, since those controllers tend to enjoy being bus masters. :)

If that doesn't work, check your latency timers.
 
I have a Toshiba "Satellite" lap top which has a TI-chipped Firewire port that works fine with my M-Audio interface. The trouble is, manufacturers of laptops seem to change details (like the chip set) with annoying regularity so you'll need to specifically check the computer you want to buy.

Re latency, I have no problems. However, be aware that the firewire chipset has little to do with this. Bigger culprits are your sound interface and your DAW programme. One thing to watch is that you use ASIO drivers in preference to Windows ones if at all possible. ASIO was designed to be a low latency interface. Adjusting buffer sizes to as low as you system can work and avoiding the use of processor-hungry effects when tracking also helps.

Bob
 
Laptop

TimOBrien said:
Belkin or SIIG expresscard with TI chips is what you want.

I have an older Gateway laptop with TI firewire built in and have no problem running under 10ms to my 828mkII.
(but I dont. You only need to run low enough that you dont notice it - anything below that and you're wasting cpu. Run TOO low - like sub 5ms - and you can actually get problems with comb filtering. I generally run about 17ms.)
Click to expand...

Can you tell me which gateway laptop you are using.
 
dgatwood said:
What matters most is that the ExpressCard should not be sharing interrupts with anything, ideally, and certainly not with any of the following:

* Graphics chip
* Any type of USB silicon
* Any Wi-Fi hardware (whether hanging off a PCI or USB bus)
* Any other network hardware

Ideally, it should be on its own hardware interrupt (not shared with anything). However, it's reasonably safe to share an IRQ with most legacy hardware (serial, parallel, PS/2, etc.) when unused. Sharing an IRQ with ATA is somewhat dubious, since those controllers tend to enjoy being bus masters. :)

If that doesn't work, check your latency timers.
Click to expand...

Do you know of any current laptops that would allow for your recommendations?
 
Bobbsy said:
I have a Toshiba "Satellite" lap top which has a TI-chipped Firewire port that works fine with my M-Audio interface. The trouble is, manufacturers of laptops seem to change details (like the chip set) with annoying regularity so you'll need to specifically check the computer you want to buy.

Re latency, I have no problems. However, be aware that the firewire chipset has little to do with this. Bigger culprits are your sound interface and your DAW programme. One thing to watch is that you use ASIO drivers in preference to Windows ones if at all possible. ASIO was designed to be a low latency interface. Adjusting buffer sizes to as low as you system can work and avoiding the use of processor-hungry effects when tracking also helps.

Bob
Click to expand...

Thanks Bob. Okay, so I am using a Motu 8pre and Sonar 8 producer and just about ready to install X1 Producer. On my custom desktop I do achieve low latency around 90, and do understand that some recommend really low about 4 or 5 ms, but I can seem to get that. I am fine though with the 90 ms. As far as the laptop goes, can you tell me what you have, model... or recommend something. Thanks
 
RATONA said:
Can you tell me which gateway laptop you are using.
Click to expand...

5-year old Gateway M-520 with 2gb ram, built-in TI firewire, WinXP, Glyph firewire drive daisy-chained to a Motu828mkII.
Single 2.8ghz cpu but I can do 35 stereo 24bit/44.1khz tracks with cpu at 15%

My suggestion is you go shop around the computer stores and peek in the device manager.
Look for "IEEE 1394 Texas Instrument OHCI-compliant"
I dont know if the current Gateways still use TI chips.
You can always buy one without firewire and put a TI card in the Expesscard slot.

And there ARE music computer makers that sell KNOWN WORKING SYSTEMS
with guarantees for not much more than you'd pay for guessing at an off-the shelf
( ADK Pro Audio| offers PC Pro audio laptops for: Nuendo, Pro Tools, Sequoia, Samplitude, Cubase 5, Sonar 8, Ableton live for example )
 
Any others out there, your laptop with firewire interface to soundcard. What computer laptop are you using and how is it working for you.
 
I bought a T60 laptop as it has TI chipset on the pcmcia card.
I got a card which was belkin and also TI but I always have problems on this machine. Not only with firewire but any audio card, the only one that works is the built in audio.

Just thought I would put this up so that people can be warned there is more to it than just getting the right chipset its all a bit of a risk...

I have got a HP NC8430 :
eBay - The UK's Online Marketplace

This has Ti chipset too and has firewire so I dont have to use a PCMCIA card.
Will hopefully work better.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top