Hi there

I have been using a Dell Vostro 3700 laptop with a Fireface 800 for almost one year now and it just works fine - not the best laptop choice I know, but my humble knowledge of computers allowed me to configure it very well for recording albums and gigs. Not a single glitch with 18 simultaneous input tracks with a 64 buffer size at 44.1kHz.

From the beginning, I was considering buying another FF800 in order to double available channels through FW800, but now I'm seriously considering buying a Fireface UFX, for its eventually better converters and, mainly, that incredible "direct USB recording" function !

In that case, I'll obviously be using the FF800 as a standalone device, linked to the UFX via ADAT - so, my following questions don't concern compatibility issues between the two interfaces, as I won't use those simultaneously through the computer.

1) Would it be ok to use the UFX through a USB port of that Vostro 3700 laptop, considering I'll have to use almost all the inputs on it except AES/EBU (12 analog + 1 or 2 ADAT) - ?

2) Would I get pretty similar performances than FF800 concerning bandwidth/latency through FW400 ? (I'm using a TI-chip Expresscard)

3) I have a FW800 TI-Expresscard with 2 ports on it. Let's say I have 2 Fireface 800: will I get better performances by plugging a FF800 on each port than by using the configuration described above (UFX via FW400 or USB with standalone FF800 via ADAT) ?
That would sound logical to me.

Thanks by advance for your advices.

A.

(move this topic on Firewire Series section if it's inappropriate here)