AJ: External adapter for PCI card use on a laptop?!?! I don't remember ever seeing anything like that and I'm not sure it is possible! Sounds like you need an Extigy - or is this newer "mp3" external soundblaster thingy any use?

P4HT is a darn good processor but it is a desktop CPU and so will eat power. The HT (hyperthreading) bit makes a difference for single processor machines only if the application is specifically designed to use the feature; unlikely for audio apps.