Robh,
I totally agree with what you said. I've never used ASIO however in the interest of trying to help those that want/need to I decided to start using ASIO exclusively.I've just completed my 12th tune using the 3rd party AC97 ASIO driver with my internal sound card on the Toshiba as mentioned below.It's actually been a treat because I've been putting guitar,bass and keys and it's nice to be able to have Real Time effects while playing. I record dry though.I only get buzz if I move stuff drastically. It has not hampered a thing. The key to success is as you state:
1. A reasonable computer
2. Rock solid ASIO drivers.
I have both.


John
ESI Gigaport HD+
Lenovo Turion II /4 Gig Ram/ Win7x64 be
15.6" Monitor
"The only Band is a Real Band"
www.wintertexaninfo.com/BANDS/JohnnyD.php