I have always used Toshiba laptops but I don't think the brand makes as much difference now as it used to.

All reputable laptops now come with built-in sound cards that are fine for audio. This would include playback of RealTracks. MIDI is another matter, for which an external module may be needed for really good sound quality, but there are fine software synths available. What are you using now? And what's your budget?

Just a word about the output jack. The weak link is that mini headphone jack. They break and the connection can become very noisy. Nothing like the sound of thunder through a church PA system if you even look at it funny. It is primarily for this reason I like an external sound module. It plugs into the laptop via the reliable USB connection.


BIAB 2024 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 6.5 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6; Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus Studio 192, Presonus Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors