Yeah, external sound cards are ok, but on the mixed input they can cause more hassle than they're worth. I've dabbled with a couple of usb sound cards and even the £50-75 ones aren't ideal for what I do :(
Will definitely revisit the asus website though!!!!
Without wishing to hijack the thread, I'm after a new laptop for my radio shows. The biggest requirement I have is that it has separate audio and input sockets, and the faster the better. That said, a cursory look on the interweb and in PC world is making me realise that finding the first part...