i don't think so dude.... my laptop has recorded some pretty nice sounding mixes.... a good soundcard will help, but if u set any one up right it'll sound good. this is coming from someone who's anal about shit that doesn't sound right
soundforge or cool edit pro...... i havent figured out an optimal setup for soundforge yet, but so far i say cool edit has better quality.... but i'm gonna keep trying with soundforge cuz word on the street is that it's better