Will Pro Tools M-Powered 7.3 + Firewire 1814 work ok w new MacBook Pro?

Question

I have Pro Tools M-Powered 7.3 that I have never been able to use and an M-Audio Firewire 1814 and it has also not been working with my soon-to-be junked PC for quite some time.
I'm going to scrap my entire system and go back to Mac and buy the new MacBook Pro for the express purpose of using it with my Firewire 1814 running Pro Tools M-Powered 7.3 (or an upgrade if there is one and I'm eligible to get it...?).
There are so many confusing instructions and tips out there and I just wanted to ask someone knowledgeable BEFORE I go out and spend $2,800 (that I don't have to begin with) that the laptop WILL indeed work with the above-described interface and software. I realize these are questions for M-Audio and Digidesign also (and I have asked), but in any case, I'm hoping you nice folks out there might lend me your expertise as well if you can spare a moment.
I did read on Digidesign's site that an external firewire drive or two would be ideal in use with Pro Tools M-powered. I haven't investigated enough to yet know how many firewire ports are on the top-tier new MacBook Pro, but I'm hoping it's enough to accommodate my 1814 interface and the externals recommended. (Or if you have knowledge/solutions/recommendations I'm all ears... help!).
If you know of any reason I shouldn't buy the laptop for use with the 1814 and Pro Tools M-Powere 7.3 as listed above, PLEASE tell me. I have an entire, very expensive PC system that for the better part of a year, has sat dormant because I can't get it to work with the interface and software without it creating noise and clicks. And no one was able to help me resolve this no matter how much noise I made and research I did trying to resolve the problems. And Pro Tools would always shut itself down at random during use despite the fact I have tons of RAM, disk space, a 2.13 GhZ processor, etc.
My hope is that a new (and portable-- something I also really need-- I plan to use this for performance as well with Ableton or similar... also interested in any information or opinions with regard to using the new MacBook Pro for that as well) Mac will resolve this...
That I'll just plug it in and everything will magically and easily work. I'd love to hear this is so. Any and all help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance for your expertise.

Answer 1

orrisimo,
I, personally, do not have experience with this, but I have a friend who uses Macs exclusively, running Protools with a MOTU box. He does this professionally, not as a "hobby," and he is very knowledgeable about all the ins and outs.
As far as I know, he has absolutely no problems with Protools, ever. I recall that he did have to hold off a bit in upgrading to Leopard because of initial incompatibilities, but all that is in the past. He uses an old iBook (still), an Intel iMac, and more recently a Mac Pro powerhouse, all with no problems.
I would expect that everything will work seamlessly, provided you get word from the various support people that your versions and models are all compatible. If you want me to ask my friend about anything or get definitive confirmation from him, I would be happy to do so when I see him next. Let me know.
The newest 15" Macbook Pro comes only with a single Firewire 800 port. All the ports have been moved to the left side of the casing, so space is at a premium. FW 400 devices can be connected using an adapter cable, but there is still just that one port. If you go with a 15", you might need an Expresscard FW card to connect your FW drives (not a bad idea, anyway, since even older multi-port MBPs use just one controller).
The current 17" Macbook Pro has not yet been updated to the "unibody" construction, and still has both a FW 400 and a FW 800 port (again, FW 400 devices can be connected to an 800 port with an adapter). What the future unibody update will bring to the 17", we do not know.
Scott