Hi this is my first time post and after spending all day on the forum I've developed a quest. I appreciate any advice/comments.

On extremely tight budget (~400$) and was considering getting a recording unit like the Echo Gina 3G for recording guitars and mikes into my mix. I've also looked at other similar items ie Digidesign and Edirol products.

the specs on the 3G are more than acceptable for my level of producing but it seems like I may be able to put together a comporable setup with much less cash by simply getting a low end sound card ie EMU 0404 and a decent mixer/preamp.

Is this true? What are the advantages/disadvantages of the all in one units like the G3 compared to getting just the card and hooking up a preamp and or mixer?

Another question I have is concerning latency with a pci unit compared to a usb device like the UA700. That seems to be just what I am looking for, but I am a little weary of usb for latency issues.

I hope I haven't asked too much and thanks again.