Techniques for efficient searching in asynchronous systems, such as W-CDMA, as well as multi-mode searching, are disclosed. In one aspect, step one and step three search are performed in a single search engine. In another aspect, a search engine is configurable to search the offsets of a slot in step one search, producing sequential hypothesis energies, and peak detecting and sorting those energies. In yet another aspect, the peak detector and sorter are configurable to perform step one searching or step three/multimode searching. Various other aspects of the invention are also presented. These aspects have the benefit of circuit area and search-time efficiency which translate into reduced costs, increased standby time, increased acquisition speed, higher quality signal transmission, increased data throughput, decreased power, and improved overall system capacity.