Loptop Shopping
polycounter lvl 20
Hey guys, i'm looking to buy a new laptop in the near future and i've got a few questions for those of you who use them on a regular basis (i've never owned one).
First of all, what size screen should I be looking at for 3d work? Is a 15" widescreen enough, or should I be looking for a 17"? Also, if I do buy a widescreen, will that mess with the aspect ratio when I transfer work from laptop to desktop?
Secondly, what should I be looking for in terms of procesor, video card, and ram? I want to be able to play the newer games that i'l be importing custom content into.If anyone has any recomendations for specific models i'd apreciate that aswell, and since i'm still a student lower cost would be nice, (preferably under $1500). I'm leaning towards a dell for the sake of their payment plans and a good history of customer support, but if anyone else has suggestions i'm open to them all.
First of all, what size screen should I be looking at for 3d work? Is a 15" widescreen enough, or should I be looking for a 17"? Also, if I do buy a widescreen, will that mess with the aspect ratio when I transfer work from laptop to desktop?
Secondly, what should I be looking for in terms of procesor, video card, and ram? I want to be able to play the newer games that i'l be importing custom content into.If anyone has any recomendations for specific models i'd apreciate that aswell, and since i'm still a student lower cost would be nice, (preferably under $1500). I'm leaning towards a dell for the sake of their payment plans and a good history of customer support, but if anyone else has suggestions i'm open to them all.
Replies
Check my first post. Best laptop out for 3d work at the moment. 2300 USD
Great laptop though.... atleast mine has been. The issue I was complaining about above relates to better support of the builtin bluetooth. It works, but could be better.
I would say not to go with the 17" though if you plan on carrying it around a lot and using it without plugging it in. The battery consumption isn't worth the 2 inches IMO. I like mine because I plug it in a lot, but I do hate the 1 hour lifespan of my battery.
Oh, and aspect ratio won't change. Only on screenshots. Your programs will only expand further with widescreen. For example, in firefox a website will have a lot of blank space on the right side, rather than stretching it (unless it's coded correctly). In 3ds max, your aspect ratio is the same, but you have more viewable areas.
Quadro series is the best for work, but it can still handle games.
http://www.fnac.pt/produto.aspx?catalogo...o=2200012192931
However, I did end up getting a Dell XPS gen2 M1710, Geforce 7900GTX w/512 mb ram. Dual core t2400. I'm happy with the thing, runs battlefield well! And all my CG apps. I'll be upgrading my ram to 4gigs soon too when Vista is out.
The NEW XPS' have the new Core 2 Duo processors as well.
Intel Core Duo T2300
1 Gig DDR2
120 Gig HD
Radeon X1600 mobility (128mb dedicated)
15.4" Widescreen
DVD Burner
VGA/DVI/S-vid out
5-in-1 card reader
1.3 MP Webcam
All this for only $1,079.99 on Newegg.
I personally have a Macbook Pro with nearly identical specs and I paid nearly twice that. Recently I advised a friend to purchase that laptop and he is very pleased. I had a chance to play around with it and I'm very impressed with the build quality and speed. Our laptops can run demanding games such as Quake 4 and Everquest II without a hitch. I imagine it would be great for graphics design.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16834115246
http://www.rockdirect.com/viewNotebook.php?pName=PEGASUS%20665
sorry.