Laptops for 3d modeling and texturing
My laptop cannot handle Zbrush which I have bought but cannot run and desperately want to play with. Same with Max 2011, which is being ordered for me by a friend as a present. I'm branching out and it feels good. But my laptop sucks. I upgraded it's memory to 1 gig but it's still far from what I want. It struggles with polies over 40k as well. Not that I work that high very often but when I do it's a slide-show lag.
I wanted to get recommendations for a laptop. Like how much memory should I get, cpu etc? I was thinking 2 gig at least memory and 2.0 core or greater. Hard drive I'd be happy to get something beyond 120 which is what I upgraded myself to from the measly 40 g that came with my laptop. I see 500s are pretty standard so I'd get one with that too. How much would you be willing to pay for something like that? Over the summer I'll earn about $1000. I don't think that's enough but that's why I'm asking. Any brand recommendations too? Thanks.
I wanted to get recommendations for a laptop. Like how much memory should I get, cpu etc? I was thinking 2 gig at least memory and 2.0 core or greater. Hard drive I'd be happy to get something beyond 120 which is what I upgraded myself to from the measly 40 g that came with my laptop. I see 500s are pretty standard so I'd get one with that too. How much would you be willing to pay for something like that? Over the summer I'll earn about $1000. I don't think that's enough but that's why I'm asking. Any brand recommendations too? Thanks.
Replies
Look at this, nice find I think.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834114796
---
Model Brand TOSHIBA Series Qosmio Model X505-Q860 Part# PQX33U-01G00H General Operating System Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit CPU Type Intel Core i5 430M(2.26GHz) Screen 18.4" Memory Size 4GB DDR3 Hard Disk 500GB Optical Drive DVD Super Multi Graphics Card NVIDIA GeForce GTS 360M Video Memory 1GB GDDR5 Communication Gigabit LAN and WLAN Card slot 1 x Express Card Dimensions 17.40" x 11.60" x 1.63" Weight 9.70 lbs. CPU CPU Type Intel Core i5 CPU Speed 430M(2.26GHz) Chipset Chipset Intel PM55 Display Screen Size 18.4" Wide Screen Support Yes Resolution 1680 x 945 LCD Features TruBrite technology Operating Systems Operating System Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Graphics GPU/VPU NVIDIA GeForce GTS 360M Video Memory 1GB GDDR5 Graphic Type Dedicated Card Hard Drive HDD 500GB HDD RPM 7200rpm HDD Interface SATA HDD Spec TOSHIBA Hard Drive Impact Sensor (3D sensor) Memory Memory 4GB Memory Speed DDR3 1066 Memory Spec 2GB x 2 Memory Type 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM Memory Slot (Total) 2 Memory Slot (Available) 0 Max Memory Supported 8GB Optical Drive Optical Drive Type DVD Super Multi Optical Drive Interface Integrated Optical Drive Spec DVD SuperMulti drive with Labelflash supporting 11 formats
Maximum speed and compatibility: CD-ROM (24x), CD-R (24x), CD-RW (24x), DVD-ROM (8x), DVD-R (Single Layer, (8x)), DVD-R (Double Layer, (6x)), DVD-RW (6x), DVD+R (Single Layer, (8x)), DVD+R (Double Layer, (6x)), DVD+RW (8x), DVDRAM (5x)
Use Labelflash media to burn high quality labels directly to disc Communications LAN 10/100/1000Mbps WLAN 802.11b/g/n wireless LAN Ports Card Slot 1 x ExpressCard slot (ExpressCard/34 and ExpressCard/54) USB 4 x USB (3 USB + 1 eSATA/USB combo) IEEE 1394 1 Video Port RGB (monitor) output port
HDMI-CEC (REGZA LINK) Audio Ports Yes Audio Audio Dolby Home Theater Speaker Built-in harman/kardon stereo speakers Input Device Touchpad Toshiba TouchPad Keyboard Premium US keyboard Supplemental Drive Card Reader Memory Card Reader
Secure Digital, Secure Digital High Capacity, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, Multi Media Card [shared slot] Webcam Yes Power AC Adapter 120W (19V x 6.32A) Auto-sensing ,100-240V/50-60Hz AC Adapter Battery 12 cell (8000 mAh) Lithium Ion battery pack Physical spec Dimensions 17.40" x 11.60" x 1.63" Weight 9.70 lbs. Manufacturer Warranty Parts 1 year limited Labor 1 year limited
i've got a pretty similar machine (minus the 'pro' label) and am just wondering if you experience the system fans going crazy in zbrush? it drives me mad having to listen to the machine sounding like a vacuum cleaner all the time when i have that particular app running.
actually, I have never experienced this, HOWEVER, my friend with 17 inch macbook pro experiences it everytime. I've got a 15 ", we could never figure out whey his fans go crazy but mine dont..
Go have a look at newegg. Grabbed my current laptop from there back in september and is more than capable of handling even just cause 2 nicely.
my current laptop: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220566
My advice - don't buy the absolute top-end, because chances are, like mine, they are running close to maximum and will burn out. Instead, buy a lesser, still powerful laptop and rest easy knowing it is operating well within its performance boundaries.
Thats what I bought a year ago (the previous model obviously) and it runs maya/zbrush/muxbox fine. Its expandable up to 8gb a ram, though thats 2 4gb sticks and that runs around $384. (edit apparently it comes with a 7200rpm now, but hey 2
The graphics card isn't desktop equiv for sure, but it'll chug out 3d work just fine.
I think the better advice to draw from that is don't buy a dell.
http://www.asus.co.nz/product.aspx?P_ID=8je5Ot4HBnKOdT81&content=specifications
Core i7, Radeon HD 5870, 8 gig RAM. You shan't have any problems with ZBrushery again.
Normally I would agree, but I generally find their high end stuff to be quite competent. At work I use a Precision T5400 (8 core workstation, 1.5gb Quadro) and it is quite a workhorse that rarely has issues.
The laptop was great and could even play games like Crysis, but it just couldn't handle the massive heat generated by the graphics card (512mb 7600GT).
EDIT: Note that my heat issues were purely related to gaming. I never actually had the balls to do any sustained rendering on it.
Once thing that did help was sticking a spare 4GB SD card into the SD slot and enabling Readyboost on it.
This is the laptop I would get today as well for what you want to do and how much you have to spend. I would also look at the MSI GX640. It is cheaper and a little smaller but is still very powerful. The Asus looks to be a great machine. How are you liking yours Jackablade? I'm thinking about picking one up in the next few weeks but I'm looking for something with a matte screen since i'll be using it outside and in vehicles, and something with usb 3.0.
No, the better advice is absolutely do not spend $4000 on a fucking computer, that is simply insane. Never ever EVER buy ultra high end, you pay 2x... 3x as much for what, 25% performance increases over reasonable hardware? There is always a price curve with this stuff, and at a certain point you're paying money simply to pay more money, and it doesnt even come close to being with it in reality. Especially when you can get a $1500 machine in two years that will have as good of performance/outperform the thing.
MickyG, i'm not trying to talk shit to you or anything, just refuting Oxy's idea that the lesson learned here is... dont buy a dell! I'm not an expert on dell hardware, but pretty much ever PC manufacturer has problems, and you're taking a risk buying any computer, which just amplifies even more why you should never spend that much. Now, i would be curious as to what sort of hardware you got in a $4000 laptop? It sort of boggles the mind that you can even pay that much, so it must have come with some crazy stuff?
Oh yeah, and as EarthQuake and some other mentioned, don't buy Dell, the support is terrible and the quality not so great.
EQ: Im not speaking out my ass. Yes, you have an excellent point about a super high end system like that. However, Dells have had issues with GPU's which what the original writer was describing. That issue was to Nvidia and moreover, from what I remember, they only recalled some models while hiding the extent. Not all involved.
Absolutely, part of the blame lies with Nvidia. However, Dell takes some as well by not trying to do better customer service.
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/1010186/dell-models-defective-nvidia
I myself am looking for a new setup soon. Very caught between a high end latop ($2000 [not $4000]) plus and extra monitor. Or a low end laptop ($800) with a medium desktop that's very upgradeable. Space is a prime for me. I would love the ability though on nice days to be able to work on the backporch patio.
I'm not a dell fanboy, all i'm saying is you can find issues with anyone, dell, apple, asus, etc. Nobody has a perfect record when it comes to hardware, and you can always find a couple vocal people to say NOOO DONT BUY ***!". I dont think i would buy a dell for myself, simply because they are generally overpriced for what you get, however i would build a PC before buying a workstation laptop anyway.
I understand EQ, and indeed that was the point I was trying to make in my first post. Don't buy the ultra high-end, scale it back a bit.
It was $4000 australian, and I got it on salary sacrifice at work so I actually paid around $2800 AUD all up, but it was still damn expensive. I think the cost was mainly due to the graphics card - it was one of the first laptops to get basically a desktop card shoved in it. It was the biggest card available in a laptop at the time and is still real good today - I'm just not game to use it too much.
specs :
Intel Core 2 Duo T5800 2 GHz 2 MB cache (i think)
4G RAM
9600 GT 512 MB Ram
320 GB harddrive
16" display (which looks quite good)
Handles 3ds max or zbrush or mudbox very well , most of the stuff you use on a daily basis.
nope, that card has given me no end of troubles...
I get my 6 gb to choke pretty often so i guess the more the better.
If your doing game art 4 should be fine if your not planing to go insane on highpolys.
Dell is not a bad brand. I have ran problems of hardware in too many computers i have builded, and i ended paying money for the new pieces. With Dell, guarantee, and you don't pay anything.
A good laptop for 3d should have a good processor and a good graphic card, as powerful as an ati 5770. There is no need to waste too much money.