I've got $1500 to spend on a laptop for school. What should I buy?

[cdmcg]

Don't get a mac, it might be comfy but so many programs are going to be unavailable it's not even funny.

And if you absolutely have to go for a laptop I honestly don't know, I like laptops but not for gaming :P.

While I agree, dont get a mac, for 100 dollars on newegg this is a non-issue. You can put windows on a mac, my macbook is bootcamped. It has a 500gb hdd in and only about 40 of that is dedicated to mac. The rest is partitioned off and bootcamped for windows. But I was forced into my laptop and would never buy one given the choice.

[bryanmathis]

hey there, i go to bellarmine university for their music technology program. as a part of the program, we are required to purchase macbook pro computers, this is becuase of their core audio drivers and the fact that most of the software that is industry standard in the business is mac-only yadda yadda.

anyhow, while macs are good for audio processing, gaming is a different thing all together. I own a top of the line MBP with the core i5 4g's ram, all that jazz.

the problem is, the MBP's have no way to vent the air commming through the case. as a result, playing wow on minimum detail, or even running an N64/ps1 emulator will cause temerature spike of up to 83 degrees C. literally, when it comes to gaming, the MBP is a geroge foreman grill with a screen. While you can go in and manually controll the cpu fan to cool it down a bit, thats just killing your fan's life and ignoring the fact that you tried to game on a macbook.

check out the HP envy or a custom built pc. but for gaming, never ever go for the macbook pro.

[risto]

I just read something about a very new notebook on engadget
http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/26/m...x-l-15-laptop/

[Greedybeaver]

I just started looking for a hardcore laptop in that pricerange just recently too.

I am going with an Asus laptop, as the sheer number of reviews of their various models are overwhelmingly positive. Plus I've had 3 desktop Asus motherboards, DVD drives, and other components, and they are some of the only things I haven't replaced (Asus and Corsair stuff just LASTS).

http://www.xoticpc.com/asus-g73jwxr1...wconfigure=yes

17.3" screen (1920x1080)
Intel i7-740QM
GeForce GTX460M 1.5gb videocard
8gb of RAM
1TB harddrive

Lastly, it has a spot for a second hard drive, that does NOT go in the optical drive bay. This is one of the only laptops I have ever seen that can do this. You can even put a THIRD harddrive in that optical bay if you want.

This configuration comes in at just about $1465, which is a fantastic price for what you are getting. Hell, a 1.5gb videocard is 3 times better than the one in my desktop I am using this laptop to replace, haha.

I am going with the 15" version of this, with BluRay, 8gb of RAM, 300gb main drive, 80gb SSD secondary, and this laptop is still under $1600. I doubt any other company could really compete with that. Plus Asus has one, if not THE, best basic warranties in the laptop business.

As for XoticPC, everything I read was a pretty raving review. Over 99.9% positive Ebay titanium seller, lots of other credentials. Plus, they allow you to customize your laptop without doubling the price as a labor fee.

I highly recommend giving them a look.

[m4xc4v413r4]

He said he wants to run games. There are no games for Mac.

Your ignorance astonishes me.... there are no games for Mac? Guess what, the game this forum is about runs native on Mac, along with many others on Steam, and many more that always did.

I think your name says it all about your comment. (Lixo=Garbage)

---------- Post added 2011-01-26 at 05:15 PM ----------

Unfortunately this. My dad does 3d design and tells me Alienware are actually not good for 3d design. Not really sure why though, unless someone wants to clear that up.

You'll need to spend 3000 to 4000 usd for a decent (yes, decent, not good) desktop you can actually do some work on. This is including everything you need but the software, only hardware.

What you need for this line of work is computing power, usually 2 high-end CPU's (Xeon's or whatever is in the market at the time), and depending on what you want to do you'll probability have multiple professional GPU's (not GeForces, those are for gaming), you'll also need a LOT of Ram and Disk space, both as fast as possible. Multiple monitors for a better work space, IPS monitors if possible for the best quality.

Not that i'm recommending Mac, i'm not, they're not bad for it but they are more expensive than what you could get building a PC yourself... but just for you to have a clue what i'm talking about, take a look at the Mac Pro's (and take into account that the Mac Pro models that they're selling are already what? 6 months old or something?!?!?!).

[Deleted]

Let's make sure that this doesn't turn into a Mac flamewar, shall we?

[Zygersaf]

High end toshiba satellite man. I have a custom satellite with the highest end hardware and this thing is insane. It beats out M15x's that I've seen so I'd say its your best bet. Completely loaded for $1500.

yeah, im doing a very simlar course to you by the sounds of it, my tutor has one of those laptops its really good, runs all the programmes perfectly

[Skvadrin]

hey there guys, OP here. I've read all the posts on my thread and I just wanted to clear some things up. I will be running all adobe programs, CS4 or higher, including photoshop, illustrator, bridge, etc. I will also be running maya, 3ds max, and a few other 3d construction tools. I also need the power to be able to test any games i make during my years at this college at maximum detail. It's not just for gaming, but testing what I can build. However, if I can get a sturdy enough laptop I hope for it to last me for quite a while beyond school. The reason why it needs to be a laptop is because I want to be able to easily bring my work from school to home. Having a USB big enough to fit everything on it is good, but USB's are far easier to lose track of, and if I need to be working fast, or on the road, I can have everything I need right there.

[Yizren]

Macbook pro if your going to run things like maya and adobe, you will get allot better performance than a pc. and he said he wanted a LAPTOP, so don't be like "well, desktops are better for the price"

if u need to work on a bigger screen at home, just buy a monitor, they are inexpensive.

[Deleted]

Most of the stuff you listed there should be done on ~5000$ workstation specifically designed for that job.

If you want to game and program games, go Windows. All the stuff you listed there also works just as good in PC. Asus G-series has some nice, more gaming-oriented laptops in that price range.

E: If possible, get a SSD drive, It's going to be a huge performance boost. The computer should also have 8GB of ram.

[Team Frosty]

Why would he want a monsters laptop? In college you need battery.

[Deleted]

adobe, you will get allot better performance than a pc.

Has been false ever since Apple moved to the x86 architecture. Adobe hasn't done a very good job with keeping the Mac Creative Suit performance optimized for it. CS5 is far better than the predecessors; but still lags behind its Windows counterpart - which can get most types of jobs done slightly faster.

if u need to work on a bigger screen at home, just buy a monitor, they are inexpensive.

I would not count on that. Many arts workers prefer to use IPS monitors for their significantly superior colour properties - and most of those are a lot more expensive. Dell and HP have nicely priced 23 inch monitors that work well as entry level, but higher quality and size almost immediately doubles and triples the price.

Of course - laptop monitors are no better. (Though high end laptop panels do beat most desktop monitors on image quality)

[Deleted]

If you want a laptop for gaming, dont plan to bring it to school, if you need a laptop to bring to school, dont plan to game on it.

Doesn't have to be the case.
I have a Dell laptop with i7 16 GB Ram and an HD5670 gfx chip in it. Runs any game fine at 30 fps minimum and yet I can run the heavy duty stuff I need to run (Illustrator, Flash, Dreamworks etc) just fine. It depends on the laptop really.

[14fighter]

Check out MSI
http://www.msimobile.com/level2_productlist.aspx?id=9 15-16 inches
http://www.msimobile.com/level2_productlist.aspx?id=10 17 inches and up

[Deleted]

Of course - laptop monitors are no better. (Though high end laptop panels do beat most desktop monitors on image quality)

Your average desktop monitor is about 22" inch TN-panel lucky to have dvi-connector, so $2000 laptop should damn well beat it. ;D

Doesn't have to be the case.
I have a Dell laptop with i7 16 GB Ram and an HD5670 gfx chip in it. Runs any game fine at 30 fps minimum and yet I can run the heavy duty stuff I need to run (Illustrator, Flash, Dreamworks etc) just fine. It depends on the laptop really.

Yet you're chained to the nearest outlet. More like easily movable pc.

[theturn]

I'm going to a game production school so it'll need to be powerful enough to run heavy programs like maya, photoshop, 3ds max and other game creation tools. I also need to be able to run the games on max detail. I've approved $1500 for spending on a computer for myself that I can take to school, but I'd like to double check with the community first before buying something so expensive. What type of laptop should I get?

Im confused, you "approved." Is it you personal budget or are you receiving money from an outside source and thats your "budget"

---------- Post added 2011-01-27 at 03:00 AM ----------

hey there guys, OP here. I've read all the posts on my thread and I just wanted to clear some things up. I will be running all adobe programs, CS4 or higher, including photoshop, illustrator, bridge, etc. I will also be running maya, 3ds max, and a few other 3d construction tools. I also need the power to be able to test any games i make during my years at this college at maximum detail. It's not just for gaming, but testing what I can build. However, if I can get a sturdy enough laptop I hope for it to last me for quite a while beyond school. The reason why it needs to be a laptop is because I want to be able to easily bring my work from school to home. Having a USB big enough to fit everything on it is good, but USB's are far easier to lose track of, and if I need to be working fast, or on the road, I can have everything I need right there.

External HDD my friend, and soon it will be your friend.

[Badpaladin]

As much as I hate the price and falling into "think different", a MBP really is the single best college laptop you can get.

As for programs you're running, if you're doing anything serious you're going to need a workstation desktop, which is going to be pricey. I wouldn't recommend a laptop for any kind of serious game design.

[pinnicle329]

First, I hate macs. Their software can be great if you're into media editing though. You'll want a good combination of portability, battery life, and video processing power. Which sucks, because with the hardware you need to run those apps, battery life is going to blow. Now that the new sandybridge processors are out, i'd recommend getting a laptop with one, i was skeptical about the whole lineup till i saw a few benchmarks, honestly they're amazing. An i7 would do the trick, those programs will actually take advantage of hyperthreading. Video card is the tricky one, I know a ton of useless VGA card info for desktops, not too much for laptops, whatever you do, do not settle for anything less than 1gb of dedicated memory, you're going to need it. 6-8 gigs of ram will suffice, no need for more at this time. Oh, and SOLID STATE. Do yourself a favor, get one, they are AMAZING. 100gb+, then use an external/jump drive, for storing data.

[Skvadrin]

Im confused, you "approved." Is it you personal budget or are you receiving money from an outside source and thats your "budget"

---------- Post added 2011-01-27 at 03:00 AM ----------



External HDD my friend, and soon it will be your friend.

I've got a lot of money in scholarships, and grants. I dislike using student loans as much as possible, so that's why. School given scholarship = check with school first

[Deleted]

Also might check which platform the school is using and go with that. That way you don't have to use any additional energy switching back and forth two platforms.

Still though, macs and gaming and game programming don't mix too well. Sure, it's possible, but in the sense that it's possible to bicycle across Russia. Just not very practical.