I was wondering if anyone has experience with two computers are school? I'm thinking about getting a laptop to pick up slack while I'm rendering so I can keep working. Does anyone have any stories (i.e. got a second computer, changed your life, got a second computer and it didn't do anything?) As far a specs, what would you suggest? I know the ideal answer is pimp it out, but I have a good desktop, so you think like a Pentium M 1.5 with 512 MB and integrated video is good enough just to do Photoshop/Illustrator etc.?
I've been contemplating the exact same thing. I use a PowerBook because it just makes me feel better about working, but I'm planning (sooner or later) to set up a relatively blinged up home-made PC machine to act as my "render farm."
Get the best you can afford, I'd say. Get 1 GB RAM and a 128 MB graphics card for sure, if you want to do any fancy stuff with a laptop.
The laptop display is in fact faster and often nicer for your eyes, having two computers is just about network so you can access folders from both computers realy the display cards of desktop computers and game speed depend on calculations proberly work faster with standard screens and you don't have the same options with a laptop but I guess calculations simply work different in the screen card of a desktop than the direct matrix of a laptop. ---------- Anyway Im'e quite sure that I would do better with a modern 2.4 Ghz laptop than I do with this P4 1700 Mhz but ; if you plan for a laptop do it Pentium not just from the amazing speed of other chips , just my oppinion.
Anyway it's just about network.
The calculations for the laptop screens are the same as the home screens, as far as I know. The graphics cards should be close, too, with the mobile ones made to run cooler.
I use two computers now and it's a huge difference. I say go for it, it'll make a difference, but don't get integrated video. At least go with 64mb. 512 Ram is fine for Photoshop, but more is always better.
Get yourself a USB key, too, so you can easily transfer files around (I intentionally keep my workstation offline - no possibility of catastrophic failures due to some internet crap, so they aren't networked).
Exactly the USB key realy is a nice thing ,moving graphics or programs with a little thing that is even cheap to buy, just plug it into the USB port and have it as an extra harddisk that you can just pick out and attach to any other modern computer.
I'm running a dual Opteron workstation with a Quadro 1100 and 2GB of ram which I use as my main (well only) PC right now. I'm just thinking back to the first review when I was rendering stuff, and running between my desk and the computer lab to keep working in Illustrator while my desktop chugged away. It was annoying and wasted my time, so hence the search for a laptop. I could build a pretty nice beater desktop for like...$400, but I thought the laptop would provide some extra flexibility.
I love that we can now talk about a slightly-behind-the-curve desktop (as in Hasselhoff above) as a 'beater', as if it were a three-color primer, broken windshield, thrown-rod Rambler or something. I wonder what I am?
No no. My desk top is good. I was talking about putting together a $400 beater, i.e. something that couldn't handle 3D too well, just as a box for pushing Illustrator and Photoshop and so forth so I can continue to work while my main PC does the brute force work. You know, like an Athlon 2800+ with 512 and a GeForce of something.
The Opteron system is really fast and good. At the time I put it together this summer, it was basically top of the line, although the Quadro is like top of the line mid level, the pro kind was like $1000+, and I got Opteron 244s over 246s to save like $300. Wasn't a big perfomance hike for the price. But yeah, it's a pretty sweet machine. But nevertheless, rendering takes a long time.
Yep. Gotta Mac and a PC running now. Nice 21" CRT with two inputs to save on deskspace and run dual monitors on the PowerBook. Having your own personal "render farm" is handy...
i had the same problem....use a dual opteron at work, and used a powerbook at home, but found it inadequate to handle large photoshop and illustrator files.
i bought a 500$ dual athlon 1800 system for 450$ from craigslist, and though the system is not at all close to the opteron system in terms of speed, i have to say it has saved me a lot of frustation and helped maintain my sanity
And hasslehoff, you find the rendering slow on your opteron??? i dont seem to have that problem
i'm planning to buy a very good desktop (>3.2ghz, 1GB ram, 128mb video card) for rendering, and another average laptop for email, cad, illustrator. what do you suggest i purchase for my laptop?
Mar 28, 05 7:30 pm ·
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2 Computers
I was wondering if anyone has experience with two computers are school? I'm thinking about getting a laptop to pick up slack while I'm rendering so I can keep working. Does anyone have any stories (i.e. got a second computer, changed your life, got a second computer and it didn't do anything?) As far a specs, what would you suggest? I know the ideal answer is pimp it out, but I have a good desktop, so you think like a Pentium M 1.5 with 512 MB and integrated video is good enough just to do Photoshop/Illustrator etc.?
more is more
I've been contemplating the exact same thing. I use a PowerBook because it just makes me feel better about working, but I'm planning (sooner or later) to set up a relatively blinged up home-made PC machine to act as my "render farm."
Get the best you can afford, I'd say. Get 1 GB RAM and a 128 MB graphics card for sure, if you want to do any fancy stuff with a laptop.
Hi
The laptop display is in fact faster and often nicer for your eyes, having two computers is just about network so you can access folders from both computers realy the display cards of desktop computers and game speed depend on calculations proberly work faster with standard screens and you don't have the same options with a laptop but I guess calculations simply work different in the screen card of a desktop than the direct matrix of a laptop. ---------- Anyway Im'e quite sure that I would do better with a modern 2.4 Ghz laptop than I do with this P4 1700 Mhz but ; if you plan for a laptop do it Pentium not just from the amazing speed of other chips , just my oppinion.
Anyway it's just about network.
The calculations for the laptop screens are the same as the home screens, as far as I know. The graphics cards should be close, too, with the mobile ones made to run cooler.
I use two computers now and it's a huge difference. I say go for it, it'll make a difference, but don't get integrated video. At least go with 64mb. 512 Ram is fine for Photoshop, but more is always better.
Get yourself a USB key, too, so you can easily transfer files around (I intentionally keep my workstation offline - no possibility of catastrophic failures due to some internet crap, so they aren't networked).
Hi
Exactly the USB key realy is a nice thing ,moving graphics or programs with a little thing that is even cheap to buy, just plug it into the USB port and have it as an extra harddisk that you can just pick out and attach to any other modern computer.
I'm running a dual Opteron workstation with a Quadro 1100 and 2GB of ram which I use as my main (well only) PC right now. I'm just thinking back to the first review when I was rendering stuff, and running between my desk and the computer lab to keep working in Illustrator while my desktop chugged away. It was annoying and wasted my time, so hence the search for a laptop. I could build a pretty nice beater desktop for like...$400, but I thought the laptop would provide some extra flexibility.
There's also this new USB device, Kangaru Somthing is teh company, that holds. 2.2 gigs. It's still small and is about $180. Pretty cool.
I love that we can now talk about a slightly-behind-the-curve desktop (as in Hasselhoff above) as a 'beater', as if it were a three-color primer, broken windshield, thrown-rod Rambler or something. I wonder what I am?
No no. My desk top is good. I was talking about putting together a $400 beater, i.e. something that couldn't handle 3D too well, just as a box for pushing Illustrator and Photoshop and so forth so I can continue to work while my main PC does the brute force work. You know, like an Athlon 2800+ with 512 and a GeForce of something.
The Opteron system is really fast and good. At the time I put it together this summer, it was basically top of the line, although the Quadro is like top of the line mid level, the pro kind was like $1000+, and I got Opteron 244s over 246s to save like $300. Wasn't a big perfomance hike for the price. But yeah, it's a pretty sweet machine. But nevertheless, rendering takes a long time.
bump
Yep. Gotta Mac and a PC running now. Nice 21" CRT with two inputs to save on deskspace and run dual monitors on the PowerBook. Having your own personal "render farm" is handy...
i had the same problem....use a dual opteron at work, and used a powerbook at home, but found it inadequate to handle large photoshop and illustrator files.
i bought a 500$ dual athlon 1800 system for 450$ from craigslist, and though the system is not at all close to the opteron system in terms of speed, i have to say it has saved me a lot of frustation and helped maintain my sanity
And hasslehoff, you find the rendering slow on your opteron??? i dont seem to have that problem
i'm planning to buy a very good desktop (>3.2ghz, 1GB ram, 128mb video card) for rendering, and another average laptop for email, cad, illustrator. what do you suggest i purchase for my laptop?
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