I have an Elitebook 8560W myself, it is a true workstation. Lot's of power and really good built quality. It is rather heavy though, but that is the same with the Dell and the Lenovo.
I have seen the dell and the lenovo but can't say anything about it. For the MacBook, i'm no apple fan at all so can't say anything decent about it.
I recently stumbled on a forum discussing Elitebook 8560w and Mac Book Pro and most of the people seemed to vote for the Elitbook. Although I personally would get the Mac Book Pro as I am an apple fan. I just love their products
I've got a Macbook Pro (Retina). I love it for its portability, but I don't know if I would've paid full price for it. I sold my 3 year old Macbook Pro and managed to cut the cost of a new one in half.
You could also consider a Sony Vaio Z if the other non-Apple laptops are too thick/heavy. The only thing is you'll want the external graphics card module which bumps the price to your max.
Yes, the graphics card is a big problem. Have you run modeling softwares like Maya on your RMBP? I'm wondering whether the GeForce GT 650M have the ability. Since other workstation laptops have Quadro with them.
Oh, how about the heat of Macbook when doing some heavy tasks?
I don't have Maya, but Rhino works like a champ, even with some complex Grasshopper work in it. As for the heat, I use Lubbos Fan Control to up the fan speed a bit while rendering -- normally it waits til the CPU reaches 90℃ before it wants to ramp up the fans. WIth this, the external chassis feels cooler to the touch than most other laptops I've used (esp the bottom, though it should be on a desk).
The Quadros are better if the software supports them (almost anything by AutoDesk). I don't know if anything's been optimized for the GT650m yet.
Quadro isn't that big of a problem. A GT card should be fine. They have the same graphics chips with different features. Quadros usually have more RAM, error correction, and are optimized for accuracy rather than performance, which helps them keep cooler and become less likely to burn out during a long work session. GT(X) cards are optimized for pure performance. As a result, they run hotter and are best suited to shorter bursts of intense usage (e.g. gaming) rather than extended periods (e.g. rendering).
That said, Quadros do tend to be much more expensive, frequently to the point where GT(X) cards offer better performance/price ratio.
As a SCIARC student I would recommend ditching the laptop idea and spend a grand either building or buying a very powerful desktop, almost everyone at Sciarc has a desktop in studio and it is needed. The M.Arch 2 program is extremely software intense and I doubt you want to be lugging a massive desktop replacement laptop around. Then with the extra grand by a nice portable laptop.
That's true. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen a laptop at SCIARC in all the times I've visited for lectures. One time, I thought I saw a student with a personal server rack rendering away.
Thank you for your advice. I'm thinking about buying an used desktop from senior graduates and buying a Thinkpad X230 or equivalent. Maybe it's a good idea.
A personal server is basic, yes. Any networked computer can be a server. A server rack is expensive and space consuming, not to mention the cooling system it needs. It would fit quite well in a professional office, but I can't see too many students having either the space or money to have one.
hi I just came across this blog cause I was about to decide myself on buying a MBP MD104 which is not a retina one with ssd it's just the other model. I was in between an Asus G75VW or a MD104 .. after I checked the load temps of MD104 with bootcamp I was shocked.
So I've seen you ran lubbos fan control on your RMBP which has the same chipset as the MD104 I suppose. I will be using it mostly for videoediting and gaming. And I need to know if lubbos fan control works fine increasing fan speed and load temps of CPU and GPU are in 80C for cpu and 75 for gpu approximate .. is there any chance you can add me to my msn ? so I can ask you a couple more things.. my name is paul :) nice meeting you
Looking for a new laptop for my March 2 study at SCI-Arc.
Hello everybody! I'm attending the March 2 program at SCI-Arc 2012 Fall, and I'm looking for a laptop for my 2 years study.
Price between $1500-2000 would be good. I heard SCI-Arc need heavy use on Maya, and of course the adobe series.
I've do some search and found these may be good:
HP Elitebook 8560w
Dell M4600
Lenovo W530
Apple MacBook Pro with Retina display
Could any body give me some advice on choosing a good machine, thank you.
Some good choice beside the above ones would be good.
Hope anyone would help me. Thanks.
I have an Elitebook 8560W myself, it is a true workstation. Lot's of power and really good built quality. It is rather heavy though, but that is the same with the Dell and the Lenovo.
I have seen the dell and the lenovo but can't say anything about it. For the MacBook, i'm no apple fan at all so can't say anything decent about it.
@Gjalt
Thank you for your reply. I found Elitebook 8560w very good too. But it's a bit expensive if I choose the dreamcolor display.
I recently stumbled on a forum discussing Elitebook 8560w and Mac Book Pro and most of the people seemed to vote for the Elitbook. Although I personally would get the Mac Book Pro as I am an apple fan. I just love their products
I've got a Macbook Pro (Retina). I love it for its portability, but I don't know if I would've paid full price for it. I sold my 3 year old Macbook Pro and managed to cut the cost of a new one in half.
You could also consider a Sony Vaio Z if the other non-Apple laptops are too thick/heavy. The only thing is you'll want the external graphics card module which bumps the price to your max.
@garethcooper9
The Apple products are very fascinating. I would like to buy one too.
By the way, can you give the link of the discussion.
@joker
Yes, the graphics card is a big problem. Have you run modeling softwares like Maya on your RMBP? I'm wondering whether the GeForce GT 650M have the ability. Since other workstation laptops have Quadro with them.
Oh, how about the heat of Macbook when doing some heavy tasks?
I don't have Maya, but Rhino works like a champ, even with some complex Grasshopper work in it. As for the heat, I use Lubbos Fan Control to up the fan speed a bit while rendering -- normally it waits til the CPU reaches 90℃ before it wants to ramp up the fans. WIth this, the external chassis feels cooler to the touch than most other laptops I've used (esp the bottom, though it should be on a desk).
The Quadros are better if the software supports them (almost anything by AutoDesk). I don't know if anything's been optimized for the GT650m yet.
@joker
Thank you for your reply. It is great that the heat is not a big problem.
Quadro is a problem.
Quadro isn't that big of a problem. A GT card should be fine. They have the same graphics chips with different features. Quadros usually have more RAM, error correction, and are optimized for accuracy rather than performance, which helps them keep cooler and become less likely to burn out during a long work session. GT(X) cards are optimized for pure performance. As a result, they run hotter and are best suited to shorter bursts of intense usage (e.g. gaming) rather than extended periods (e.g. rendering).
That said, Quadros do tend to be much more expensive, frequently to the point where GT(X) cards offer better performance/price ratio.
@joker
Thank you very much for your specific reply. I think RMBP would be my best choice.
As a SCIARC student I would recommend ditching the laptop idea and spend a grand either building or buying a very powerful desktop, almost everyone at Sciarc has a desktop in studio and it is needed. The M.Arch 2 program is extremely software intense and I doubt you want to be lugging a massive desktop replacement laptop around. Then with the extra grand by a nice portable laptop.
@Median
That's true. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen a laptop at SCIARC in all the times I've visited for lectures. One time, I thought I saw a student with a personal server rack rendering away.
@Median
Thank you for your advice. I'm thinking about buying an used desktop from senior graduates and buying a Thinkpad X230 or equivalent. Maybe it's a good idea.
@joker
Wow. Personal server... That's crazy and cool...
huh?
a personal server is basic computing and i don't know how architects live without them.
maxwell render nodes are fucking awesome. especially the last revamp they got in about 2 years ago.
A personal server is basic, yes. Any networked computer can be a server. A server rack is expensive and space consuming, not to mention the cooling system it needs. It would fit quite well in a professional office, but I can't see too many students having either the space or money to have one.
Yes, I surely won't get a server unless I run my one company. LOL
@ joker
hi I just came across this blog cause I was about to decide myself on buying a MBP MD104 which is not a retina one with ssd it's just the other model. I was in between an Asus G75VW or a MD104 .. after I checked the load temps of MD104 with bootcamp I was shocked.
So I've seen you ran lubbos fan control on your RMBP which has the same chipset as the MD104 I suppose. I will be using it mostly for videoediting and gaming. And I need to know if lubbos fan control works fine increasing fan speed and load temps of CPU and GPU are in 80C for cpu and 75 for gpu approximate .. is there any chance you can add me to my msn ? so I can ask you a couple more things.. my name is paul :) nice meeting you
Forgot to leave you my msn it's daaudiome@hotmail.com Thanks
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