I'm currently an Undergraduate student looking to get a new laptop but could do with some help choosing one as I'm unsure what would be best in terms of durability and value for money. I've got a budget of £1000 (approx. $1550), though I could possibly go a bit higher if needs be.
The software I mainly use is AutoCAD; SketchUp; Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator, so it will need to be relatively high spec, but doesn't have to be as powerful as high-end 3D Animation or video editing. Any recommendations on this?
I had in mind something like 8GB RAM (minimum), 1GB graphics card (minimum); hard drive doesn't matter too much and I don't know much about processors... Do you think this would be enough?
To be honest, I'm not keen on getting an Apple, mainly because of the cost and the general compatibility; plus, I've always used Windows based computers an don't want to change.
Any tips on what spec to go for, any specific models / manufacturers would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
I'd go with the new Dell XPS 15 for what you described.
If you want a true industry machine, spend more and go with a Dell Precision.
Either way, I've never had issues with Dell. They are by far the best mainstream machines in my opinion. Great product and even better support. Which is another thing. Since you're life depends on your machine, get the extended warranty/protection in case something bad happens (spill, drop, careless studio mates).
I'll agree with the above, I have a Precision from 6 years ago that works well.
Unfortunately, for me, I can't deal with the offset keyboard they have on the new Precisions (the number pad on the right, makes you work to the left...who thought this was a good idea should be fired...not to mention they used to look decent, now they are about as boring as you can imagine).
XPS is nice, but the glossy screen is awful, imho.
Not much help! Look at www.techbargains.com, there are regularly sales on the XPS laptops (pretty good ones). Some Lenovo higher end ones are on super sales now (can't speak to their quality, though, never seen one in person).
It does get quite hot when you render but that is expected. I opted to get the version with NVIDIA 3D glasses. If you are into watching movies and playing games you might enjoy it but after a while it gets boring. I used those glasses a lot in the beginning but now they are just lying in a corner of my room. I occasionally use them to surf on Google Earth in 3D its an amazing experience!
The screen size (17") might seem huge at first but I upgraded from a 15" screen and 17" seems perfect. It is quite heaving if you are planning to commute with that thing on your shoulder but I don't really mind it.
There is student discount on Dells plus you can just search on google for dell coupons.. I was able to save 400 that way.
I do agree with the Glossy screen problem, it is not fun if you are working outside or under a light for me that was never a problem though considering that I always work in studio.
One thing I don't like about my XPS 17 is the hard drive space. I bough 1 TB HD but 500 GB is used for backup so i am only getting 500GB of space to store my files even though I have an external harddrive to backup my files. I am sure there is a way to partition that drive, i will be looking into that soon.
My RAM is 12 which i find more than enough , you can get a 32 GB ram is you want to buy an Alienware (around $4000 if I am not mistaken)
Considering many new software use GPU juice its not a bad idea to get a 12 Gb ram.
Best advice I can give is watch youtube videos and reviews of the laptop you are thinking of purchasing then go to a store and checkout the laptop in person to see if you like the look and size and buy it online. Plus Dell has a monthly payment program. You can pay it within one year at 0% interest.
It looks as if Dell is the best option to go for then, be it an XPS or a Precision Workstation; in terms of price, the XPS does sound a lot better, but I can't help feel it might be worth paying a bit more for a Precision.
Yeah, every brand will have it's pros and cons. Dell is a definite go-to brand.
One thing I would suggest, if you don't have a home PC, is to get 2 inexpensive monitors. One for home and one to anchor to your studio desk. I can't describe how nice it was to have a 24" display in studio, while the majority of my studio mates were squinting at their 15-17" notebook screens.
You can find 21-24" monitors for pretty cheap nowadays!
What laptop to choose for architecture course?
Hi all,
I'm currently an Undergraduate student looking to get a new laptop but could do with some help choosing one as I'm unsure what would be best in terms of durability and value for money. I've got a budget of £1000 (approx. $1550), though I could possibly go a bit higher if needs be.
The software I mainly use is AutoCAD; SketchUp; Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator, so it will need to be relatively high spec, but doesn't have to be as powerful as high-end 3D Animation or video editing. Any recommendations on this?
I had in mind something like 8GB RAM (minimum), 1GB graphics card (minimum); hard drive doesn't matter too much and I don't know much about processors... Do you think this would be enough?
To be honest, I'm not keen on getting an Apple, mainly because of the cost and the general compatibility; plus, I've always used Windows based computers an don't want to change.
Any tips on what spec to go for, any specific models / manufacturers would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
I'd go with the new Dell XPS 15 for what you described.
If you want a true industry machine, spend more and go with a Dell Precision.
Either way, I've never had issues with Dell. They are by far the best mainstream machines in my opinion. Great product and even better support. Which is another thing. Since you're life depends on your machine, get the extended warranty/protection in case something bad happens (spill, drop, careless studio mates).
I'd also check out ASUS.
For baseline specs:
6-8gb RAM
1-2gb GPU
Core i7 3rd Gen (hyperthreading is a good thing!)
I'll agree with the above, I have a Precision from 6 years ago that works well.
Unfortunately, for me, I can't deal with the offset keyboard they have on the new Precisions (the number pad on the right, makes you work to the left...who thought this was a good idea should be fired...not to mention they used to look decent, now they are about as boring as you can imagine).
XPS is nice, but the glossy screen is awful, imho.
Not much help! Look at www.techbargains.com, there are regularly sales on the XPS laptops (pretty good ones). Some Lenovo higher end ones are on super sales now (can't speak to their quality, though, never seen one in person).
I have Dell XPS 17, its a beast!
It does get quite hot when you render but that is expected. I opted to get the version with NVIDIA 3D glasses. If you are into watching movies and playing games you might enjoy it but after a while it gets boring. I used those glasses a lot in the beginning but now they are just lying in a corner of my room. I occasionally use them to surf on Google Earth in 3D its an amazing experience!
The screen size (17") might seem huge at first but I upgraded from a 15" screen and 17" seems perfect. It is quite heaving if you are planning to commute with that thing on your shoulder but I don't really mind it.
There is student discount on Dells plus you can just search on google for dell coupons.. I was able to save 400 that way.
I do agree with the Glossy screen problem, it is not fun if you are working outside or under a light for me that was never a problem though considering that I always work in studio.
One thing I don't like about my XPS 17 is the hard drive space. I bough 1 TB HD but 500 GB is used for backup so i am only getting 500GB of space to store my files even though I have an external harddrive to backup my files. I am sure there is a way to partition that drive, i will be looking into that soon.
My RAM is 12 which i find more than enough , you can get a 32 GB ram is you want to buy an Alienware (around $4000 if I am not mistaken)
Considering many new software use GPU juice its not a bad idea to get a 12 Gb ram.
Best advice I can give is watch youtube videos and reviews of the laptop you are thinking of purchasing then go to a store and checkout the laptop in person to see if you like the look and size and buy it online. Plus Dell has a monthly payment program. You can pay it within one year at 0% interest.
Thanks guys, some great tips and advice there!
It looks as if Dell is the best option to go for then, be it an XPS or a Precision Workstation; in terms of price, the XPS does sound a lot better, but I can't help feel it might be worth paying a bit more for a Precision.
Many thanks again for your help!
Yeah, every brand will have it's pros and cons. Dell is a definite go-to brand.
One thing I would suggest, if you don't have a home PC, is to get 2 inexpensive monitors. One for home and one to anchor to your studio desk. I can't describe how nice it was to have a 24" display in studio, while the majority of my studio mates were squinting at their 15-17" notebook screens.
You can find 21-24" monitors for pretty cheap nowadays!
I've looked at the Sony Vaio S range - what are your thoughts on this? Is it worth going for? In terms of portability it seems pretty decent.
http://www.sony.co.uk/customise/vn-s-series
this one, of course
If costco is an option for you i'd think about purchasing from them if only for the two year warranty
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.