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An update. Might be getting an used power laptop from my dad soon.
A lot of talk about building PCs in this thread. That's been my preference for many years now, but it can be a frustrating process, unless you're really up on the latest technology. I used to be, but several years ago I switched careers from hardware/software/LAN support to web dev/programming/multimedia work, so I'm a little out of touch with the latest and greatest tech. Even repairing my PC has often been an exercise in futility - replace a hard drive and the new one requires a different drive interface - the new interface card needs a type of PCI slot that my motherboard doesn't have - replace the motherboard and the power supply connectors don't fit in the new one - replace the power supply and the new one's screw holes don't match up with my case - ARGHHHH!
I've found an awesome resource for PC builds - http://www.logicalincrements.com
This site's blog has lots of great info, but the best resource is on their home page - it's a speadsheet that outlines 16 "tiers" of possible component combinations - from the "Destitute" level ($163 total cost) to "Monstrous" ($3867). Each tier has 2 or 3 options for each component (Graphics Card, CPU, Cooling, Motherboard, RAM, HDD, SSD, Power Supply, & Case). They test all of the components in each tier to make sure they play nice together. You just determine your budget, choose the tier that's within your budget, and choose from the 2 or 3 options for each component in that tier. You can see the cheapest price and a picture and short description of each component.
The site is mainly geared toward gaming, but 3D work demands much the same requirements as gaming, and you can ask the mods questions about your own build plans, alternate components, what's best for your needs, etc.
I plan to use them for my next build (soon
).
Pcpartpicker is really great for planning builds as well.
...notebooks are fine for most office based work and streaming, but CG rendering makes cooling is a major issue particularly since all the components are crammed so tightly together and there is no room for aftermarket cooling solutions. Most have only the single intake/exhaust slot on the side (some of the upper tier gaming notebooks have dual fans and flow through cooling) . With the exception of gaming notebooks and expensive mobile workstations, most notebooks only have the base MB graphics chipset and not a dedicated GPU (which means for rendering in Iray, waiting hours for the process ot complete).
Part of the reason many of the keys on my old notebook no longer work is due to the heat generated by rendering. Mec4D was even noticing warping of the keyboard on her high end notebook occurring.
So for general net use, streaming videos and films, and maybe some gaming, yeah a notebook is OK. For 3D work and rendering, I'd still stick to a desktop. as unlike gaming or streaming, rendering puts a heavy load on the system for an extended period of time.
If you plan on using an average spec laptop for rendering... Get a cooling pad for it.
On a side note... a "used power laptop"? Was that a typo?
That usually means a high end machine suitable for graphic design on the go.
..sometimes. It could also be a high end business system with more storage (possibly 2 drives), more memory, larger display, and an i7 running Win7 or 8.1 Pro with a full suite of productivity software.
Mobile graphics workstations are very expensive (in the 5,000$ range new) and older ones would have at best Kepler or Maxwell generaion GPUs.with 4 - 6 GB VRAM.
Hey! My laptop reperesents that statement. In all honesty, I love the Dell Precision M6700, 6800, 4700, and 4800 chasis. They are very well built with nice specs(for the era) and have excelent cooling setups.
...are they dual flow through or single fan cooling? It makes a big difference on system temps. On my Notrebook core temps were always in the high 80 to low 90s during rendering (it doesn't have a dedicated GPU) and that was rendering with 3DL.
The 15 and 17 inch Dell Precisions are Dual Heatsink and Dual Fan.
Here is an image of what the main board and heatsinks look like without all those pesky laptopy bits and fans out of the way.
Got a wireless keyboard and mouse so on board keyboard will be barely used.
12 years?.... What is it a Core2Duo, or is an original Core Duo?
I think the oficial age would be.. Well that would be what... the victotian era on the history of computers calender?
...centrino duo.
That would be the original Core Duo (Intel's final 32bit only CPU)
That was an interesting time for Intel. After the Pentium 4 and Itaium fiasco, they realized that the way forward was to take a step back. The Core sereis of CPUs (CoreSolo, Core Duo, and Core2) share more in common with the Pentium 3 than they do with the Pentium 4.
...yep.
I was thinking of getting Geek Squad to look at my desktop but I think that will cost a hundred dollars.
They're also really, really useless in my experience.
Thanks.
With the current forum format, I can't tell where anyone lives, but if there is anyone anywhere near Baton Rouge, LA, I would be glad to help them with computer repairs or upgrades.