Getting A Laptop

[Kathlib the Prophet]

I need to get a laptop within the next two months or so (preferably as soon as possible ) for college. I'll have classes four days a week, so on Thursday night I'll drive an hour and 45 minutes to get back home, and then go back Sunday afternoon. As a result, I need something portable and a desktop won't do. I need the laptop to last all four years if possible, so I figured I would buy the best I can, no matter the price range really (preferably $3000 or less). I'll be in debt about $60,000 anyway, why not throw in another three?

Anyway, I'm going for a Bachelor of Science degree in Simulation & Game Engineering Technology (in short, video game programming), so I will need a laptop with lots of memory and the ability to run games and 3D programs. I've been using Vue 5.05 Infinite (a program I know they use at SSU) to practice rendering 3D images, and I'm quickly out of RAM on this PC, which is 1 GB. I have little experience with running games on PCs, as I'm more of a console gamer, so I need help there as well.

Our S.G.E.T. labs at SSU are filled with Alienware desktops and are available 24/7 for use by us, but I will still need my own computer. I've considered getting an Alienware laptop, but as I said when it comes to PC gaming I'm not very experienced with graphics cards and such. I'm also not familiar with AMD processors or the Intel Centrinos.

In short, I need the laptop to have these requirements:

80 GB HDD (preferably 100 or larger)
Ability to run games, 3D programs, and other graphic design programs such as Adobe Photoshop CS2.
2 GB of RAM
15.4 inch or larger screen

Here are the Alienware notebooks: http://www.alienware.com/product_pages/ ... fault.aspx
The first one, the Aurora m9700, is the main one I was considering.

Here is the Dell XPS: Dell's site isn't working for me at the moment, but I think the proper link may be http://www.dell.com/content/topics/segt ... l=en&s=dhs

And here is a laptop I was considering which seems to have all the requirements, but I don't know about the gaming qualifications or anything about its AMD Turion 64 processor.



Any suggestions as to what I should or shouldn't buy?

[Judge B]

You can't get laptop which can run new games like Oblivion smoothly. Still, you might wanna try ATI laptop video cards, expensive ones.

[Speed Damage]

I go to an engineering school (Milwaukee School of Engineering) and we are given a laptop as part of our tuition. We get a new laptop as freshman, then hand it in as juniors for a new, better one (and upon graduation we keep it). The laptops are built for performance for both the software we use for classes and gaming.

Here is the model is recieved at the beginning of last year:
http://ccsd.msoe.edu/technology-program ... NW8240.jsp

I don't think they have updated the site yet with the 06-07 model for next years freshman/juniors. You can choose some of the other years models on the left, as well as some of the software we get.

[superman321]

Dude, the Alienware one you are considering looks pretty good, although I would upgrade the hard drive, ram and optical drive options which will cost a bit extra but really improve the performance. However, as graphic cards go, that laptop is fitted with a good one (for a laptop). Hope it goes well dude.

[Fadingtoblack]

Those Alienware laptops are insane! I wish I had 5k US to drop on that second one!

In the end though no laptop is going to be the preferred option when it comes to high end modelling or gaming.

In my humble opinion,
-I would spend less on a laptop, still get one that can model and game, but not expect elite or extremely fast performance
-Use the crazy desktops while at uni for any high end stuff
-Use the spare money from laptop to beef up your home computer to the max (far cheaper than laptop parts)

So basically you have a crazy system at home and at uni, and a midrange but capable system to keep you going and to get work between the two.


That's my thoughts anyway