which laptop should i get for college?
 

i know its been done before but im doing it again... what laptop should i buy?

im looking for a laptop to go to college. i want to to 3d modeling and audio/video editing. its got to be able to run maya easily. here is what im looking for.

1. good linux support (duh)
2. 2.0ghz or more proscessor (posibly AMD64)
3. descent sound card with midi support (creative labs maybe)
4. nvidia or radion graphics card capable of running most anything.
5. built in wireless
6. at least 3 usb ports (and maybe firewire)
7. blutooth (maybe)
8. screen with at least 1280/1024 resolution
9. 100GB + hard drive
10. 1 to 2 GB RAM
11. 10 to 12 inch screen
12. no more than an inch thick
13. around 4 to 5 pounds
14. sturdy (dont want it to brake if i drop it or wear out in a year)

ive been looking at falcon northwest a little bit (freakin pricy). i like sony and they have some nvidia cards in their notebooks. i realy like thinkpads but i cant find one with a descent graphics card.

if possible i'd like to find somthing with the option to not order with windoze on it (save an extra buck), but i realy dont care. at this point im not worried about price. i just want to know whats out there.

I await flames from all sides, but....

Buy an Apple Powerbook. You'll get 3D acceleration in OSX without any extra work, and (as I'm sure you're aware) Maya runs on 10.3. You could install YellowDog Linux or Debian PPC on it if you like too.

I'm a fan of Thinkpads myself, but for what you want to do a Powerbook running OSX is probably ideal.

Dave

ive never realy been a mac fan... the button layout is all wierd. i guess i could switch if i had to. they do look awsome though.

A good way to find out pricing yadda yadda, is to go to HP or Dell, one of those big company's websites. Do a custom build (don't worry, you aren't obligated to buy) and put it together and see what it costs. (Not that I'm suggesting you buy a dell or a hp, it's just a great tool.) They also don't let you uncheck "windows" though. ;(

get as much hdd space as you can afford- esp. if doing audio/video/3D stuff- also beefy ram is good.
you sound like you know what you are doing- good luck!

titanium_geek

i know it will probably cost quite a bit. ive never tried to find a laptop with so much in it before. thanks for the info. im thinking about going mac though now. but i realy like pc better (just the thought of mac.... i dunno)

beware that there is no such thing as (ok, well, almost) mac specific hardware. there was a great article on some mac guru site suggesting you upgrade using (the horror!) pc store ram, hdd, etc because it is way cheaper. You are paying for mostly look with a mac. I am/was an anti-macker, but guess what I'm typing on right now? sigh. It's not that bad... I needed a laptop for school (stupid essay) and my family had an old one so yeah.

macs are good though- just expensive. You are more likely to get good value for money, and less likely to get dud stuff. That said, let the buyer beware.

study hard- if you get a mac, then it's less distracting games... :)

titanium_geek

i didn't know you could use standard pc hardware! that might sway me just a bit more. although... another reason why i want such a good computer is for world of warcraft, neverwinter nights, battlefield 2, etc. if you can tell me there is a way to run win apps on a mac at native speeds im sold. i like the os, i like the look, size, and reputation.

sorry- the article was talking about desktops- you know that laptop upgrades are hellish if not impossible... so yeah.. hey! thought! desktops are cheaper. get a dirt cheap laptop and desktop. Use the desktop as the server... and share the load and get more for less? I dunno.

I am not into games that much, but my friend (macker extraordinare) really complained about the lack of games... if gaming is key, then get a PC.

titanium_geek

yeah i dont know. i havn't realy been playing many games up untill now so i could do without. ill think on it for a bit. i might wind up buying a desktop pc and a mac laptop.

thanks for all your help.






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(wooptie freekin doo)

IBM Thinkpad, it support most of the popular Linux.

yeah i know. i love thinkpads, and i love the mouse knob thing. but i cant find one with good hardware.