What do you think of this laptop?

[angelo_3900]

Hi. I am an architecture student (I just started last year) and I'm looking for a laptop that can handle autocad, 3ds max, photoshop and other programs such as revit maybe. I'm going to use it for gaming too and that's exactly where my headaches begin. I've found THIS laptop to be the best value for games (design complaint aside), but I'm still not really sure how will it perform in the programs I've mentioned above. What do you think? will the the ATI mobility radeon hd 5870 gpu be good for that?

 

I've read CAD users and gamers are a completely different market when it comes to GPUs and that seems to be the general consensus, but then THIS thread made me doubt.

 

Any help will be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

Things to consider:

-Yes, it has to be a laptop. I spend most of my time at the university.

-You can recommend me a laptop too, if you want.

- Ugh I hate when people say this, but... sorry for the bad english. I'm not a native english speaker.

Edited June 10, 2010 by angelo_3900

[Slinger]

First off, your english is fine.

 

Secondly, the lap top your looking at is good for your needs but if you are planning to render anything out, I find the 1.6ghz of the processor a bit slow as rendering is cpu based.

 

Thirdly, don't worry about the other thread you linked in regards to Quadro graphics cards. You really don't need a quadro card to run any of the programs you have.

 

fourth, if you are in Lima Peru now, you may see if you have a local tech shop with laptops. I would think it may be a bit cheaper to get it locally. I am not sure how much shipping would be on a laptop to where you are.

 

Fifth, since you are a student see if your school has any type of discount with any vendors. I know the majority of the universities in the USA have discounts with Dell.

 

Sixth, do the same with software but before you buy, Autodesk gives you a full working version free for students with a 1 year license. After the year is up you simply reissue paperwork showing your still a student.

 

 

Hope this helps.

[AJLynn]

That laptop looks similar to one I tested from Asus with a 720QM CPU and a high end Radeon 5-series. It kind of kicked ass. I wouldn't worry too much about the low clock speed, because the 6.4GHz total is better than you'll find in a dual-core and the turbo boost number is... I forget but it's something crazy resulting in something like 2.8GHz in single threaded operation.

 

My reservations for that computer are:

 

-RAM - you'll have 8 threads. 4GB may be a hindrance.

-Screen - 1680x1050 is low res these days, in a 17" laptop. I had such a screen before I got my new Mac and I'm a convert to higher res - 1680x1050 looks great on a 15" screen, 1920x1200 is fantastic in any laptop screen size. Check out these options:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220688

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834127052

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220695

[angelo_3900]

Thanks for the responses.

 

Slinger

I'll have to see if my university has some sort of discount program with any manufacturer, but for now the best option is to buy it from newegg because prices a bit crazy here.

So, is the mobility radeon 5870 overkill for the programs I'm going to use? It's not (overkill) for gaming, but it would be nice to know I can buy a a bit less powerful nvidia card for their drivers reputation.

Regarding the cpu clock speed, it's just 1.6 Ghz, but it's a different architecture than, say, a core i5 430m @2.26 ghz. (the core i7 is faster)

 

AJLynn

Those 4gb are killing me too. The sony laptop seems like great alternative , but I really need to know that I'm not going to need a better card than a nvidia gt 330m for those programs. An answer would be much appreciated.

BTW call me dumb, but the only thing that is keeping me away from ASUS is the design of their laptops (I know I know. the MSI is not THAT pretty either, but it's tolerable).

[AJLynn]

There's no really, really good testing of laptop video cards to be found. The problem is, unlike desktop cards where a tester can build a system, run tests, then change the video card and run the same tests - keeping everything well controlled - with laptops you can't change out the video cards, and the 3D display performance depends on both the video card and the CPU. Even Tom's Hardware, which includes laptop cards in a chart here: admits they're mostly guessing.

 

What I can tell you is that on my laptop, which is a Core i5 dual core 2.4GHz with a GT 330M, in Cinebench OpenGL I score a 14.3. I have data from a dual core i7 2.27GHz laptop with a GTS 360M, which scored a 24 (the same score as a 2.93GHz Xeon W3540 with Quadro FX 1800), and a 1.6GHz i7-720QM with a 5870, which scored a 25.6 (the best laptop score in my chart). A GeForce 310M is pathetic (with an i7-720QM, it got an 8.5) as are various lower end cards (desktop Core 2 Quad 8300 with Radeon 4350 is a 4.8, for example).

 

I think all the video cards you're looking at - the 330M, 360M and 5870 - are actually quite good, especially considering that most of your Windows software will run Direct3D and these are all DX11 cards that support modern shader models. We're comparing really, really good cards to really, really, really good cards. If you have some CUDA app you want to run, the 360M is going to be your best bet in a reasonably priced laptop and if you want maximum display performance and OpenCL the 5870 is best, but you're still not going to be disappointed by the 330M unless you're a hard core gamer.

 

BTW I don't think you're crazy for wanting a laptop to look good. If good design and aesthetic considerations are unimportant, we're all out of a job. For me, the criteria that led me to a Mac instead of a cheaper Dell were build quality, industrial design, screen quality, battery life, in-person tech support and Aperture only running on Macs - hardware specs were way down on the list.

[Guest zarfworld]

Would you say Mac laptop is more reliable than others laptops like Dell, HP, etc?

[Guest zarfworld]

By the way, which desktop do u recommend with same purpose u've asked for new laptop. It would be great to share your view and your experiences.

[AJLynn]

I don't think Mac laptops are necessarily more reliable than others, but they do have in-person tech support at three stores in my area and nobody else does that.

 

As for desktops, have you seen this site: http://www.3datstech.com/

[Guest zarfworld]

Ah i see. If you average on all laptops, which ones do u think would be on the top of reliability? I am having difficulty to distinguish with Mac laptop and windows laptop. I don't mean software and operating system - I mean its reliability. Yes, they all do go kaput eventually but which ones is more stable? So i know where I put my money for its worth.

[Guest zarfworld]

By the way, that site you suggested - http://www.3datstech.com/ - it contains malware.

[AJLynn]

Ugh. Yeah, there was a thread about that. Apparently some hacker's been troubling the 3DATS servers but they've cleaned it up and that Google thing should go away soon. It's probably my fault - I said some things about nVidia, maybe this is the wrath of GeForce fans But nVidia had it coming. That GTX480 can run up more that 300W of power consumption. Three hundred watts! Are they freakin' kidding me? I used to have a 300W halogen lamp, and they pulled the bulbs for it off the market because it was a serious threat to burn houses down, and that's how much heat the 480 can put off.

 

But anyway. I've never found a source on laptop reliability I would trust, and within product lines there's a lot of variation and they keep changing designs anyway. What I go by is feel, warranty and tech support - does the laptop feel solidly built? If it breaks, will the company have your back? The Apple is made of metal, and I'm going to be in school next year and one of the Apple stores with the tech support counter will be a few subway stops away - that's what I consider reliability.

[Guest zarfworld]

What Apple computer do you have then?

[AJLynn]

Macbook Pro 15", with the i5 2.4 and the high res nonglare screen.

[Guest zarfworld]

With 500GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard drive? and NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M? What's the pros and cons on using your Macbook Pro?

[AJLynn]

Mine's a custom order with a 500GB 7200RPM drive. (The standard one only gives you the nonglare screen with the most expensive CPU.)

 

Pros: It's freakin' excellent. Screen calibrates well and it run Aperture very quickly. Battery life when I'm using it in class (for notes and such, no high CPU work and screen brightness at 50%) is over 7 hours. No flaws in the hardware spec - the screen is high res, the CPU is fast, the video card does not suck, the battery life is good and it's not huge. These things are surprisingly hard to find together in a Windows laptop.

 

Cons: OSX doesn't run all the apps used in architecture. If you want this for Revit and Max get a laptop that was made for Windows. You can't get it cheap - no $400 Apple laptops. (But $400 Windows laptops are not good enough so it's not a good comparison.)