Best laptop for architecture major?

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aznswagga

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Nov 3, 2010
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I am an architecture student and in my freshman year of college. I usually use Revit architecture for my Studio class but my current laptop is not good enough for rendering and sometimes shuts down without any shutting down process.

1_What is your budget?

aprox. 1500$

2_What is the size of the notebook that you are considering?

15-16"

3_What screen resolution do you want?

Whatever meets the requirement for the architecture and design programs listed below

4_Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop?

both

5_How much battery life do you need?

The longer, the better. But most likely i will be working while the laptop is being charged

6_Do you want to play games with your laptop? If so then please list the games that you want to with the settings that you want for these games. (Low,Medium or High)?

No

7_What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo / Video editing,watching movies, Etc.)

Architecture and design programs: like AutoCAD, 3d Max, Photoshop, Revit Architecture

8_How much storage (H.D.D Capacity) do you need?

At least 250 GB.

9_If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post the links to them.

-

10_How long do you want to keep your laptop?

3 years or longer


11_What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc ?


DVD ROM/Writer

12_Please tell us about the brands that you prefer to buy from them and the brands that you don't like and explain the reasons.

I've had sony vaios before and i like the way they work. But any brand of laptop is fine. I don't think i would want a Macbook though because i'm used to using windows laptops


13_What country do you live in?

United States

14_Please tell us any additional information if needed.

Graphics card need to be good enough for those architecture programs.

With that said, I’d like to hear your opinions on what i should get.
Thank you in advance
 
Solution
It depends on what kind of use you will put your 3d max to.If its for large scenes(1000 or more object or 100,000 polygons) and complex data the you require 8GB RAM and 1GB or More Graphics card.


Sager NP8760 (Built on Clevo W870CU) Custom Gaming Laptop(at xo
- Student Promotions! Ask us about our Cash Discounts or FREE Promotional Items & Accessory Bundles for Students - Up to 50% OFF! - Student Verification Required for Promotion
- 17.3" FHD LED Backlit 16:9 "Glare Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright Glossy Screen (1920x1080)
- Standard Dead Pixel Policy
- Intel® Core™ i5-580M, 2.66-3.33GHz, (3MB L3 cache)
- -Stock OEM Thermal Compound
- nVidia GeForce GTX 460M 1,536MB PCI-Express GDDR5 DX11
- No Video Adapter
- ~ 8,192MB DDR3 1333MHz...

shwetanshu

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Sep 12, 2010
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It depends on what kind of use you will put your 3d max to.If its for large scenes(1000 or more object or 100,000 polygons) and complex data the you require 8GB RAM and 1GB or More Graphics card.


Sager NP8760 (Built on Clevo W870CU) Custom Gaming Laptop(at xo
- Student Promotions! Ask us about our Cash Discounts or FREE Promotional Items & Accessory Bundles for Students - Up to 50% OFF! - Student Verification Required for Promotion
- 17.3" FHD LED Backlit 16:9 "Glare Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright Glossy Screen (1920x1080)
- Standard Dead Pixel Policy
- Intel® Core™ i5-580M, 2.66-3.33GHz, (3MB L3 cache)
- -Stock OEM Thermal Compound
- nVidia GeForce GTX 460M 1,536MB PCI-Express GDDR5 DX11
- No Video Adapter
- ~ 8,192MB DDR3 1333MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 SODIMMS)
- Standard Finish
- ~Combo 8x8x6x4x Dual Layer DVD +/-R/RW 5x DVD-RAM 24x CD-R/RW Drive w/Softwares
- ~ 500GB 7200RPM (Serial-ATA II 300 - 16MB Cache)
- None Standard -
- HDD Raid Settings - OFF
- No Back Up Hard Drive
- No Back Up Software
- No Floppy Drive
- Internal 7-in-1 Card Reader (MS/MS Pro/MS Duo/MS Pro Duo/SD/Mini-SD/MMC/RS)
- Internal Bluetooth + EDR
- Built-in 802.11 Wireless B/G/N - Stock Wireless Card
- No Network Accessory
- Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera
- No TV Tuner
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- Basic Black Business Case - Included
- 11.1V Smart Li-Polymer battery pack 3800mAh, 42.18Wh
- No Car Adapter
- None Standard*
- No Dock/Hub/Adapter
- Integrated Fingerprint Reader
- No External Keyboard or Mouse
- No Notebook Cooler
- ~Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit Installed (64&32-Bit CD Included) w/ Drivers & Utilities CD's
- No Office Software
- No Software Bundle
- 3 Year Labor* 1 Year Parts Warranty Lifetime -24/7 DOMESTIC Based- Toll Free Telephone Tech Support (Labor Warranty through Xotic PC)
Includes FREE Shipping Both Ways for Warranty Repairs

Price:$1530(After 3% Discount on site)
Source:http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np8760-built-clevo-w870cu-custom-gaming-laptop-p-2660.html?wconfigure=yes

I configured this laptop.
You can further configure this laptop to your own need.(They also offer some student discount and offers so you can chat with them for further details)

ASUS G53 JW A1
Product Features
Intel Core i7-740QM (1.73GHz Quad-Core with Turbo Boost up to 2.93GHz)
6GB DDR3 1066MHz, 4 SODIMM Sockets, up to 16GB; Illuminated Keyboard
Nvidia GTX 460M Graphics with 1.5GB GDDR5
750GB HDD (7200RPM); Super-Multi Optical Drive; 802.11 b/g/n; 1x USB 3.0; 3x USB 2.0; 8-in-1 card reader; 2.0M Webcam
15.6-Inch Full HD (1920x1080) LED Display; Windows Home Premium 64-bit Operating System; Gaming Backpack & Mouse

Price: $1558.99
Price Source:http://www.amazon.com/G53JW-A1-Republic-Gamers-15-6-Inch-Gaming/dp/tech-data/B0044UF0L6/ref=de_a_smtd(As on 4th November 2010)


This should work fine for you as other softwares you mentioned require less specifications than this.
Both of them WILL HAVE A LOW BATERRY LIFE MAY CAN RUN HOT.
 
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