Buying a Laptop for VFX Work

[mcguinnessdr]

Hello, I am looking to buy a laptop mostly for VFX work (Blender 3D, After Effects, Hitfilm, etc.) and a little bit of gaming (Minecraft, Portal 2, etc.). Here are the specs of the current laptop I'm looking at.

PowerPro I 9:7 Gaming Laptop 17.3"
CPU: Intel Core i7-3630QM (2.4~3.4GHz) w/6M L3 Cache - 4 Cores - 8 Threads
RAM: 8GB (2x 4GB) DDR3/1600 Dual Channel Memory
HDD: 750GB SATA II 3GB/s 7,200 RPM Hard Drive
GPU: nVIDIA GeForce GTX 660M 128bit w/2GB GDDR5 (Kepler) w/Optimus Technology
Price: $1133

Will this be able to do what I need it to do? Is this a good price for these specs? Also, how much would I be able to get for my current desktop, and how much better will this laptop be than my desktop?

CPU: AMD Athalon 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 5000+ 2.60GHz
RAM: 6GB DDR2
HDD: WESTERN DIGITAL CAVIAR WD2500JS-75NCB2 250GB 7200RPM 8MB CACHE SATA HARD DRIVE
GPU: AMD Radeon HD 6670 2GB

Thank you for any help!

 

[maestro0428]

Looks like a solid laptop. I would add an SSD too though and use the hard disk for main storage. The 600 series won't render as fast as the 500 series or Quadros though. You are using some serious software and you may need to spend more for what you need. Laptops for this kind of work get very expensive. That's why I still run and sell tower workstations.

 

[mcguinnessdr]

Looks like a solid laptop. I would add an SSD too though and use the hard disk for main storage. The 600 series won't render as fast as the 500 series or Quadros though. You are using some serious software and you may need to spend more for what you need. Laptops for this kind of work get very expensive. That's why I still run and sell tower workstations.

It should be quite a step up from my current computer, which is just barely able to handle some of the stuff I'm doing, so this should be able the run these programs reasonably well? I really can't afford to pay any more at the moment, as I'm getting this since I'm going off to school (no internet in the rooms ), and have to pay for that as well. What would be the benefit of using an SSD, besides running the OS off it for faster boot times? How would it help my overall speed if I'm using a hard disk for main storage? Thank you for the help, I'll look into the 500s and Quadros and see if there's an option that will still fit my price range.

 

[maestro0428]

I always say buy what you can afford. That is a decent laptop for sure and will probably work reasonably well. Those are some heavy hitting apps though and want everything you can give them. Having a faster disk like an SSD speeds up files transfers, launch times, boot time, caching, etc. If it is your only PC and you need the space go with a hard disk, but SSDs are worth the money as storage is the slowest part in a PC. SSDs will survive an accidental drop too.

 

[mcguinnessdr]

I always say buy what you can afford. That is a decent laptop for sure and will probably work reasonably well. Those are some heavy hitting apps though and want everything you can give them. Having a faster disk like an SSD speeds up files transfers, launch times, boot time, caching, etc. If it is your only PC and you need the space go with a hard disk, but SSDs are worth the money as storage is the slowest part in a PC. SSDs will survive an accidental drop too.

The SSD doesn't seem worth it at the moment, I'd rather put the money towards a better graphics card and have my programs run faster, than buy an SSD and have them start up faster, but run slower. Since there doesn't seem to be anything terribly wrong with this build, I think I'll go ahead and buy it (or maybe one with a better GPU). Probably wont get it for a week or two though, in the mean time I'll see if anyone posts any other thoughts on it. Thanks for the speedy and helpful response!

 

[kenrivers]

Regarding After Effects, the CPU plays the most critical role in rendering comps and RAM is more critical for real-time playback. In After Effects you can allocate the amount of RAM it will use. For example, I have 16GB of RAM (shows as 15.9 in AE) and have allocated 12.9GB for use with AE and reserved 3GB for use with other applications. Depending on how you use AE you may benefit from more RAM.

 

[mcguinnessdr]

Regarding After Effects, the CPU plays the most critical role in rendering comps and RAM is more critical for real-time playback. In After Effects you can allocate the amount of RAM it will use. For example, I have 16GB of RAM (shows as 15.9 in AE) and have allocated 12.9GB for use with AE and reserved 3GB for use with other applications. Depending on how you use AE you may benefit from more RAM.

Yeah, I actually already upped the ram to 12GB since it was only $14 more than 8GB. I would like to get the 16GB, but that's an extra $50 (how does that make sense?). As for the CPU, I had no idea it was so important for the rendering in AE, I would have thought it would be the graphics card. Sadly I can't upgrade the CPU any more, as it would cost another $169, and I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to afford this laptop as is. Thank you for the info!

 

[kenrivers]

Regarding the RAM you might try the 8GB first and then upgrade the RAM yourself later as you may find better pricing than offered by the laptop manufacturer. AE might work fine for you on that laptop should you decide to go with it. I wasn't trying to discourage you from purchasing it. It appears the laptop you were considering purchasing more than meets the requirements for the other programs.

 

[maestro0428]

Prices are not likely to get better for memory. You are right to put the money where its most important. My thoughts CPU/GPU/Memory. Adobe loves to use CUDA during intense effects and it makes a world of difference. I have seen days difference in renders especially with Blender just upping the gpu to a faster one.

 

[mcguinnessdr]

Regarding the RAM you might try the 8GB first and then upgrade the RAM yourself later as you may find better pricing than offered by the laptop manufacturer. AE might work fine for you on that laptop should you decide to go with it. I wasn't trying to discourage you from purchasing it. It appears the laptop you were considering purchasing more than meets the requirements for the other programs.

I think I'll go with the 12GB, since it seems about normal price, and I've maxed out my 6GB of ram working on a very large scene in Blender, so I'd feel much safer going with 6GB more than 2GB more. I'll probably be purchasing this laptop in the next week or so. Any ideas on what I could sell my current desktop for so I can get a little of my money back? Thanks!

 

[mcguinnessdr]

I have two more questions about this.
1. Is having the RAM asymmetrical, 4GB and 8GB, much different than if were were 6GB x2?
2. The wireless card is "Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 135 + Bluetooth 4.0 (Single Band)". Is this good, or should I get the next option up for $20, "Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 2230 Wireless Card + Bluetooth 4.0 (Single Band)"?
Thanks!

 

[kenrivers]

Links to product briefs on each:
Wireless-N 135: http/www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/processors/centrino/centrino-wireless-n-135-brief.html (up to 150 Mbps)
Wireless-N 2230: http/www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/processors/centrino/centrino-wireless-n-2230-brief.html (up to 300 Mbps)
Is the speed of the RAM the same for both the 8GB setup and the 12GB setup?

 

[mcguinnessdr]

Links to product briefs on each:
Wireless-N 135: http/www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/processors/centrino/centrino-wireless-n-135-brief.html (up to 150 Mbps)
Wireless-N 2230: http/www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/processors/centrino/centrino-wireless-n-2230-brief.html (up to 300 Mbps)
Is the speed of the RAM the same for both the 8GB setup and the 12GB setup?

Will I notice much of a difference in speed between the two if I don't have very fast internet? Would the range be the same? All the RAM is DDR3 1600Mhz. Thanks!

 

[kenrivers]

I don't think you will notice much of a difference but personally for the extra $20 I would go for the Wireless-N 2230. I like the idea of the dual stream on the 2230 vs. the single stream on the 135. The specs really don't tell anything about the range. To make sure I understand, you have the option of either 8GB of RAM (4x2) or 12GB of RAM (6x2) when you order the laptop? All things being equal I guess you should go for the 12GB RAM option.

 

[mcguinnessdr]

I don't think you will notice much of a difference but personally for the extra $20 I would go for the Wireless-N 2230. I like the idea of the dual stream on the 2230 vs. the single stream on the 135. The specs really don't tell anything about the range. To make sure I understand, you have the option of either 8GB of RAM (4x2) or 12GB of RAM (6x2) when you order the laptop? All things being equal I guess you should go for the 12GB RAM option.

Yeah, I'll go for the 2230. About the RAM, I've decided to go with the 12GB, and when I showed it to a friend he pointed out the it's 4GB + 8GB and not 6GBx2, which seems kind of weird. Just wondering for curiosities sake if the 4+8 is different in any noticeable way than if it was 6x2. Thanks for all the help, I plan on ordering this Tuesday (my birthday present to me ), so hopefully everything runs as I expect it to, and I'm much more confident that it will after talking to you guys!

 

[kenrivers]

The 4 + 8 makes much more sense than the 2x6 does. I had never heard of a 6GB stick and with good reason, they don't exist. So, to answer your question, it would be impossible to have a 2 x 6 configuration so there would be no way to compare the two configurations. I have an older HP laptop that came with 6GB of RAM (4 + 2) and thought that was odd. I thought about maxing it out to 8 but with the type of RAM it uses it would cost more than the laptop is probably worth. You should be fine with 12GB of RAM. Oh yeah, Happy Birthday!

 

[mcguinnessdr]

The 4 + 8 makes much more sense than the 2x6 does. I had never heard of a 6GB stick and with good reason, they don't exist. So, to answer your question, it would be impossible to have a 2 x 6 configuration so there would be no way to compare the two configurations. I have an older HP laptop that came with 6GB of RAM (4 + 2) and thought that was odd. I thought about maxing it out to 8 but with the type of RAM it uses it would cost more than the laptop is probably worth. You should be fine with 12GB of RAM. Oh yeah, Happy Birthday!

Ok, didn't realize they don't come in 6GB, but I guess that makes sense, powers of 2 and all. Thanks for all the help, and thanks for the happy birthday! Seems like I'm all set to order it, but if I have any more question I'll post them here. Thanks again!

 

[kenrivers]

The 4 + 8 makes much more sense than the 2x6 does. I had never heard of a 6GB stick and with good reason, they don't exist. So, to answer your question, it would be impossible to have a 2 x 6 configuration so there would be no way to compare the two configurations. I have an older HP laptop that came with 6GB of RAM (4 + 2) and thought that was odd. I thought about maxing it out to 8 but with the type of RAM it uses it would cost more than the laptop is probably worth. You should be fine with 12GB of RAM. Oh yeah, Happy Birthday!

Ok, didn't realize they don't come in 6GB, but I guess that makes sense, powers of 2 and all. Thanks for all the help, and thanks for the happy birthday! Seems like I'm all set to order it, but if I have any more question I'll post them here. Thanks again!

You're welcome. I'm glad I could help.