New laptop, need help (should I buy this?)

Gabryel Karolin

Gabryel Karolin

Gammelgädda
Joined
Oct 21, 2003
Messages
1,583
Location
Sweden, Europe
Hi,

I'm in need of a new laptop. I know there are alot of knowledgeable people here so I thought I'd ask what you think of this system.

Should add that this is to be mainly a work laptop so it will be used for 3d-modeling, rendering, movie editing and such, heavy digital art creation/editing.

Now since I'm lazy I usually buy all my stuff from Dell. People keep telling me that they suck but I've never had any problems with things I buy from there.

Here is the system I've been looking at.


Intel® Core™ 2 Duo-processor T7700 (2,40 GHz, 800 MHz FSB, 4 MB L2-cache) . For another 600€ I get this: Intel® Core™ 2 Extreme-processor X7900 . No idea if it's worth it.

4 096 MB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM

double 256 MB NVIDIA® GeForce® Go 8700M GT


Is this complete crap or does it look like it could be useful? I don't know anything about computer hardware so comments from knowledgeable people wuld be appreciated.
 
that would be one helluva laptop. Considering you would not find it fun for it to be a laptop. But besides that, if you really need that power, maybe you should look into a desktop, unless you absolutely need to be mobile (not that it will be fun with a laptop like that)
 
I have a desktop computer already but I'll need to travel between three different cities some and need a work computer to bring with me.

Perhaps I should choose single CPU/graphics card instead then, I must be able to carry it around after all. The page convieniantly doesn't list weight. I guess I could call them though.

It's a balance issue, as I also need it to be quite poweful. It's not for writing notes or whatever, I need it for work. I'll go check for an alternative with less DOUBLE! in it though, I'm guessing that's where much of the weight is coming from.

EDIT: Also, thanks for the input guys :)
 
No, the dual core part is fine. Thats a must if you're doing any DC.

The main weight will most likely be added from the motherboard that has to support two video cards and the bigger battery that it will need. So if you see an option for SLi, you can already assume the laptop is heavy.
 
So basically there's no way to get a laptop with the power I need without it being ridiculously heavy and awkward?

Or are you suggesting I keep the dual-core but settle for just one graphics card?
 
As a reference, what spec is your desktop, and how well does that run for your work stuff?
 
Definitely keep the dual core processor. I can't say I have much experience with heavy graphics creation, but you'll probably want the biggest processor and RAM you can get. Battery life will probably be very short on such a machine, so maybe get an extra battery or two if you'll be away from a wall for hours at a time. As for Dells, check out the new Vostro business line. We've started getting them in at my work, and they're great.
 
Gabryel Karolin said:
So basically there's no way to get a laptop with the power I need without it being ridiculously heavy and awkward?

Or are you suggesting I keep the dual-core but settle for just one graphics card?
Click to expand...

try looking for a machine that provides everything you want but does not have the option of SLi as that should reduce the weight by a lot. Otherwise, find one you like and search around for a bit for some reviews. You should be able to find its approximate weight as well as how well it works for stuff like DC.
 
stickciv said:
that would be one helluva laptop. Considering you would not find it fun for it to be a laptop. But besides that, if you really need that power, maybe you should look into a desktop, unless you absolutely need to be mobile (not that it will be fun with a laptop like that)
Click to expand...
Why aren't laptops fun? Simply add a wireless mouse and all you have is a smaller desktop.
 
Laptops are fun when they are laptops. What he was looking at could have potentially weighed into the double digit pounds, which would be bad for portability. If you need a laptop that powerful, you really are better off getting a desktop instead ( it'll be cheaper too )
 
stickciv said:
Laptops are fun when they are laptops. What he was looking at could have potentially weighed into the double digit pounds, which would be bad for portability. If you need a laptop that powerful, you really are better off getting a desktop instead ( it'll be cheaper too )
Click to expand...

And it's bad in a hot environment (like where I live in Australia) when you are doing quite detailed and large images. Man, that HDD gets mighty HOT HOT HOT!
 
Hehe, reminds me of when I decided to play a game on my laptop while I was in the bathroom ( yes, its a nice benefit to be able to chat while you are in the john). Needless to say, that was a short bathroom break.
 
mdwh said:
As a reference, what spec is your desktop, and how well does that run for your work stuff?
Click to expand...

Good idea. Dual video cards may be complete overkill, but it can't be known without knowing your desktop configuration and if it is adequate. If you can get away with a single video card, I'd advise doing so. Not only does it save weight, but it will help considerably with battery life as well. It will still be mediocre, but it will be better.

If you do need the power of two 8700's, I'd advise looking into getting a laptop with a single 8800 instead, which delivers about the same power.

As for the processor, I wouldn't spend 600 euros for the X7900. Not only is the performance increase for cost quite poor (even if you overclock it), but it further increases power usage.

Note that this laptop will not be particularly mobile. You can use a 17-inch laptop on the road, but battery life will be fairly poor regardless and weight will be about ten pounds (approx 4.66 kilograms). If your demands are significantly lower than your perceive them, you may be able to get a high-end 14.1 inch model. Another option is the Alienware m15x, which offers the most powerful graphics card on the market in a 15-inch notebook.
 
It sounds like your original choice was going to be a Dell XPS M1730, or something close to it. Those are desktop replacement laptops, and they are very, very heavy. That XPS is over 10 pounds.

The smaller line of XPS laptops, the 13 inch and 15 inch ones, are probably better suited for what you're looking for: mobility without too much compromise on power. The HP dv6700 line of laptops offer the same.

Alternatively, if you're not averse to Apple products and software, the MacBook Pro comes in very nice 15 and 17 inch versions. They range in weight from 5.5 to around 7 pounds, and pack good processing and graphics power. I've been thinking about getting a Pro for awhile now.
 
Verge said:
The smaller line of XPS laptops, the 13 inch and 15 inch ones, are probably better suited for what you're looking for: mobility without too much compromise on power. The HP dv6700 line of laptops offer the same.
Click to expand...

I have an XPS M1530: 3gb RAM/2.2gHz Core2Duo/256mb nVidia GFX

I am sure that the video card provided will not be enough, but the whole machine is well priced and is a dream to run.
 
How much is a pound anyway? Around 0.5 kilograms, right? I won't need to actualy use the laptop while on the move, just it should be possible to carry it around in a backpack for a while.

After considering your comments and asking around some more I've come to the conclusion that double graphics cards might not be needed.

I'd really prefer a 17' screen, though. And the 4gb RAM and dual-core might not be possible to sacrifice for weight.

I've been looking at a XPS 1710 instead. some 700€ cheaper so that's nice. Graphics card sound slightly odd, though. It's 512 MB DDR3 nVidia GeForce Go 7950 GTX. Anyone know a good and reliable site for graphics card reviews?

EDIT: Seems it from 2006... and doesn't support direct x 10. Ok.
 
check out www.tomshardware.com

The 7950 GTX is a pretty good card in terms of raw power, but I would still go with an 8 series. Preferably the 8800 Go
 
If you can, replace the 8700s with a 512MB 8800GT. I suspect if you're planning heavy video/image editing, you'll want a damn powerful graphics card. Dual-Core CPU's won't increase weight much if at all AFAIK, but 2 graphics cards will probably give it quite a significant weight increase.
 
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