marmat
Good morning everyone :),
My 4 years old laptop started to crash and i guess the HDD is dying, as each time it is finding bad sectors and it is freezing alot.
So i am looking for a good laptop to buy.
Budget is around 500-700$.
So i need some help to know the specs i should be looking for. I use my laptop for my projects lots of videos/photo/musics editing.
I do use autocad, Revit, 3D max. And i do play some games world of warcraft, skyrim, dotta. (i dont think those games are demanding high quality graphic card but just a good one). Finally my laptop is most of the time turned on so i need a one that can handle long time working hours without overheating and suffering from hardware damages. I know it is alot to ask for but i would appreciate your help :) in guiding me.
I have been told to stay off HP because they overheat and do not stand long working hours. is this true?
thank you in advance.
Metalloy
youvwant all thatvfor 700$? you are asking way too much to be honest, unless you're expecting medicre performance.
now because you're doing quite some rendering and editing tasks, you really are better of with a core I7, but at your price point I'm bit really sure if you can get one, If I were you I would stick with a desktop and I'd replace the HDD in laptop with another just for the times where you really need to take your work outside your house; this solution will be realy helpful if you already have a screen in your disposale.
scorpioxy
You should think about up'ing your budget a couple of hundered dollars. The ones for 500-700 are budget laptops which are not meant for professionals or gamers. There are a lot of compromises for that price range so the bad performance is expected. So I'd stay away from those unless you really know what you're doing.
A good desktop, on the other hand, is probably better suited for your needs and well within your budget.
marmat
thank you so much for your fast reply. :)
weird thing i bought my old laptop for 700 $ 4 years ago, i am sure with that same amount of dollars i can buy a better one nowadays. no?
Lets say i would be raising my budget, how much will it be costing and what laptop would be good? i need guiding pls.
ok for a start metalloy sugested i7, thank you :)
then from here what should i also be looking for?
Metalloy
you can run all these on a budget laptop, It just wouldnt be on a professional level, it will be on minimum requirements, and 4 years ago you were probably using 4 years old software? requirements get higher with newer versions.
Now, the next big thing is dedicated video card, which in your budget is highly unlikely specially if coupled with the already mentioned core I7.
I must ask at first, how big are your rendering projects, specificall the 3D ones?
you will not like this but if your really want a rendering laptop, you will end up around 2000$ and that is due to high end rendering oriented video-cards, but seeing that you were doing fine with your current laptop, maybe your projects are small after all, so you can make use of laptop around the 1000$ mark with the casual oriented design.
AvoK95
I got 2 laptop I'm selling on my page (link will be posted soon)
One is Toshiba S885 with AMD Quad Core A10, 8GB RAM, 750GB HDD, Radeon HD7670 1GB DDR3 and Windows 7
The other one is C850 i5 3210,4GB RAM, 500GB HDD, Radeon HD7610 1GB DDR3 and it also has 1 USB 3 port along with 2 regular USB 2.
Both for 750 dollars and no non are refurbished and carry a year of warranty.
marmat
the 3D project aren't that big i guess as i still know basic stuff, i go max for rendering one fixed frame for 300dpi.
what would you suggest for a dedicated video card ?
avok thanks for the suggestion. i am trying to gather some tips before looking for laptops but because you have suggested what is the operating system on the C850 ? and if it is windows is it original?
AvoK95
The C850 comes with no OS.
Honestly speaking, it's almost impossible to find such laptops at this price range.
Metalloy
at this price point picking a certain VGA over the other for rendering puproses doesnt really matter in my opinion.
Toshiba Satellite C850-B636 is priced for 869$ at Pcandparts, check it out, it has core I7 and a HD7610M 1GB VGa, i should work for you and it is not that fad off your budget I guess.
marmat
thank you so much for your help.
i am thinking about this one :
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?cc=us&lc=en&dlc=en&docname=c03336066
so it is good? any tips or reviews would be appreciated.
AvoK95
Yup it's great, but good luck finding deals :P
marmat
i did not get it :P
no good deals in lebanon? what is probably its price ? i fround on some sites it is 960$ in jordanie.
AvoK95
Well, you can save that extra $200 and get the Toshiba I suggested with the A10 CPU. Because an i7 would be just such a waste for regular every day computing. I think it would be a waste. Because you will not feel any difference in speed when using an i7. What I would do is, buy thr A10 and add an SSD. An SSD will make your laptop MUCH more snappier and faster.
Metalloy
i7 plays a huge role in 3dmax rendering so it is not really a waste of money, but the A10 is also a great choice.
yasamoka
AvoK95 wroteWell, you can save that extra $200 and get the Toshiba I suggested with the A10 CPU. Because an i7 would be just such a waste for regular every day computing. I think it would be a waste. Because you will not feel any difference in speed when using an i7. What I would do is, buy thr A10 and add an SSD. An SSD will make your laptop MUCH more snappier and faster.
A potential compromise on CPU power and trying to fit in an SSD? A 64GB SSD would set him back more than 60. That's if he gets one on his own. It doesn't even exist prebuilt in budget laptops. That would bring his budget down to $640 max.
I'd say go for the laptop with the fastest CPU and RAM, with good cooling, and ignore everything else. You won't be getting a fast enough dedicated graphics card. Neither will you be getting the best build quality. Nor will you be getting an SSD.
You get a graphics card, suddenly you'd see the prices shoot up, as well.
AvoK95
Sorry guys, my brains are all melted down from exams.
I totally forgot about it being for 3DMax.
I take what I said back and agree with the others on the i7.
rolf
marmat wrote
I have been told to stay off HP because they overheat and do not stand long working hours. is this true?
It is a generalization. I would say stay away from Toshiba for the same reasons, and also because of crappy software bundles. But things change from a year to another, and also sometimes within the same time and the same brand from one model to another.
AvoK95
Actually guys, all of them are basically the same now. HP's new models don't heat up as much as they used to. Nowadays it doesn't matter what brand you buy. No matter what you buy, it will serve you for 5 years straight and then start failing (Like today's new cars). If you want something professional. Durable and reliable, Lenovo ThinkPads are the way to go. But personally I think 5 years is plenty. After all hardware is becoming obsolete by the day now, and I think a 5 year upgrade cycle is pretty good.
Metalloy
If I am to ship a laptop from pcandparts.com, to tripoly, will I have to pay a delivery fee and if yes how much? thanks.
AvoK95
Metalloy wroteIf I am to ship a laptop from pcandparts.com, to tripoly, will I have to pay a delivery fee and if yes how much? thanks.
Yes you would, it's stated
here
