Question:
Graphic/3D design notebook FAQ filled
I am trying to figure out which notebook would be best for my brother. He has asked me to help him trying to find him one to replace his two aging desktops, a very old G3 mac and another equally old Compaq. He needs this for some graphic, video editing, and 3d design. Something of the hig end of sorts. I can't seem to narrow down the choices to finalize a list for him. So help would be very appreciated.
General Questions
1) What size notebook would you prefer?
This more so -> Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen
Desktop Replacement; 17"+ screen
2) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?
Video editing, 3D design, Graphics work, Photo editing. Using apps like Maya, Adobe Premeire, Photoshop, Illustrator, Macromedia Flash and the other things of the like.
3) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk?
Taking it to his work and showing off his work. He is also a freelancer. So it has to be somewhat portable. He said under 10 lbs, preferable under 8 lbs
4) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?
No games. Strictly a work machine, but will be his new main computer.
5) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
Not really, but something that is durable and that will last years. This will also serve as his main computer. Reliable also.
6) How many hours of battery life do you need?
2.5 hours or more. A workhorse, but with a decent battery life. 2 hours would be sufficient.
7) What is your budget?
$2500-3000, but closer to the 2500.
8) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?
Buying online is fine with him, as long as it is a reputable seller.
9) What country are you buying this in?
US
Screen Specifics
10) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?
One of the following three, but he said the larger the better, but I would say that UXGA would be best.
UXGA = Ultra eXtended Graphics Array; 1600x1200; This resolution will give you the smallest viewable text and images while offering the greatest amount of screen real estate.
WSXGA+ = Widescreen Super eXtended Graphics Array; 1680x1050; This resolution is comparable to SXGA in that it offers a middle ground between WXGA/WXGA+ and WUXGA. Popular for movie viewing due to support for widescreen.
WUXGA = Widescreen Ultra eXtended Graphics Array; 1920x1200; This resolution offers the smallest viewable text and images while offering the greatest amount of screen real estate.
11) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?
Preferably a non-glossy screen, but a glossy screen will do.
Build Quality and Design
12) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
Somewhat, but it is not of high importance.
13) How long do you want this laptop to last?
A few years, 4-5 years or more.
Notebook Components
14) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 120GB?
The more the better, Dual or modular hard drives would be best. So at the minimum 100 GB, possibly a 7200 rpm drive, he specifically requested a faster hard drive.
15) Do you need a DVD, DVD-CD/RW or DVD-R drive?
A DVD burner at 8x speed, he doesn't want to have to buy anything extra, so no external, and he wants it to be at 8x he said.
Thank you in advance, he is also into any brands, but more reliable ones. I've seen the Sagers with dual hard drives and dual cd-drives, NP9750 and NP9890, but it can be costly and could be a battery hog, but it is without question a workhorse, that he wanted. I have the concern of quality and heat issues. The Quadro FX cards would be nice, as it would help with the 3D design aspect. One other question, is it really true you can put 3 GB of ram in the NP 9890 because I thought no notebook chipsets support higher? He wants the ability to expand, but maybe it cannot happen right now and he might have to wait a few more months to get something decent, but he tells me that he isn't in such a hurry and would wait a few months, but if he would need it really soon he wants to know the choices he has. But I am pretty sure, he will buy it really soon, within the month or so, so include any choices that would be open.
He also is not OS specific, although he has worked in mostly the OS 9, not 10, but 9 and in the Windows 98 world, he is most definitely looking to upgrade.
Answer:
Re: Graphic/3D design notebook FAQ filled
Hey pt9386, how are you? Let's see what I can recommend for you . .
I would take a look at the Dell Precision Mobile Workstation M70 from Dell's Small Business website. It is a workstation variant of the Latitude D810.
It is a very solid notebook, nice screen and keyboard - we have a few at the office. Nice 3-year warranty too, good experience with Dell's service [especially the on-site].
It comes with the QuadroFX Go1400 graphics, which are as powerful as it gets in terms of a mobile OpenGL optimized graphics card. Very nice!
Let me know what you think.
Chaz
Answer:
Re: Graphic/3D design notebook FAQ filled
Hey, I'm doing well, but been busy at school, I haven't had much time to post.
That dell would be a decently powerful workstation, but I was think should I go for a 64-bit. I know there has been discussion on this, but in terms of 3D design, would it just be not needed? I know a few 3D design program have merged into the 64-bit realm and that would be something my brother would be able to use or should the Pentium M be fine. He is a very picky person and I would be the one to blame if it was not the "right one".
I was also thinking of the Sager NP5720 Force from powernotebooks. I got both the Dell Workstation M70 and the NP5720 configured with the same things, except for the OS, the NP5720 has XP home the M70 has XP Pro and the warranty, the M70 has a 3 year on-site, while the NP5720 has a one year parts and labor, and the screen, the large 17" screen on the Sager would be very useful to him. The NP5720 came out to be $2597 and the M70 came out to be $2600 flat. But this is without shipping for either. My question is, do you think the Sager has a better build quality than the Dell? And since I know you have had experience from powernotebooks and had high praise from them, would that be a better choice?
The specs of each are below:
Sager NP5720 Force:
Display: 17" WUXGA "Super Clear Glossy" TFT Active Matrix screen
Modular Video Card: nVidia Quadro FX Go 1400 with 256 mb GDDR3 memory
Processor: Pentium M 2.0 760
System Memory: 1,024 mb(2 SODIMMS) DDR2
Hard Drive: 100 GB SATA 7200 rpm
CD/DVD Read/Writer: Combo 8x8x6x4x Dual Layer DVD +/-R/RW 5x DVD-RAM 24x CD-R/RW Drive w/Softwares
Wireless Networking: Built-in Intel® PRO/Wireless 2915ABG 802.11a/b/g LAN
Bluetooth: Built-in Bluetooth V1.2
Battery: 8-Cell Smart Li-ion Battery
Operating System: Microsoft XP Home
AC Adapter: Full Range Auto Switching AC Adapter
Carrying Case: Standard Carrying Case
Carrying Case upgrades:
Standard 1-Year Parts & Labor, Lifetime 24/7 Toll Free
Total without shipping:
$2597
Dell Precision Workstation M70
Display: 15.4 WUXGA LCD
Modular Video Card: nVidia Quadro FX Go 1400 with 256 mb GDDR3 memory
Processor: Pentium M 2.0 760
System Memory: 1,024 mb(2 SODIMMS) DDR2
Operating Systems: Genuine Windows® XP Professional, SP2 with Media
Boot Hard Drives 100GB Hard Drive (7200 RPM)
Modular Bay Devices: 8XDVD+/-RW w/Sonic Digital Media™ and CyberLink PowerDVD™
Wireless Local Area Networking Options Intel® PRO/Wireless 2200 WLAN (802.11b/g, 54Mbps) miniPCI Card
Battery: 9-Cell Primary Battery
Hardware Support Services 3 Year On-site Mobility Plan
TOTAL:$2,600.00
Answer:
Re: Graphic/3D design notebook FAQ filled
I'd say the Sager has great build quality - many users on NBR.com hold Sager in high esteem. In addition, Powernotebooks has had positive feedback here as well. Ask members like Chaz more about this ;) As for the Dell - I can't really say. Dell's business line seems to have better overall build quality and support when compared to its consumer line. In addition, the M70 is based directly off of the XPS M170, which does have better than average build quality.
Answer:
Re: Graphic/3D design notebook FAQ filled
might want to take a look at Lenovo's with Fire GL cards. Also HP offers FireGL's on some business models. I dont see 17inch screens on these 2 though.
I myself will go with the sager due to the bigger screen and also have an AMD version of the sager if you want to use 64-bit Maya that they have been showing in demos.
Answer:
Re: Graphic/3D design notebook FAQ filled
I'd say that the Sager and the Dell's build quality will be very similar. Can't go wrong with either of them IMO.
Well, the Go7800GTX in the Sager is a really fast GPU - as a matter of fact, it is THE fastest mobile GPU to date, nothing matches it.
Even if u do 3D, you'll spend most of the time in wireframe. So.. Intel GMA or XPRES200 is enough for ya.
Although some spend a lot of time in wireframe, all serious 3D designers render the project.
You know how many days it will take to render complex design geometry with an Xpress200 or Intem GMA... Ha! start your vacation now.
Workstation graphics cards differ from their gaming counterparts in one major area, floating point precision. OpenGL takes integer vertices and converts them to floating point where further computations occur, this is not a job for your standard run of the mill GPU, and especially not an integrated graphics solution.
That said, you're right in the respect that, if the computer will not be used predominately for 3D work, he would do well with most any mid to high end GPU, still, I'd never recommend an entry level card to a graphics professional. It's blasphemy!
My recommendation is for the Dell M70 for the 256mb onboard that Quadro FX Go1400 and the seemingly more reliable service plan.
Read some Sager forums other than these within this site. You'll hear tons of horror stories about the Philipps Magnavox warranties that kickin after the initial Sager year runs out. That's not a position you'd want to find yourself in with relatively expensive equipment.
I'd rather as a second choice go with the HP nw8240 with the FireGL V5000 128mb (2,099 with 3 year onsite warranty). Yeah, It's less memory than the Sager, though HP warranties just flat out rock when it comes to getting your equipment back in working order with no haggle.
Answer:
Re: Graphic/3D design notebook FAQ filled
you can get away with low-poly or preview renders with the 200m. (that's what i have). But it's not that accurate compared to a workstation card. I do my Final renders on a desktop or when i'm close to final.