Architecture Student Notebook

[zaror1992]

Im planning a trip to the US (im from Argentina btw) and I want to upgrade my notebook to one that fits more ideally my lifestyle. Im using Phothoshop, AutoCAD and Archicad a the moment but im just in second year so that list may grow.
I have done my research and for $1800 I think the best option is a Lenovo W530 (FHD screen, Quadro K2000M, 8GB RAM upgradeable and 500GB HDD). It must be a 15,6 in laptop and not a gaming one, I dont want an eye catcher. So if anyone has a better offer or something that I could improve please tell me.

 

[Buddyd]

I would recommend additional ram. I am not familiar with Archicad but Photoshop, AutoCAD, and the inevitable BIM software, Autodesk Revit, you are going to get into in the coming years can chew through ram rather quickly.

 

[OlafSicky]

Lenovo w530 is a great choice but ssd and more ram would be good if you can afford it.

 

[MrK6]

I think that's an excellent choice. I second an SSD, it'll really help with productivity. I'm not sure how long you're going to be in the U.S., but if you can pick up something even like this: http://slickdeals.net/f/5793976-Int...5-180GB-Solid-State-Drive-120-AR-Tiger-Direct , it'll be a great investment. You can then put the 500GB in a small enclosure and use it for storage/backups.

 

[Throckmorton]

Don't order one sight unseen. The screen is the most important component, because everything else is pretty much standard between laptops. Samsung's Series 7 laptops seem to have good screens. Lenovos... Not sure.

The Sony S series 15.5" has an IPS screen but it displays red as orange so it's completely useless for photo editing.

 

[Subyman]

I think that's an excellent choice. I second an SSD, it'll really help with productivity. I'm not sure how long you're going to be in the U.S., but if you can pick up something even like this: http://slickdeals.net/f/5793976-Int...5-180GB-Solid-State-Drive-120-AR-Tiger-Direct , it'll be a great investment. You can then put the 500GB in a small enclosure and use it for storage/backups.

I like the idea of ssd + external enclosure. This way it makes using other machines a breeze.

 

[Eureka]

You can always upgrade RAM after the fact, and for cheaper than what it would cost you to do it at the manufacturer level. If you don't use your CD drive often, I would take it out and use a caddy to hold a second drive, this way you have access to both your SSD and your data all the time. You can place the CD drive into an external case and only plug it in when you need it.

 

[TopToBottom]

My Daughter is attending Syracuse University in New York State and Majoring in Architecture. She is doing a 5 year B-Arch program and just starting her 2nd semester so she needed to upgrade her laptop because they will be learning/working with alot of the software for their projects. I'm her computer savvy Dad, so I looked over numerous Manufacturers and options for customization. My goal is to configure a laptop that would be a one-time purchase (hopefully) for her entire 5 years of schooling without going obsolete as one would in buying store bought on-the-shelf barebones components.

She currently has a BestBuy purchased ASUS laptop which I really consider to be reliable. I've had a bad bait & switch experience with Dell in the past so I refuse to ever deal with them again.

I visited the ProStar computer website who sells their own brand along with others including ASUS. They are based out of Los Angeles CA and an Authorized Dealer that has the rights to perform modifications to the ASUS laptops in-house. Their configurations offer alot of choice and allow you to customize your laptop to your own needs.

I know of ProStar as far as trusting them because I had configured a laptop from a previous reseller by the name of XtremeNotebooks who basically had ProStar build their laptops with their own branded shell using a Clevo frame. I had configured it with some higher grade components which wound up lasting 4-5 years until it died. Never had any problems it as far as installed hardware an only replaced a hinge myself in the 3rd year. The XtremeNotebooks reseller is no longer around but ProStar actually was their true supplier and they've been in business for a long time so I trust dealing with them.

The ASUS laptop model I needed to configure happened to be a gaming listed product which gave me the best offerings to configure but obviously won't be used for gaming. It's stylish without having the glitz of a gamer machine like Alienware.

The link provided shows the laptop specifications which I configured. The price showing on there is not what I paid because I did a price match and student discount so I got it down to $1,830.00 including free shipping after speaking with one of their Sales Representatives. They are very easy to deal with.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/80226496/ProStar ASUS G55VW-DH71.pdf

Good luck with your visit to the U.S. and your Architecture studies.