laptop for an artist / gamer

[Saiato]

I'm looking for a laptop to take with me to college this fall. I will be taking it to class with me every day, so it can't be too big or heavy. Good battery life would also be helpful. Mostly I'll be using it for art (photoshop, 3D Studio Max, Maya, Flash), gaming, and of course school work.

I had considered the new line of mac book pros, however I didn't like how the $2k ones only have 128mb graphics cards. So instead i was considering the Asus F3 series,

The other issue I was having with getting a laptop is Windows Vista. I run XP on my desktop right now and am very skeptical about using Vista. Would it be possible or even worth it to downgrade a vista laptop to XP? I am concerned about using my XP desktop and vista laptop together to get work done.

This is all the information I've gathered on my own so far, I would really appreciate any advice or even suggestions of other laptops that would work well for my situation. (so far I've considered MBPs, Dell inspiron series, Dell XPS series, and Asus F3 series)

Thanks for your help

 

[alpha88]

I don't think you can find a laptop that will fit those requirements.

The laptops that are good to take to class everyday aren't the ones that are good for photoshop and gaming.

You'll need to decide which of those is more important (ie, do you want to lug a heavy laptop around or deal with a sluggish photoshop).

I recommend getting a desktop for photoshop/gaming, but I'm aware that it isn't always possible.


Regarding Vista, I love it on my desktop and hate it on my laptop. Vista runs great with a real video card and plenty of ram. Vista and XP (and windows 2k3) all play with eachother nicely.

 

[TheStu]

alpha is correct to a degree. My macbook runs CS3 just fine, but ask it to game and it just sort of laughs at me. Vista runs well on it, even in a Virtual Environment. The only reason I wouldn't want to take a MBP to class is because the plastic shell of the Macbook is hardier and more dent resistant than the aluminum shell of the MBP, which means that if you were to drop it, or bump it into the wall, it will most likely dent.

I haven't heard any bad things about the 128MB graphics card. What kind of gaming do you do, because honestly that will handle most things. Especially when you consider that it comes with a 2.2GHz Core 2, and 2GB of RAM. You shouldn't run into too many things that it can't handle. Any machine with those specs will be a champ.

 

[Saiato]

Well, my desktop already handles my graphics and gaming fine. My desktop has 2gb RAM, AMD Athalon 64 3800+ 2.4GHz CPU, and a Geforce 7950 512mb. So I'll take that with me to keep in my dorm room. I just wanted to be able to get some art work done or play some games on my laptop if I'm running around campus or home for the weekend. So I guess I would want whichever laptop balances portability and power. I've heard good things about the Dell XPS M1330, but I still haven't been able to make a decision since this is the first laptop I've ever bought.

 

[mnikkel55]

I have to agree with alpha and thestu. Buying a laptop is a bit of a balancing act. As a rule of thumb: the three main considerations in a laptop are price, performance, and portability. Pick two of those that are important to you because there's no way you'll find a laptop with all of them.

 

[Fraggable]

Sounds like you're looking for something like a 15.4"WS laptop with as much power as possible...

The newer Asus G1S-A1 seems to be the most powerful, portable thing out now.

Operating System Windows Vista Home Premium
CPU Type Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 2.2G
Screen 15.4" WSXGA+
Memory Size 2GB DDR2
Hard Disk 160GB
Optical Drive DVD Super Multi
Graphics Card NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT
Video Memory 256MB GDDR3 VRAM, TurboCache up to 512MB
Communication Modem, Gigabit LAN and WLAN
Card slot 1 x Express Card
Battery Life 2 hours
Dimensions 13.9" x 11.2" x 1.5"
Weight 6.8 lbs.
CPU Type Intel Core 2 Duo
CPU Speed T7500(2.20GHz)
CPU FSB 800MHz
CPU L2 Cache 4MB
Display
Screen Size 15.4"
Wide Screen Support Yes
Display Type Wide SXGA+
Resolution 1680 x 1050


I've been looking for a midsize laptop to do it all too but haven't found anything with enough power. I really want a 15.4" with RAID 0 hard drives, but it seems that will never happen.

 

[Saiato]

Originally posted by: Fraggable
Sounds like you're looking for something like a 15.4"WS laptop with as much power as possible...

The newer Asus G1S-A1 seems to be the most powerful, portable thing out now.

Operating System Windows Vista Home Premium
CPU Type Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 2.2G
Screen 15.4" WSXGA+
Memory Size 2GB DDR2
Hard Disk 160GB
Optical Drive DVD Super Multi
Graphics Card NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT
Video Memory 256MB GDDR3 VRAM, TurboCache up to 512MB
Communication Modem, Gigabit LAN and WLAN
Card slot 1 x Express Card
Battery Life 2 hours
Dimensions 13.9" x 11.2" x 1.5"
Weight 6.8 lbs.
CPU Type Intel Core 2 Duo
CPU Speed T7500(2.20GHz)
CPU FSB 800MHz
CPU L2 Cache 4MB
Display
Screen Size 15.4"
Wide Screen Support Yes
Display Type Wide SXGA+
Resolution 1680 x 1050


I've been looking for a midsize laptop to do it all too but haven't found anything with enough power. I really want a 15.4" with RAID 0 hard drives, but it seems that will never happen.

That laptop looks great. I found it on newegg and the specs are amazing. The only problem is 2 hours of battery life is kind of crummy for when I'm on th go. Is there a battery upgrade available?

 

[Old Hippie]

Asus G1S-A1

Doesn't look like it.