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True Desktop Replacement for about $1500 ?

W

wwswimming

Banned

i am learning 3D Studio Max. on the computer i'm using, it runs into a wall at about a 20 MB file size. the computer i have it installed on was "vintage early 2005" - 3.6 GHz P4, 2 GB RAM, etc.

it's a good skill to learn to trim my 3D models down in file size. but, eventually, i'm going to need more computer (the halfway trimmed down 20 MB scenes are sketches, not fully detailed.)

the files slightly bog down an Opteron 175 computer that i've been slow to install software on, so i've just been using it as a file server and to try Max 9 on. when i get into adding hair, that's significantly more computer intensive.

so, i think, perhaps, i have a perfectly justifiable reason to spend more money on computer stuff !

are there any affordable ($1500) laptops that have Core2Duo running at near 2.4 GHz, the ability to be upgraded to 4 GB RAM, and compatibility driver wise with XP64 ?

i'm seeing some real nice deals on slower Core 2 Duo's, like for $900 at Fry's.

the alternative is about $1500 for a 6600 core2duo desktop computer.
 
Is your problem in rendering final images, or just in preview mode?

Bad performance with large/complex scenes while working in preview mode is generally an insufficient video card. What do you have in there now?
 
You are not going to get the high end Core2 CPUs on a $1500 notebook. Most companies sell them as a $1000+ option.
 
the P4 has an X850XT PCI-express video card.

that is a really good point, some of the Lag i'm experiencing when i'm panning zooming etc. may be video card related.

is this a job for an nVidia 7600 or a 7900 ?

i'd be happy with any laptop that could take 4 GB RAM and run XP64 and had a core2duo. i'd be hooking an external monitor to it so some kind of portable nVidia 7600 or 7900 would be great.

the one core2duo for $900 i saw maxed out memory wise at 1 GB.

i am seeing some killer deals, 17", Centrino, 2GB RAM, for less than $1000. not a dual proc. but - adding the RAM and upgrading the CPU - thought that could be fit in a $500 budget.

did they stop using mobile CPU's for laptops, since the Core2Duo's are good on power consumption ?

- - -

so anyway, in the short term, upgrading the video card on the P4, sounds logical.

in the long term, i'm just comparing an XQpack with the uATX Asus and an E6600, with the laptops i'm seeing in the ads.
 
Why would you want to use a laptop for that? You need to use a desktop IMHO because a laptop can't touch desktop performance.
 
No such thing as a "desktop replacement" for what you wish to accomplish.

You need a Quadro. Or a FireGL. Or a 3DLabs card. The rest of your system is fine.
 
Originally posted by: Slugbait
No such thing as a "desktop replacement" for what you wish to accomplish.

You need a Quadro. Or a FireGL. Or a 3DLabs card. The rest of your system is fine.
Click to expand...

Teh winnar. Take a look at the CPU/memory usage while you've got 3DSMAX open and you're previewing something -- you're likely not hitting a limitation there.

Gaming cards are generally pretty bad at the kind of rendering you want to do (huge numbers of polys, possibly huge texture maps, etc.) The pro cards use specially built BIOSes and drivers, and sometimes have slightly different hardware.

If true Quadro/FireGL cards are out of your budget, some consumer cards can be modded into professional ones by changing the BIOS and drivers.
 
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