Laptop/PC help.

[Daffy F]

Those ones look alright.

 

[Abedeus]

I really, really don't advice you buy a pre-built PC. They all suck.

For instance, Darktau's first PC is overpriced by a lot, and the second, even pro version, has pathetic PSU, so you might have problems overclocking.

The simple answer is no.

As an animation student (both 3-d and 2-d), I can say that a run-of-the-mill laptop ain't gonna cut it. The sheer amount of memory picture files take up is staggering, let alone complex animation and modelling files. By the end of your first year of animation your computer will be as fast as a glacier.

As much as I hate to say it, a Mac is probably your best option for animation if you can't get your hands on a linux - I can admit that despite hating them myself. However, they can be expensive. A good way of storing files while preserving processor speed is go get an external hard-drive to store your files on - doesn't soubd like much, but mine holds ALL the files I had on my computer and can still take more.

More than hardware, its the software you need to look out for. Programmes like Maya, After Effetcs and Toonboom are the staple of animators (at least us students). Having Flash never hurts either.

Then he can buy a laptop AND an external drive. Or hell, if he finds his memory too low, he can check if he can replace the HDD with a bigger one. HDD and RAM and usually the only things you can upgrade in new laptops anyway.

 

[Eekaida]

The simple answer is no.

As an animation student (both 3-d and 2-d), I can say that a run-of-the-mill laptop ain't gonna cut it. The sheer amount of memory picture files take up is staggering, let alone complex animation and modelling files. By the end of your first year of animation your computer will be as fast as a glacier.

As much as I hate to say it, a Mac is probably your best option for animation if you can't get your hands on a linux - I can admit that despite hating them myself. However, they can be expensive. A good way of storing files while preserving processor speed is go get an external hard-drive to store your files on - doesn't soubd like much, but mine holds ALL the files I had on my computer and can still take more.

More than hardware, its the software you need to look out for. Programmes like Maya, After Effetcs and Toonboom are the staple of animators (at least us students). Having Flash never hurts either.

You seem like the man i need. Can you look at the system specs for this please and tell me if its worth it.

Spoiler

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/st...m=null&tm=null&sku=237598&category_oid=-37542

Its not bad, but I certainly think that you don't need to spend that much. External hard-drives start at about £40 and are great for transferring your work between home and school without having to lug a laptop around, and will save you quite a bit if you get a pc with lower memory.

GIVE UP ON RENDERING AT HOME!! The rendering farm my uni has is eight massive blocks that look like they were put together by the darleks, and they still take weeks to render the productions. Unless you're able to leave your computer on for days at a time and not touch it, don't render st home - and that's just for seconds of animation.

I notice that you seem to be looking at the main-stream websites - its a good place to start but not always the best option. I personally got my computer for novatech and its served me very well. Go into your local computer store and ask for their opinion - the less main-stream the better. The main-stream places (etc curry's, computer world etc) are only concerned with the sale and pander to the masses - not your particular needs. The staff at smaller stores tend to know that they're doing and can get you a good deal, even if the computer itself is a little older.

I definitly recommend a descent size monitor, since you'd be spending so long on it, but again, top-of-the-range is definitly not needed at student level. My laptop is 17", which is on the big side, but I've never needed to squint. Whether or not you'll need to fork out for an extra graphics card will depend on how much detail you plan on going into with your home animation. I shouldn't think you'll need one for the first year , but after that it depends on you/your course.

Anything else you want to know?

 

[EMFCRACKSHOT]

snip

Short answer NO. My mate got a much better laptop from a local computer store for about the same price. He lives in billi. I think the shop was in stockton or boro. I'll ask him the name of the shop tomorrow and where it is, they are supposed t have great deals on computer stuff.

Ah that would be great. Send us a PM when you find the info.

Aye, no problem. And from what can remember, his had a tri core 2.5ghz processor, 3 gig ddr ram, a dedicated 256mg graphics card and 360 gig hard drive. Apparently there was a better one for £100 more but he couldn't afford it.

 

[Darktau]

I personally got my computer for novatech

Off topic: What did u get?

 

[Eekaida]

I really, really don't advice you buy a pre-built PC. They all suck.

For instance, Darktau's first PC is overpriced by a lot, and the second, even pro version, has pathetic PSU, so you might have problems overclocking.

The simple answer is no.

As an animation student (both 3-d and 2-d), I can say that a run-of-the-mill laptop ain't gonna cut it. The sheer amount of memory picture files take up is staggering, let alone complex animation and modelling files. By the end of your first year of animation your computer will be as fast as a glacier.

As much as I hate to say it, a Mac is probably your best option for animation if you can't get your hands on a linux - I can admit that despite hating them myself. However, they can be expensive. A good way of storing files while preserving processor speed is go get an external hard-drive to store your files on - doesn't soubd like much, but mine holds ALL the files I had on my computer and can still take more.

More than hardware, its the software you need to look out for. Programmes like Maya, After Effetcs and Toonboom are the staple of animators (at least us students). Having Flash never hurts either.

Then he can buy a laptop AND an external drive. Or hell, if he finds his memory too low, he can check if he can replace the HDD with a bigger one. HDD and RAM and usually the only things you can upgrade in new laptops anyway.

exactly my point. Pre-made units are good for family computers or word processors, but they're not great for animation. And an external hard-drive is much cheaper than an upgrade when the memory on your computer starts to get low.

 

[Distorted Stu]

*snip*

Ive got a 800gb external so moving data isnt a problem for me. Im just concerned about running 3D stuff (I will do my rendering at uni lol). Im looking at the novatech site now, but i just dont know where to start ??? Im willing to spend £500 if you fancy looking around with me.
Im lookign at the Isys EX & the iRush.

Would you say Novatech is reliable? I hate buying stuff online.

 

[Eekaida]

I personally got my computer for novatech

Off topic: What did u get?

Good grief, I got mine about 7 years ago, so its difficult to remember the exact specs.

Its 17" laptop with intergrated wi-fi, 4mb(?) memory, graphics card... that's about all I can remember. It has served me well throughout GCSE's, A-levels and now university.

 

[Darktau]

Distorted Stu: Would you say Novatech is reliable? I hate buying stuff online.

YES GOD YES!

Eekaida:

Its 17" laptop with intergrated wi-fi, 4mb(?) memory, graphics card... that's about all I can remember. It has served me well throughout GCSE's, A-levels and now university.

Okies

(Cba to quote)

 

[JWAN]

For that price, it's pretty okay. It's probably as good as you'll get without spending a fortune on laptops with high-end graphic cards. 4 RAM means it's going to be pretty fast when doing stuff like Photoshop or modeling.

A PC would be half the price, though...

most laptops dont even have a graphics card

Integrated graphic chips. Sometimes dedicated graphic cards exist in laptops, but they really rarely can be changed or upgraded.

For that price, it's pretty okay. It's probably as good as you'll get without spending a fortune on laptops with high-end graphic cards. 4 RAM means it's going to be pretty fast when doing stuff like Photoshop or modeling.

A PC would be half the price, though...

most laptops dont even have a graphics card

every computer has a graphic card (integrated chipset) or else you wouldn't see squat on your screen

notice the difference between an integrated chip-set and a separate "card"
most dont have a card

That's why I said about a card. This one has integrated graphics, but for Photoshop/animation, dedicated graphic card (mobile one) would be a lot better, obviously.


edit: About that desktop PC - horrible. Overpriced, and integrated graphics is a crime.

^this lol
I would suggest a Dv7 myself, full keyboard, 17 inch screen, and it can do pretty much anything you want to do with it. And the separate card is exactly as Abedeus says, its the better choice (and sometimes you can upgrade it)

 

[Eekaida]

*snip*

Ive got a 800gb external so moving data isnt a problem for me. Im just concerned about running 3D stuff (I will do my rendering at uni lol). Im looking at the novatech site now, but i just dont know where to start ??? Im willing to spend £500 if you fancy looking around with me.
Im lookign at the Isys EX & the iRush.

Would you say Novatech is reliable? I hate buying stuff online.

http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/laptop/range/x65.html

Something along these lines would be suitable, but if you can find it cheaper then good. Also don't discount what I said about macs - as annoying as they are to use, they're better for media based work.

And yes, Novatech is a reliable company - I've been dealing with them for 7 years with no complaints - althoughperhaps they're a little eager to tell you about deals they have going with their printers

 

[Abedeus]

Distorted Stu: Would you say Novatech is reliable? I hate buying stuff online.

YES GOD YES!

Eekaida:

Its 17" laptop with intergrated wi-fi, 4mb(?) memory, graphics card... that's about all I can remember. It has served me well throughout GCSE's, A-levels and now university.

Okies

(Cba to quote)

You sure you want a 17" laptop for university? It's probably heavy, and unwieldy. 4GB memory, not MB. Biiiiig difference. 1024 times bigger. You either had a graphics card or integrated graphics, one is a lot more expensive and the other is cheaper, but weaker. A lot.

For laptops with integrated graphics, CPU and RAM are the most important things. 4GB RAM and it's going to be really smooth and fast, but CPU is used for calculations. For example, in Photoshop. They recently added a GPU support, so if someone has a strong GPU, PS will work a lot faster than a laptop with the exact same CPU and RAM.

Don't spend too much money. More expensive doesn't mean better.

 

[Eekaida]

Distorted Stu: Would you say Novatech is reliable? I hate buying stuff online.

YES GOD YES!

Eekaida:

Its 17" laptop with intergrated wi-fi, 4mb(?) memory, graphics card... that's about all I can remember. It has served me well throughout GCSE's, A-levels and now university.

Okies

(Cba to quote)

Haha, dude, do you WORK for novatech? Although I do totally agree with you.

 

[Darktau]

Distorted Stu: Would you say Novatech is reliable? I hate buying stuff online.

YES GOD YES!

Eekaida:

Its 17" laptop with intergrated wi-fi, 4mb(?) memory, graphics card... that's about all I can remember. It has served me well throughout GCSE's, A-levels and now university.

Okies

(Cba to quote)

Haha, dude, do you WORK for novatech? Although I do totally agree with you.

Ive been discovered!, no i'm just too eager to spread the word ( slash fanboy)

EDIT: Going to sleep now, your in charge! xD

 

[Sebenko]

Hmm, I wouldn't use that desktop for 3D- integrated graphics are a big no. Not a bad processor though.

If you're willing, a new graphics card might work. Dunno what motherboard that PC has though.

And the laptop has a sucky graphics card, too

 

[Eekaida]

(Cba to quote)

You sure you want a 17" laptop for university? It's probably heavy, and unwieldy. 4GB memory, not MB. Biiiiig difference. 1024 times bigger. You either had a graphics card or integrated graphics, one is a lot more expensive and the other is cheaper, but weaker. A lot.

For laptops with integrated graphics, CPU and RAM are the most important things. 4GB RAM and it's going to be really smooth and fast, but CPU is used for calculations. For example, in Photoshop. They recently added a GPU support, so if someone has a strong GPU, PS will work a lot faster than a laptop with the exact same CPU and RAM.

Don't spend too much money. More expensive doesn't mean better.[/quote]

I'm just thinking in terms of eye strain - if he's going to be staring at a computer all day like all other 3d animators, its better to be a larger screen so he doesn't have to squint. Yes, its gonna be heavier, but there's not a single person on my corse whose working computer had a less than 15" screen - otherwise they use the uni computers.

And yes, i got confused between MB and GB. I'm always doing that, hense the (?) i put after it. Also yes, expensive does not mean better. Don't be fooled by the jargon.

 

[Distorted Stu]

Im glad you guys think so much of my eyes lol Dont worry, my eyes are fucked anyway. Also, il be getting a dual monitor at some point.

 

[Claymorez]

Look m8 as a pro with comps here is a tip:
If you are not able to open a PC yourself and install hardware and ram and graphics cards and know what goes where do not buy a PC from anyone but one of the big 5 PC brands i.e. HP, DELL, Philips, MAC, Acer - as although these nova ones are cheaper they have a major tendency to break and their customer support is crap - which is an issue you don't have to deal with if you go for one of the big three - reason I ask about ur tech skills is ultimately its better to build it from scratch and is cheaper - I run a 4GB Ram, Overclocked Extreme i7 Core PRocessor (3.7GHz - quad-core), Radeon 5400 HD 512 MB Graphics card and Extreme Z-tech surround system sound card.

 

[EMFCRACKSHOT]

-

Well, my mate is stupid so he doesn't remember the name of the shop but apparently its at the end of portrack lane coming from the a19. Its opposite the opecite(i dont know if tis is the actual name, he is dyslexic and can't spell for shit XD) pub.
And apparently they do custom jobs. i would always recommend a custom job if possible. Lets you have almost everything you want.

 

[Distorted Stu]

Look m8 as a pro with comps here is a tip:
If you are not able to open a PC yourself and install hardware and ram and graphics cards and know what goes where do not buy a PC from anyone but one of the big 5 PC brands i.e. HP, DELL, Philips, MAC, Acer - as although these nova ones are cheaper they have a major tendency to break and their customer support is crap - which is an issue you don't have to deal with if you go for one of the big three - reason I ask about ur tech skills is ultimately its better to build it from scratch and is cheaper - I run a 4GB Ram, Overclocked Extreme i7 Core PRocessor (3.7GHz - quad-core), Radeon 5400 HD 512 MB Graphics card and Extreme Z-tech surround system sound card.

I know how to build a PC, i learnt that in school & college. I just want a pre-made one coz i cba making one! Also if it needs improvment i can always fiddle about with it.

-

Well, my mate is stupid so he doesn't remember the name of the shop but apparently its at the end of portrack lane coming from the a19. Its opposite the opecite(i dont know if tis is the actual name, he is dyslexic and can't spell for shit XD) pub.
And apparently they do custom jobs. i would always recommend a custom job if possible. Lets you have almost everything you want.

Erm.. i have no idea where that is and im often down Porttrack lol