so, something like this might do the trick?: http://dealnews.com/Lenovo-Ivy-i7-Quad-16-Laptop-w-Quadro-2-GB-GPU-for-1-205-free-shipping/657079.html
On Mon, Jan 14, 2013 at 2:55 PM, Matt Lind <[email protected]> wrote: > Basically what I'm hearing from everybody is laptop still isn't cost > effective for what I intend it for. > > To answer a few questions: > > I am insisting on a Quadro graphics card because here at the studio we've > tested every GeForce released in the past 7 years and it's been a crapshoot > whether they work reliably or not with Softimage - especially with OpenGL > shaders. Problems range from flakey behavior to blue screens. I have had > almost no issues with Quadros. I would prefer to pay a little more upfront > for assurance my sparse free time is put to good use on my hobby than > troubleshooting and pulling out what little hair I have left to get that > extra ounce of performance which doesn't matter in the long run. > > I won't be doing long intensive 3D renders as my focus will be on realtime > stuff, but I may be doing some IO intensive data streaming for video > editing. I will be working with large raw files from my D-SLR, so 14 bit > log color support is important. It's not an issue if I can plug a laptop > into a full size monitor. I'd also like to do some cross platform > development between Windows and Linux. Some will be Softimage plugins, > others being Android apps or standalone apps for home use which use OpenGL. > > I purchased my current workstation from Dell outlet in 2005 and was a > great deal (50% off). I decked it out to maximize processing power and IO > bandwidth, then purchased the Quadro separately from Ebay. I was > considering doing the same thing again until I saw the handwriting on the > wall about everything moving to the cloud, realtime, mobile, and so on. If > the decision was purely financial a workstation would be a no-brainer, but > it didn't look like a smart investment for the long term if the goal is to > be technologically relevant down the road as these technologies progress. > That's my dilemma and motivation for a laptop. I was considering the Dell > precision mobile workstation 6670 from Dell outlet, but last inspection > this weekend showed the configurations I was looking for already sold out > :( The laptops recommended on Nvidia's website are no longer available > for HP and Lenovo. > > I already have the Galaxy Note phablet, therefore I don't need a tablet at > this time. > > Sooo....workstation now with short relevant lifespan or pay a little extra > for a laptop which isn't quite feasible yet? Hmmm... > > > Matt > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] [mailto: > [email protected]] On Behalf Of Tim Leydecker > Sent: Saturday, January 12, 2013 2:56 AM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: everybody's favorite question... > > Hi Matt, > > for people in the US, there´s pretty good refurbished hardware available > from Apple, Dell, HP and possibly a bunch more: > > HP > http://www.hp.com/sbso/buspurchase_refurbished_specials.html? > > Dell (laptop link but there´s more if you search for refurbished on the > site) http://www.dell.com/us/dfb/p/precision-laptops > > Apple > http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac > > > I would think that the above and the likes give a good balance between > guaranteed performance and pricing for a dedicated home use and may allow > to access features otherwise too expensive to justify for a personal > machine. > > Personally, I wouldn´t expect a laptop to last longer than 2 years for > it´s primary use but can imagine there´s enough options to pick from for a > solid, mobile experience and a pricetag that´s justifiable accordingly. > > It shouldn´t hurt too much if it´s stolen or broken suddenly, imo. > > > Cheers, > > > tim > > > > > > > On 12.01.2013 04:15, Matt Lind wrote: > > .What computer should I get? (for home). > > > > I have always used workstations and have already done the research for > > another purchase. However, it's been nearly 8 years since my last > > investment and my trusty Dell Precision workstation is starting to > > fail L. I am considering going mobile this time. I'm asking for > > people's experience with laptops as I have never used a laptop for 3D > > work before and have mostly heard bad things in the area of reliability > and lack of selection. I don't need top of the line, but I am interested > in something durable that won't break the bank and performs at least as > well as a mid-grade workstation. Besides 3D, I'll be doing a lot of > coding, photography (editing), and some video with my DSLR. So color > accuracy and IO would be important features. I would tend to think an SSD > hard drive, multi-core CPU (4+), USB 3.0, a decent Nvidia Quadro card would > be a good baseline. Anything else people recommend in a laptop? Or to > avoid? > > > > Please reply offline. > > > > Thanks, > > > > Matt > > > > -- Best Regards, * Stephen P. Davidson** **(954) 552-7956 * [email protected] *Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic* - Arthur C. Clarke <http://www.3danimationmagic.com>
