Advice on Laptop for Digital Design Degree

Slacker7

Slacker7

Member
Hi, I have bought laptops before but in this case I need some help in making a solid choice. My son will be pursuing a Digital Design degree at our local community college and then move on to a 4 year school. I do know he will need to utilize Adobe's Flash CS5, probably photoshop, as well as animation software, etc. The course work will include Color & 2D Design, Graphic Design, Art with Computers, Web Graphics and Animation, and Web Page Design; as well as regular course work requiring Office applications, etc.. Yes, he will be utilizing their systems on campus as well.

Thanks for reading this.

1) What is your budget? Not sure because this is a new realm for me.

2) What size notebook would you prefer? From what I have gathered a 15" would be better due to screen resolution.

3) Looking seriously into Asus and Lenovo but open to suggestions. I have had very poor results with Dell and HP; Acer is not even a consideration.

4) He has a desktop at home so mobility is a plus.

5) Since he is a console gamer he won't be needing a gaming rig except for the occasional Plants Vs. Zombies, Angry Birds; nothing
intensive/demanding in the least.

6) How many hours of battery life do you need? 5-6 hours if possible; more is always nicer.

7) Specs: Windows 7 64-bit and four gigs of RAM; advice please on cpu and graphics. Are there any decent integrated graphics?

8 ) What would be better: glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen? Not sure what would work best for his needs.

9) Though the notebook's looks and stylishness are somewhat important, functionality is considerably more important.

10) When are you buying this laptop? Within three months. I want to know what I should be looking out for while researching

11) Need to have this laptop last at least two years and really would want it to last four but I understand that the field he is entering and the rapid change of hardware I'll be lucky to get four years.

12) A 320 gig harddrive @ 72000 rpm is fine. Will a 5400 rpm be too slow?

13) DVD burner will suffice.
 
I know you said you've had issues with Dell and HP, but I really like recommending Dell's; though I am far from talking about an Inspiron or Studio.

The first model that comes to mind for me is a Latitude; moreso a Latitude E6520. They start at $729 but can go up in price depending on what you select for specs. You can also get an nVidia Quadro rendering card which would be good for the digital design. A decent Core i5 should be good for processing power. I have a Latitude E6500 that I bought two years ago and I have had absolutely no problems with it at all.

The second machine that comes to mind is the Dell Precision M4500, and those start at $1149 and go up with the selected options. Those can get some good rendering cards in them like an nVidia Quadro FX 1800M.

These business grade machines are much better than the consumer line of Dell laptops. And if you choose a good warranty (such as Gold or Pro Support) you will get the best possible support for your product, and the machine will last forever. I highly recommend Dell business class machines because of their durability and performance.
 
i've heard too many complaints of overheating with nvidia quadro in dell latitude system (including one i had that has same issue). though that was by far the best laptop i've ever owned including other brand and other dell laptops.

i would like to suggest macbooks but not sure how familiar are you with it and how much of importance of OS your son wants, will be good if you take his advice or ask him indirectly if it's surprise.
 
scbjmshpv said:
i've heard too many complaints of overheating with nvidia quadro in dell latitude system (including one i had that has same issue). though that was by far the best laptop i've ever owned including other brand and other dell laptops.
Click to expand...

Those were back with the D620 and D630 models that had the nVidia video cards in them. There was a class action lawsuit that if your laptop fell into the recall, you could send your laptop to dell for a free repair. My E6500 has the Quadro 160M in it had I have had no issues at all with it. I game with it on a regular basis.
 
Perhaps you should check with the local community college whether they have any minimum requirements for student's computers for this course (if one is considered a requirement).

The applications you mention are not CPU intensive. Having a decent amount of RAM (or the ability to add if needed) may help with large graphics.

The screen should be decent quality. Unfortunately the larger the screen the lower the portability. Regarding matt or reflective, it depends where the detailed work is going to be done. With bright lights or windows behind the user, reflective can be difficult to see.

I would be inclined to go for a graphics card. The requirements for the mentioned apps do not need anything special but again, having the ability to upgrade is useful. Reduces any delays between editing action and screen change. That is more relevant to art sketching with a tablet but even with a mouse on a large graphic it helps.

As you mentioned it may be necessary to look for something else or upgrade existing for the 4-year course where the apps may be very different (video and 3D ray tracing programs for example).
 
Nanobyte said:
Perhaps you should check with the local community college whether they have any minimum requirements for student's computers for this course (if one is considered a requirement).

The applications you mention are not CPU intensive. Having a decent amount of RAM (or the ability to add if needed) may help with large graphics.

The screen should be decent quality. Unfortunately the larger the screen the lower the portability. Regarding matt or reflective, it depends where the detailed work is going to be done. With bright lights or windows behind the user, reflective can be difficult to see.

I would be inclined to go for a graphics card. The requirements for the mentioned apps do not need anything special but again, having the ability to upgrade is useful. Reduces any delays between editing action and screen change. That is more relevant to art sketching with a tablet but even with a mouse on a large graphic it helps.

As you mentioned it may be necessary to look for something else or upgrade existing for the 4-year course where the apps may be very different (video and 3D ray tracing programs for example).
Click to expand...

I've tried to find out more information at least twice from the college but my inquiries haven't been answered yet. Probably due to the fact the end of the year is in sight with finals around the corner the professors are swamped with other more important duties.

My research has shown that if I want a dedicated graphics card it will certainly cost more $ in a higher end system. I build PCs and I have bought a laptop or two but when it comes to the myriad on onboard video chipsets I am lost and I doubt they would suffice.

Let me ask you what you think of the following: an i7 quad (low end; or perhaps an i5?), 6 gigs of RAM, and at least the Nvidia 460m dedicated card. I was also thinking getting either a 500 gig or 750 gig 7200 rpm HD and partition it between the Windows 7 64-bit and the Leopard OS if and most likely when he needs to utilize MAC apps. This way I can get a good system without having to pay out as much money for a MAC only.

Thoughts?

Thanks.
 
Another thought is talk to the teacher or school. What do they recommend.
might even get a discount from them also. Maybe. ask.
 
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