Recommend a good laptop for a Game Design student

Originally posted by Snipey:

edit: i just read your post on the specs , looks like my notebook has almost equal specs for nearly half the price

-Snipey

yeah I think I'll check out the site you posted. I've heard of it before but never took a look at it.

Originally posted by ZetecNinja:
I just found the specs

Heres what they're offering for the Windows laptop:

Gateway M675E Notebook
-17.1 WSXGA+ TFT Active Matrix Display
-Windows XP Professional
-Intel Pentium 4 Processor 2.80GHz
-4X DVD+/-RRW/+/-RW/CD-RW Recorder
-ATI Radeon 9700 8X AGP with 128MB DDR Video Memory
-80GB 5400RPM ATA Hard Drive (doesn't list a brand)
-1GIG 400MHz DDR SDRAM
-Intel PRO 10/100/1000 GB VE Network Connection and 802.11g Wireless Networking
-3-Year Limited Warranty
-Collins College personalized backpack and engraved laptop (woohoo! )

Price: $2900

Dell Inspiron 9300
- 17" UXGA Wide-Screen
- WinXP Pro
- Intel M 2.0Ghz (don't think Dell uses P4s)
- 8x CD/DVD Burner
- nVidia GeForce GO 6800 256MB
- 80GB HD
- 1GB 533MHz DDR RAM
- Intel Pro Wireless a/b/g with Bluetooth integration
- Free Printer

$1857.05. S&H of $19.

Configure your Inspiron 9300 system how you want and then use coupon code CSFNLP484P73S6 at the checkout. No telling how long it'll last but that's $999.95 off Dell's normal price plus $30 off the shipping PLUS a free printer.

Who's the man.

i have a amd 64bit proc and it has the radeon 9700 hungury on battery but nothing really has boged it down as far as gaming goes

the more you spend on a top of the line rig now
the further you can go with out buying another one down the line

i like my toshiba satellite p25 s-609

You could certainly get into an Alienware, I've never bought one but they always seem to have good reviews.

I'd pass on a dell, their reliability is pretty sad these days.

Originally posted by Pete D:
You could certainly get into an Alienware, I've never bought one but they always seem to have good reviews.

I'd pass on a dell, their reliability is pretty sad these days.

First off, he is looking for a CHEAPER laptop, so Alienware is out of the question. Second, so far I am extremely happy with my Dell. I am not a big Dell fan at all, but I got in on one of those $750 off laptops $1499 and higher deal so it was too good to pass up.

Going along with Sigma (he nearly listed the specs of my laptop

), Dell offers the XPS2...

Even though it has childish looks (LEDs all over it), it boasts gigabit ethernet and the 256MB Nvidia 6800 Ultra, which apparantly has a huge advantage over the 6800go found in the 9300. The XPS2 comes standard with all the highest options off the 9300 like the WUXGA (1920x1200) "shiny" screen, 2.13(?)GHz P-M, wireless, bluetooth, etc.

Other than the gigabit and ultra card, the XPS2 and 9300 are virtually identical. Configured the same, they're only a few hundred dollars off (all of that probly in the ultra card).

Also there's talk of Dell replacing the 6800 ultra for the 7200 when Nvidia releases it. Both the 9300/XPS2 have the standard PCIe port so you can upgrade the video... But as far as people can tell, the ultra will not work in the 9300 w/o the XPS2 bios and the ultra heatsink out of the XPS2. So it's better to get the XPS2 from the get go.

Things you need to upgrade the go to the ultra: XPS2 bios, heatsink, PSU, battery, and 6800 ultra. Reason is the XPS2 bios won't boot w/o the 130W AC adaptor and 9-cell battery. The 9300 comes standard with the 90w AC adaptor and the 6-cell battery (9-cell is optional).

BTW, my laptop is this:
Dell Insiron 9300
1.6GHz P-M
Intel wireless (to complete the Centrino package)
Bluetooth
17" WGXA (1440x900) screen
80GB hd
512MB DDR2
256MB Nvidia 6800go PCIe graphics

I guess I should mention I paid $1247 shipped next day air. Got it off Dell outlet. Yeah, it's refurbished, but it was less than a month old when I got it. Still have a warranty on them.

Check out the 9300/XPS2 forum. Pretty busy over there, so lots of good info.

EDIT: not to mention what Tom's Hardware says about the XPS2:

Originally posted by Tom's Hardware Guide:

What is the most powerful notebook out there, period? Dell's Inspiron XPS Gen 2 notebook offers nothing less than superior 2D and 3D graphics performance compared to any other laptop we've seen to date.

Our tests confirm the claims we made in our preview article earlier this year - the Dell Inspiron XPS Gen 2's performance is the best we've seen so far in the notebook space. Its horsepower can take on many high-end desktops as well.

It creams the Acer Ferrari 4000, for example. Granted the Acer is a thin and light with some good gaming speed, but the winner is clearly the Dell XPS Gen 2.

link

Ninja!

Seriously stay the fock away from any of these FOR PROFIT education establishments. Do some research and see how the Fed's have been cracking down on them. They are falsfying their grad rates, placement rates, and everythign else.

Get to a normal college and do the 4yr plan, most companies LAUGH at these programs offered by these type of schools and know their training is way below that of a 4yr institution.

Call some prospective companies you would like to work with, companies like Take Two, EA, Sega. Call and talk to their Recruting/hiring rep and ask them where they recruit their employees from.

Call a headhunter who specializes in gamin and find out if students from your school ever get placed.

Do your homework before you ever step foot in. These schools are notoriously bad and their used car-salesman like tactics to get you to sign while they get you student loans is ridiculous. These guys make commission, normal 4yr schools do not base their acceptance on your ability to pay!

I would take his advice. I'm not kidding you, I haven't met you but I would actually talk face to face about it.

There's one thing you left out, though, FMR.

I'm not saying anything you've said is not true (as it is certainly so with so many schools!) but it's also all about the student.

I have an awful feeling these schools recieve a bad rep because idiot students who didnt learn anything but were passed actually made it to good companies; and were fired. What about the smart students?

I try to see myself as an aspiring student who studies outside of class (which isn't hard, it's all creativity and fun!) and I think a good portfolio can save the interview.

As for your next choice of laptop, everyone's certainly got you covered Ninja!

I will say though, the scenes I've built and rendered do not take long to render, do not lag, etc. I'm running an old Radeon 9000 64MB card.

I imagine the Athlon Barton 3000 and 512MB of ram more than assist it, though

Good luck finding your choice! (Go with Sigma's!!)

Originally posted by KyleH:
3 letters....IBM
This topic has also been discussed several times.

the best gaming laptops are alienware...take that how you like it.

Originally posted by TGO:

Originally posted by KyleH:
3 letters....IBM
This topic has also been discussed several times.

the best gaming laptops are alienware...take that how you like it.

gaming and game design are entirely different beasts though.

~Andrew

Originally posted by Pimpalicious316:

Originally posted by TGO:

Originally posted by KyleH:
3 letters....IBM
This topic has also been discussed several times.

the best gaming laptops are alienware...take that how you like it.

gaming and game design are entirely different beasts though.

~Andrew

i was going to suggest ALienware but then i thought of your reason. if you do decide to go with Alienware, my cousin has a Sager (Alienware) laptop (portable desktop) that he is considering selling. he said his battery just doesnt cut it and is thinking about a Centrino laptop.

Originally posted by Pimpalicious316:

Originally posted by TGO:

Originally posted by KyleH:
3 letters....IBM
This topic has also been discussed several times.

the best gaming laptops are alienware...take that how you like it.

gaming and game design are entirely different beasts though.

~Andrew

What he said.

Originally posted by KyleH:

Originally posted by Pimpalicious316:

Originally posted by TGO:

Originally posted by KyleH:
3 letters....IBM
This topic has also been discussed several times.

the best gaming laptops are alienware...take that how you like it.

gaming and game design are entirely different beasts though.

~Andrew

What he said.

by game design, do you mean 3d rendering? graphics design? as well as programming, and possible testing of 3d applications (games)?

If so, you'll probably still get better performance from the alienware.

Originally posted by Fmr12B:
Ninja!

Seriously stay the fock away from any of these FOR PROFIT education establishments. Do some research and see how the Fed's have been cracking down on them. They are falsfying their grad rates, placement rates, and everythign else.

Get to a normal college and do the 4yr plan, most companies LAUGH at these programs offered by these type of schools and know their training is way below that of a 4yr institution.

Call some prospective companies you would like to work with, companies like Take Two, EA, Sega. Call and talk to their Recruting/hiring rep and ask them where they recruit their employees from.

Call a headhunter who specializes in gamin and find out if students from your school ever get placed.

Do your homework before you ever step foot in. These schools are notoriously bad and their used car-salesman like tactics to get you to sign while they get you student loans is ridiculous. These guys make commission, normal 4yr schools do not base their acceptance on your ability to pay!

where in the hell did you get this from? I've never heard anything bad about these schools from anyone. A game design program is not even offered at any 4 year universities in this state. While I have experienced them trying to get me to sign my life away on student loans (I have yet to do so) I hardly believe that this school is considered a joke.

I prefer the 2.5 year degree program (I have already been in school for 3 years) and I certainly believe that I will have enough knowledge within those 2.5 years to have a successful career.

IMO you will learn much more once you enter into the field anyway.

So we will see but the chances of me turning back over reports like this (which may not even be specific to my school) are slim.

Originally posted by TGO:

Originally posted by KyleH:

Originally posted by Pimpalicious316:

Originally posted by TGO:

Originally posted by KyleH:
3 letters....IBM
This topic has also been discussed several times.

the best gaming laptops are alienware...take that how you like it.

gaming and game design are entirely different beasts though.

~Andrew

What he said.

by game design, do you mean 3d rendering? graphics design? as well as programming, and possible testing of 3d applications (games)?

If so, you'll probably still get better performance from the alienware.

If they were really serious about their graphics work they wouldn't be considering a laptop in the first place since even the fastest doesn't hold a candle to a desktop in graphics power.

Originally posted by ZetecNinja:
[
where in the hell did you get this from? I've never heard anything bad about these schools from anyone.

Look man, I've consulted at The 3DO Company which was founded by Trip Hawkins, the same Trip Hawkins that created Tim Magazines product of the year in 1993 as well as the same guy who founded EA in 1982.

Here is an expose CBS 60-Minutes did on for profit Colleges:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/08/11/60minutes/main772913.shtml

Quote:

IMO you will learn much more once you enter into the field anyway.

This is true for any career, but I think Fmr's point is that you might find it difficult to enter the field with a degree from your chosen school. I haven't a clue, I'm just saying.

Quote:

A game design program is not even offered at any 4 year universities in this state.

I believe you are mistaken on that one (unless you meant 4-year public universities). UAT, which has one of the few 4-year Game Design programs in the entire nation (as well as Master's programs), is in Tempe as well, only a few miles away from Collins College. And is fully-accredited and I've seen them mentioned in several articles on the rising emergence of game design programs.

Originally posted by Fmr12B:

Originally posted by ZetecNinja:
[
where in the hell did you get this from? I've never heard anything bad about these schools from anyone.

Look man, I've consulted at The 3DO Company which was founded by Trip Hawkins, the same Trip Hawkins that created Tim Magazines product of the year in 1993 as well as the same guy who founded EA in 1982.

Here is an expose CBS 60-Minutes did on for profit Colleges:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/08/11/60minutes/main772913.shtml

Wow, that definitely has me thinking twice now. As if I haven't hit enough speed bumps in trying to pick a school and have a successful career.

I was also accepted to UAT ( University of Advancing Technology) but I can't get into school there until Jan vs October of Collins College. I was leaning more towards UAT but did not want to have to wait. Maybe I should? They seem a little more professional and unlike what was described in that article vs Collins College.

Originally posted by sigma:

Quote:

IMO you will learn much more once you enter into the field anyway.

This is true for any career, but I think Fmr's point is that you might find it difficult to enter the field with a degree from your chosen school. I haven't a clue, I'm just saying.

Quote:

A game design program is not even offered at any 4 year universities in this state.

I believe you are mistaken on that one (unless you meant 4-year public universities). UAT, which has one of the few 4-year Game Design programs in the entire nation (as well as Master's programs), is in Tempe as well, only a few miles away from Collins College. And is fully-accredited and I've seen them mentioned in several articles on the rising emergence of game design programs.

Thank you for saying that...I was talking about public universities. And I have already been accepted to UAT as I said in my post above. Maybe that is the better choice?

Originally posted by ZetecNinja:

Originally posted by Fmr12B:

Originally posted by ZetecNinja:
[
where in the hell did you get this from? I've never heard anything bad about these schools from anyone.

Look man, I've consulted at The 3DO Company which was founded by Trip Hawkins, the same Trip Hawkins that created Tim Magazines product of the year in 1993 as well as the same guy who founded EA in 1982.

Here is an expose CBS 60-Minutes did on for profit Colleges:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/08/11/60minutes/main772913.shtml

Wow, that definitely has me thinking twice now. As if I haven't hit enough speed bumps in trying to pick a school and have a successful career.

I was also accepted to UAT ( University of Advancing Technology) but I can't get into school there until Jan vs October of Collins College. I was leaning more towards UAT but did not want to have to wait. Maybe I should? They seem a little more professional and unlike what was described in that article vs Collins College.

Look JiggaJerry,
take some fall term classes at community college and ensure they transfer to UAT.
Stay the hell away from For Profit shools! And don't forget to apply for internships at all the design studios you can during your Soph and Junior summers!

fall classes have already started for community colleges. I have spent my last 3 years taking courses at CC's.

I'm done with those...

When I talked with the guy at UAT he said it would be hard to get in by Sept 6th but I could try if I wanted. I told him I would wait til Jan. However what I think I am going to do is register for what I can this semester, whether it be gen studies courses or game design courses that way I don't fall too far behind.

I spoke with my mom about this and this is what she suggested as well. My mom thought Collins College was trying to take my money long before you guys posted about it. So I am now hearing it from 3 different people, I guess that is a sign.

This is a lot of money and I don't want to be spending it for no reason so I guess I need to go somewhere with some credibility in the field.

Originally posted by sigma:

Originally posted by TGO:

If they were really serious about their graphics work they wouldn't be considering a laptop in the first place since even the fastest doesn't hold a candle to a desktop in graphics power.

true and not true...you can't take a desktop to class with you. Maybe he needs the portability?