<p>i'm trying to figure out what laptop to get and i just can't make up my mind. </p>
<p>plus it doesn't help that i know little about what makes a good computer a good computer. </p>
<p>so i'm hoping you computer experts can help me out. and especially those arch majors. </p>
<p>first of all, mac or pc?
i know that mac is better for graphics but it's easier to get the software for pc.</p>
<p>and also, what's the mini. configuration the laptop should have?</p>
<p>thanks.</p>
<p>Your assumptions on the mac are not necessarily correct. It’s just easier to use.</p>
<p>Considering the type of software you’ll need for architecture, you should definitely go with a PC.</p>
<p>I suggest something powerful with a good graphics card. Go with Core 2 Duo or Core 2 Quad. Make sure that you have at least 2GB of RAM. Get Windows XP Professional if possible.</p>
<p>You should get a good graphics card - that means discrete. Go with ATI FireGL or nVIDIA Quadro. GeForce will do the job, but not as well.</p>
<p>As for my personal suggestion as to which laptop to get - Thinkpad T61p or Thinkpad W500.</p>
<p>I’d be hesitant to get a T61p. NVidia’s announced that all their GeForce 8400’s and 8600 GT’s have defects. The Quadro 570 on the T61p is basically the same as the 8600 GT, so it might be affected as well.</p>
<p>If I’m not mistaken, the 8600GT and Quadro FX570m (found on the T61p) are the exact same cards but with different drivers (with the 8600gt’s driver being more suited for multimedia and the quadro’s driver being more suited for business, audocad-type progs).</p>
<p>You’re right - they’re technically the same card but manufactured to different standards. Though, by different standards, it’s only a QA check. Then, there’s the identifier. Other than that, they’re as same as Pentium 4 vs Celeron, except software can get around limitations.</p>
<p>Looking at the nature of the defect though, I wouldn’t mind.</p>
<p>i googled the thinkpad laptop and the graphic cards and wow everything’s expensive. </p>
<p>and also to narrow my search a bit, i’m looking for a well-known laptop brand. dell, hp and such. </p>
<p>to be honest i have never even heard of Lenovo before so i imagine it’ll be somewhat difficult to find people that can help me workout its little kinks. </p>
<p>so any recommendations of more well-known brands?</p>
<p>Lenovo is very well-known. It’s IBM’s laptop branch.</p>
<p>I don’t see the need for quad core processors, especially on a laptop. Furthermore, there are VERY few laptops that come equipped with quad cores.</p>
<p>I suggest Core 2 Duo 2.0+ ghz, 2 gb ram, discrete graphics, 7200 RPM HDD, and wireless N card. Many laptops can be customized like this, but I recommend Dell. From my experience, Dells are affordable and reliable enough (despite the horror stories that you always hear). My E1505 has withstood 2 years of my constant abuse and still runs fine.</p>
<p>tastybeef - </p>
<p>Lenovo is a Chinese company, not a part of IBM. </p>
<p>IBM exited the PC business a few years back, selling off their plans and brand to Lenovo, who has the right to keep using Thinkpad for a number of years. However, the current designs and their manufacturing are 100% Lenovo, 0% IBM. Whether branded IBM or Lenovo, it is a Lenovo machine.</p>
<p>I go to this website:
[Laptop</a> Reviews Directory](<a href=“TechnologyGuide | Informa TechTarget”>TechnologyGuide - TechTarget)</p>
<p>and occasionally view this forum:</p>
<p>[Notebook</a> Forums and Laptop Discussion - Powered by vBulletin](<a href=“TechnologyGuide | Informa TechTarget”>TechnologyGuide | Informa TechTarget)</p>
<p>I would recommend:
*Dell Studio 15:
[Dell</a> Studio 15 Review](<a href=“TechnologyGuide | Informa TechTarget”>TechnologyGuide - TechTarget)</p>
<p>*The reviewed Studio 15 was without the 256mb ATI Radeon HD 3450 video card, so the benchmarks could be better."</p>
<p>rider730-</p>
<p>I see.</p>
<p>Hey - I’m an architecture major too! Maybe I’ll see you around this fall :)</p>
<p>I have a new Dell Inspiron 1525; I have been using it for about three weeks, and I really love it. The model looks really nice! It has 2 GB memory, 120 GB Hard drive, a wireless 1395 802.11g Mini-Card, and a six-cell battery life. </p>
<p>I heard from another incoming arch freshman that programs will run slower on Macs, so I would just go with a PC. </p>
<p>Hope that helps :)</p>
<p>^haha i’m also an architecture major! hope to see you guys soon
was also thinking of getting the dell inspiron but wasn’t sure if it would be alright for architecture? and the studio is kinda expensive</p>
<p>Onigenghiskhan-
i’m considering dell studio 15 (thanks for the suggestion)
although i’m a little concerned that it runs Windows Vista.</p>
<p>wrl08-
your suggestion is quite tempting also.
and i guess the mac option is totally out of the window for me.
and yeah i guess i will see you in the fall, icecream social maybe?</p>
<p>I’ll probably see both of you at the ice cream social ;)</p>
<p>I think the Dell Inspiron should be alright for architecture; the system should be able to handle the programs that we will need. </p>
<p>Oh, and my Dell runs on Vista…before this laptop though, I was an XP user, but Vista’s working pretty well now so far for me.</p>
<p>Will the software still work if I install bootcamp on a mac?</p>
<p>I haven’t installed it on mine, but I have heard from other users that it works, so it should.</p>