ITT-Tech\laptop question

[oasis]

hey guys for the third time I went to Itt-tech to see about going to school for game design so fingers crossed on that but the main question I have is they offer a laptop you can buy with the package now I don't know a lot about laptops and my question is should I get this one or go out and buy my own. Keep in mind I would be working with level design software and 3d animation tools ECT.

Here are the specs

Dell latitude D530

• Intel core duo 2.0GHz dual core
• Microsoft windows home edition
• 15" xga standard aspect display
• 1gb shared 667MHz DDR2 memory
• 80GB internal Hard Drive
• 56k v.92 modem
• 24x|24x|24x cd-rw and 8x dvd
• Dell wireless 1490 Dual band wlan (802.11 a/g)
• Deluxe nylon carrying case
• 3 years next business day on site service

To me it sound kind of OK but I am sure there is better

so let me know what you think

Also if you know of something better let me know.

[Kong]

If you want to play the newest video games, edit video, or do 3d animations then you need a top of the line computer. If you do not need to do that then you should consider a budget computer.

Dells have a reputation for having good warranties and good hardware that will not give you problems and for being expensive. Acer's have a reputation of being good budget laptops.


If you do not need your computer to be portable then you should get a desktop - they are about half the price of a laptop and easier to repair/upgrade.

You probably won't use the modem so it does not matter.

1gb of ram is enough to do 3d animations but you will appreciate having at least 2gb.

Preferably the wireless card should be G but it needs to match the wireless router you have. G is backwards compatible so you can't go wrong with it. Also it is best if your wireless card is the same brand as your wireless router but that is tough with laptops because they like to use proprietary cards.

I looked at Dell.com for the same laptop. Everything the same except with 2gb of memory and 120gb hard drive is $935. If they are charging you more than $800 then it is not a good deal.

IMO a $300 warranty on a $600 purchase is not worth it.

Dell has good deals on refurbished computers. If you are going to get a 3 year warenty anyways then I see no reason to not get a refurbished computer and save some money.

www.newegg.com is a good place to shop for computers/parts.

[Tails]

@Kong: my power cored is crasked so it sometimes just won't work, i have a 1 year warranty would it cover since its still under a year? (got it in Dec. 2007)

[Kong]

Should be. Call the manufacture and ask for a new one.

[Tails]

Alright thanks Kong! Its compaq laptop incase i didn't say before

[oasis]

Gateway Model: P-6860FX

This is the laptop I am probably going to buy

any of you computer guys have any Ideas is this good bad the price at best buy right now $1099 so its a great price for what its offering
the only bad thing I have been told is it runs windows vista 64bit which I am told is possibly going to be the future but its just not here yet.

Keep in mind what I will be using this laptop for (to create/desgin commercial grade video games at school and high end 3d animation such as maya 8 ect.)

here are the specs

Warranty Terms - Parts1 year limited
Warranty Terms - Labor1 year limited
Product Height 1.7"
Product Width 15.75"
Product Weight 9.2 lbs.
Product Depth 11.75"
Processor Brand Intel®
Processor Platform Enhanced Intel® Centrino®
Processor Intel® Core(TM)2 Duo Mobile
Processor Speed 1.83GHz
Display Type WXGA+ widescreen TFT-LCD with Ultrabright technology (1440 x 900)
Screen Size 17"
System Bus 667MHz
Cache Memory 2MB at die Level 2
System Memory (RAM)4GB
Type of Memory (RAM)PC2-5300 DDR2
Hard Drive Type Serial ATA (5400 rpm)
Hard Drive Size 320GB
Optical Drive Double-layer DVD±RW/CD-RW
Optical Drive Speeds 2x DVD-R DL; 8x8x8 DVD+RW; 8x6x8 DVD-RW; 5x DVD-RAM; 24x16x24 CD-RW
Direct-Disc Labeling Yes
Digital Media Reader or Slots Yes, digital media card reader
Diskette Drive No
Graphics NVIDIA GeForce Go 8800M GTS
Video Memory Up to 512MB discrete GDDR3
Personal Video Recorder (PVR) No
TV Tuner No
MPEG Yes
Built-in Webcam Yes
Modem 56 Kbps* ITU V.92 *Capable of receiving 56 Kbps downloads. However, current regulations limit download speed to 53 Kbps.
Networking Built-in 10/100/1000 Mbps Gigabit Ethernet LAN (RJ-45 connector)
Wireless Networking Built-in high-speed Intel® Wireless Wi-Fi Link 4965 network connection (802.11a/b/g/n); Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate)
S-Video Outputs None
Additional Audio/Video Connectors HDMI
Audio High-definition (2-channel support)
Speakers Built-in
PCMCIA Slots 1 ExpressCard/54
USB 2.0 Ports 3
IEEE 1394 FireWire Ports 1
Parallel Ports None
Serial Ports None
Game Ports None
Laptop Weight Standard (more than 5.5 lbs.)
Battery Type Lithium-ion
Pointing Device Synaptics touchpad with vertical scroll
Operating System Windows Vista Home Premium with SP1
Included Software Microsoft Works 9.0, Money Essentials; CyberLink Power2Go; Gateway BigFix; Adobe Reader 8 and more

(what call your self a gaming laptop with no game port lucky I can use Xpadder and just plug in my xbox controller)

[Kong]

Originally Posted by oasis

64bit which I am told is possibly going to be the future but its just not here yet.

I agree. I tried Vista 64 for about a week. I hated it. Most things (like all Adobe products) were a pain to get to work. You have the option of installing 32 bit on it but to do so you might have to buy the 32 bit version of Windows separately plus you would be paying more for the processor that you will not be fully using. I suggest sticking to 32 bit and buying 64 next time you upgrade.

I doubt programs like Maya will take advantage of the 64 bit processor and might be difficult to install. First check that all the programs you need will be compatible.

The 4GB of RAM on a laptop is great. You will like that.

Most game pads are now USB. So that shouldn't mater.

I have a hunch that you will get better prices from www.newegg.com than Best Buy. But I am not positive.

And on a side note. I currently recommend Windows Vista 32-bit. I think it is the best OS available right now and is what I use. I predict that in about 2 years I will recommend Linux. It is making improvements faster than Windows but Windows still has a lead from it's early start.

[oasis]

Well as an update.

I am going to be going to school starting September 8th 2008 at Itt-tech for a degree in video game development and design

What that means for RU.

My game play time is going to be drastically reduced. I am going to have little or no time to play games. (But I will make time for the team contests and maybe some of tenser’s contests.)

But my challenge me contest will have to almost stop completely

But my forum time won’t be affected much because I log onto the forum mostly at work during the weekdays.

So that is it in a nut shell game time = none forum time = unaffected
But the upside is I will be learning how to create and develop the next gen games. So maybe sometime in the next 4-6 years you will be playing one of my games. ;D

[Tails]

Well then oasis, get going with our challenge.

oh and make a java SNES Emulator when you get exp. :P

[oasis]

that is on my todo list

and I was waiting for your broken computer for our challenge.

[Tails]

well it was only the ac-adapter ;D

[Kong]

Congrats and congratulations.

What classes are you taking?

[oasis]

here are just the main classes not including some of the smaller things

http://itt-tech.edu/campus/courses.cfm


Program Outline



To view a list of the course descriptions, please click here.

Course
Number Course Credit
Hours
Core Courses
Unspecified Core courses * 40
GD300 Introduction to Gaming Technology 4
GD310 Managing Game Development 4
GD320 Physics of Animation 4
GD330 Game Design Process 4
GD340 Creative Writing and Storyboarding for Games 4
GD350 Game Design Strategies 4
GD360 Advanced Animation 4
GD370 Level Design I 4
GD400 Game Interface Design 4
GD410 Game Engines and Production 4
GD420 Level Design II 4
GD430 The Game Development Team 4
GD440 Capstone Project 4
Subtotal 92
Elective Courses
Unspecified Elective courses 32
General Education Courses**
Unspecified General Education courses ++ 24
EG371 Research Methods+ 4
EG372 Written Analysis+ 4
EG381 Statistics+ 4
EG452 Economics and Change+ 4
EG462 Contemporary World Culture+ 4
EG465 Modern and Contemporary Art 4
EG468 Ethics+ 4
EG481 Environmental Issues+ 4
Subtotal 56
Minimum required credit hours for the Baccalaureate Degree (Grand total) 180