Buying your laptop
Buy the best computer you can afford for the job, but do not forget about servicing. Laptops are preferable because they allow you the greatest flexibility. Most of the recommendations we make assume you will want to use more advanced software for rendering and 3D modeling. We have a few contacts through the University for discounts:
In general, the lighter the weight of a laptop and the more compact it is, the more expensive it is. You must balance the weight of the computer with the features you need. There are three key points when buying a computer for advanced work:
- For advanced 3D work or Graphics progams like Photoshop, the graphics card is very important and cannot generally be changed after you have bought the unit. As a guide a dedicated Graphics card with its own on-board memory of at least 256 MB that supports OpenGL 2.0 is recommended.
- For advanced graphics work, a generous amount of memory is important. We recommend Windows 7.0 and minimum of 4 GB of memory. Configurations that have one free memory slot are preferable if you cannot afford the full amount of memory right away. You can then add a second memory module later.
- A good warranty that covers the likely life of the laptop of three years is recommended.
The vast majority of students purchase PC laptops rather than Mac PowerBooks. One reason is that AutoCAD is not supported natively on the Mac platform.
Please shop around to find a product that works for you in terms of keyboard, screen size and additional features.