What's the best laptop for 3d rendering?

alright HERE is my situation. I'm a senior going to college at the end of this school year. I'm going into game design and so far i've been doing all my modeling with

3ds max 2009 on my hp laptop (see specs in sig)

but I found found a year later that HP is a piece of @#$% because it keeps breaking and (they installed the wrong version of vista after they "fixed it" and never gave me the product key..ANNNYWAY

since i was going to spend my money building a good modeling desktop computer but need a new laptop i guess i'll shoot for both

so my question is what is a good laptop for portable rendering?

dells are good but sort of expensive -if i shoot for a dell should i get the gaming laptops because they would be more powerfull?

Also i found good Sony and Gateway computers but idk if they are good COMPUTER companies ...

any help?

Anything with a Quadro and a fast processor.

Im pretty sure video cards are not used in the rendering process, just the processor, and workstation cards if the program supports it. (go figure).

how about the Dell Precision M Series Mobile Workstation? they got the Nvidia Quadro FX video cards. other than that, you can try to look for other laptops that has the Quadro FX video cards. if they are too expensive for you, then you can aim for gaming laptops with a Geforce 8600 or better video cards.mike4realz

nspironXPSStudio XPS LaptopStudio Laptop

Anything with a Quadro and a fast processor.

Im pretty sure video cards are not used in the rendering process, just the processor, and workstation cards if the program supports it. (go figure).

RFOMownage

Um...what? Workstation cards are video cards, and they're used very heavily in rendering.

[QUOTE="RFOMownage"]

Anything with a Quadro and a fast processor.

Im pretty sure video cards are not used in the rendering process, just the processor, and workstation cards if the program supports it. (go figure).

GuitarFreak2

Um...what? Workstation cards are video cards, and they're used very heavily in rendering.

[QUOTE="GuitarFreak2"][QUOTE="RFOMownage"]

Anything with a Quadro and a fast processor.

Im pretty sure video cards are not used in the rendering process, just the processor, and workstation cards if the program supports it. (go figure).

RFOMownage

Um...what? Workstation cards are video cards, and they're used very heavily in rendering.

Do you know what a render farm is? Nvidia/ATI would not have entire lines of very expensive workstation cards if most programs didn't support them.

well i found it but what about alienware laptops?

i mean i made one on their site with these specs

2.6ghz core 2 duo cpu

nvidia geforce 9600 512 mb

120gig 7200rpm HDD

1 gig ddr2 RAM (i have 3 gigs already that i can switch)

for $2300

then this dell

2.8 ghz core 2 do cpu

NVIDIA Quadro FX 2700M, 512MB

1 gig of ddr3

and an 80 gig 5200rpm HDD

for $2700...

[QUOTE="RFOMownage"][QUOTE="GuitarFreak2"]

Um...what? Workstation cards are video cards, and they're used very heavily in rendering.

GuitarFreak2

Do you know what a render farm is? Nvidia/ATI would not have entire lines of very expensive workstation cards if most programs didn't support them.

Refer to the post above yours;)

[QUOTE="GuitarFreak2"][QUOTE="RFOMownage"] Some programs support them, the majority do not.RFOMownage

Do you know what a render farm is? Nvidia/ATI would not have entire lines of very expensive workstation cards if most programs didn't support them.

Refer to the post above yours;)

My roommate is majoring in digital studio and renders quite a bit of stuff with video cards. Video cards are so much more powerful than CPUs. Take a Core 2 Quad, it has about 200-250GFLOPs of processing power. Move up to a GTX 280 and you're hitting nearly 1TFLOPs of processing power. The i7 is better for rendering than the C2D/C2Q, but it can't touch video cards. Any time you play a game, you are rendering something. Take 3dmark06 for example. During the CPU test, the CPU is rendering that. Look at all the other tests, and the GPU is rendering it. Video cards can definitely render better than CPUs can.

[QUOTE="RFOMownage"][QUOTE="GuitarFreak2"]

Do you know what a render farm is? Nvidia/ATI would not have entire lines of very expensive workstation cards if most programs didn't support them.

GuitarFreak2

Refer to the post above yours;)

My roommate is majoring in digital studio and renders quite a bit of stuff with video cards. Video cards are so much more powerful than CPUs. Take a Core 2 Quad, it has about 200-250GFLOPs of processing power. Move up to a GTX 280 and you're hitting nearly 1TFLOPs of processing power. The i7 is better for rendering than the C2D/C2Q, but it can't touch video cards. Any time you play a game, you are rendering something. Take 3dmark06 for example. During the CPU test, the CPU is rendering that. Look at all the other tests, and the GPU is rendering it. Video cards can definitely render better than CPUs can.

Hi, this is his roommate.

If this were the case, NONE of the rendering programs used in our classes and labs would work on any of the computers we have access too. Yes, rendering software CAN be set to do software rendering (IE on the CPU), but they're DEFAULTED and actually PERFORM on hardware, INCLUDING your standard run-of-the-mill videocards.

D:

So, sorry to say this, but your logic is fundamentally flawed. kthx.

rendering is done by the CPU , so get a laptop that has a quad core, nvidia fx series are graphics cards that handle large scenes so that would be a plus if you have thatkjghs

See my posts. Also, a GeForce Ti4200 can handle large screens too. The Quadro FX line is for 3d rendering.

rendering is done by the CPU , so get a laptop that has a quad core, nvidia fx series are graphics cards that handle large scenes so that would be a plus if you have thatkjghs

well i found it but what about alienware laptops?

i mean i made one on their site with these specs

2.6ghz core 2 duo cpu

nvidia geforce 9600 512 mb

120gig 7200rpm HDD

1 gig ddr2 RAM (i have 3 gigs already that i can switch)

for $2300

then this dell

2.8 ghz core 2 do cpu

NVIDIA Quadro FX 2700M, 512MB

1 gig of ddr3

and an 80 gig 5200rpm HDD

for $2700...

Gamefreak1296

Hi, this is his roommate.

If this were the case, NONE of the rendering programs used in our ****s and labs would work on any of the computers we have access too. Yes, rendering software CAN be set to do software rendering (IE on the CPU), but they're DEFAULTED and actually PERFORM on hardware, INCLUDING your standard run-of-the-mill videocards.

D:

So, sorry to say this, but your logic is fundamentally flawed. kthx.

GuitarFreak2

[QUOTE="kjghs"]rendering is done by the CPU , so get a laptop that has a quad core, nvidia fx series are graphics cards that handle large scenes so that would be a plus if you have thatGuitarFreak2

See my posts. Also, a GeForce Ti4200 can handle large screens too. The Quadro FX line is for 3d rendering.

serry for my english

[QUOTE="GuitarFreak2"]

[QUOTE="kjghs"]rendering is done by the CPU , so get a laptop that has a quad core, nvidia fx series are graphics cards that handle large scenes so that would be a plus if you have thatkjghs

See my posts. Also, a GeForce Ti4200 can handle large screens too. The Quadro FX line is for 3d rendering.

serry for my english

I don't have any background in 3d rendering, but I do know quite a bit about computers, processing power, and how it all works. My roommate has been doing 3d rendering for ~8 years or so.

Also, check this link: http://www.nvidia.com/gelatozone

"NVIDIA Gelato rendering software allows anyone with an NVIDIA graphics processing unit (GPU) to create stunning images fast."

Video cards CAN be used in rendering. It does rely on the CPU, but having a GPU greatly reduces the time it takes to render it. I got my processing power wrong when I was talking about the C2D/C2Q, they're more around 25-40GFLOPS, not 200. Rendering has been switching over to GPU over CPU since the 8 series came out because of the raw processing power an 8 series card can do.

[QUOTE="mike4realz"]how about the Dell Precision M Series Mobile Workstation? they got the Nvidia Quadro FX video cards. other than that, you can try to look for other laptops that has the Quadro FX video cards. if they are too expensive for you, then you can aim for gaming laptops with a Geforce 8600 or better video cards.Gamefreak1296

nspironXPSStudio XPS LaptopStudio Laptop

http://www.dell.com/content/products/category.aspx/precnnb?c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd

well after much research i have come up with this

http://www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/workstation_precision_m4400?c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd

Hands down the best bang for your buck laptop right now would have to be the Gateway P7805u-FX lineup.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9172511&st=gateway+7085&lp=3&type=product&cp=1&id=1218043606827

$1,150 from Bestbuy right now, check out the specs:

Intel® Core™2 Duo Mobile 2.26GH

WXGA high-definition widescreen TFT-LCD with Ultrabright technology 17"

4GB (RAM) DDR3

Serial ATA (7200 rpm)Hard Drive 320GB

Double-layer DVD±RW/CD-RW

NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GTS 1GB GDDR3

The funny thing is that this laptop is actually UNDERRATED from Gateway. It comes with a faster processor and the screen is a WUXGA... meaning it can display at a higher resolution (1920x1200). The graphics card is pretty much second from the top of Nvidia's mobile video card lineup of discreete graphic chipsets. And if you price out another comparable such as Dell's, the same spec'd laptop will run you close to 3G's.

Trust me, do your research on google for this little gem you won't be disappointed. I'm actually typing this message on mine that I picked up a fewe weeks ago and I love the damn thing... plays Fallout 3 on high settings all day long... and the little badboy comes with an empty slot for a second hard drive!

Hands down the best bang for your buck laptop right now would have to be the Gateway P7805u-FX lineup.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9172511&st=gateway+7085&lp=3&type=product&cp=1&id=1218043606827

$1,150 from Bestbuy right now, check out the specs:

Intel® Core™2 Duo Mobile 2.26GH

WXGA high-definition widescreen TFT-LCD with Ultrabright technology 17"

4GB (RAM) DDR3

Serial ATA (7200 rpm)Hard Drive 320GB

Double-layer DVD±RW/CD-RW

NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GTS 1GB GDDR3

The funny thing is that this laptop is actually UNDERRATED from Gateway. It comes with a faster processor and the screen is a WUXGA... meaning it can display at a higher resolution (1920x1200). The graphics card is pretty much second from the top of Nvidia's mobile video card lineup of discreete graphic chipsets. And if you price out another comparable such as Dell's, the same spec'd laptop will run you close to 3G's.

Trust me, do your research on google for this little gem you won't be disappointed. I'm actually typing this message on mine that I picked up a fewe weeks ago and I love the damn thing... plays Fallout 3 on high settings all day long... and the little badboy comes with an empty slot for a second hard drive!

RuffRhyno

how reliable is the costumer service?

as someone who has had his laptop repaired 4 times under warranty its a strong issue with me and everyone has said that dell has great service

If you're gonna use it mostly for rendering, you'd want to choose lots of RAM (4Gb is a must) and a fast dual-core (or quad-core if you can afford it) processor over a powerful graphics card. The QuadroFX cards are mostly used for visualization (like AutoCAD) and running simulations (like real-time fluid dynamics), so I doubt you'll really need one of those (although I believe they speed up 3dsMax's viewport, could be wrong about that)tomvw

Hands down the best bang for your buck laptop right now would have to be the Gateway P7805u-FX lineup.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9172511&st=gateway+7085&lp=3&type=product&cp=1&id=1218043606827

$1,150 from Bestbuy right now, check out the specs:

Intel® Core™2 Duo Mobile 2.26GH

WXGA high-definition widescreen TFT-LCD with Ultrabright technology 17"

4GB (RAM) DDR3

Serial ATA (7200 rpm)Hard Drive 320GB

Double-layer DVD±RW/CD-RW

NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GTS 1GB GDDR3

The funny thing is that this laptop is actually UNDERRATED from Gateway. It comes with a faster processor and the screen is a WUXGA... meaning it can display at a higher resolution (1920x1200). The graphics card is pretty much second from the top of Nvidia's mobile video card lineup of discreete graphic chipsets. And if you price out another comparable such as Dell's, the same spec'd laptop will run you close to 3G's.

Trust me, do your research on google for this little gem you won't be disappointed. I'm actually typing this message on mine that I picked up a fewe weeks ago and I love the damn thing... plays Fallout 3 on high settings all day long... and the little badboy comes with an empty slot for a second hard drive!

RuffRhyno

so not that i am going to do alot of gaming on my laptop but how well would it run todays newest games?

the NVIDIA Quadro FX 1700M, 512MB i mean

"But that's a gaming laptop tho. He won't be able to get the performance for 3D rendering, only for gaming. But I do like the laptop. only if they have 15" w/ 9800M GTSmike4realz

I understand it's not exactly what he may be looking for, but I did take into account the fact that he mentioned he is a college student. All college students that I know are on a very tight budget, so I made cost a very big factor into what laptop he ends up going with. For what the Gateway offers towards 3D rendering compared to similar notebooks from other companies which may have hardware suited towards his profession, I can't justify spending an extra $2,000 on a minimal performance increase. If money really is no option, than please just disregard my post all together.

Also, does it have to be a laptop? You could build a great desktop computer that would handle rendering 10 times more efficiently for the same price, Just a thought. BTW, if he is looking more towards a 15" screen the Asus G50 line has some impressive specs for a 15" laptop for under a grand. Anyway, my 2 cents.