I'm going to college in the fall and I'm wondering which one is more efficient for me. I was thinking if I get a desktop, I should customize it in a budget of around 700$, for gaming and graphics for architectural technical. If I got a laptop, I need a really good one for the architectural technical graphics. Although I think it would be a hassle for me to carry around the laptop. What are the different parts I need to complete a computer? Also, to save money, are all power boxes the same?

Well, from my experience Sofia(laptop) has really helped me as it is. I carry it over university and I bring it home and all my info is in one single place. When I find myself with tons of projects and it's, say..wednesday, which is the day that I spend it all on the U, I bring it sometimes because I have spaces of times of 2 hours or so that there's no reason for me to return to home.
If you are REALLY thinking for a computer for college you don't need to be thinking of gaming graphics. Period.
However, to run what architecture requires, at least for me, it is AutoCAD, 3ds Max (although we don't receive classes of it but I use it), Probably maya if you want to get fancy, Sketch up which is inmensely light and has like no requirements, Google earth (you kinda use it a lot), and an image editor (I use potoshop).
There also other tools like Corel Draw, and other vector drawing software that can be used and I don't know if it is used on the U.S or where you live but down here it's not. All I have needed so far is AutoCAD which, although is heavy, doesn't require much.

I'd say you'll need like 1GB of RAM At least and 80GB of HD at least and a 1.5GHz processor. Of course no one can live with those specs and 3d modelling softwares usually end up eating the RAM VERY fast.
So I'd recommend a laptop with 2GB of RAM and 1.7+ processor. Max usually only takes up more than 1GB of ram when you use tons of modifiers and blah blah blah.
Anyway, my choice right now wouldn't be a desktop, I got Sofia last year and it has really helped me a lot to have a portable computer, even for expos and so.

Echo, are you really studying architecture? Where?

Desktops provide about twice the power for the same prices as a laptop, but they are (relatively) huge. It will be hassle to take your desktop from you house to college and back again whenever you need to, and you also won't be able to bring it places like to your classes.

To build a desktop you need:
Motherboard
Processor
RAM
Hard Drive
Optical Drive
Power supply
Case
Maybe a graphics card, depending if you have the budget for it and not integrated graphics.

No. You want a power supply that is at least 350 watts (which is basically all of them anyway).

I'm going to go to a CUNY called City Tech for 1 year and then I'm going to transfer to Pratt Institute, which is the nation's 9th best school for architecture.
In college, is it desperately helpful to have a laptop or is it just for people who do late errands? I was thinking of just trying to figure out a gaming computer myself and do stuff on it. I noticed that my computer is extremely slow but it is a 2.4ghz I believe with a 512 MBram. Which part is the one that affects the processing and speed of the computer?

You probably have a 2.4ghz Pentium 4, which should be about 4 or 5 years old. RAM helps with multitasking and having lots of programs running at once.

http://www.staredit.net/topic/2320/
Isn't quite complete, but there's some good information there.

We'll be able to help you decide what to get, but you're going to have to decide between laptop and desktop first.

Laptops really aren't a hassle. They have everything built in, so all you do is fold it up and put it in a bag and then coil up the cord and stick it in, too. The batteries last about 2 hours (generally. There are custom batteries that can last up to 7+) so you can use it in small amounts without the cord. If you like an external mouse, that is just one little thing so it isn't hard to find a little pocket for it in the bag. My sister had a really nice wireless one (the reciever was just a little stick that plugged into a USB), so all you do is stick both tiny parts into your bag and not have to worry about tangling or coiling the cord. My packpack doubles as a laptop bag, so I carry it to school sometimes (or going anywhere I might need it) with all my other stuff. It also has nice padding from all my textbooks/luggage so it wont get smashed.
The problems with laptops are that they are difficult to upgrade anything more than RAM or HDD, and that after a few years you will likely have some problem with it (which is a pain to fix.) Although that really depends on usage or pre-existing issues. If you have any immediate issues, even minor ones, abuse your warrenty. I was too lazy to bother with my fans, then during the last 2 months of my extended warrenty period my CPU got fried (which seemed to be a problem in the first place because now my fans work great after getting it replaced.)
If you want to use a laptop for a gaming machine, that could get expensive. Higher-end laptops are much more expensive than desktops. If you just want a better machine for the amount of RAM, keep in mind that you can purchase one with a good processor and a small amount of RAM and then upgrade the RAM immediately. Compare cost of laptop+cost of epic RAM vs. cost of laptop alread with epic RAM. Keep in mind laptops generally have two RAM slots, both already filled. You could probably also sell the RAM that comes with it on eBay or something.

I personally have loved my laptop. Like Corbo said, you go somewhere and everything is right there with you. I can go to a friend's house and have my laptop with all my games, music, pictures, videos, etc. I can go to a friend's house and hook up to thier wireless and then play over LAN or something. I can take it on long road trips or flights and have something more to do than stare at whoever/whatever is infront of me. I have my emulators and a USB controller, so I can take my NES/SNES/N64/PS wherever I go (you don't nee the controller, it's just the keyboard gets awkward for the N64 and PS controls ;P.) I have all my other games with me, too. They are also awesome if you have limited desk space, like I do. You fold it up and put it to the side or on top of something and it's out of the way.

Also you have to decide which is better for you. All we can do is tell you which can be better in general or our own experiences, but it depends on how you will be using it. If you plan on taking it anywhere and get a desktop, be sure you have a radio flyer to drag it around.

Post has been edited 2 time(s), last time on Jun 26 2008, 7:53 pm by FaRTy1billion.

Are Dells any good? If I don't feel like putting my own computer back together, what would be a decent priced desktop and laptop for gaming?

You keep thinking of gaming, good luck in college.


I'd say 1k around. Sofia was like 1.1k but electronics are waay more expensive here. You can probably find very cheap prices online.

I just want gaming for a well rounded computer.

It depends on two factors:
Laptop or desktop,
Budget

We can recommend something once you give us the answer to both. Remember that a laptop is about half as powerful as a same price desktop, but a lot more convenient.

Would it affect me greatly if I didn't have a laptop?

It's not that much of a hassle to carry a laptop. Just put it in a backpack that has a special pocket to hold laptops and you're good to go. Besides, a decent lap top isn't that heavy.

Depends on you college. My university has a dedicated file server which i can access from there and at home (Got around 20gb of space).

From what I've seen, the primary use of laptops is messing around playing counterstike 1.6 across WiFi with some dude on the other side of the room of the lecture your in/

How much travelling do you need to do with or without it? If you can manage to leave it home 100%, then a desktop would be best.

Now that I think about it, carrying a laptop around is a hassle, and there is no real need for it freshman year. I'll wait until I transfer out to Pratt, where I need a specific laptop which cost like $2500.

+
Is it better to buy my own desktop or build one? Money wise cause I'm broke and I'm looking for a job, which I'd probably make less than 150 a week.

A lot of times you can get a really good deal on a desktop if you buy it from a vendor as opposed to building it yourself.

If you're not going to be living on campus, a laptop would probably save you a lot of trouble so you could take all your projects with you. Otherwise, I'd go for a desktop so I wouldn't have to worry about it, lug it around, etc. Another thing to consider is heat, if you have a high-performance laptop, especially with a nice graphics card which you may want for design software, a laptop can easily overheat and possibly crash and you have to let it cool down before you use it again.

I would ask the architecture department at your college what they recommend, both in terms of desk/lap and in terms of performance. Even if you don't end up agreeing with them they'll be aware of stuff specific to their program/school that would be useful.

As for speed, a dual core processor makes a LOT of programs more runnable, multitasking is way better, and a lot of design software is benefiting from it too... but only if you have sufficient RAM, so do what farty says and get RAM separately if you're getting a laptop.

If you're on campus it also depends on what you'll be doing. If you plan on going to lots of LAN parties, laptop. If you plan on spending most of your time with people who don't use computers, then desktop is probably more worth it.

Ignore the first line of what he said. I've yet to see a vendor top the $600 desktop I've built for under $1000 since I built it three months ago.

It's surprisingly easy to build. http://youtube.com/watch?v=SINjiyZ3yNs. It's not quite that quick, but that's just about all you do. It took me about 4 hours to do, but I could probably have done it in less than 2 if it wasn't my first time. Just make sure you talk to me, excal, or Hawk before you order anything to make sure you're getting the best parts and to make sure they're all compatibable.

@dumbducky - So where do you find your parts? Because when I add up the ones I want, I always see a better deal from dell or something.

newegg.
Can someone help me refine parts with a budget of $750?