Need an Affordable Laptop For 3d Rendering ETC

just would like to point out that for 3d... a laptop is SEVERELY underpowered unless you spend quite a bit of money on a top end unit.

i'm involved with 3d models (but for a different field) and my laptop cannot even load things that my tower handles with ease.

by mobile do you mean just driving from home to class to office, etcetera and setting up there?

or do you mean traveling on planes, needing to work on a train or bus or working out in the field away from an office or power source?

i'd go with a desktop if at all possible.

however... if that isnt possible at all..... i'd go with an i7 laptop with 16gb ram and the highest end gpu you can find (or dual gpu).

well first ..... would you have a monitor you could use at school and at home so you would only need to transport a case?

if yes... then you can just worry about a case. if not... you could get one of those new usb monitors which are really flat and slip into a case 1/2 thick.

let me know

something like the bitfenix prodigy (or similar styled cases) would be easiest to transport (since it has handles).

for $1500 i'd definitely go intel.

probably i7-4770k
z87 board
16gb ram
good gpu... see details below
probably a 650w psu
ssd for boot
1tb data hdd

details on gpu: does your application benefit more from a professional gpu (such as a firepro or quadro)? you mentioned level design though.. is this for games? if yes perhaps going with a 770 or 780 normal consumer card is best .

anways... when i get a response on your intentions i can put something together.

also is that in usd in the usa?

give me a few minutes then....

also... what are your thoughts on overclocking?

crashing only happens if its unstable. you never run at an overclock value that is unstable. if system instablility happens you reduce the overclock.

yes, you get better performance by doing so at the expense of more heat produced (so you need a bigger heatsink) and with more of a power draw.

This laptop isn't that bad.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834313584
If you want an intel prodigy build
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2wsFx
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2wsFx/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2wsFx/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($319.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($27.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus Z87M-PLUS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Team Vulcan 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($82.02 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($509.99 @ TigerDirect)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy M Arctic White MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($99.98 @ OutletPC)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($75.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Microcenter)
Total: $1442.90
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-06 01:05 EST-0500)

worked up a few options for you...

take a look at them... listed a few pro/cons below

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option #1 full sized case, maxing out hardware.

its not the smallest case but it does have handles

went over budget a bit too but i will explain why afterwards.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($319.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($33.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-K ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($109.99 @ TigerDirect)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($68.00 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($68.00 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($161.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($84.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card ($355.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair C70 Arctic White (White/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Microcenter)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($88.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1491.88
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-06 01:53 EST-0500)

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option #2 using a micro atx sized case

smaller case but no handles.

a bit cheaper.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($319.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($33.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus Z87M-PLUS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($68.00 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($68.00 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($161.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($84.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card ($355.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cougar Spike MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Microcenter)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($88.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1426.88
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-06 01:36 EST-0500)



option #3 using the bare essentials only.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($319.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($33.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus Z87M-PLUS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: A-Data XPG Gaming Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.92 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($84.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card ($355.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cougar Spike MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Microcenter)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($88.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1368.80
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-06 01:40 EST-0500)

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option #4 for comparision here is an amd build

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus M5A99X EVO R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($114.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($68.00 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($68.00 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($161.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($84.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card ($355.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Microcenter)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($88.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1318.85
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-06 01:45 EST-0500)

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explanations?

option 1 & 2 provide a larger ssd (250gb) which is highly beneficial if you plan on putting lots of progams on it. option 3 & 4 provide a smaller ssd to reduce cost while still maintaining the speed of bootup and for core programs.

option 1 & 2 & 3 use 4x4gb of 1866 ram since its on sale for a great price. it might not match for color though. option 3 uses standard 1600 ram since its just a little cheaper.

i used a 280x in all options. this is a pretty strong video card since i wasnt sure if you intended to play games or not (you said level design, not sure if you meant for games or not) and a strong gpu in any case is great for doing 3d work. you could lower this to a 270x or gtx760 if you wanted to save some money and if you felt you didnt need the extra performance this offered.

option 1 & 2 & 3 use a i7-4770k since its the strongest cpu you can get. you want a strong cpu for 3d. option 4 uses amd which isnt quite as strong but is much cheaper.

i used windows 7 in all cases since its alot more user friendly than 8.1 and it doesnt have as many bugs. not to mention it is cheaper.

i did not pick the prodigy case because m-itx is rather limited with options and is a bit expensive. i could build around the prodigy if you like the design and like how small and portable it is. let me know.

i did not use the prodigy m case because it has horrible airflow. it is completely backwards. the gpu sucks air from the top and the psu exits the bottom. this almost forces a top down airflow which is opposite of thermodynamics! while it can be used the prodigy (original) is better than the prodigy m however matx (prodigy m) is a better board size than mitx (prodigy).

if you have any more questions feel free to ask. i would like to hear some of your input on what you think so we can narrow things down and finalize a bit.

also if you would like all parts to match and look good... instead of just going based on whats good for a certain price i can definitely match them up (however prics might go up or performance down a little bit depending)

if i take the graphics card a step down it also opens up a whole lot more options. a 270x is still a very powerful card. if you would like me to explore this i could. basically it would mean that you would have more cash for a monitor and peripherals and case parts. you could keep a larger ssd, perhaps go with a better motherboard, match colors up while still maintaining performance, etcetera.

again... let me know your thoughts.

edit..... if only we had this case http://www.tomshardware.com/news/xigmatek-aquila-case-micro-atx,24484.html it has the better layout of the prodigy combined with the matx capability of the prodigy m while still having some semblance of handles. too bad its not out quite yet!

Ok, moving this build thread out of TABLETS and into systems.