Asus K42JR w/ ati hd 5470 1gb

[challysj]

Hi everyone,
I'm a college student planning on buying a notebook for photoshop, corel, and autocad w/ 3d rendering. Can the Asus K42JR w/ 1 gb HD 5470 dedicated graphics do the job? Here are the specs of the notebook:
Core i3 350M 2.2 ghz
2gb DDR3 memory
320 HDD
1 gb DDR3 VRAM 5470 dedicated gpu

One more thing is can I upgrade the GPU of the notebook when needed?
Any suggestion is most welcomed.

Thanks to all,

chalsj

 

[Blckhaze]

Unsure of the gpu upgrade..

Everything else seems fine for what you need to do. I looked up autocad and corel, and it seems like dual core processors is the perferred choice (with the fastest mhz) and the i3 is a dual core.

5400rpm HD

The laptop won't be amazing and instant, but you can get by with it pretty easily.

 

[WR2]

It will run all those programs pretty well considering it's a laptop. Just don't expect performance up to the level of even a budget desktop computer. If those programs are vitally important to you think about a desktop PC for maximum performance per $ spent. And maybe a netbook to do the stuff that needs doing while mobile.

One more thing is can I upgrade the GPU of the notebook when needed?

It's physically possible to upgrade the video card. That is essentially what happens if you ever need to send the laptop back for warranty repair on the video card.
But it's not something you can safely do your self since the cooling system in integrated with the CPU, and a beefier cooling system is probably needed. And that might not fit into your laptop. A specialist repair facility has the tools, skills and parts needed to carry out a successful repair or replacement. The current cost of a 5870 Mobility Radeon is about $350 and I'm thinking the service charge and shipping will be about half that, minimum, and maybe more if a new cooling system is needed.

5870 Mobility Radeon card.

 

[ksampanna]

You might want to consider getting 4 GB RAM, making you a bit more future proof, & also giving you the opportunity to have more breathing room in rendering or multitasking.

 

[challysj]

Unsure of the gpu upgrade..

Everything else seems fine for what you need to do. I looked up autocad and corel, and it seems like dual core processors is the perferred choice (with the fastest mhz) and the i3 is a dual core.

5400rpm HD

The laptop won't be amazing and instant, but you can get by with it pretty easily.

Thanks for the advice. and thanks also for finding time to look up about autocad and corel.

 

[challysj]

It will run all those programs pretty well considering it's a laptop. Just don't expect performance up to the level of even a budget desktop computer. If those programs are vitally important to you think about a desktop PC for maximum performance per $ spent. And maybe a netbook to do the stuff that needs doing while mobile.
It's physically possible to upgrade the video card. That is essentially what happens if you ever need to send the laptop back for warranty repair on the video card.
But it's not something you can safely do your self since the cooling system in integrated with the CPU, and a beefier cooling system is probably needed. And that might not fit into your laptop. A specialist repair facility has the tools, skills and parts needed to carry out a successful repair or replacement. The current cost of a 5870 Mobility Radeon is about $350 and I'm thinking the service charge and shipping will be about half that, minimum, and maybe more if a new cooling system is needed.

5870 Mobility Radeon card.
http://www.productwiki.com/upload/images/ati_mobility_radeon_hd_5870.jpg

Thanks for the info. This can really help me regarding the notebook upgrade in my mind. I did have a desktop that can run the intended applications pretty well. But I just need a mobile unit for this purpose. I guess this notebook can be an alternative for the meantime. By the way, do you have any idea about Asus as a notebook brand considering their after sales service and support?

 

[challysj]

You might want to consider getting 4 GB RAM, making you a bit more future proof, & also giving you the opportunity to have more breathing room in rendering or multitasking.

That would definitely be an important thing to consider. By the way, are you familiar with Asus brand notebooks? Any feedback regarding service and support? What about Samsung notebooks?

 

[WR2]

Asus are usually considered a 'better' brand than some of the better known brands like HP and Dell. Samsung is closer to being in the middle of the pack last I heard.

 

[ksampanna]

No matter which brand you buy, this dictum always holds: Expect the best, but prepare for the worst.

 

[asusdicson]

Asus K series cannot be upgraded. Its graphic card is fixed on its motherboard.
Except some very early model, most Asus laptops' graphic card cannot be upgraded, even if they have a mxm slot.
If you are doing professional graphic works, consider mobile workstations.