hockeyfreak

Okay, I currently own the Dell Inspiron 1521 but I need a new laptop. I broke my keyboard and need to replace the entire thing and it costs almost as much as the entire laptop was! Plus, I'm a college student and this laptop is soooo heavy to carry along with my books to class.

I don't really know too much about computers, so I'll just tell you what I need:

*PC. I'm a film student and our school is funded by PCs so I will not switch to Mac.
*Lightweight. As I said before, I have to bring my laptop everywhere and my current one is so thick and heavy.
*A ton of memory. As a film/animation student, I will have to put huge programs on my computer and ensure they run quickly, such as Photoshop, After Effects, Maya, etc...
*Ability to run video games and 3D graphics really well. Again, film student.
*An included CD/DVD drive/burner, as I often need to edit film on my laptop and I need to burn the occasional movie.
*At least 2 USB ports.
*Wireless internet. VERY IMPORTANT. Like I said, COLLEGE STUDENT.
*Preferrably thin. I hate my current laptop, it takes up sooo much space in my bag.
*A big enough screen so that I can edit and do my digital media quite easily - but not a massive screen, because I don't want a massive laptop.

Okay, any ideas? I'm going to a computer store this weekend, but I just want to have some ideas on what to look at, considering the sales people will try to sell me anything to make the sale.

cyrue

I know the rigth one HP's Mini 311
The HP Mini 311 is a netbook computer manufactured and sold by HP. This netbook is a notable model, as it is the first netbook to use the Nvidia Ion platform. It went on sale on HP's online store on September 24, 2009 for $399.99. The laptop can be customized with either the Intel Atom N270 or N280 and uses the nVidia GeForce 9400M G graphics used in the ION platform. It has 1 GB of DDR3 SDRAM @ 1066 MHz, with an available upgrade to 2 GB or 3 GB with Windows 7 selected. All memory options take up 1 DIMM slot. The netbook has a 160 GB, 250 GB, or 320 GB SATA hard drive @ 5,400 RPM. There are options for a external DVD burner or DVD burner/Blu-ray reader combo drive, as netbooks do not have integrated optical drives due to their small size. The Mini 311 has a 11.6 Led-backlit BrightView widescreen with a 1366 x 768 resolution and has an integrated webcam standard. Wi-Fi card options include Wireless G or Wireless N cards with optional Bluetooth and as well as optional Mobile Broadband from Verizon Wireless, ATT or Sprint. I/O connectors include a 5-in-1 removable cardc reader, 3 USB 2.0 ports, a Fast Ethernet port, a VGA output, an HDMI output. The netbook uses Altec Lansing stereo speakers.

I hope it helped you and Good Luck !

cyrue

No idea what your price range is but if I had to make a recommendation it would be this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220605
It has plenty of memory, a quad core for rendering and gaming, and an average sized screen.


And why the hell would the person above me recommend a netbook if the person wants to play games, do rendering, and run memory intensive programs like photoshop and after effects.

FortesFortunaAdiuvat

You need at least 2.5 ghz dual core, or preferably quad core processor and to have very upgradable ram. If you need to do video editing you will want a ton of ram. also Graphics capabilities being a necessity make sure youve got some dedicated graphics. should end up running up a nice bill. 1200+ if your getting something that fits the description. I could be wrong, i'm just guestimating. Sounds like you need a desktop in a laptop. Good luck

hondafmxfan5706

To be honest you need a powerfull desktop and a lightweight laptop with a 15 inch screen. The processing power for film and animation is your primary objective. If you want a laptop, it will be heavy.

A 17 inch screen is best for your work. If you want to compromise on that, get an external 19 monitor. Do use a digitizing pad? Thats another reason for a desktop.

The desktop could be (carefully) opened to the school network, if you are on campus, or to the internet and the laptop can be set up to use the desktop remotely. Serious editing and composing would have to be done on the desktop.

Dusty_Flow

Let me just tell you that I was in your shoes not too long ago.

I ended up getting an HP Pavilion Entertainment PC with a 17inch screen. For around $800.
I use Maya, XSI, 3DsMax, Combustion (instead of after effects, but very similar software), Photoshop, and some other CS4's. They all work perfectly on my computer. I have never had an issue with them. It even renders at a reasonable rate. Of course it was slower than the computers at school, but it still came through for me every time.
It has lots of space on it, although I did get a portable hard drive as well, not because I needed the space, but it was a great way to back up projects, because I'm sure you know, but having to start over because of a lost file would be horrible torture that I would not wish on anyone.

Anyway, the computer that I use has everything you're asking for except that it is a bit on the heavy side when carrying books too (by itself, it's alright). It's not too thick though. And being a movie student, I really wouldn't sacrifice the screen size because lower than 17 inches would be hard to work with. I primarily use Maya, and it can be a little frustrating when you're trying to texture and you've got 4 different windows open in Maya trying to see everything. But it's got a CD/DVD burner, 3 USB ports, Wireless internet, and a decent sized screen.

Anyway, this was the closest thing I found to my computer:
http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?sku_id=0926INGFS10134266catid=25254 PCName=laptop%5Fhplogon=langid=ENtest%5Fcookie=1
Try looking into Toshiba's too, because they're supposed to be good laptops, and HP has worked great for me.

Also I've never seen one in person, but I know there are laptops with dual screens, you may want to look into that.

DJO

Research a new laptop with Windows PC Scout: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/pc-scou? You can search and find the perfect laptop for your specific needs.

Cheers,
Jeff
Windows 7 Outreach Team