laptop question?

# 1 10-01-2007 , 12:04 AM

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Location: Plattsburgh New York

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Right now I'm using a desktop with only a Raedon X300 SE 128MB Hypermemory for Maya 6.5. It seems to do everything pretty good as far as graphics go.
I want to get a laptop, let me state now I don't have a lot of cash, around $1,000, and I don't know what to do about a graphics card, basically will ATI RADEON Xpress1150 256MB HyperMemory (Integrated) cause any problems?

Some other specs to the laptop I have my eye on:
Inspiron 1501 AMD Turion™ 64 X2 Dual-Core Mobile Technology TL-50
OPERATING SYSTEM(s) Genuine Windows® XP Professional
MEMORY 1.5GB DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHZ, 2 DIMM
VIDEO CARD ATI RADEON® Xpress1150 256MB HyperMemory™ (Integrated)
HARD DRIVES 120GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive

Any help picking one out or if this is alright would be greatly appreciated.

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# 2 10-01-2007 , 12:15 AM

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Not too sure about the processor, but everything else you've got is bigger, better, faster or newer than what I have. I've got no probs playing with this system, although more than 1GB ram would be nice at times.

Personal prefference may well dictate a scroll wheel mouse too. Although you can get around this using shelf buttons or hotkeys.

Too much power is not something that goes in the same sentence as maya, unless you're talking about the electricity bill to run your rig. Keep in mind laptops are more-or-less un-upgradeable and offer less grunt for the dollar, with the upside of extreme portability. Though I'm probably telling you nothing you don't know here already.

S.

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# 3 10-01-2007 , 12:24 AM

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I must add real quick that this isn't an extensive search either, kind of a custom build laptop, I was thinking about upping it to a 2gig ram.

I'm already planning on buying a scroll wheel mouse, not really into the touch pad, especially not for moving around in maya. And yes I know that laptops are unupgradable (if that even a real word) thats why I'm trying to get bigger and better than my desktop computer for as low as I possibly can (working a low paying job and living on your own doesn't leave you with much leftover money). The laptop will be strictly for maya, and the desktop can go back to beeing the big storage device in the corner of my room that I watch movies and browse the internet and chat on.

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# 4 10-01-2007 , 05:20 AM

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The 1.5GB memory seems strange as I thought that the memory modules had to be the same to run in DDR2, but then it says the RAM's in SDRAM, unless they mean that its a 1Gb and a 512 stick or DDR2 ram that as its not the same it runs at SDRAM, which seems a waste if thats the case. I'm confused......

Think that I would go for a "proper" graphics card as on my old PC, and on other peoples pc's they have had problems with a intergrated card (and once you committ with a laptop your a bit stuck when it comes to graphics cards)

"No pressure, no diamonds" Thomas Carlyle

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# 5 11-01-2007 , 03:13 AM

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gster123> 'The 1.5GB memory seems strange as I thought that the memory modules had to be the same to run in DDR2, but then it says the RAM's in SDRAM, unless they mean that its a 1Gb and a 512 stick or DDR2 ram that as its not the same it runs at SDRAM, which seems a waste if thats the case. I'm confused......'

Hmm. Not too sure about the DDR2 needing identical modules to work but its unlikely since its data bus is still 64 bits wide.

Anyways, the 1.5 GB is a short way of saying one and a half gigabytes which would be 1,536 MB. DDR2 by the way is a method of accessing SDRAM.

gster123> 'Think that I would go for a "proper" graphics card as on my old PC, and on other peoples pc's they have had problems with a intergrated card (and once you committ with a laptop your a bit stuck when it comes to graphics cards)'

Don't they have mobile versions of FireGLs and Quadros? I remember seeing FireGLs for laptops in the corner of my eye when I went to ATI for my monthly driver update...

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# 6 11-01-2007 , 03:32 AM

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Yep they do have mobile version of the Fire and the Quadro's, as well as the Gforces (not too sure about ATI but I would assume so) ive got a Gforce 7900 GTX 512Mb Go card in my laptop (the go signifies that is's the mobile version.

With maya a dedicated card rarther than an intergrated card will help out, for hardwarerendering and possibly for display properties (as ive said i've seen problems on intergrated graphics)

"No pressure, no diamonds" Thomas Carlyle

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laptop question?

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