Hello all
Im about to get a laptop for school this sept. ill be running maya max, and other design programs, im currently looking at the dell xps gen 2, anyone have any other suggestions or coments on the dell.
Thanks
I've actually considered the Dell XPS Gen 2 myself though while looking cool I'd be concerned more with the hardware inside. The Pentium M processor does keep cooler than other processors but also is not intended for heavy workloads. Though it does perform well in benchmarks as seen here http://www.gamepc.com/labs/view_content.asp?id=turion64&page=1http://www.gamepc.com/labs/view\_content.as...on64&page=1
Even though Intel and AMD have been pushing the 64-bit processor idea highend software developers such as Alias have been less accepting. Though there are some developers such as Softimage (XSI) and Newtek (Lightwave) working on coding a 64-bit capable 3D software package.
If Intel releases a 64-bit capable Pentium M processor with the same socket design as the current Pentium M then upgrading won't be much of an issue. I would then be less concerned that the current Pentium M doesn't support EMT64 because it's current performance does well against the AMD's Turion64 and it would later be possible to upgrade the processor.
Anyway, I'll list a few companies for you to look over at what they offer. I've contacted all of the companies listed here and they are in most cases open to suggestions from possible customers and current ones.
Cheers.
Game PC: Offers customers the option of no OS, Novell SuSE Linux Professional or Windows XP Professional preinstalled. You also can choose between Geforce, Radeon or Quadro.
http://www.gamepc.com/index.asphttp://www.gamepc.com/index.asp
Alienware: Offers both USD and CAD prices. Received an email recently that they are going to soon offer 64-bit Intel processors and are looking into dual core mobile processors when they become availble. Unfortunately they only offer customers the option of Windows XP being preinstalled.
http://www.alienware.com/http://www.alienware.com/
Boxxtech: Option for either the Geforce Go 6800 GPU or Quadro Go 1400 GPU. Windows XP is the only option for preinstalled OS.
http://boxxtech.com/http://boxxtech.com/
HP: List both NVIDIA and ATI PCI-Express graphics options and at this time only Windows XP is the option for the laptop.
http://www.hp.com/country/ca/en/welcome.htmlhttp://www.hp.com/country/ca/en/welcome.html
Eurocom: Not many smaller companies offer financing but this one does. They certify their hardware for Linux but currently only offer the option of no OS or Windows XP preinstalled.
http://eurocom.com/http://eurocom.com/
Dell: They keep commenting to the press that they'll offer Novell SuSE Linux on the laptop but I have yet to see it. Anyway, customers can contact them to have either Windows XP Professional or Red Hat Linux preinstalled. The only laptop out of their list I would recommend is the XPS Gen 2. The rest...well they are some what lacking 
http://www1.ca.dell.com/content/default.aspx?c=ca&l=en&s=genhttp://www1.ca.dell.com/content/default.as...;l=en&s=gen
Thanks so much for the advice, any thoughts about Apple Powerbook G4?
Shaggy
While the Titanium laptop with 17" display looks cool I find Apple's prices to high for the now out dated G4 processor. This is the issue Apple has been having with supply & demand in regards to meeting consumers expectations. Though if anyone is to lay blame it would be more to do with IBM who has been unable to meet Apple's design expectations and quotas. Although maybe Apple's expectations are set to high Anyway, this is why I feel Apple would be better to consider either Intel or AMD who both can meet Apple's hardware demands. Though this would cause Apple to have to port OSX over to the X86 architecture which would then mean consumers less likely to purchase Apple hardware. I believe this would be better for Apple since the old "SGI model" of thinking which is not flexible is not what consumers need or want. This would also cause Apple to be more competitive by lowering their hardware prices to compete with competitors.
Oh and additional consideration is to consider a laptop that offers flexibility. I've already commented on the hardware issue but I'm also referring to the software that can run on it. If you're planning on working in 3D then make sure the software you want to use will run on your hardware. Maya runs on Windows XP (X86), Linux (X86) and OSX (PPC) where as XSI and Houdini only run on Windows XP (X86) and Linux (X86). Cinema 4D and Lightwave run on Windows (X86) and OSX (PPC) but rumors they may port to Linux (X86). You'll tend to find more highend software ported to the X86 architecture than to PPC. This is basically due to what studios are using for the majority of their hardware. Flexibility is key whether you're setting up a studio or just looking to freelance out of your home office.
sorry mate, your info is a bit off. At least in regards to who supplies Apple's G4 for their laptops. It isn't IBM, Apple is still stuck using Motorola who spun off its semi conductor division and is now known as FreeScale.
The G4 chip is akin to the P3 of yesteryear. Pretty good tech but crippled by a crappy Front Side Bus. If you look at the Pentium M it is basically a P3 that was re-engineered over in Israel. They made it more flexable with being able to shut down certain parts of itself for power savings and pumped up the FSB.
Apple cannot currently move their entire ISV base over to x86, MIPS, SPARC or anything else. They are very tied to their current hardware.
Apple is in some ways jockeying to become the new SGI of the early 1990's. Many in the biz say, F that. Why trade one golem for another? And i think they are correct.
However, Apple has yet to open up their MP3 player, the iPod and its has over 70% of the market. Food for thought i suppose.
my .01
Re: "sorry mate, your info is a bit off. At least in regards to who supplies Apple's G4 for their laptops. It isn't IBM, Apple is still stuck using Motorola who spun off its semi conductor division and is now known as FreeScale."
You're correct that the now outdated G4 processor was originally from Motorola. The current manufacturer for Apple is IBM (see http://www-03.ibm.com/chips/products/powerpc/ ) who manufacturers the G5 processors. Though this may change due to leaks from Apple insiders that Apple is considering dumping IBM for Intel due to being dissatisfied with their working relationship.
Thanks to Dark Knight and John Liscomb for taking the time to help me out. However, you might have to dumb it down a litte for me 
. Here is my situation. Won 4000$ at the casino on a hand of let it ride. Going to school this sept for game animation (max, maya, photoshop, after effects all that kinda stuff) I want to get a laptop that will handle all of those programs with ease. Im not sure what to look for, I have little knowledge of hardware and chip manufacturers, consider me a flaming Newb if you ever saw one. So if you could recomend a laptop that I wont have to replace in the next 2 years at least and is ideal for animation that would be perfect, thanks for the web sites Dark Knight im still going through them, Boxx looks interesting. Anyway thanks again for your help.
Shaggs
well if you want max on it then all other except windows is out of the question!
Recommended specs:
Processor: Intel P4 660 w/EMT64 & Hyperthreading or AMD Turion64
Display: 17" WUXGA
HDD: 120 GB (60 GB x 2) 7200 RPM SATA
GPU: NVIDIA Quadro Go 1400 w/256 mb DDR3 RAM PCI-Express. Dislike ATI as to many issues reported with Maya and XSI. If you have to cut corners on your budget don't settle for anything less than a NVIDIA Geforce Go 6600.
LAN: Integrated Bluetooth 2.0 w/802.11 G WiFi and Integrated Gigabit (10/100/1000) Wired Ethernet. If you're looking for true portability consider an EDGE PCMCIA card. Wireless providers such as Rogers.com in Canada provide this card and access to the network for remote connections. Look for an ISP in your country/area that supports this.
I/O ports: S-Video, USB, Firewire, audio in/out.
OS: Novell SuSE Linux Professional 9.3 (64-bit) for use with Maya, XSI, Houdini, Shake, Digital Fusion, Cinelerra, MainActor, etc. Windows XP Professional 64 (64-bit) for use with Maya, XSI, 3DSMax, Lightwave, Digital Fusion, Premiere Pro, Avid Xpress, etc.
Mouse: Any 3 button optical or lazer mouse suited for laptops. Even though Logitech doesn't officially support Linux there are drivers auto-installed by distributions such as SuSE Linux Professional.
Apple IBM and Motorola formed the AIM Consortium based around IBM's POWER technology in 1991. Apple convinced IBM to license its technology and work with Moto to come up with consumer friendly versions of its chips that would be suitable for personel computers. PowerPC was then born, essentially a subset of the big iron POWER arch from Big Blue.
At first there was a performance advantage that PowerPC had over Intel. Some may remember the Snail Ad campaign which was later countered by the Intel BunnySuite men. Eventually Intel invested more into R&D and out engineered Moto. IBM didn't do a whole heck of a lot with PowerPC back then.
The biggest problem with Moto's designs was their not pushing the Front Side Bus to keep pace with Intel's offerings. Once Intel released the P4 with its 400mhz FSB and Apple was still stuck with Moto's gimpy 133 FSB which eventually was moved to 167 FSB (whoopie).
Apple wisely saw that Moto didn't care about its Apple biz, so they started to get into talks with IBM. Afterall who cares more about POWER arch and its performance then the original engineers and suits at Big Blue?
As we can see from this page off of Apple's website http://www.apple.com/powerbook/specs.html there are many Macs that are still stuck on that old Moto 167 FSB. The Mac Mini, PowerBooks, iBooks, anything with a G4 in it.
Jon "Hannibal" Stokes has some great prose on this issue for those that enjoy digging deeper into some of the History. http://arstechnica.com/articles/paedia/cpu/ppc-2.ars
DK did the legwork and homework for the sys specs. I can't find any faults with his recommendation. From the GamePC article i browsed, looks like the Pentium M is superior to the Turion in performance which surprises me.
Go with the best solution for your budget.
Thanks for the help everyone, I went with the Dell XPS Gen 2, mostly for using Max, and I hear Dell support is pretty good. Thanks again!
Check with Dell on upgradability options for their customers as Alienware offers something similar. Meaning when Intel releases their announced dual core Pentium-M w/EMT64 by Q1 of 2006 it would good to know if you can change the processor on the motherboard. This would most likely need to be done by the distributor, in this case Dell so as to not void the warrenty.
perhaps I'm a little bit late but anyway check ibm
http://www-131.ibm.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?categoryId=2049168&storeId=10000001&catalogId=-840&langId=-1http://www-131.ibm.com/webapp/wcs/stores/s...0&langId=-1
T43p models with 15" screen.