MSU_ARP11 Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 Hey im an engineering student about to start my major classes and Im looking at buying a computer on "black friday". I need it to run AutoCAD 2010 and other various student type of tasks like word, good internet browser, picture/video storage, small computer games, etc. and I was wondering what I needed. Id like something around $500-$800. do i need a LAPTOP or DESKTOP? Does it even matter? what is ddr2? ddr3? etc. what is this 64 bits thing? what the crap is a video card and what kind do I need? what is a core processer and why do i need 2 or 4 of them? PLEASE dumb everythign down for me. sorry if i sound like an idiot i just honestly dont know much about computers. Ive been reading some of these forum posts and have absolutely no clue what is being said. THANKS A MILLION! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiger Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 Hey and welcome to the frum MSU. First, please don't post more than one thread asking the same question, most of us thrawl through all the sub-forums anyway. Second, I can't explain what all those components are either, I know that I have them in my computer, and they're probably important but what they do, beats me. But the easiest way to get a list that at least AutoCAD will work on is to go to the autodesk homepage, look at the specifications (recommended, not required) and start with that. Another alternative is to go to a store that you trust, and ask them for help. usually what I do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MSU_ARP11 Posted November 25, 2009 Author Share Posted November 25, 2009 yea ive done that already. the problem is I sometimes dont trust bestbuy because all they want is to empty your wallet and sell you stuff you dont need. walmart is a silly choice. hhgreg, dont know much about. Ive checked the specs but still have absolutely no clue what everything means. video cards are my main question tho. anyone have any clue about video cards? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiger Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 A general note mate, there are people here from all over the world, BestBuy and the rest mean diddly to me. As did Black Friday until I googled it. Thanksgiving is not so big over here, got no pilgrims. Video cards I dunno much about, I think you mean Graphic Card? If it is in fact graphic Card you are talking about, again, Autodesk has a list och recommended graphic cards, bring that list with you to the store and make sure you get one from the list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tankman Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 MSU as a student, I would suggest portability. Laptop. You will certainly use the computer in more than one class and elsewhere; i.e.: school library, park bench, dorm, friends room, and take it home during holidays. If you go the portable route, you wouldn't want to carry a large 'n heavy laptop. This shoulder, that shoulder, boring. The larger the laptop, shorter the battery life. Obviously. Think Thinkpad™, 14" screen. Do you have wireless internet access on campus? Think, laptop, wireless. I've used most major manufacturers' desktops and laptops. A couple of years ago I purchased an IBM (now Lenovo) Thinkpad™ laptop, 14" screen. Couldn't be happier. Small, lightweight, beautiful screen resolution. I am usin' 2005 with a plumbing (pipe) add-on. Never misses a beat, a work horse. No, I don't work for IBM. This is my opinion but, why do so many businesses spec Thinkpad™ laptops? By all means, check Autodesk's website for requirements. Never used 2010, 64 bit, read Tiger's posts. More good advice. If you respond to Tiger, no Saab stories today!!! http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/landing_pages/sales/black-friday-cyber-monday?cid=SEO-blackfriday Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReMark Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 I would recommend a desktop. You'll get more for the money especially since your maxed out budget is $800. An $800 laptop is basically a toy in my opinion. DDR2 and DDR3 are types of RAM. Generally speaking one tries to buy the most RAM as well as the fastest RAM they can afford. What is a video card? It is that link between your computer and the monitor. It processes graphical information. The type you should get usually boils down to what your computer will be used for. Since you will be an engineering student you want something with a little muscle to it. A PCIe graphics card (not a GPU which is a graphics processing unit also know as an "onboard" chip) with 128MB to 256MB of vidRAM will suffice. A good gaming card would work. I don't think you'll be doing much rendering or a whole lot of 3D work. With your budget a Core 2 Duo is the way to go. For the more techincal aspects of computers consult PC World or Toms Hardware (online). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chainsaw Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 Ok so you're a student, if your brand spanking new laptop gets stolen are you going to be able to afford to replace it? A laptop is always a compromise over a desktop unless you spend big bucks & is more likely to go astray. Think about the operating system that comes with the PC, XP needs at least 1GB of (RAM) memory to run well, Vista needs at least 1.5GB preferably 2GB, Windows 7 is supposedly more RAM & processor friendly but I do not have any experience. Think also about storage, most PC's now are aimed at home users who mostly use them as media centres, thousands of songs, photo's etc. Do you really need a Terrabyte (1000GB) of storage? Take all these things into consideration & you could buy yourself a good machine that is tailored to your needs & save yourself some cash to spend on a good display (very important, a poor display will ruin your opinion of the entire machine). Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiger Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 ...If you respond to Tiger, no Saab stories today!!! Yeah, saab is a dark story here today.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrbucket Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 As others have said, there is plus's and negatives for both desktop's and laptop's. Desktops are highly upgradable, laptops arent for the most part. To dumb it down, if you can get quad core for desktop, do it (its future proofing). Otherwise Core 2 duo on laptop. Memory speed makes very little difference depending on Front Side Bus of motherboard, most cheapy retail store PC's have cheap motherboards that only support 1066mhz or even 800mhz. If you pair it up with memory that is ddr2 @1066, it might be fine, but if you get memory that is ddr2@1333 or ddr3@1600 its a waste. ASK THE QUESTION, your wasting your money if they stuff all the goodies in there but only your capped as far as speed. Its just a thought to ask. As far as processor speed, Core i7 is the fastest, but its not cheap. Core2 duo or quad has come down in price, but you can get the same speed from AMD Phenom 2 for half the price. Video cards for CAD are fairly specific for Autodesk Certified, but not very useful for gaming or TV play. A good midrange card with 512mb is adequate for all. Windows 7 rocks. You can run ANY version of CAD on it. It has a very useful feature that lets you choose what version of windows it will run under. VERY HANDY for all throwback programs you might want to use. On top of that, if you have a compatibility issue, windows online search will actually locate a fix, no-really, it actually works. I second Tankman's IBM Thinkpad suggestion, they are built heavy duty, and well made. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReMark Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 You can get more bang for your buck by buying someone else's machine. Just got to know what you're looking at and see it in actual use before laying down your hard earned bucks. You wouldn't believe what $800 on craigslist will buy these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrbucket Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 You can get more bang for your buck by buying someone else's machine. Just got to know what you're looking at and see it in actual use before laying down your hard earned bucks. You wouldn't believe what $800 on craigslist will buy these days. Yikes, that is very scary. My buddy bought a laptop off craigslist, it fired up fine and was fairly new, except for "the glitch" that showed up a week after he bought it. It would randomly shut down during operation. Never could be pin-pointed. Im sure that is few and far between. Generally speaking, if your a good judge of character, you can tell if someone is selling a problem. Oh, and double check your serials. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReMark Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 This 16" HP Pavillion laptop is for sale in my neck of the woods for $800. * 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T6400 Processor * 4 GB RAM (8 GB max) * 320 GB hard drive, LightScribe dual-layer DVD drive * Windows Vista Home Premium with SP1 (64-bit version) * Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics (up to 1759 MB total), 16-inch LCD with perfect 16:9 aspect ratio Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tankman Posted November 26, 2009 Share Posted November 26, 2009 Yeah, saab is a dark story here today.... Sorry Tiger, I owned two (some time ago) Saab's. Maintenance "hungry" I gave 'em up for Volvo's. Volvo's back then were "tanks", owned several of the 240 series sedans, including a great wagon! Sorry Saab is a dark story today, and tomorrow. As for a laptop, search eBay for a Thinkpad™ laptop. I just saw one for $300.00 USD, very well appointed too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiger Posted November 26, 2009 Share Posted November 26, 2009 Sorry Tiger, I owned two (some time ago) Saab's. Maintenance "hungry" I gave 'em up for Volvo's. Volvo's back then were "tanks", owned several of the 240 series sedans, including a great wagon! Sorry Saab is a dark story today, and tomorrow. As for a laptop, search eBay for a Thinkpad™ laptop. I just saw one for $300.00 USD, very well appointed too! Volvos are tanks, especially the older ones - those ******s can just go through everything! Anyone seen the Top Gear episode where they buy really cheap cars and one of them buys a Volvo. The last test they put em through is ramming a brick wall; the other two cars stop dead and are dead. The Volvo plows through the wall Sorry, off-topic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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