Laptop Work Station for School. Help!

[Chainbrain]

Hi there!

 

I'm new to the forums but heard this was a great place for asking tech questions and you seem like a lovely bunch! I was recently accepted into a Digital Media Design program, and apparently my 2 year old Alienware 17 does not meet the minimum requirements for school. And theres no point in selling it because I won't get what it's worth, so I figured I keep it for gaming, personal use, etc. I'm looking for a reasonably priced laptop with these requirements:

• Intel Core i7, 2.2GHz Hexa Core processor, or better
• NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 with 6 GB RAM, or better
• 16GB of RAM minimum, 32GB recommended
• 500GB SSD hard drive, or larger. Some laptops come with a SSD and HDD, with this configuration it is recommended that software be installed on the SSD and working files stored on the HDD. 128GB SSD is not appropriate for this program.
• 15-inch widescreen display, or larger (smaller screens are not recommended)
• Interface or appropriate adapter : USB-A, RJ45 Gigabit LAN jack (Ethernet port)
 

Does anyone know of any of the top of their head?

 

Thanks so much. 

 

Chainbrain

[celerystruct]

For future reference you'll want to post questions like these in the "Laptop and Pre-built Systems" section of the forum.

 

Who told you your Alienware doesn't meet the minimum requirements?

 

10 hours ago, Chainbrain said:

• Intel Core i7, 2.2GHz Hexa Core processor, or better

Has it.

 

10 hours ago, Chainbrain said:

• NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 with 6 GB RAM, or better

1070 but comes with 8 GB of ram instead of 6 which to my knowledge is better for productivity tasks that involve the gpu

 

10 hours ago, Chainbrain said:

• 16GB of RAM minimum, 32GB recommended

You can just buy a 32 gb ram kit and replace the ram in your laptop. Alienware 17 supports up to 32 GBs

 

10 hours ago, Chainbrain said:

• 500GB SSD hard drive, or larger. Some laptops come with a SSD and HDD, with this configuration it is recommended that software be installed on the SSD and working files stored on the HDD. 128GB SSD is not appropriate for this program.

Buy the SSD you need and replace your current HDD.

 

11 hours ago, Chainbrain said:

• 15-inch widescreen display, or larger (smaller screens are not recommended)

17 inches on the Alienware

 

11 hours ago, Chainbrain said:

• Interface or appropriate adapter : USB-A, RJ45 Gigabit LAN jack (Ethernet port)

Comes with Ehternet port.

 

I'd double check with your school again and make sure you actually need a new laptop before dropping around 1.5k on a new laptop that's only marginally better than what you already have.

[realpetertdm]

18 minutes ago, celerystruct said:

For future reference you'll want to post questions like these in the "Laptop and Pre-built Systems" section of the forum.

 

Who told you your Alienware doesn't meet the minimum requirements?

 

Has it.

 

1070 but comes with 8 GB of ram instead of 6 which to my knowledge is better for productivity tasks that involve the gpu

 

You can just buy a 32 gb ram kit and replace the ram in your laptop. Alienware 17 supports up to 32 GBs

 

Buy the SSD you need and replace your current HDD.

 

17 inches on the Alienware

 

Comes with Ehternet port.

 

I'd double check with your school again and make sure you actually need a new laptop before dropping around 1.5k on a new laptop that's only marginally better than what you already have.

I think OP was talking about a 2017 Alienware 17. From what I've read the Alienware 17 R4 (2017) has an i7-7820HK which is only quad core, and the full spec'd option is a GTX 1080.

[realpetertdm]

I would recommend the Razer Blade 15 (2019), the base option comes with a 256GB SSD, an i7-9750H and a RTX 2070 Max-Q. You can upgrade the storage to a 512 gig option, and it comes with 16 gigs of RAM

[celerystruct]

9 minutes ago, realpetertdm said:

I think OP was talking about a 2017 Alienware 17. From what I've read the Alienware 17 R4 (2017) has an i7-7820HK which is only quad core, and the full spec'd option is a GTX 1080.

Even so why drop 1.5k for a new laptop when he can just upgrade his ram and storage? Whether the 2 extra cores actually make a difference will depend on what programs he's running as well. I'd still double check with the school and make sure before dropping that kind of money. What program is so intense that they can't accept a 2 year old laptop? That would mean that all their students need to buy a new laptop their junior year.

[Chainbrain]

One of the school advisors recommended upgrading for processing power for 3D modelling. It's not an entry level program. We had to make a giant portfolio, get graded on designs, professionalism, etc. So most students are buying new rigs. I would just rather not. My processor is the Quad Core i7-7700HQ 2.8 GHz, and I have a GTX 1070 with 16 GB Ram. 

[celerystruct]

6 minutes ago, Chainbrain said:

One of the school advisors recommended upgrading for processing power for 3D modelling. It's not an entry level program. We had to make a giant portfolio, get graded on designs, professionalism, etc. So most students are buying new rigs. I would just rather not. My processor is the Quad Core i7-7700HQ 2.8 GHz, and I have a GTX 1070 with 16 GB Ram. 

I'd speak with your instructor rather than your adviser for what specs you need. Not saying that the adviser is bad but they might just be reading off a list or something instead knowing what is actually required or what is acceptable for the programs you run. 

 

Another option is to just try using your laptop for the first week and if it's not up to par than consider switching.

 

Worst comes to worst you can just use the school's computers for your work while you wait for your new laptop to arrive if you need one.