Studying Interior Design and laptop needed..

The programs i'll commonly be using will be AutoCAD, 3D Studio Max, Photoshop and Illustrator

My school is offering me T420 and W520 and academy price, which is really cheap.

Specs given for T420 is

Specs given for W520 is

However, it is a non FHD version; which is 1366 x 768..


I need honest opinion and help here.
All help and opinion given is very much appreciated, thank you!

 

With your usage profile as indicated, you should get the W520.

Nein, nein, nein, nein, nein! You must get the FHD version. That screen is one of the best non-IPS panels.

 

I'd love to BUT the school is only offering the HD and not the FHD..

FYI, the HD is going @ SGD $2k (academy price) whereas the retail price for FHD is close to SGD $4k..

Thus i'm left with limited choice.

 

Shop around for a higher resolution display. 1600 x 900 @ 14" is usable for your needs if you don't want the extra size of 15" but 1366 x 678 is taking you back 10 years in terms of display real estate. Check the pricing of something suitable if you order direct from the manufacturers. You may also want to look at the Samsung Series 7 which has a 1600 x 900 display.

John

 

Ah.. I was told to buy the w520 with HD first (at a lower cost) before upgrading it to FHD myself..
Does it sound feasible?

Was given this alternative.. Any idea..? :s11::/

 

1. I wouldn't recommend buying W520 HD+ and then upgrading FHD on your own.

2. That ASUS N55SL, from a technical specification standpoint, looks suitable for your needs. However, I am not familiar enough with ASUS laptop products to comment on their quality.

(I notice you've started a thread over at ASUS forum.)

 

While it is completely doable, screen are not considered user replaceable and doing so will make your warranty suspect at best.

 

Thank you for the opinion given.
Seemed like T420 would be what I should really get...

Sorry for starting one there but I was kinda panicking cause laptop roadshow for school is this week so I need to confirm with a laptop.

Got your point Bro. Thanks.

 

ASUS laptops? Probably should stick to something more reliable.

For your need the W520 is a better choice, the T420 is not really up to the task if you do a lot of CAD.

 

However, like stated, it's HD and not FHD..
What do you reckon?

 

1368x768 on 15.6" was like 6 year old laptops with 15" and XGA screen resolution, it pretty much as low as you can get. The W520 will tackle CAD stuff easier than the T420's NVS 4200M will, and run cooler, but the HD resolution is going to be terrible.

 

I used a T61p for the last two years of Interior Design school. Class of 09'
Used Rhino, Revit, CAD, Brazil, Grasshopper, 3DsMax, CAD, Ai, Ps, Id.

Without fail the T61p kept up.

I resently ordered a W520 with FHD to replace the T-series and help speed up render times as I finish an MArch degree.

Both(T420, W520) those laptops would work great for your use.
What country are you in? Those prices are very high.

Have fun in school, SAVE your work often while working...to multiple sources. It sucks to delete work by mistake or have a crash and lose a few hours work.

 

I think he meant Singapore dollar.
How much time will you be working in class? If you can get a external monitor in dorm/home, and mostly use laptop in school to show progress/take note , a low resolution screen may be fine for you.

If monitor is not a option, then high resolution is really really helpful. Cad/illustrator on low resolution is worse nightmare ever.

 

SGD. Got it. Thanks.

 

I know i know..
Many people around have been telling me that but the T420 and W520 are the only laptop available for me to buy.. And their resolution is just a mere HD 1368 x 768..
No other choice..

However, the HD resolution can actually be a personal viewpoint right? Like whether you'd get used to it?


One other guy reasoned with me ..

persuading me to get a T420 for it sounded more worthy..

From Singapore
With that comment, i am once again dumbfounded with what to get..
*im a tech nerd*

Haha, nice piece of advice. Thank you!

You're really scaring me here..

I'll probably be doing work outside home - @ school and at cafes etc..

Any other alternative then?

Eg. other than w520/ t420?

 

Well, I exaggerated a bit ~~ but a larger resolution will help your workflow better.

 

I have a T520 with the 16x9 display and I 2x the suggestion to invest in a good monitor. Both T and the W come with DisplayPorts. I do Inventor-based CAD and it's occasionally a bit of a hassle when you're dealing with long and narrow parts.

Also, if you do mobile work, BUY the 9-cell! Inventor eats through a full 9-cell on nVidia in four hours.

 

Just think of 1366 x 768 as being the electronic equivalent of using a desk that is only 0.6m (2ft') x 0.4m (16") and scale up the resolutions accordingly.

The small desk is just about usable but when you put your computer on it there's not much room for anything else.

John

 

Well the W520 is heavier because it has a MUCH better graphics card, even the Quadro 1000M smokes the NVS 4200M (Quadro 1000M is top of Class 2 GPU's, while NVS 4200M is top of Class 3), so it has to have a better cooling system, as the W520 also has an optional Quadro 3000M.

 

Got your point

Okay, let's just say i choose not to get the T420/ W520. What do you suggest for an alternative?

So that explains the weight..

 

The W520. For your needs, I don't know why there'd even be a debate. That's clearly the one that will be the best suited. Yes, FHD is great, and you'd benefit immensely from it, but if it's not a choice, it's not a choice. If you can go out and buy a FHD W520 on your own, do it. But if the price difference is too great versus what your school is offering, do what you have to do. The W520 is really the only serious option between those two.

 

I suggest you stop this thread and post your request for laptop purchase advice at the " What Notebook Should I Buy?" section.

 

Have probably decided on T420 with 1366 x 768 resolution..
Since it's hard to decide between T420 and W520 and both with same resolution.

 

Tsunade_Hime, I find a flaw in your statement regarding the nVidia Quadro 3000M. On the official manufacturer's site ( here), the 3000M can only be found in the 17.3 inch models of the Elitebook, Fujitsu, and Dell precision line (m6600).

From the tabook:

 

the W520 only have the 1000 m or 2000 m Quadro nvidia gpu.