Thanks for the advice

i think i will just had a get a good laptop around £600 either hp or dell configure that can handle basic game programming. I am in 30 mins walking distance from house to university so this probably isn't an expense worth £1000+

I think it depends. I had many times when I absolutely could not get any work done because certain specialized software I needed to use was only at certain locations on campus (the engineering school and the main campus were about 2-3 miles apart and so taking the bus was usually required). The problem for me being I would often have a few hours between classes in which I could not do any course work. However, when I got my laptop I became far more productive on campus.

Of course if I was a better student I probably could have just finished my coarse work at home instead of procrastinating. But I know for a fact I got far more work done when I got a laptop. Your mileage may vary.

edit: I don't have a laptop now as I don't have to move around a campus. Work and home and that's it. I may get a laptop someday, but it's very low priority at this time.

If the lap top is heavier than a netbook, then you're not going to want to carry it around much.

People that buy those massive 17 inch screens with desktop grade internals,... Have back problems and burns on their laps, or just don't use it as anything but a small desktop and leave it in their room.


Save the money, build a mid range desktop, and buy a cheap netbook to actually take with you. You'll get a far better computer for your games after classes, and your netbook is easy to carry around with you and still more than powerful enough to edit even the most extreme of code!

(You might not be able to RUN the code, but you can still write it!)

Quote: Original post by Talroth
People that buy those massive 17 inch screens with desktop grade internals,... Have back problems and burns on their laps, or just don't use it as anything but a small desktop and leave it in their room.

heh you remind me of my brother. He uses a 13" computer and thinks 15" is massive and too large for anyone to carry around. I'm 6' 2" so carrying around my 17" in my shoulder bag is no problem. I don't even notice its there since shoulder bags are so comfortable. (Pretty much all of my friends would disagree with that statement. :P )

Quote: Original post by Sirisian

Quote: Original post by Talroth
People that buy those massive 17 inch screens with desktop grade internals,... Have back problems and burns on their laps, or just don't use it as anything but a small desktop and leave it in their room.

heh you remind me of my brother. He uses a 13" computer and thinks 15" is massive and too large for anyone to carry around. I'm 6' 2" so carrying around my 17" in my shoulder bag is no problem. I don't even notice its there since shoulder bags are so comfortable. (Pretty much all of my friends would disagree with that statement. :P )

True, a 17" isn't that heavy. But when you add in all the other stuff that most people carry to classes, it is weight you don't need. Not to mention the batteries tend so suck, they cost the earth, and are usually far more prone to damage due to their larger size and more cumbersome handling.

I'm gonna sound like a masochist, but I've used my Samsung NC10 for coding and word processing on the go. Chuck it in a bag, keeps the boredom at bay for up to 7 hours.

I also have a 17'' Dell XPS, but that's more like a portable desktop / inverted frying pan.

Frankly, I wouldn't get too big-headed about performance in a laptop. If you need the performance, get a desktop for the grunt work, and maybe a cheap laptop when you need to get mobile.

I probably should have mention this before but this is a secondary computer, i already have a powerful enough xps computer.

Then I don't really know. I'm not a laptop expert. From experience, avoid Dell. MSI and Asus make high performance 'gaming' laptops. £1000 should get you plenty.

Pop down to overclockers for a looksy.

Quote: Original post by TalrothSave the money, build a mid range desktop, and buy a cheap netbook to actually take with you. You'll get a far better computer for your games after classes, and your netbook is easy to carry around with you and still more than powerful enough to edit even the most extreme of code!

(You might not be able to RUN the code, but you can still write it!)

This is roughly the approach I'm thinking of. Get either a desktop or powerful laptop that mostly stays at home. Then have a small netbook or similar that will work for code editing, web browsing, and other lightweight programs. I'd probably also do lightweight compilation and running of, say, test programs, proofs-of-concept, etcetera. I can either check my source out of version control at home, from an online repo, or work on it directly at Bespin.

The problem with a desktop is that it does take up all that space, which may be at a premium with a tight budget.

I'm not sure what your price range is, but I have an HP dv2700 that works just fine for game programming. It has an NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS and it runs most of my stuff okay. If you need more horsepower, then I'd get a specialized gaming laptop (very expensive). I only paid $400 USD for this one here from a family member, and I really like programming games on it.