Want to buy PC - Laptop or Tower?

[madsmeskalin]

I´m thinking about selling my Macbook Pro, and buying a PC. Long story, short version: I dont like Apple.

How many of you VJ´s use Tower vs Laptops? And how big is the price vs performance on these machines? Durability of a tower compared to a laptop? I usually supply 3 - 6 projectors on a triplehead or serial connect the projectors, so I dont think the extra weight will make that much difference. A friend of mine told me recently that the difference between laptops and stationary computers are not that big nowadays in terms of performance. I dont know, since I never used a stationary computer for serious work.

If I were to buy a tower, I would probably make a case for it, where the keyboard and screen could be seen as an integrated part.

[alfaleader]

A desktop is much faster then a laptop (for the same price). A 500€ desktop beats mostly the performance of a 1000€ laptop.

When you use a desktop, you can don't need a triplehead. Use one of the ATI cards that use eyefinity.

Durability is better with a desktop, it has more space and better cooling (possible to use dust filters).

If you want to build in a keyboard/screen, I suggest you use a rack case so you can build things in a rack.

[madsmeskalin]

Thanks alot for a very concise and helpful answer!

- I did hear that desktops are susceptible to damage during transport, that internal components can easily dislodge. is that true?

- Can you recommend one of the best infinity graphics cards? Money is not really a concern, as I will save alot of money by selling my macbook pro.

- Is it possible to upgrade/replace the CPU in a tower, or is it hardwired/soldiered to the chassis?

- Can you recommend me a cheap and lightweight rack? Its not meant as much for protection, as it is meant to unify the screen, keyboard and all that.

[madsmeskalin]

Oh, does it really matter what combination of components you have? Do one type of CPU work better with certain graphics cards, or isnt that an issue?

[alfaleader]

It's true that a desktop can be damaged during transport if you don't have a good case. But if you buy a good rack mount case, this won't be a problem. (you can also do modifications to secure the GPU better)

Best eyefinity gpu is now a 7970 (600€), but a 7950 or lower version (6870, 6970, 6950 will be enough for vjing). You can also place 2 graphics cards in crossfire, so you will have double the amount of outputs. It's also possible to use 1 expensive gpu, and one very cheap. The cheap one will just be for more outputs.

It's possible to replace your cpu/gpu/RAM/hard drive, that's also one of the advantages for desktops.

I don't know much about rack cases, some other vjs have more experience in them (I know sleepytom has a rack case, and some others). I have a normal case.

It's important to find a good balance between your components so you don't have a bottleneck. It's stupid to use a 600€ gpu with a cpu from only 100€.


I would suggest something like this:
CPU: intel i5-2500 Quadcore 3.3 Ghz (190€)
motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-P67-DS3-B3 (90€)
RAM: Corsair 8gb 1333mhz (45€)
GPU: ASUS EAH6950 DCII (260€), with 2x DVI-I and 4x Displayport
(Extra GPU: HD5450 for extra HDMI, DVI-I and DP (40€))
Hard disk: Cheap SSD for booting, and a cheap hard drive (with the floodings the prices of hard disks are now very high, better to buy a cheap one now and wait a few months till the prices drop)
Cooling: an extra CPU cooler that fits in your case, and extra fans when your case has place for extra fans.
Case + Power supply: depends on rack case


Good luck!

[vjair]

personaly, i prefer a laptop as it fits in a bag more easily - mine does fine with multiple hd layers on multiple outputs in Avenue. i havnt used a tower for vjing for many years now.

[haris]

if you move a lot around and don't own a car, then the desktop solution despite being cheaper and more powerful than a laptop will be not so practical

[SilentEclipse]

Originally Posted by vjair

personaly, i prefer a laptop as it fits in a bag more easily - mine does fine with multiple hd layers on multiple outputs in Avenue. i havnt used a tower for vjing for many years now.

Thats interesting to know, I have MBP with 4g RAM and its struggling with 2 layers of H264 1080p footage in Grandvj.

[stickygreen]

[QUOTE=SilentEclipse;282328 its struggling with 2 layers of H264 1080p footage in Grandvj.[/QUOTE]

That's cause you're using H264 codec.....

try PhotoJpeg, or MotionJpeg, it will work much better.

[alfaleader]

H264 will be the problem, try photojpeg.