Newbie With Newbie Machine

[Kid A]

Just wondering what my chances are of getting Houdini to run on something like this:

Toshiba M400 Tablet

Intel

[sibarrick]

You really need an opengl graphics card, you can turn off opengl acceleration and it will run. But it will run like a dog.

You could really do with a Nvidia GeForce Go of some sort, they are the best option for running Houdini on a laptop

[masstapro]

To keep this thread going, I'm looking into getting a laptop to help me learn faster.

Like during my breaks at work.

Just don't want an enormous machine or screen.

There will not be complicated scenes, but there will be some file loading (object, particles, movie frames, so forth).

Want to spend under $1500.

Any suggestions? Looking at this model:

14in widescreen 1440x900 Nvidia 7700 512MB

http://usa.asus.com/products4.aspx?modelme...=132&l3=449

As long as I get this GPU, I think I can settle for 2.0Hz CPU, 5400rpm Drive, and upgrade the Ram to 2G myself.

~Shawn

[3dbeing]

you are in the eternal cunundrum (hope i spelled that right). The question is do you want to pay now or later, go to cheap and you'll outpace your machine and just have to buy a better one to keep up with your growing knowledge, that's like paying double the price. Simple is fun, but as you get know the software you'll want to test your limits, and the limits of your machine.. if you think you'll just want to be doing basic stuff for a year or more go cheap, otherwise, hunt around for the biggest bang for the buck which may not mean the smallest price, spend an extra 500 or 700 now and you'll be glad you did in 6months when everything moves up a notch and your not left with a useless typewriter.

3db

[masstapro]

.. if you think you'll just want to be doing basic stuff for a year or more go cheap, otherwise, hunt around for the biggest bang for the buck

Thanks,

I should of mentioned that I will be using a faster, more dedicated machine at home for longer computations. Laptop is primarily for learning and rudimentary scene building.

~Shawn

[Dennis Sedov]

Thanks,

I should of mentioned that I will be using a faster, more dedicated machine at home for longer computations. Laptop is primarily for learning and rudimentary scene building.

~Shawn

If I were you, I would go with a bigger screen. Get at least 15.3". Trust me, those smaller once are just going to hurt your learning process. If you can find a 17" one just grab and run!!!

With 1500 I would find a less known brand laptop with a better screen and Nvidia card.

[GallenWolf]

hey masstapro!

I'm using a LG laptop, specifically this:

http://www.lge.com/products/model/detail/r...ss%20dual.jhtml i got it for SGD2199, which is roughly about for your budget. My only complaint about this laptop is the glossy screen - perhaps because I didn't calibrate it - but the final output on TV is very dim, unlike at work where my mates use LCDs with matte screens, seems to work as good as CRTs. So for now if I do compositing and rendering it's on my main pc with a CRT

I'd agree with Dennis, if possible get a larger screen, or something high res. I think i'd love to have houdini run on dual screens or a larger hi-res wide screen.

HTHs!

Alvin