Hello All,
I am planning to buy a new computer for design and gaming. Currently, I am using a laptop.Specs Intel I3 3rd generation, 1TB hard disk, two gb graphic cards.Using it for the past four years, and now it is outdated.
So I am thinking of buying an intel i7 processor, 256 SDD hard disk, NVIDIA (I didn't decide on the model yet). Should I customize it, or I buy it from the shelf of Walmartone?What will be better? My uncle works at Walmart, so they get some employee discounts. Anything else should I consider before buying, I am 19 years, and I am earning enough to cover my laptop/desktop expense.
Your suggestions are welcome.
I'm not quite sure what you're talking about with "low end" work. In my own specific case I work on sign manufacturing projects that often cost a great deal of money (and generate a good amount of profit). I'm not "pissing my time away making things for next to nothing." But considering how busy my company is right now combined with some dire warning signs ahead for the economy I'm working pretty hard to take advantage of all the business coming in while it's still coming in.
I don't know your specific work flow, but mine does not require my leg to be chained to a computer desk in a dark, isolated room 100% of the time. Not everyone has to work the same way.
Regarding a "decent work environment at home," I already have that in one of my bedrooms. In it rests a big two-level Anthrocart desk holding a vintage PC tower, a hulking 21" Viewsonic CRT monitor, a large Serial-based Wacom tablet and a flatbed scanner. 20 years ago that package was pretty high end. Today it mostly just gathers dust, only getting booted from time to time to tinker with old "dead" applications. After spending a full work day at the office sitting at one computer desk, coming home to sit at another computer desk in a back room feels like stepping into a prison cell.
For many of my manufacturing projects I don't have to worry so much about how accurate a color will display on a monitor because the colors are being defined by paint formulas, vinyl swatches, materials books, etc. A lot of time what I draw is effectively a blueprint for all that other stuff to come together. Not all of that work has to be done in front of a desk. Heck, I hand-draw and digitize elements for some of my projects just using an iPad Pro. That can be done sitting on a couch or wherever.
Low end work, work that does not require the latest technical features be soft proofed on display. Micro image editing, critical color edits, masks, transparencies are examples of work that are not low end.
I've been doing commercial signs for nearly 25 years and 99% can be done with CorelDRAW V12. Stickers for the most part, cut vinyl and most commercial signage can bill high dollars but in the end after the cheap clients and contractors all the material and labor costs, ME, the guy who owns the company doesn't make crap. Net profit is 15% or lower. Do the math, that's $1500 on a $10,000 billing, screw that. All the employees, venders get paid and the government get their share but the hourly rate for me sucks. I at 15% have to be perfect and have no more than 20 of my hours in the project.
Donor walls and architectural signage for me are about the only things that for some part can be done on a laptop. A great many need the desktop due to file complexity but profit margins range from net 35% to 55% with an average billing of $30,000. Material and labor costs can be high but there's so much touchy feely billable hours it works out. I can make a few grand many times just of zoning variances and government drawings. Light dispersal for parking lots can be very profitable but the scale requires horsepower.
Image editing on the other hand requires only a proper studio and a high speed internet. The editing for universal work cannot be done on a standard laptop but the billings are great. I do all that work out of my home studio and I keep 100% of the billable. This work requires high end systems, 2,000 images to edit at 24MP + for each file will stress a system.
So if you're putting a system in put one in that carries the weight, it will make you the money to buy the laptop if you need one. If all you do is buy a laptop it will make you money but limits your work to only what the laptop can do.
I currently work with 4 pro editors, 1 in Florida, 1 in Britain, 1 in Australia and 1 in Germany none use laptops.
If you need or want a laptop buy one just don't kid yourself about the limitations.