Activity

Off the top of my head (forgive me if i forget something):
–Tower case – $50 – $100 (Depending on looks, size… think ventilation)
–Power Supply – $75
–Motherboard – $120 – $200
–CPU – $250 – 350 — Spend the money here, but don’t feel like you need the newest, as there often is a gulf in price between “cutting edge” and “yesterdays CPU” that…[Read more]

This will give you a good idea of what to get based on what you are going to do.

http://www.3datstech.com/2010/03/april-2010-workstations.html

i only buy from newegg. i have open box returned things there many times and was refunded or exchanged no questions asked. top notch company that most often has the best prices.

PC is the way to go, to go MAC is to overpay and swim against the tide of the industry standard…

Go with the desktop, not because its a PC but because you get more bang for your buck. Laptops are nice but if you want more raw computing power at a reasonable price a desktop is the way to go. Also, don’t get caught up with RAM. You can upgrade that later for relatively cheap. 64 bit OS is a must these days as well. Ditto on the processor speed.…[Read more]

Are you running your own shop or are you looking to work for someone down the road? If you are looking to work for someone else then get used to PC, not many LA’s or architects use Macs. the advertising, graphic design world is the Mac mecca not LA ARCH ENG. What software are you running? Autocad can runn on slowwer systems but large files and…[Read more]

That sums it up perfectly.

I think that it is important to realize that how much a designer charges is based upon multiple factors. While experience tends to be the obvious, overhead may be the most important. With all things being equal, two designers with equal experience, sales ability, etc., may charge two very different rates. Designer “A” may be have less need for a…[Read more]

If you are thinking about buying components here is a list of sites you might try:

http://www.pricewatch.com
http://www.newegg.com
http://www.3btech.net

Thanks for the compliments, Laith! We’re looking at revising our search set up to include a ‘Search Keywords Only’ search box. Currently on the beta site, when you search for a keyword the site pulls up images that have the keyword as well as that word within the site’s name (ie. park/ Baldwin Park TND).

A feature that’s on the site now to help…[Read more]

That I agree with 100%.

It is also important not to be afraid of losing some work that you might get for less money as long as you are not starving. I do know that some are just not going to get as much money as others and would starve if they did not charge less.

The important thing that I’m cettain you’d agree with, is to not settle to keep…[Read more]

Keep in mind, too, that a majority of the software is written for PC, and updated first for PC. This includes Adobe, suprisingly, as Adobe is graphics software, the dominant realm of the Mac. You can get a much better machine for the price, better compatibility, and you can easily upgrade a pc with a new board or processor (if you buy the right…[Read more]

How much are you willing to spend?

Normally you can get better computer configuration on pc of the same price compare to macbook pro, but if you would like to work at various places (i.e. studio and home) laptop usually is more handy. The reason lots of design students choose mac is its stabiliti (bare case of halted system during work) and high quality screen colour display…[Read more]

Craig,

It seems that we are on the same page.

The “more qualified” LA was a reference to everything else being equal and the stamp being the only difference making the LA more qualified. Nothing is standard in pricing from one designer to another or one LA to another. We all try to get the most return for our work. Pricing is set by skills as…[Read more]

I worked on a three year old (when I started my BSLA in 2004) Dell Inspiron 8600 laptop and 3×5 Wacom Graphire tablet.

My former program recommended Mac’s and I already had a PC, fortunately. I’m not a computer person per se, but I think I do OK digital work.

My point is that just like anything else having all the fanciest tools still can’t…[Read more]

Maybe I’m misunderstanding what you are writing, but it sounds like you resent the competition of landscape designers who are not LAs and that you think they drive down the prices that LAs charge.

It sounds to me as though you want it both ways in order to have a competitive advantage. You seem to be telling the LD (John?) to price the same as…[Read more]

Processor speed, as much memory as possible, and a good graphics card are obviously the most important aspects of computer hardware for any design profession. Desktop machines have the benefit of being able to upgraded over time to make use of newer hardware, whereas laptops can not be upgraded beyond more (but usually not better) RAM, and a…[Read more]