I am planning to buy the laptop. The main usage of it will be “machine learning” and “Grasshopper.” At the first time, I was looking at workstation but now prefer to purchasing a laptop in order to carry on it easily. When searched, I found the option:
[3XS Deep Learning Go 2080]
1x NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 GPU
Intel Core i9 CPU with up to 8 cores
Up to 64GB 2-channel DDR4 2666
2x M.2 SSDs and 2x 2.5in SSDs/HDDs
17.3in laptop
Ubuntu 18.04 plus Deep Learning Software libraries
Has anyone used the laptop of 3XS from scan.co.uk? Workstations of 3XS are familiar for me but not for the laptops. Since I would like to use the laptop for both machine learning and Grasshopper, I was looking at the laptop with GPU.
My question is:
With those capacities above, is it fine to implement Grasshopper?
I am thinking that I would upgrade REM into 64 Gig since REM is the key for Grasshopper and Rhino.
The reason why I need GPU is I should run a basic machine learning tools, such as TensorFlow, Asure, etc.
At the same time, I would like to use this computer for Grasshopper and Rhino.
I understand the workstation is much better with less price. However, for the personal reason, I need to work at many different places. I can’t carry the workstation every time. I need a “laptop.”
I live in London, UK and I wonder if I buy the computer at the US website and it would be difficult to fix it when I get a problem.
My question was:
When my laptop does not work with any technical problems and I need to fix it, isn’t it difficult to solve them?
If they have any UK branches, it should be fine. However, I am afraid most of companies for computer builds do not have many UK branches for technical supports.
For private purposes (VR) I use a Dell G5 in its highest specs, but I’m disappointed. Heating and Noise are extreme. I did know about these issues on high-end laptops, but it is really bad. Using this as a working station would be very annoying on a daily base. Can’t recommend any high-end laptop for this reason. Regarding performance -> what does it really add to your career, calcuating something 30 % faster? Seriously…
Well … the answer from planet Utopia to that is: learn how to build your own computers (it’s very easy [laptops excluded] … after a fuzzy period, that is: first get a proper sledgehammer, then a proper case, then a mobo, then this, this and that … etc etc). That said is odd the fact that 3XS fellas say nothing about the mobos used.
That said as Tom spotted … super laptops are ideal for heating your house.
One thing that I’m noticing - the laptop you’ve picked comes with Ubuntu 18.04 - you’re not going to be able to run Rhino/Grasshopper on that, so you’ll need to install Windows (or dual boot).
Don’t take it too serious. Some on this forum are more easygoing than others, sometimes shooting way over our heads and sometimes… oh well. You’ll find out.
I had the same doubt about buying a new workstation or a laptop. As Peter said you have to pay a lot more for a laptop that won’t be the same as a workstation that you pay maybe less than half of the price.
My suggestion, if you travel a lot, is to buy a powerful workstation and use TeamViewer! I didn’t believe before to try but with a really old laptop (dual core and 2gb ram) I made a render in 4K with lumion thanks to the remote control with TeamViewer. The render time was about 2 min.
Of course you need a good internet connection in both places wherever you will be with your laptop and where your workstation will be placed, but I suggest you to give it a try and make your decision! If you already have a laptop that is not so bad you won’t have any problem to control your workstation in remote!
Hi Tom, I never heard the term super laptop before, but I can tell you that all the mid-high spec. gamish laptops in a thin (or thick) case are a complete shitshow. Last year I bought the best Razer Blade they had available (17”, GTX 1080, etc.). It was soooo bad. The keyboard was pretty awful and bouncy. Not the keys, the whole keyboard area, like a flexing trampolín. And when a 3D app was launched, the fans!!! The heat!!! It was an instant return.
I’ve personally always had Dell Precision’s. None of those shenanigans. None. This month I got a 7740, it’s kind of perfect. Fast, super quiet, not hot, and thinner that the 7720 it’s replacing. And the keyboard is the most perfect keyboard of all desktops/laptops I’ve ever typed on.
The price performance is terrible compared to a desktop, I got it mostly to run VR at clients and because I do work away from my office many months out do the year, otherwise desktop is the way to go, true.
30% faster means you try 250% more things, it makes no sense to me to use mediocre hardware if you can afford to get best stuff. Hardware make no career happiness, but it helps greatly.
Okay maybe I simply had to invest more then 500 € extra on top. I agree, if money is no problem then whats wrong with using the best hardware. Its just that these 20-30% more power add 100-200 % more on the costs. And because we talk about using Grasshopper and Machine learning, then I really see no benefit. You train a KI once and probaly over night, and Grasshopper is twofold anyway. Work clean, improve you algorithms and you can do amazing thing on 10 year old hardware. If you deal with heavy data, then these 30 % are making no difference. Heavy definitions kill your system. Waiting 4 or 8 minutes who cares. Realtime modification is nice, but almost always a matter of highly optimised algorithms and not dependet on your hardware specs.
That’s very true. We are changing our ways of doing Grasshopper because of this. We realize that if we push sliders on molasses then our definitions are not interactive anymore, and I’m talking about waiting even 20 seconds for an update. This is why we started doing more C# definitions. Grasshopper is cool to teach you that you don’t really need to know how to code, so you can learn and explore enough complexity to realize that… “oh yeah, you need to learn to code!”
…my 30% calculations savings was implied for everyday computing routines and task of working with rhino and modeling. Things like meshing, few parts Booleans, calculating intersections, running scripts, etc. There is what the 30% master means the world.
