Im looking for what would be considered mid level specs for using Unity and C#
I have been using Unity and C# for years now on my PC and other than for work I have never owned a Laptop.
I need an affordable YET reasonable Laptop so that I do not run into issues compiling modules / researching and utilizing Unity’s harder core features if I needed too. So its not meant to run full on projects but I dont want a POS.
Please someone with experience with a Laptop give me some feedback.
I searched the forums and some of the posts went unanswered or even suggested.
The ones that did went on to say how cool their G70 or ASUS ROG is.
i3? i5? i7?
4gb Ram 8gb Ram 16gb Ram
Integrated Intel Video, Nvidia 960M, 970M, 980M
My budget isnt necessarily the issue. But I dont want to invest a lot of money just for the convenience because Im not at home as much as I would like to be any more these days.
Thanks you Unity Community. (yes I realize I dont post often but I have been around since Unity 2 or 3 I just hang out @ 3Dbuzz)
I use my laptop all the time (on it right now). Runs unity fine and its three years old.
It has an AMD A8 APU, meaning the GPU and CPU are on the same die. I upgraded from 6 GB of RAM to 8. It was a $70 USD investment that paid off. I don’t think I can give you exact specs of what to buy, I’m not that savvy, but I’ve found after doing some research on laptops to buy, that anything worth the money is around the $600 to $800 range. That is probably mid range. This laptop cost me $650. The devices I looked at most recently were about $750 with comparable specs.
I must say that if you buy in the range I mentioned and it is upgradeable (this is my first and only laptop, so I don’t know if what I’m about to say is true) then go with a midrange model, and upgrade its components when i starts feeling sluggish. There’s no point in throwing these things away after they start slowing down, they’re mostly upgradeable and repairable by yourself. Its easy. The CPU fan died on mine recently but I replaced it with a $22 Chinese made fan, and going on strong at this point. I have yet to even fill up the HDD space!
We are in a transition point right now between SSD’s and HDD’s. Most new models come with an SSD these days too. I don’t see a point, because since windows 8 it loads very quickly (<3 seconds) with an HDD. Unless your gaming on the go, that is. Might be advantageous to load the level sooner.
Bear in mind that each Intel CPU is part of a “generation” so if you see “Intel Core i5 Gen 1” its probably several years old. I don’t buy Intel products so I don’t know what the latest generation is.
AMD seems to be going the way of the APU lately though. You won’t have dedicated graphics if you go that route afaik.
You will want at least 8 GB of ram today too, which is pretty much standard now.
If a laptop has an SSD and an HDD, you won’t likely have an optical drive slot (but you can buy a caddy to take its place).
Awesome and that answers my question mostly. Not wanting to hear about how powerful a machine is but rather what can run unity and compile without having to opt for an expensive laptop.
This is not a choice it’s necessary.
What’s your actual budget? I’m admittedly a whore for all things Apple, but I still have to toss the recommendation out there.
Even some of the lower priced MacBooks run better than similarly spec’d PCs, IMO. I had a 2011 13" MBP with 8 GB RAM and integrated graphics that never had any issues with running Unity.
I just wouldn’t forgive myself if I didn’t offer them as a suggestion.
A lot depends on what you are building. Unity itself isn’t that resource hungry. If you are building small mobile aps you can get away with next too nothing.
On the other hand large open world games with heavy art will require the latest specs.
Technically my budget is the top of the line but only if necessary because it’s very important to me but I’m not rich and would rather save money.
I’m only needing this so I can play around with “features” (research) with ideas with unity and c#
So no full projects that I can forsee. I’ll still off load everything to my PC
I was introduced early to PC but my family is s house divided and I have plenty respect for Apple.
Well I won’t be compiling and running a full on project, at least I hope I wouldn’t have too. It’s possible if i’m playing around with some of the heavier features of unity or compiling some heavy c# I need it to do the job.
Mainly R&D so I can learn and play and add to my main project on my PC.
I’m just gone so much and want to be coding or working on the project and really need a laptop
I feel like the general movement anymore is towards laptops as your main computer, and desktops at your grandma’s house or in your video production studio.
I’m far from rich myself, but I splurged and bought a 2014 15" MacBook Pro with all the upgrades to replace my previous MBP. Both my desk at home and at the office have two monitors, a stand, and keyboard/mouse, so it functions just the same as a desktop. The advantage is that I can take the same computer with me and have the same setup (or even, keep the same applications running) when I go from one place to the other. Or, if I’m feeling adventurous, go sit outside and work!
Anyway, when it comes to computers, I like to future-proof as much as possible and get the best that I can. Saves you from feeling like your machine is out of date in a year or so. But if you really do only want to tinker, I would think any decent ASUS laptop could handle Unity just fine, and you’d spend a quarter what you would on a desktop-replacement laptop.
Ok about a week of solid research and it came down to
HP Envy
Lenovo Y70
I live in Oklahoma so I tracked down the Lenovo which, for its specs, was one of the best in stock for Best Buy here.
I tracked down 1 of 3 in the Metro area
I decided on the Lenovo.
I will post if this is sufficient enough for Unity3D and C#.
I suspect it will since the specs and recommendations were not as powerful.
This was probably the best bang for the buck where I live.
Thank you guys for all your advice. My first laptop. I hope it delivers.
I will resurrect this post after some tests for anyone who is in the same situation.
