Budget? "not to expensive" is very relative.

Preferred screen size?

17" screen and anywhere from 1000 to 2000 dollars

sounds like you want a laptop.... right?

yes you are correct

Take a look at the:

HP dv7t or dv7tqe series
i7-2620, i7-2720 or i7-2820
Radeon HD 6770M (1GB)

Note that the i7-2620 is only a dual core - a quad core will really help with rendering... but I appreciate that a few hundred extra bucks can be a big deal when you're a college student.

Make sure it has a minimum of 6GB, but I'd recommend 8GB (use can always upgrade later if need be).

I don't see anything from Dell that fits the bill until you hit the Precision line, which will set you back more than $2K.

Also, feel free to post any other laptop specs you're considering, and I'm sure someone will chime in with their thoughts.

Good luck!

If you go for a HP, I´ll highly recommend the hp 87xxw series - Got one my self and it´s been flawless - The 8740w should be available for ~2k

• Intel Core i5-560M 2.66GHz (dual core)
• 17.0" WSXGA+
• 4GB RAM
• 320GB
• ATI FirePro M7820 1GB

But... it seems that Asus G73SW-3DE would also be a great option at ~2k - It sure have better specs, and I suppose Asus have a pretty good rep. too...

• Intel Core i7-2630QM 2.0GHz (quad core)
• 17.3"
• 8GB RAM
• 1TB Hard Disk
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M 1.5GB

thanks guys!


i was looking at an alienware mx17 .........



PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ i7 2630QM 2.0GHz (2.8GHz Turbo Mode, 6MB Cache)
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit
MEMORY 8GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1333MHz (4DIMMS)
VIDEO CARD 1GB GDDR5 AMD Radeon™ HD 6870M
HARD DRIVE 640GB Raid 0 (2x 320GB 7,200RPM)
LCD PANEL 17.3-inch WideHD+ 1600 x 900 60Hz WLED
WIRELESS CARD Wireless 802.11 g/n
INTERNAL OPTICAL DRIVE Slot-Load Dual Layer DVD Burner (DVD+-RW, CD-RW)

what do you think?

You can probly get more laptop for your money if you buy a HP. Currently Dell is focused on their server line and neglecting the consumer based equipment. HP will give you more for less 90% of the time. Look at there new ENVY line. You can eaisly get

ENVY 17 seires

Operating system Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Processor 2nd generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2630QM (2.0 GHz, 6MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 2.9 GHz
Graphics card 1GB GDDR5 Radeon(TM) HD 6850M Graphics [HDMI]
Memory 8GB 1333MHz DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
Hard drive 1TB 5400RPM Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
Primary battery 30% OFF! One 6-Cell and One 9-Cell Lithium Ion Battery
Display 17.3" diagonal HD+ HP BrightView Infinity LED Display (1600 x 900)
Primary optical drive Blu-ray player & SuperMulti DVD burner
Personalization HP TrueVision HD Webcam
Networking Intel 802.11a/b/g/n WLAN and Bluetooth(R) with Wireless Display Support
Keyboard Backlit Keyboard with numeric keypad
HP Care Pack Services HP 3-year Care Pack House Call Service with Accidental Damage Protection for Select Pavilion or Envy Laptop edit

$1841.98
(i bet you could even shave $200 off the price if you shop around)

You can also find some good buys on ACER and ASUS products. Remeber Alienware is a HIGH END gaming system. If you play games as well as use Revit. It might be just want you are looking for. However, I have found that Revit takes WAY more resources then most games now a days.

if you get a HP, make sure you format it and install win7 from scratch; they have soo much crapware on it (maybe not on the envy's, from what i have read)...