Make the processor into an i7 4770k, the GPU into GTX760, and the board into GA-Z87X-OC Force. A bit more expensive, but if you'll use it for 3D rendering and such, it'll be worth it.

if you want a laptop then do i what i have done, i have a gaming laptop but a HDMI cord to my TV but also you want a lappy with a good proccesor and decent ram, otherwise it will be slow as a turtle D: i have a HP laptop 3.2 dual core proces 10gb of ram. cause i built it myself, if you want a laptop go online and build it youself 10x cheaper and 10x better. and congrats

XD I always get jealous when I build computers for clients LOL! I'm always thinking "I wish I could have some of these parts Q_Q -sticks hand out- money pls!" XD

I wish... I had the money myself to do this. XD

It's always best to build your own instead of buying it prebuilt. Especially if you want the most out of your money (and you're on a budget). So I 2nd this.

Good luck bish its good to go back to school eh

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($319.98 @ Outlet PC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($124.98 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Z Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($123.98 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($162.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($248.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 400R ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1301.82
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-09-11 12:30 EDT-0400)


If you're going to render things with your GPU using OpenCL (or CUDA if you're opting for an Nvidia card) the GTX670/HD7950 is all you really need. I would personally recommend AMD cards this generation since Keplar cards haven't been on-par with AMD for OpenCL.

If you have any questions or would like me to explain why I chose certain parts, let me know and I'll be more than happy to explain

If you're willing to build the computer on your own, I'll be back with a parts list in a few minutes

I would absolutely recommend you get a desktop with a decent monitor rather than a laptop Darcy, or a laptop and decent external screen if you must get a laptop or you need to be able to take it to college or somewhere with you for lessons, but I doubt it. Laptops are great but they can suffer from overheating when the graphics is taxed by heavy software and the last thing you want is a shutdown in the middle of your work.

Try and stick with an Intel CPU, i5 and up and get plenty of ram, 8GB minimum. Try to get something with an SSD drive, at least for your primary drive with Windows and your apps. You don't need the absolute latest in graphics cards and they are always overpriced anyway, get something made within the last year and it will be fine for a good few years to come.

Apple laptops are fantastic, great quality stuff, but they don't have the best graphics cards and they are overpriced. You would also need to run bootcamp if you wanted to play Windows games which means installing Windows, taking up more space on your drive, and having to reboot into Windows for games and then into Mac OS for your work and stuff.

Hope this helps a bit.

Don't worry I asked her also

Apple MacBook Pro MD314 Mac Book Pro (13.3"/core i7 2.8ghz/ 2X2GB DDR3/750GB/Intel HD 3000 graphic) or
Apple MacBook Air MD761 Mac Book Air (13.3"/core i5 1.3 DualCore/4GB DDR3/256GB SSD/Intel HD 5000)

maybe ur best option for $1500, just my oppinion ^^

just remember to get ATI Radeon video card. tried and tested for gaming and designing.

Go to your school advisor and ask? they have better idea what to recommend bish LOL