About Lauren Bennett Expertise I am a computer science major and my dad is an Electric Engineering, so my life has revolved around computers. For as long as I can remember, I have been buying and selling computers. I tend to travel a lot, so I have always had a laptop. I have bought 5 of them for myself, and bought around 30-40 for friends and family. I have dealt with the good and the bad of various version and brand names. If you are in need of buying a laptop, feel free to contact me and I'm sure I will be able to guide you into purchasing the laptop that will be the best fit for you. I will custom build you computers for you to choose from so you can get an exact idea of what to go and buy when you do it yourself and so that you have an exact price. However, I am in the USA and am only knowledgeable about computers here in the US. I do not know about foreign currency or the quality of computer brand names outside the US.
Experience B.S. in Computer Science. Buying and selling for years. Assisting friends/family.
Question QUESTION: I am purchasing a Dell and need it for "PLAN3d" program which is a design program for house and landscape design and I will also use Microsoft small business office. I don't know if I should go with a business computer or if I would be OK with otherwise. I purchased a computer with the correct requirements for the 3d program but it still would not run because the video drive was not adequate. Can you advise? Thank you
ANSWER: The Home and Home Office computers are fantastic. I own both an Inspiron and an XPS system and love them both. They will definitely be able to run what you want them to run. I'd recommend either the 14" Inspiron or the 13" or 15" XPS systems. All those will give you at least a 128MB graphics card and that should be more than enough to run the 3D programs you are wanting to run!
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QUESTION: Lauren, thank you for your help. Would there be any advantages to getting a business computer over a home computer? Also I read that when getting a laptop you would be wise to get more than you need because if you want to upgrade you can't always do so, what is your thought on this and if so what would you recommend. Thank you.
Answer There really isn't much of a difference. They are designed for small businesses, I think up to 100 employees or so. It is just a different line of computers with slightly different configurations. The hardware inside is all going to be the same. I personally prefer the set up and design of the home and home office systems. Unless you are a large company, you won't really have any advantages.
In terms of upgrading, it depends on what you are upgrading and how much you have to spend. What is your budget for this computer?
