   Computer Development Platforms
  I am looking at moving into the game industry, and I intend to buy a labtop and desktop for development. I will be producing games for XBOX 360, and possibly PS3.Can anyone reccomend a good desktop and labtop for development?   
Quote:Original post by SoldierPhaseI will be producing games for XBOX 360, and possibly PS3.Perhapse not to the extent you think.  You'll need a development license unless you're thinking about XNA [smile].  It takes quite a bit to convince Sony or Microsoft to allow you to develop on their platforms. (3-5 years experience and/or 5+ shipped titles, plus a lotta $$$ for a license)But XNA is a nice place to start.  PS3, to my knowledge, offers no pathway for free hobby development.Anyway, why are you getting both a laptop and a desktop?  Either will suffice for hobby development.  You should get the best that you can afford, though doing XNA dev won't really stress your development machine outside of compiling which is CPU intensive.  You probably want something pretty beefy because you'll likely be doing a bunch of PC development: that means good graphics card and decent CPU.Dell is good if you want pre-built desktop; they have a gaming series.  Thinkpad is good if you want laptop; they offer a desktop replacement series with decent graphics capabilities.If you're looking to get into the industry, you're much better off sticking to PC development and making some impressive demos.  There is no assumption of familiarity with the console hardware for entry level programmers because it's impossible for a hobbyist to get access to the SDK and hardware you'll be using professionally.-me   ;  I want both labtop and desktop, as I want to be able to code wherever. Am aware of license issues, just want to have the ability to develop for most platforms on my system. I guess the bigger/faster the better is the rule of thumb.Anyone have a kick ass system they develop on? Just looking for some ideas/examples.;Quote:Original post by SoldierPhaseAnyone have a kick ass system they develop on? Just looking for some ideas/examples.If you google Alienware, their computers are at a very high standard for gaming, so you can always use those as a "benchmark"..;Quote:Original post by SoldierPhaseI want both labtop and desktop, as I want to be able to code wherever. Am aware of license issues, just want to have the ability to develop for most platforms on my system. I guess the bigger/faster the better is the rule of thumb.Anyone have a kick ass system they develop on? Just looking for some ideas/examples.In general you don't need a kick ass system to develop games, There are tools that lets you emulate newer hardware if you need it. (You do want to test things on a large variety of machines to make sure it runs properly before shipping though). Personally i think that the most important components are your monitor and your keyboard, for your stationary you want a fairly large monitor, preferably with lots of vertical space. (16:10 monitors are preferable to 16:9 in my opinion, even though 16:9 are more popular these days)For the keyboard just go with something you're comfortable with.Other than that you don't really need much at all, any midrange machine will be good enough to run any XNA game the 360 can run, and actual development normally require far less of the machine than running the end product does.   ;  + It might be better to be a bit "starved" when you are learning the stuff on CPU / GPU department.Not that I recommend you to get some integrated piece of GPU or whatnot... But modern hardware on top end tends to be very forgiving for smallish projects.And after seeing your game running 70 FPS with poor choice of algorithm, you won't learn to respect the importance of picking the best "O" for algorithm, and even then being forced to find a way to reduce the set of potential datapices.Like some 2D sitation with 20 critters on screen... Almost any eventually end-state reaching algorithm  without any tricks, assumptions or shortcuts will do well in sorting them. :/Finally, you could be completely forked, once you have gotten your masterpiece to run respectable 30 FPS with the best rig on market and its time to show it to people. And boy, if the performance is not exactly what it was at your top end PC...Oh, And Dual monitor is your friend. One for IDE, Another for another IDE or browser, application viewport, or just a pretty wallpaper.   ;  Just wanted to add some more details.1.  It does take a pretty good computer to do development in general, if you don't like waiting.  But most middle of the road computers today ARE good.2.  It does not take an EXPENSIVE computer to do so.3.  Multiple cores and LOTS of RAM make the most difference for compiling.4.  Graphics card does NOT need to be high-end for game dev, but DOES need to be at least mid-grade for sufficient performance, and much much more importantly you want BRAND NEW - because you will want support for the newest version of DirectX, OpenGL, Shader Language version, etc.CPU - I recommend a 3 or 4 core AMD (Athlon II or Phenom II series only, no older chips), or a 2+ core (with HT) i5 or i7 from Intel.RAM - 4GB, any speed (usually 800 MHz or higher these days)Hard Drive - If money maters, any decent 7200 RPM HD is fine, 500 GB or higher (which are CHEAP).  I like the 1TB Samsubg F3, or the new 1.5 TB WD Black series myself.Video Card - If you want a good current and longer term card for both playing games and programming them stick to the middle grade or higher.  From AMD right now that means either 4000 or 5000 series and the second digit must be AT LEAST a 6.  4650 or 4670 are totally fine is you are on a budget, 4770/5770 if not, and 5800 series if buying a high end computer with large monitor(s).From nvidia right now there are many different series in the market at the same time, hard to recommend, but look up your prospective card here:http://www.nvidia.com/object/geforce_family.htmland make sure it has at least 128-bit memory bus, prefer 1 GB memory, remember the same card with GDDR 5 memory is TWICE as fast as with DDR 3 memory, and make sure it has at least 48 cores for the lower mid-grade, 64-128 for mid-grade, 192+ for high end.  I currently have an nvidia with 112 and have no complaints.  And the 240 GT with 96 seems like a good but.  Make sure you get a GT, GTS or GTX, not just a G or non-labeled.  And on older lines, stick with 8800 GT or 9600 GT and higher, no 8500/9500 or lower.If building your own computer ...Motherboard - Stability (avoid the bottom 15% of the price spectrum, but no need to pay a lot).  Mine usually cost $85-$125 and most ofter are Giga-byte, although all are OK and I own ASUS and MSI too.  Features, just look for what you need, no need to pay for 2-4 Video slots if you aren't using them, nor dual network or USB3, etc.  Just find the sweet spot.Also, personally I like the microATX motherboards because they can fit everything I need for less money and space ... but that's up to you.Power Supply - wattage is NOT really important past having the needed amount (usually 450-550 watts), but QUALITY is very important.  Most name brand power supplies are overpriced, but you end up having to pay anyway, to ensure stable computer operation.  The 2 most important factors in having a stable computer are a good stable motherboard and a rock-solid power supply.  I usually by power supplies in the 500-700 watt range just based on which ones with good quality and reviews are on sale at the time.DVD Burner - anySpeakers, Mouse, Keyboard - personal choiceMonitor - Mostly personal opinion here.  I don't like wide-screens for coding, but that's about all you can get these days ... and a decent 22" or so is quite cheap now.  You will want to make sure you get the right video card power to play games at your monitor's native resolution.   ;Quote:Original post by MyH34DHurtzQuote:Original post by SoldierPhaseAnyone have a kick ass system they develop on? Just looking for some ideas/examples.If you google Alienware, their computers are at a very high standard for gaming, so you can always use those as a "benchmark"..Alienware is quite overpriced for what you get. A friend of mine had an alienware laptop, and it bothered him cause he had to have an external fan attached just to use it. Most laptops that start around +$1200 or so these days can run plenty. ASUS has some good laptop builds out there. With a PC, ideally get a newer video card, a quad core cpu, at least 4gigs of ram, and youll be set.   