There isn't much point in arguing with what you just said... To start with, you need to run a deep scan on your laptop using some actual reliable antivirus software to clear out any malware or junk. Then, check your drive health and run a defrag, followed by a registry cleanup. After that, use a dedicated tool to completely wipe your graphics drivers and then reinstall the exact version meant for your specific laptop. If those drivers are installed correctly, the system should handle switching between the integrated and dedicated graphics automatically.
That's the baseline... If you aren't at home right now to do this yourself, your best bet is to take the laptop to a pro who actually knows what they're doing. Just whatever you do, don't hand it over to some buddy who "knows tech" because he fixed his own PC once—you won't be able to trust anything they touch.
Btw, the link you sent is broken so I can't even see your specs, but honestly, it doesn't matter right now. That'll only become relevant after you've actually gone through all these steps...
The Logitech Z313 are decent enough speakers—solid volume and power—but keep in mind they’re a 2.0 setup, not 2.1. The sound quality is fine and they fill up a room easily, though people always complain about the lack of bass. Honestly, that's expected since there isn't a dedicated sub. If you actually care about bass, just look at 2.1 systems instead, like the 2.1 1800. It uses a 5" driver in a wooden enclosure, which creates way more air pressure and gives you much punchier bass. With a 20W woofer and two 15W satellites, you get great power for just over $167, plus you get a karaoke feature with dual mic inputs and echo. 😬
If you want even more kick, there's the slightly pricier Logitech G2.1 3000 system. It's got a more aggressive look and delivers 40W through a 6.5" driver in a wooden bass-reflex box. The satellites are the same—2x 15W—and the separate control unit offers plenty of features for the price point...
Man... this is tricky. If you absolutely can't fit it under the desk, maybe try something like this:
And for the motherboard:
Think that would work?
Are you totally sure about the monitor, though? Usually, people doing this kind of work want the biggest screen possible with the highest resolution just to cram more stuff on the display.
IGN is fine, but did you check the PayPal price? Do you actually have cash sitting in your PayPal account, or are you using a card? If it's a card, why not just pay directly and skip the PayPal fee?
If you need this by tomorrow morning, I can pull together some options from Micro Center, the place we usually use to build our rigs. You’ve got three monitors to choose from: two 24" pivots with 1920x1080 resolution, or one 25" with 2560x1080 if you really need that extra screen real estate.😬 All three feature IPS panels.
I’ll keep the initial specs pretty conservative, so once you get back to me, we can figure out how to beef it up:
Don't let the "gaming" labels on the motherboard and graphics card throw you off; those components are just built a bit tougher to handle higher workloads, more heat, and general heavy use. This setup includes a Samsung EVO SSD—which is top-tier right now—a WD Black drive with a 5-year warranty, 16 GB of RAM, and a roomy Zalman case equipped with three quiet 120mm fans. Assembly and shipping are on the house.
These builds aren't optimized at all, and they definitely weren't put together by the kind of specialty shops we usually recommend—the ones that actually carry high-quality gear at decent prices. For instance, the monitor in that second setup is pretty pathetic at 21.5". You’ll get a much better selection (though I didn't say it was the absolute best 😬) with the Dell from the first build; it wins on size, quality, and the fact that it has an IPS panel designed specifically for this kind of work, giving you way more accurate color reproduction.
Both setups use Micro-ATX motherboards with only two RAM slots, poor voltage regulation, and crappy cooling—which is a recipe for disaster if you're running a machine all day long. The Zalman T4 isn't a bad case, but it's a mini tower that can't vent heat away from hot components effectively, and that MS Industrial case is almost certainly going to be loud... etc.
Look, the basics: just tell us what you actually need and what your budget looks like, and one of the proven "builders" here will whip up a proper configuration for you. You'll need a monitor and Windows. Do you also need a keyboard, mouse, speakers...? How much raw power and speed are you looking for? Are you planning on tackling massive projects (now or down the road) that require hours upon hours of rendering? How big are these files or models? Do you need to churn through dozens of iterations in a single day to make decisions, or are you okay with things running a bit slower and letting a heavy render "cook" overnight? Finally, give us a number. Tell us how many bucks you're willing to drop, because as you can see, you can build a rig for $700, $900, or even $1,200... you just have to specify how much muscle you actually need.
Check out this thread regarding component specs and how much "weight" they actually carry for what you're trying to do. Honestly, it all boils down to your specific needs—basically, how fast do you want this thing to actually run? For the kind of work you mentioned, here’s the breakdown:
1. A processor with as many cores as possible (hardware or software) 2. As much RAM as you can get your hands on 3. Fast storage, meaning an SSD 4. A graphics card with high CUDA specifications
All the Adobe products (along with anything else built for heavy graphic design, CAD/CAM apps, rendering, etc.) know how to tap into a graphics card's CUDA cores and high-speed video memory (GDDR5) to help with general calculations. Basically, the CPU just offloads a chunk of the workload to a powerful GPU, which handles its own math independently. That’s called hardware acceleration. So, when you're running heavy tasks, you aren't just leaning on the CPU and its cores; you're pulling in the GPU and its VRAM too.
Looking at your two setups:
The first build has a quad-core processor with integrated graphics (Intel HD Graphics 4600), which doesn't have its own dedicated memory and has to scavenge from your system RAM.
The second build has a quad-core processor with multithreading. This means each physical core can handle two independent threads, acting like two software cores, giving you 8 logical cores total. Roughly speaking, that makes it twice as capable as the first one.
The second setup also features a dedicated 128-bit GTX 750 Ti with 2 GB of GDDR5 video memory. It packs 640 CUDA cores that act as little sub-processors to assist the CPU, providing a massive boost in raw calculation power.
Bottom line: the second configuration is significantly more powerful on the CPU side, and if you actually utilize hardware acceleration through the GPU, that performance gap widens even more.
When you right-click it in Device Manager, does it give you any options to reinstall the drivers or maybe try a rollback? If that doesn't do anything, your best bet is probably just running a System Restore if you happen to have a restore point saved...
If you're looking to pay in installments, check out the prices at different retailers—I put some links above. They can vary quite a bit depending on where you shop...
These are solid laptops. Brand new Dell models, sleek design, and great battery life. One comes with macOS and a standard screen, while the other features an amazing 4K OLED display that’ll be much easier on your eyes during long sessions, even if it doesn't have macOS pre-installed.
You’re out of your depth with resolution, too. That’s what happens when you don't bother reading the stickied threads meant for people actually buying a laptop. 😬
And for the record, you'd feel way more at home using Adobe Illustrator on a 1080p screen rather than 1600x900. I know it's pushing your budget, but just take a look at these two builds. The first one lacks an SSD but has a fast hard drive, while the second one has everything you need—it's just pricey. 😬
It’s not perfect. Ideally, you’d want an H or HQ processor and a GTX graphics card, but for this kind of money—you can't expect miracles.
You can actually find some decent deals at Walmart, especially if you use those discount points and pay in cash, obviously...
Regarding processors, stay away from AMD because their chips in this lower price bracket are absolute garbage. You should also steer clear of dual-core Intel processors; they’re just too slow and sluggish for even a basic setup—you know, the usual stuff like Windows, running an antivirus in the background, Office, browsing, YouTube, maybe some music, and a light download here and there. Dual-cores just can't keep up with that. So, if you're looking at Pentium or Celeron, make sure they're quad-core. A combo of 2 physical cores and 4 logical cores works fine too.
That means you should be looking at the 3825U, N2930, N2940, N3530, N3540, N3700, and any i3 processors. Just stick to those.
As for brands, it basically breaks down like this: Dell is top tier because they come with a 3-year warranty. Asus and Toshiba are second tier since they offer 2 years plus extra coverage through Asus Promotions and Toshiba NMWT. Then you've got Acer, followed by Lenovo, and finally HP. With HP, you have to watch out because sometimes they give you 2 years and sometimes just one. Also, don't fall for those "deals" promising 4 or 5 years of coverage; those aren't actual manufacturer warranties. They're just service contracts you sign when you buy the laptop, so check the fine print because they aren't the same as a factory warranty.
If you happen to stumble upon a laptop within your budget that has a dedicated graphics card, it’ll most likely be an Nvidia 820 or 920, maybe an 840 or 940. That's better because a dedicated GPU lets you throw on some simple games, and since it has its own memory, it doesn't eat into your RAM, which helps the whole laptop run smoother...
Check out Elipsa, Architect, AMD, Chipotle, Links, Walmart... maybe Amazon too. And definitely check out Nabava; their filters are great so you can really dial in your specs...
The worst thing you can possibly do is what you're doing right now: blocking those cooling vents. Obviously, it's going to mess with your airflow and cause overheating, which is just asking for trouble.
Just grab a laptop stand or a cooling pad as soon as you can. They aren't expensive, and they'll make things a lot easier when you're trying to use your laptop in bed...
I have to say, I'm a little... actually, scratch that, I'm genuinely baffled that the keyboard isn't localized... 🤷 Report him for Asus Promotions, definitely, and while you're at it, shoot their support team an inquiry about getting the letter layout fixed.
Life would be a whole lot easier if things actually worked this way 😬
Amazon is supposed to be your go-to for comparing prices and seeing what's out there, but let’s be real—it doesn't cover everything and it's often off the mark. On top of that, you've got these shady companies that list dirt-cheap prices just to bait you into clicking, only for you to get to their actual site and find out the price is totally different.
Go read the megathread for anyone looking to buy a laptop and try to answer as many of the questions as possible. Once you do that, we can try to hunt down a decent deal for you. Honestly, don't try to wing this alone; there's a razor-thin line between a laptop that actually works and a total piece of junk, and sometimes they cost exactly the same...
With the 17" models, it’s kind of a pain because you can't find anything with a decent GPU paired with a 1600x900 resolution; they all seem to jump straight to Full HD. Most of them just pack a GTX950m, which actually handles games pretty well at Full HD. Honestly, a more powerful card would be better, but my budget won't allow for that kind of upgrade.
It's also weird how those 15.6" laptops with 1366x768 resolutions and beefy GPUs have basically vanished from the market. They used to be the sweet spot for high-end gaming... 🤷
Look, there's no debate here—the GPU is significantly better. It’s got twice as many CUDA cores and a 128-bit bus. Sure, it's still running on DDR3 memory, but even with that limitation, the jump in performance is massive. Based on what's listed, this model is definitely on the way, and it looks like it might even feature a slightly better LCD panel at 300 nits, so it'll be brighter. It could just be a typo, but Architect is usually pretty meticulous about their specs...
Yeah, that one seems like the smarter buy. If you can swing a little extra (there's never enough money anyway 😬), you could probably ask them to swap out that 4GB RAM stick in the slot for an 8GB one to get you back up to 12GB. The price difference should be roughly $67, if I remember correctly...
If you end up going with the Asus, make sure you sign up for Asus Promotions.
