What hardware has helped you a lot?

Hey~All. Since I started learning babylonjs .My laptop without a separate graphics card really makes me impatient.
So a powerful independent graphics card is obviously very important. I’m curious about what hardware everyone uses.

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I d love a 3090 but it is overkill :slight_smile: but you know…

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a 1060 and a 1080 for years
and that’s still more than enough

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Disclaimer I am not a hardware expert this is just my opinion.

So I am a gamer…so …I’m also on overkill with a Alienware. I know I’ve been teased a lot about prebuilt but it just takes the hassle if something were to go wrong in the machine. That said if had this machine for about 4 years now and I can see the wear starting to show so maintenance is important if you’re going to be doing a ton of graphics.

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For Babylon you don’t need a killer graphics card… (can’t say the same about 3D modeling software :wink: ) Remember it runs on mobile!

Tangent on this I think monitors are also important. Being able to have 2 for example one to your work and the other to debug side by side can do wonder! Especially if you have a ton of files open.

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I’m currently working with my… 4 year old (I think) 1060 and for most of my purposes it’s still chugging along! I do agree with @msDestiny14 that a graphics card (and a nice amount of RAM) will probably be more important if you need to do 3D modeling. And also agree that peripherals are underrated, being comfortable in the space where you work is very important. So two monitors, a comfy chair, maybe even an ergonomic mouse are also nice investments.

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+1000000 :slight_smile:

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I use a gaming mouse for vscode keybinds

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For me it depends a lot on what I’m working on. If you are doing VR then there are noticeable differences.

I worked ~4 years on a Dell XPS 15 - it had a discrete graphics 1050 and fantastic screen. It was great for everything, but it felt close to a minimum requirement for a Windows MR headset. Fast forward 4 years and I am working on some new XR features and I was having trouble working on the XR controller as the laptop fan was always on and the PC was noticeable slow. So, I bought an Asus G14 with 3060 and the difference was incredible (I don’t even play games, so it was overkill otherwise).

If it weren’t for the VR then my 1050 was sufficient for sure. It’s always good to have a lower end machine also to help building for lowest common denominator.

I also have a wide gamut display and a high DPI gaming mouse and multiple-screens, but I think you were asking more about graphics cards! :smiley:

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I’ve developed BJS code on an assortment of machines and I can definitely say that having a dedicated graphics card makes life easier. For most applications, a 1050/60 will be more than enough for any dev work (I personally use a 2080 Ti). The biggest game changer for me was using a two monitor setup so that I can have code on one monitor and either my application or documentation on the other.

@brianzinn also makes a great point about having a lower end machine to test your changes. Having a lower end machine or even just one that’s using integrated graphics hardware is great because sometimes a powerful machine can hide issues like a memory leak or issues based around frame rate.

Outside of all that, a good set of headphones and a great playlist can also work wonders for your development.

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I have a GTX 980 rock solid from early 2015 :relaxed::blush:

I love grat seat under my rusty shell. Got one for a few pounds in UK :uk: with heated lower back section and built in massage… I slept in it many hours :weary: Does the job for tired bones and muscles :muscle: Bless you all :v:

I will personally never suggest this machine ( Dell Alienware ) to anyone.
Very expensive and crashes for ever.
One can buy 2 to 3 medium to high performance computers in it’s cost.

Motherboard issue is the most commonly known.

I too had bought one 17 R3 , in 2016. Stopped in 2018 for ever. Consulted so many engineers but no one could find out the solution. New motherboard is not available anywhere including Dell itself. Even somehow if you manage to find seller, it will cost 1/3rd of the laptop’s price.

So, don’t go for Alienware if you are considering to buy a high performance laptop.

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@musk : I guess my Nvidia 1060Ti with 6 Gigs of RAM. But I was most impressed by my son-in-law’s monitor BENQ I think with a refresh rate of 144 Hz. Was wonderful to see my “Blue Lady” ticking over at 144fps.

I gather there are even faster refresh rates now.

As for my PC - an old I7 (4000 series) - not good enough to upgrade to Windows 11.

Stay Safe All, gryff :slight_smile:

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My personal laptop for the last few years only has an MX250. I figured it would be good enough for graphically unintensive games like Overwatch or Hades. Boy was I wrong :stuck_out_tongue: I struggle to get 30FPS at 720p on the lowest settings! (The 4k resolution of the display is totally wasted, lol.) Coding isn’t too bad on it, it has an i7 and 16GB of RAM.

At work I have a desktop with a 2060 and a Macbook Pro from 2015. The MBP is okay for most things…but I would love to have the new M1 Max for sure :smiley:

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I strongly recommend PANASONIC OTTOMAN.
Just let it twist you. It’s almost magic. I have a chance to use it and I do whenever I can :wink:

Please ask one more question…
Which of the graphic cards out there would support 5 screens in 1080P at the same time…
I’d love to see it work.
I have the screens from UN CPH.
FEW of their HP PC’s and laptops too if some would be interested… They took the hard disks out though…


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