getting a new computer

hi, I'm getting a new PC..

just wondering what I should get for doing game dev (mostly Construct2).

I don't want to get a top of the line machine that over estimates your average computer's performance and I also don't want to spend a huge amount.

I looked into building a gaming PC for $500 (usd) but it seems a bit overkill for dev..

I also looked into laptops, but from a recent blog post by Ashley it seems the graphics cards on laptops are worse than even mobile devices...

any suggestions?

For most of the stuff you are doing in construct even a laptop with a lousy graphics card is going to work.

Ashley's blog is pointing out Nvidia shortchanging Browsers. But it is mainly limiting our future.

Now I could be wrong if you are designing for the desktop, but if you are aiming to be compatible over the greatest number of devices, you should be fine.

I just bought a Surface Pro tablet I plan on using for Construct2, (and pressure sensitive sketching,) and it has the same intel 4000 graphics processor Ashley's laptop falls back to. So far it's working fine.

(I would recommend a keyboard though, ugh.)

the game I'm producing I'm targeting for desktop. At least that was the original intent. I never wanted to deal with download size and other web issues. Node Webkit seems to the be the best option for what I am doing.

I would like to get a laptop just for the mobility. I've seen some Toshibas that are around $400.. but I wasn't sure about the graphics card..

thanks..

In terms for 2d game development, a standard laptop or computer is more than sufficient. You will only start to stretch the limits of the processor and graphic cards when you deal with 3D graphics, and video editing. Normal 2D graphic animation should be ok, unless you are doing something very fancy and complex.

I think a computer with newer specs is best, even if it is at the lower to middle range, because they usually support the newer features and abilities, which foolproofs you computer for some time if C2 ever implements them or you want to take advantage of them. Just check to see all the features they support (graphic card) and you should be ok.