What to look for in a game dev rig?

Howdy all! I'm super new to the Unity forums so please forgive my lack of knowledge on various subjects, but I was wondering what's important to keep in mind when considering what kind of computer to use for game development in general?

I make all the graphics in blender as well as the script for my projects and assemble it in Unity. What should I be on the lookout for when it comes to purchasing a new rig (or parts)? I'm currently on a mid-09 Macbook Pro equipped with a NVIDIA GeForce 9400M 256 MB and I find my computer lags way too quickly without much going on in the game when playtesting.

Some points I think would help:
-Laptop or Desktop (laptop preferably)
-Windows or Mac
-Best kind of graphics card?
-anything i should keep in mind in general?

I really appreciate you readin this! Thanks!
-KingJCD

note: I could save up to about $1500 max ideally

This is my current game in quesiton btw, in case it helps (it's an open world rpg)

 

• Laptop or Desktop - Do you need to bring your computer with you everywhere you go? Do you want a computer that you can easily upgrade single components in? I have very little experience with apples but I love my long line of Windows pcs because it is so simple for me to pull out a graphics card or a failing component and replace it on my own... and it is cheap to tinker with compared to buying new, complete computers.
  
• Windows or Mac - Apples or pears? Windows computers got more software options but also more crap. A lot of software that is interesting for a developer exists in both OS:s. If you are really want to get the most bucks out of your machine, make a list of all the software that your OS must support, compare prices and so on and see if you get a winner. From my point of view, this is just all a matter of money and taste, everything I use regularly exist on both except that Mac doesn't got my games Another way of thinking is, what will most of your friends, customers run your games on? Pick the same OS for testing purposes.
  
• Best graphics card - It got replaced yesterday by the latest product I am still stuck on a NVIDIA 560 GTI II because graphics aren't everything, games still look good enough and I can always tweak settings to get a bit more out of the game if I want to. Compare price and performance, look for a balance that you are willing to invest in.
  
• Anything i should keep in mind - If you build your own computer:
  Consider a SSD drive for the OS and most important software / project files. They are really nice and I love the one that I bought, wasn't even the best on the market back then but it really was worth every $$$. Just make sure to Google if you need to make some changes in your OS settings etc to not wear or slow them down unecessarily, had to do that in Windows.
  A decent CPU is nice but like the graphics card, do not overspend... I'd personally pick GPU before CPU.
  4GB ram is minimum, 8 GB is balanced and I would not know what to do with 16GB
  A silent cooling system is really nice, there is different solutions, look around.
  Your power bill will love you if you invest in a decent power unit that can balance its consumption.
  A great motherboard is a good investment, it allows you to make more upgrades further in the future, saves you money and you also do not want your motherboard to become a bottleneck for the rest of the computer.
  Do you actually need a disk drive? Burning capabilities? I almost never use mine... last time was 2 years ago when I reinstalled my OS.
  One, two or three monitors? You can start with one, I personally love two large ones so that I can read without straining my eyes, have the project open on one screen and documentation on the other one.
  Do you need a better sound card or is the one built into your computers motherboard enough?
  Speakers or headphones?
  Keyboard and mouse?

You can already get a lot of computer for 800$ if you are careful with where you purchase your computer parts. 1500$ is typically enough to get a really good computer,

 

Personally, I always run a multi-monitor desktop when I am doing development. I feel like I am squinting to look through a straw when I try to develop anything on a laptop. I run four 17" monitors on my old desktop system and three 27" widescreen monitors on my new desktop system. I can probably get about 20 times as much work done per hour on those multi-monitor systems as I can with any of my laptops.

As for hardware, grab an i5 or i7 with 32GB RAM, an SSD, and a modern graphics card. For graphics cards, you should look at Nvidia 970 or even a 780, or look at AMD 280x or 290x. Those specs will impress you a lot compared to your current laptop.

If you build a nice Windows desktop system, your money will go a lot father than if you buy a Mac laptop. If you are not married to the idea of running a Mac, you really should consider using Windows. As for the version of Windows, my favorite is still Windows 7 64bit. I don't recommend using Windows 8 or 8.1. You'll hate Windows 8.1 less than you will hate Windows 8, but you will love Windows 7.

 

Two monitors is almost a requirement for productive use of Unity. You can have a big game window, or documentation on the second screen while editing code/scenes on the primary monitor. Once you've gone multi-monitor, it's a real struggle to work without it.

As well as monitors, don't underestimate the importance of a good keyboard and mouse. A good solid mechanical keyboard is much nicer to work with than today's cheap low-profile junk, and If you end up with a Mac, lose the Apple mouse, and get something with a good physical scroll wheel and nice clicky buttons.

(If it's an Apple model A1152 mouse, destroy it with fire!... the scroll wheel on that thing *still* doesn't work in Monodevelop, and all it will do is make you angry!)

 

If you are just starting out, you do not need to go over the top with the specs, as long it is expandable (i.e. a desktop, that's not mac), A decent i5 or i7 processor, any graphics card that supports directX 11(does not need to be top end by any means), 8GB or 16GB of ram, and an SSD if you are impatient.

I agree with @bluescrn , the monitor is of extreme importance, I used to work on a macbook air and it was a real pain to keep my work flow seamless, even when using an external monitor along side it. When I got a desktop PC, I bought a 21:9 aspect ratio monitor(so its really long) with 2560x1080 resolution. I could not live without it now, I can work in the unity editor and have visual studio running along side it in pretty much full screen, they are cheapish now as the larger 3.5k resolution 21:9 monitors are out.

As far a keyboard, if you are doing a lot of programming (or if you are a hard core gamer on the side as well you should consider buying a mechanical keyboard. People think they are overrated, but trust me you don't know speedy errorless typing until you use one. Plus they sound really nice

 

Thanks for the responses y'all! I really wanted to get a laptop, but as I read y'all's insight, I think it's best to build a pc (which sounds like an adventure on its own ) and use at least two hd monitors, and probably a mechanical keyboard. Further helpful info is much appreciated and welcome, but I feel like I've definitely been pushed in the right direction now!

 

On that note, is there any commercially-available computer that serves as a good base for game development, and can actually run modern games? My current system is getting a bit dated.

 

these are just my thoughts

you want a desktop not a laptop

you want a good quad core cpu, so nice i7 4770k do it has hyperthreading (no amd ok cause)

you want a nice gpu with at lest 3gb like r9 280 or better like r9 280x (dont get r9 285 since they reduced amount of memory and the bus width so its horrible)

you want plenty of memory like at least 16gb

you also want a number of drivers like at least 128gb ssd for system, 2tb 7200 rpm sata 3 or better for programs, 2tb 7200 rpm sata 3 or better for data like assets and your source

you want a good 800w or better psu

and a good motherboard that works with it with like z97 chipset

you also want a case that has good ventilation and that will hold all that

you also want external storage for backups and probably offsite backup as well.

you also want a nice big screen like 28 1920x1200 and maybe a 2nd monitor for like putting stuff on

so i would say if you go to newegg.com/microcenter.com/amazon.com wait for blackfridays sales and its going to be around $1k-1.5k

if you want to save some money get i5-4690 (4 great cores, but no hyperthreading)

 

Affordable companies offering customizable systems are CyberPowerPC and iBuyPower.

 

While they're easily the cheapest custom builders, they're nowhere close to what it'd be if you build it yourself. Definatly. Definatly, at least try to do it yourself. It's not as hard as it's made out to be, do a week of research. Watch builders on YouTube. The time spent is going to save so much money and allow you to get a much much better computer for the same price.

Here is a great website to get you started in designing your system.
pcpartpicker.com

My custom build: Link

 

iBuyPower is good for deals, but order your computer 2-3 months ahead of the time you're going to need it because you're likely going to be sending it back a few times for repairs. My professor warned me about them but I just couldn't resist those deals!

They sent me a pretty nice gigabyte p34g and when I opened the box... the mouse was dented inward on the left side. I'm surprised that made it passed the quality inspection that the sticker on the case RIGHT NEXT TO THE DENT says it went through. In my professor's case, he ordered a desktop, and they ran the power cable through the fan. So if you're getting a desktop, you can probably fix something like that yourself. If you're getting a laptop, make sure it's going to arrive before 5:30pm PST so you can setup your RMA.

It's hard to be mad at them for the price, but their RMA codes didn't work at the 3 fedex locations I went to, so I'm starting to make up that price difference by paying for the RMA shipping myself ._.

 

I always build my own computers, but Asvarduil was asking about commercially-available systems.

Good to know. I don't have any personal experience with those companies. I just did a Google search and they were the first two that weren't ripoff Alienware priced.

 

Thanks y'all! But I have another question. When I'm looking for parts in general and example builds, "game development pc" is a sparse term on the internet. Would I be equally successful if I google "video game pc"? I would think that Game Development PCs and actual dedicated Gaming PCs are probably really similar in build.

 

Yes. To build a game, your just adding a another level of overhead to the game.

 

The price is great still even after the RMA code failed at 3 fedex locations and I had to ship it myself for $20 for them to fix the defect it shipped with. I'm not big on conspiracies, but anytime I buy a laptop it seems to come with problems. Hopefully this won't be my fourth laptop in a row to come back from repairs with a different problem ._.

Asus...
Apple (twice)...
Gigabyte...

y u no serve customer!?