So like I am wanting to build my own home PC studio and was thinkin of ways to save a couple hundred bucks. Here's a question for yall: I've got a Dell Inspiron 1100 laptop, now would I be able to purchase a nice barebones AMD64 tower(IE: ebay amd athlon) from ebay or somethin' and hook it up to the laptop somehow so they can work together? So I don't have to buy windows, a monitor etc etc, and so I can have a faster workin system? thanx

I doubt you could chain them together in a parallel processing sense very easily.

You could network them to share internet, files, and disk space easily enough.

You can also buy switchers which allow you to use the same monitor, keyboard and mouse with a single computer.

so do you think this would be worth doing? and would they be able to share software? since I can't combine processors, how would I make it so the laptop uses the AMD's processor?

You wouldn't be able to share software which was on one computer with both of them. Certain programs (After Effects? I'm not sure what else) can be installed on two networked computers and work together to render complex effects quicker.

There's really no way of using the AMD processor as a 'slave' to the laptop that I'm aware of.

Like Titanium said, You could maybe set up a render farm with the 2 comps but it would be kind of pointless with just a laptop and a tower. The only thing that you could do to use the AMD's power would be to create files on the laptop, save them to a central drive (networked) and then render them on the PC. But you'd need copies of the program on both machines. You can't share software between PC's, so you'd need windows and everything on both. You'd probobly be better off spending your $700 bux on a store bought PC with windows already installed on it and doing all your stuff on that.

That sounds like a not bad idea! Some programs like bryce support rendering farms so that rendering takes a lot less time. What other programs do this I don't know, but search the net and i'm sure you'll find something... when you do, post it so we can all benefit from it!

Besides the programs mentioned, Cubase SX has a unique function enabling multiple computers to run parallel, dividing up the processing among as many computers as you are running. I have two desktops and a laptop on my network that i am intending to get after effects and Cubase set up on in this manner.

I think its only a matter of time before PPro features some form of render farming tool. Would be a smart move on their Adobe's part. They've already integrated a number of elements of after effects into PPro anyway.