# 3D Printing > General 3D Printing Discussion >  Do you use a dedicated Computer for your 3D Printer

## JamesTuthill

I am curious.  Do you guys have a specific PC/Mac/Laptop that you use specifically for 3D design and 3D printing?  I've found it easier to do this, as I can leave everything I need on a daily basis open without distracting me from my other computer stuff I do.

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## Davo

Yes, definitely.

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## My Thing in 3D

I have a PC I use as my primary computer for everything, but also have a couple laptops that are handy for some multitasking and on the go use. But my printer is stationary so is controlled by the stationary computer.
 I have the software on the laptops for my printer though, just in case I want to prep something when I'm out for printing once I get home.

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## 3dkarma

I use a raspberry pi running octoprint hooked up to one printer.  This gives me a web interface for controlling and monitoring the printer.  I've also got a pi camera hooked up so I can watch the print through the octoprint web interface from wherever I am.

It also means I can leave the printer unattended for long print jobs without having to leave a laptop or PC switched on and connected to it and lets me locate the printer a fair distance away from my desk without having to run a long USB cable.

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## Kingoddball

@ 3DKarma - Nice idea! I did this for awhile but I have poor Wifi range so I stopped. I'm going to be starting again.

I did have a dedicated laptop (EEE PC) but that died so now I'm just converting gcode on mac and then running to and from the garage with SD cards!  :Wink: 

Although! The Open Pandora can now control 3D Printers, so this will become my standard 3D print UMPC very soon.

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## 3dkarma

Save your legs.  Implement IPoAC (IP over Avian Carriers) between the house and garage.  Might take a little while for the gcode to load, though.

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## JohnA136

I have a dedicated laptop and usually print off an SD card.

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## old man emu

I have one PC in the workshop with XP as its operating system. I use it to run CNC and 3D CAM programs, as well as a CAD program. The PC is not connected to the internet.

I have another PC in my home office which runs all my Office software, internet access software and slic3r. It runs Win 8.1. I use an SD card or USB thumb drive to take gcode files out to the workshop computer.

Old Man Emu

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## greatestalive

I don't have a dedicated PC, but I sure as heck wish I did.  Just can't afford another one after buying my 3D printer  :Smile:

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## kathyaj

I have a local (non-networked) computer hooked up to my ZCorp printer. I have to take my Solidworks files from my laptop on a flash drive to that computer for printing.

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## Geoff

I have a tablet attached to the side of the printer which can slip in and out easy, but I prefer to print off SD card. ReplicatorG sends the Gcode line by line, so if your PC crashes so does your print, so safer from SD card.

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## RapidProtoCo

I have a Ubuntu amachine that I have been using for fun, id love to get it printing, any recomendations of software I should start with?

www.RapidProtoCo.com

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## SteveJWilson

I don't currently have a dedicated computer to run my printer.  I'm currently running the software off of my everyday laptop.

@3dkarma- I recently picked up a raspberrypi, with the hopes of using it to run my printer.  Are you only using the pi as a remote unit through octoprint, or does it have enough processing power to run/control your printer on it's own?

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## 3dkarma

@SteveJWilson - The pi just runs Octoprint.  The printer has a Melzi controller, which is in turn plugged into the pi's USB port.  While there's a stepper motor board for the pi available from allthingsmicro, I'm not aware of any controller software that'll run on the pi.  My toolchain is: slice on desktop with Slic3r (could do it on the pi, but it's faster on the desktop), drag it over to the OctoPrint web page and set the print off from there.

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## SteveJWilson

Ok thanks.  That's helpful.
I've heard rumors of people running a Reprap machine just off of a raspberry pi alone, but I haven't seen it successfully done.

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## 3dkarma

> I have a Ubuntu amachine that I have been using for fun, id love to get it printing, any recomendations of software I should start with?
> 
> www.RapidProtoCo.com


Pronterface or Repetier Host both run on Linux, with Slic3r.

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## ralphzoontjens

I just bought an Ultimaker and only have one laptop that occassionally I can imagine using for the CAM software, CAD, and rendering all at once. I didn't even consider whether that could be a problem. Does the CAM software need a lot of CPU power?

Using a Raspberry Pi seems like a great idea, probably going to look into that.

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