Yet another "What laptop should I buy" question

[dotty_waxman]

<p>What are the "must have" features to look for in a laptop these days? I want a small-ish (14" ?) one for travel that can handle Photoshop, MS Office, etc. I know that Mac is top rated but I just can't see paying $600. for another copy of Photoshop since my desktop is a PC. So far I see that 4GB of memory and 4 GB of HD space is a given (enough?) I read Consumer Reports current issue that reviews & rates laptops but I'm not sure how their standards apply to photography ( working with lots of RAW images).<br>

I'll appreciate some input...big time.<br>

Dotty</p>

[danny_low]

<p>You are not going to be able to do any serious photo work on a laptop as none that I know of has a LCD screen that is accurate enough. Colors and brightness level will shift significantly depending on minor changes of your head position. So what you think is black will turn out to be gray in a print and what you think is red will come out pink. I use my laptop only to download images from the camera and do a quick check to get rid of the obviously bad images. I do not do any serious editing until I get back to my desktop. You do not need Photoshop for that. The free software that came with your camera is adequate for checking the images.</p>

<p><em>"4 GB of HD space is a given"</em></p>

<p>I do not think you can get a laptop with a disk under 200GB today and that is more than adequate for downloading even several weeks of shooting.</p>

<p>So forget about serious photo work on your laptop. Just use the laptop as a big backup device for the images.</p>

<p>Danny</p>

 

[danielleetaylor]

<p><em>You are not going to be able to do any serious photo work on a laptop as none that I know of has a LCD screen that is accurate enough.</em></p>

<p>He can always plug it into a desktop monitor at home.</p>

[danny_low]

<p><em>"He can always plug it into a desktop monitor at home."</em></p>

<p>The poster wrote he she already has a desktop at home with Photoshop on it. So the implication is she wants to do serious work with the laptop on the road.</p>

<p>Danny</p>

 

[dotty_waxman]

<p>Yes, I hope to do minimal reviewing & evaluating while traveling and if necessary while away from home to prepare some images for emailing.<br>

I was hoping to go MAC but the cost is a bit much. Are there any other specs that I should review (graphics card, etc.)? Any specific brand that will fulfill my needs? Consumers rates Apple at the top in all 3 size groups and Toshiba & Asus after that.<br>

Thanks for your input.</p>

[danny_low]

<p>You do not need Photoshop to do simple reviewing and simple editing for emailing. What you do need is a program that will handle RAW images if you shoot in that mode. The computational demands for these more basic editing programs is minimal. Many of these programs are even free, at least for the PC. The basic program that is bundled with the Mac is adequate as well.</p>

<p>Any laptop has an adequate video card to support viewing your photos.</p>

<p>With hard drives for laptop starting at 200GB for a $400 system, any minimal laptop will be adequate.</p>

<p>I recommend making your buy decision on what type of repair service is available on the road. I know Apple has a great service because a friend used it once. His Mac had an accident on a trip. The replacement Mac arrived at his hotel room the next day. If you are really seriously dependent on the laptop on the road, a good repair agreement is well worth the money and it is well worth buying a laptop from a company that can provide that service anywhere you might be. HP offers a similar service and I would be surprised if Lenovo/IBM does not offer the same service.</p>

<p>But if photography is not your livelihood, you can skip the service agreement and just get any midrange laptop from a company that rates high in the pcword.com, pcmag.com and Consumer Report surveys. Bascially your application is not all that demanding and just about anything above a bottom of the line loss leader model will do.</p>

<p>Danny</p>

 

[Robert DeCandido PhD]

<p>Hello,</p>

<p>Since I am also in the market for a new laptop, I have been looking around. My suggestion would be to check the PC Laptop section at the Big Auction site. I have seen some very good deals there - laptops that have been used (slightly), and others that are sealed new in the box with manufacturer's warranty. You can also look daily at www.BensBargains.com - a site that posts the best deals of the day with user comments.</p>

<p>I'd look for something with at least 4GB memory (preferably DDR3 but DDR2 might be acceptable) - that can be expanded to 8GB (two DIMM slots). A high-rez screen (1900x1000 would be great - but see if the higher resolution affects the amount of time you can run on battery). Memory is cheaper to buy on your own, and install too than buying s system already loaded with 8GB memory.</p>

<p>See if you can get a system with Windows 7 pre-loaded - sometimes the "free" upgrades fail from Vista. Also, a laptop with no blotaware and virus scanning software is better ((use AVG free for virus software and something like the free Malwarebytes.com program for intercepting other types of spyware).</p>

<p>You might want a videocam/camera included as part of the laptop - if you use software to make long-distance calls.</p>

<p>Get a 7200 rpm (not 5400 rpm) HD - something more than 250GB (500 GB would be best to partition).</p>

<p>Watch the weight - anything over 5pds for me is way too heavy to carry in a shockproof case (Pelican is wonderful for this). So I tend to look at 15.4 in diagonal screens.</p>

<p>Do you need a three year warranty replacement service contract? That adds much to the cost. I have had a laptop since 2002 - state of the art at the time, and (knock wood) - no drops or spills on my part. Just be careful might be the best bet...</p>

<p>The onboard video card with 512mb memory is enough for Photoshop. Do you want to watch movies with the laptop? If so, perhaps you might need a better on-board video card...but likely not. Save money here...</p>

<p>Look for an eSATA connection/plug somewhere - makes backing up data so much faster than USB 2.0 and even Firewide 400 (many laptops do not have a Firewire 400 port these days - so look for a laptop that has it).</p>

<p>I have been editing photos on the road with a laptop for many years. It can be done - I then post results on the web. When I need a print, I use the desktop at home to edit and then print...</p>

<p>Expect to spend about $500-$1000 for a good system. If a system has all the high end items I mention about, your are in the $1400-$2000 range - so if you find something cheaper than these price parameters, you might have found a good deal - such deals are out there given the state of the US economy.</p>

<p>You can configue an interesting laptop here:</p>

<p>http://www.system76.com/</p>

<p> </p>

[riley_s1]

<p>Asus is definitely one of the better brands. Avoid Acer - they're notoriously bad. <br>

I'd recommend a PC - just as capable as a Mac but at a fraction of the price.</p>

[riley_s1]

<p>Also - I'd suggest taking a look at the Asus N51 series. Asus has a 3 yr warranty for any defects, and a 1 yr warranty for everything (if you spill coffee on your laptop, they'll replace it - pretty decent).<br>

4 GB of RAM is pretty much a necessity, and a dedicated video card is a huge plus. From what I've heard, nVidia cards tend to work a bit better with Photoshop than ATI cards do (haven't noticed that personally, though).<br>

If you can get something with Windows 7 pre-installed, it would save you a lot of hassle upgrading. Vista is perfectly decent when it works, but a nightmare when it doesn't.</p>

[dotty_waxman]

 

<p>Hello all,<br>

Thanks so much for your important points. It does sound as if some strongly prefer Apple in this case & I suspect that it really is on my mind as well. However, after weighing all your valuable input & suggestions, I tend to feel more inclined to stick with the PC laptop. I suspect that for the cost of buying software for Mac, I can do some serious upgrades on a PC.<br>

I really appreciate the detailed & eye opening facts from all. It's a tough call but in the greater scheme of things..............not a "problem". Will update my choice, no doubt with a new group of questions (how do I .....?)</p>

<p>Dotty</p>

 

[Robert DeCandido PhD]

<p>Hi,</p>

<p>See these articles, the first about what you should know before you purchase a laptop:</p>

<p>http://www.tomsguide.com/us/laptop-specs-guide,review-1462.html</p>

<p>and a round-up of the current "best" models as of December 2009:</p>

<p>http://www.tomsguide.com/us/holiday-buy-computers,review-1469.html</p>

<p> </p>