Trying to find the right laptop for some heavy Photoshop CS4 Extended work...

eViolinist · 06-27-2009, 02:49 PM

I'm looking for a laptop I can use for my mattepaintings, that can handle LOTS of layers, Blender 3D, and Firefox with a bunch of tabs open at the same time, preferably without flinching.

What I'd like is...
$1000 price tag or preferably less
17-inch minimum (I'd like as much space as I can get)
16:9 would be nice, but since there's technically more space on a 16:10, and that's the AR of macbook pros, I think I can tolerate 16:10
Decent CPU for a laptop (2.2 GHz dual-core minimum)
Decent GPU (nothing too crazy)
4GB RAM DDR2 or DDR3
LED backlit screen
Numpad
Something that's not junk (trying to avoid Acer, even though there Aspire 8930 WAS my first choice.
And I'm sure I forgot something else.

Some questions:

Are those specs I listed high enough to do what I'd like to do with it?

I was liking the idea of Intel Core 2 Duo with Nvidia, but is AMD Turion X2 Ultra with an equivalent ATI card gonna be just as good?

If someone could fill me in about the different types of screens, and if a gloss screen necessarily means a sharper picture, that would be great. I'd like to be able to do some work outdoors if at all possible, so I'd like something pretty bright.

At the moment I'm looking at this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834152087

Should I buy this, another "name brand" laptop, or some custom-build gaming laptop? I'm open-minded, so please, speak your mind. Any suggestions appreciated.

eViolinist · 06-27-2009, 03:23 PM

Oh, and one other question....

Am I correct in assuming that I can output to a 16:9 monitor (1920X1080) from a 16:10 laptop (1680x1050)?

Bootup05 · 06-27-2009, 04:10 PM

Yes, assuming your laptop has VGA/DVI out

06-27-2009, 02:49 PM	#1 (permalink)
eViolinist New Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: MI Posts: 2	Trying to find the right laptop for some heavy Photoshop CS4 Extended work... I'm looking for a laptop I can use for my mattepaintings, that can handle LOTS of layers, Blender 3D, and Firefox with a bunch of tabs open at the same time, preferably without flinching. What I'd like is... $1000 price tag or preferably less 17-inch minimum (I'd like as much space as I can get) 16:9 would be nice, but since there's technically more space on a 16:10, and that's the AR of macbook pros, I think I can tolerate 16:10 Decent CPU for a laptop (2.2 GHz dual-core minimum) Decent GPU (nothing too crazy) 4GB RAM DDR2 or DDR3 LED backlit screen Numpad Something that's not junk (trying to avoid Acer, even though there Aspire 8930 WAS my first choice. And I'm sure I forgot something else. Some questions: Are those specs I listed high enough to do what I'd like to do with it? I was liking the idea of Intel Core 2 Duo with Nvidia, but is AMD Turion X2 Ultra with an equivalent ATI card gonna be just as good? If someone could fill me in about the different types of screens, and if a gloss screen necessarily means a sharper picture, that would be great. I'd like to be able to do some work outdoors if at all possible, so I'd like something pretty bright. At the moment I'm looking at this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834152087 Should I buy this, another "name brand" laptop, or some custom-build gaming laptop? I'm open-minded, so please, speak your mind. Any suggestions appreciated.

06-27-2009, 04:10 PM	#3 (permalink)
Bootup05 Diamond Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: South East England Age: 18 Posts: 2,659	Yes, assuming your laptop has VGA/DVI out __________________ Intel Q6700 @ 3.7GHz Gigabyte UD3P P45 6GB DDR2 800MHz Asus 4890 @ 975/4500 750GB Samsung Spinpoint - 320GB WD Caviar - 160GB Seagate USB Belinea 26" Wide LCD SoundBlaster Live 24bit USB - Acoustic Energy Aego M Thermaltate Ultimate Extreme Back in Push Pull Tagan 600W 48A Quad Rail Win 7 x64 RC

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06-27-2009, 03:23 PM	#2 (permalink)
eViolinist New Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: MI Posts: 2	Oh, and one other question.... Am I correct in assuming that I can output to a 16:9 monitor (1920X1080) from a 16:10 laptop (1680x1050)?