Advice in buying First Laptop for Graphics

I

ingridients

New Member
Hi all!
I'm a graphic artist in search for my first ever laptop
I'm pasting this sort of questionnaire from another forum I posted this to, unfortunately no one's answering me yet and I'm posting this to as many as possible. Thanks for anyone and everyone who could help me with this :)

Budget: around $1,000 (could go over just a little bit, but preferably lower than 1,000)
Buying:
by Feb-first week of March this year, from New York
I'm from the Philippines and someone from NY will go here so I need this quick :D

I’m not that aware of what the best brands are but I’m looking at:
* Dell Studio / Studio XPS
* Toshiba Satellite
* Acer Aspire
*Alienware??
* And then maybe customize them to my needs
* Also might consider a MacBook Pro (but not too familiar with a Mac and might be difficult and expensive to maintain here?)
-- I've read good and bad things about the brands so I'm confused, please tell me what the best ones are, or if you could, please suggest other brands

should be able to handle: Graphic design software: Adobe Suite (illustrator, photoshop, indesign, flash, dreamweaver), office applications
the biggest game i'd install would probably be Sims 3

Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places, leaving it on your desk or both? Both

3 or more hours of battery life

OS: 7, XP, Mac

screen: I’d say matte, but people say glossy is good for graphics (But I hate having to cover the screen when I’m under bright lighting) So now, I’m really unsure about this.


How much hard drive space do you need? Do you want a SSD drive?
I own an external hard drive so I don’t know how much I need the laptop to have, since I’ll be saving my files on the external…I’d say 250 or more?
SSD drive? - no idea if I need this

Drive:
DVD burner would be great

I’m a Novice Laptop buyer who knows that I need a dedicated graphics card and the highest RAM that I could afford, that’s about it. Thanks for the help!
 
I'd stay away from acer and focus on asus and toshiba. You don't need an alienware either and even if you found one at your price range it would have bad battery life.

I'd look into this toshiba.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Toshiba+-+Satellite+Laptop+with+Intel%26%23174%3B+Core%26%23153%3B+i7+Processor+-+Quantum+Black/9705203.p?id=1218154377801&skuId=9705203

It doesnt have a gaming card, but the processor is more important with what you will be doing. Someone else can chime in on if the 310 will be good enough of a gpu, but i'm pretty sure it will be.
 
That card should be suitable enough to run Sims 3, according to a lot of the reviews I've seen on it. However, too much more than that and you'll need to look into a better card.
 
hi thanks for the suggestion...:)

do you think these are good too?
http://www.dell.com/us/en/home/notebooks/laptop-studio-xps-16/pd.aspx?refid=laptop-studio-xps-16&s=dhs&cs=19&~oid=us~en~29~laptop_studio_xps16_anav_1~~

http://laptops.toshiba.com/laptops/satellite/P500/P505-S8971

Flaring Afro said:
Wait does the Philippines have the same power connectors and voltage as the US? That's something you might wanna check.
Click to expand...

we're using 220 here,i know the US has 110.. but I didnt think laptops would have that issue since they're meant for travel?
 
ingridients said:
we're using 220 here,i know the US has 110.. but I didnt think laptops would have that issue since they're meant for travel?
Click to expand...

Yes, it does. The only difference between the laptop and a desktop is the psu is outside of the laptop. It needs our voltage input. However, you might be able to find the ac adapter for the laptop you want that is meant for the Philippines.
 
A Macbook Pro will last your whole college career, also I suggest getting Applecare with it. Also, if you are a student Apple gives like a 10% discount or so and a free ipod and a free printer to college kids.

It will run all the apps you want it to, and it will run the Sims just fine. Plus they come with the Nvidia video cards which now have built in support for CS4 Adobe products. This will boost your performance in Photoshop. ATI video cards do not support this technology as of today.

You can run any application you want, including Windows since all Intel based Macs can run Windows. A copy of Windows 7 Pro is anywhere from free to $30 for all college students as well, so it would be a minimal cost to add that later on if you desired to do so.

You also will get to learn both platforms Mac and Windows which makes you a more versatile graphic designer. Most design firms do run a mixture of Macs and PCs, but knowing both just makes you look better on paper, plus expanding your knowledge is never a bad thing.
 
thanks for the comment! I think I might be leaning more towards Macs now.. Too bad Im not a student anymore.. :(
haha.. anyway, would you have any news about the Macs upgrading their processors?
Someone told me to wait until they come out with the Arrandale processors... Do you think I should or is the Core 2 Duo sufficient to last me years?
 
I am also looking to buy my first laptop.....is Mac easy to learn? i've always had PC's but have thought about a Mac for quite some time now.

I used to live in the US and brought my desktop with me when we moved to Sweden now where we have the same electricity as you (220) but i checked with Dell and they told me i had a switch on my computer from 110 to 220 so when u look at the laptop i would also ask if they have a switch like that, then u just need a adaptor for the cord when you charge the laptop, but if the computer don't have a switch i don't think u can use it with just an adaptor. I brought my xbox with me as well and that one does not have a switch and i need a volt converter i heard to use it, i can not just plug it in as the voltage is not the same, i don't dare to try either.
 
ingridients said:
thanks for the comment! I think I might be leaning more towards Macs now.. Too bad Im not a student anymore.. :(
haha.. anyway, would you have any news about the Macs upgrading their processors?
Someone told me to wait until they come out with the Arrandale processors... Do you think I should or is the Core 2 Duo sufficient to last me years?
Click to expand...

Apple almost always rolls out new products at the beginning and the middle of the year. Their next debut will be in June probably. If you are wanting to wait it out to June you could get a higher spec machine for the cost of a current one.

I am also looking to buy my first laptop.....is Mac easy to learn? i've always had PC's but have thought about a Mac for quite some time now.

I used to live in the US and brought my desktop with me when we moved to Sweden now where we have the same electricity as you (220) but i checked with Dell and they told me i had a switch on my computer from 110 to 220 so when u look at the laptop i would also ask if they have a switch like that, then u just need a adaptor for the cord when you charge the laptop, but if the computer don't have a switch i don't think u can use it with just an adaptor. I brought my xbox with me as well and that one does not have a switch and i need a volt converter i heard to use it, i can not just plug it in as the voltage is not the same, i don't dare to try either.
Click to expand...

The basic concept of Windows and OS X are about the same. There are some minor differences in these concepts and there is of course the Windows way and the Mac way, which can be very different at times. To give you an example, most system settings in Windows are in the Control Panels, in OS X it is called System Preferences. I think things like that the common person can draw easy parallels. When you get down into the nitty gritty of how the OS works, then you can start to see major differences.

As for you being in Europe. If it were me, and you were planning on being there a while, I would buy one specified to run off of European standards of power. That is just me though.
 
tlarkin said:
Apple almost always rolls out new products at the beginning and the middle of the year. Their next debut will be in June probably. If you are wanting to wait it out to June you could get a higher spec machine for the cost of a current one.
Click to expand...

..wow June? that's too long...I'd really like to wait but someone's going here by April from the US so I have to tell them by early March what model and where to buy it.. argh...that's too bad.. :(

As for you being in Europe. If it were me, and you were planning on being there a while, I would buy one specified to run off of European standards of power. That is just me though.
Click to expand...

Do you also recomend buying from here? someone told me its cheaper to buy in the US.. anyway, do you think its better to buy from B&H store at NY or at the Apple store?
 
Laptop psus dont have a switch. You will have to buy an adapter in your area so you must make sure there is one available. Also macs arent worth the steep price difference imo. If you love opening random emails and clicking on ads so much just get linux which is more secure and free anyways. Macs are a bit overrated in reliability too. The mac pros have a large problem with their power adapters melting the cord but like honda they wont make a recall to keep the people feeling they are reliable (not that macs arent one of the most reliable computers you can get). That toshiba has an amazing processor and would blow away any mac in it's price range performance wise...
 
Flaring Afro said:
Laptop psus dont have a switch. You will have to buy an adapter in your area so you must make sure there is one available. Also macs arent worth the steep price difference imo. If you love opening random emails and clicking on ads so much just get linux which is more secure and free anyways. Macs are a bit overrated in reliability too. The mac pros have a large problem with their power adapters melting the cord but like honda they wont make a recall to keep the people feeling they are reliable (not that macs arent one of the most reliable computers you can get). That toshiba has an amazing processor and would blow away any mac in it's price range performance wise...
Click to expand...

Gonna need some citations to back up your claims.
 
Flaring Afro said:
Laptop psus dont have a switch. You will have to buy an adapter in your area so you must make sure there is one available. Also macs arent worth the steep price difference imo. If you love opening random emails and clicking on ads so much just get linux which is more secure and free anyways. Macs are a bit overrated in reliability too. The mac pros have a large problem with their power adapters melting the cord but like honda they wont make a recall to keep the people feeling they are reliable (not that macs arent one of the most reliable computers you can get). That toshiba has an amazing processor and would blow away any mac in it's price range performance wise...
Click to expand...
That is the most misinformed post today. I live in New Zealand, the Macbook Pro I have is from the US. The US runs on 110v and NZ 230v. The guy who imported it for me just gave me the NZ outlet cable (not the adapter) which you can swap out of any Macbook. All laptop power adapters have variable voltage. My Gateway I had back in the states is now working fine with my friend in Australia on the stock power adapter.

What's the battery life on that Toshiba, do you reckon? 2 hours? 3 hours if you're really, really lucky? Sure it has a nice CPU, but what's the point of a laptop if you can't use it away from an outlet. A Macbook Pro will last a good 7 hours, maybe more if you're careful. Plus Mac OS X isn't as bloated as Windows is, so it runs faster on lower spec'd hardware. Also, take a look at how the OS effects battery life. Windows 7 is good, but doing the same things it uses more battery than Windows XP and Mac OS X. Not to mention the Macbook Pro isn't made of cheap bits of plastic. :rolleyes:

Spewing random crap isn't going to get you very far here.
 
tlarkin said:
Gonna need some citations to back up your claims.
Click to expand...

http://www.appledefects.com/wiki/index.php?title=Magsafe

I have a friend who had this problem and apple wouldnt give her another. She went to bb to get another and they told her they had seen it several times before. Considering it's a problem that could shock someone or start a fire mac should have recalled it. Xbox only had 2 instances for microsoft to send out new power plugs for free (not that I particularly like microsoft as a company). Again, like I stated, they still are one of the most reliable computer manufacturers. If you know anything about car mechanics you'd also know about how honda adds "updates" to their manual requesting a replacement way before some things actually should go, if you were questioning that part.

Ethan3.14159 said:
That is the most misinformed post today. I live in New Zealand, the Macbook Pro I have is from the US. The US runs on 110v and NZ 230v. The guy who imported it for me just gave me the NZ outlet cable (not the adapter) which you can swap out of any Macbook. All laptop power adapters have variable voltage. My Gateway I had back in the states is now working fine with my friend in Australia on the stock power adapter.

What's the battery life on that Toshiba, do you reckon? 2 hours? 3 hours if you're really, really lucky? Sure it has a nice CPU, but what's the point of a laptop if you can't use it away from an outlet. A Macbook Pro will last a good 7 hours, maybe more if you're careful. Plus Mac OS X isn't as bloated as Windows is, so it runs faster on lower spec'd hardware. Also, take a look at how the OS effects battery life. Windows 7 is good, but doing the same things it uses more battery than Windows XP and Mac OS X. Not to mention the Macbook Pro isn't made of cheap bits of plastic. :rolleyes:

Spewing random crap isn't going to get you very far here.
Click to expand...

It doesnt have as much battery life, but that doesnt matter to some people. I've never been in a situation where I have to be away from an outlet for more than a couple hours, and I'm almost never in my dorm. A mac might be reliable, but it outlasts it's hardware capabilities and, as far as I know, can't be upgraded (probably the reason I never would consider one). My gf is already tired of her 2 year old mac pro because its gotten to the point where it cant handle newer things, it even takes a good while to load gimp (considering the size of the program). And she also is a computer science person and regularly cleans the computer etc. That toshiba will be able to handle the new macromedia flash and photoshops and such fine, and a toshiba is a very reliable computer that'll feel nice n strong and durable in your hands unlike the $300 hp sitting next to it in best buy.

As to the power thing, I've never come across a laptop that can take either (though I've never checked on macs which might be a selling point here). All one's I've had have said they need a 110 input on the power adapter. Not only that, the philippines might have a different shape plug (i have no idea here). I've been to countries that do have different plug shapes though.
 
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Don't be apple whores guys, although they do make a beautiful laptop, you can get a better one with better specifications than the 1800 dollars maxed MBP.
 
Theblackoutow said:
Don't be apple whores guys, although they do make a beautiful laptop, you can get a better one with better specifications than the 1800 dollars maxed MBP.
Click to expand...

No, you really can't. I don't want to get into this great debate, but all Mac laptops have LED back lit, high resolution IPS screens. Which is expensive and most laptops do not have.

If you spec a PC laptop spec for spec and part for part versus a Mac they are very comparable in price.
 
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