Suggestions on buying a Labtop

Want2ride · Outlaw Joined: 13 Jan 2003 Posts: 182 City: Layton, Utah

OK so I am trying to decided on a labtop to buy and really dont know where to start. If you guys could tell me about one's you have or have used that would be great! I am going to mainly be using it for photo editing using PSCS and browsing the internet. I currently have an HP desktop with 512mb of memory, it does a fairly decient job with using photoshop but have been considering getting 1 gig. Though I havent seen many labtops with that much memory? My next major thing is I want it to have GOOD screen resolution, when I veiw my pictures on my friends new dell they look horrible! My price range is going to be somewhere around $1500, I dont know if I'm going to get these things at this price. So any suggestions or comments will be appreciated!!

Kai · Soul Rider Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 287

I am getting a Powerbook G4 in a few months for the school I am going to. People tell me they're the workhorse of laptops for editing photos/video. I found this online http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=326463&is=REG.. this one is around the price range, but the memory isnt up there. Look in the "what computer you use" (or whatever it is) and look for some people that have it that would know far more than me. I'm sure they wouldnt mind taking a few mins to help you out.

89comp · Posted: Oct 04, 2004 3:05 pm Post subject:

want2ride-
if you are in school remember you can get some killer educational discounts...

Kai...I push my powerbook G4 every day as I'm constantly crunching video. It takes what I give it and is a great machine. Plus I can put up to 2 Gigs of RAM in it...

RD · Addict Joined: 22 Apr 2003 Posts: 626 City: Discovery Bay

www.powerbookcentral.com to find the best deals on Apple Powerbooks. Most of the time they are around the same price but you should be able to get free RAM upgrade or something. They are great units, especially with Photoshop.

bluefish86 · Posted: Oct 04, 2004 7:55 pm Post subject:

I got a 12" Powerbook G4. It's awesome. I have 512 MB of RAM, and it's fine for what I do (photoshop, light video editing, light gaming).

It came out to $2k cdn + tax with the RAM upgrade installed and the educational discount.

Want2ride · Outlaw Joined: 13 Jan 2003 Posts: 182 City: Layton, Utah

Thanks for all the comments!

Would you guys recomend a mac over a PC? I hadn't even considered a mac before but I would definatly think about it.

Also could you tell me some stores that offer a Student discount and about how much of a discount is it? I'm in school right now at a technical college but I will be going to normall college in the spring, so I could always wait a couple months if I had too.

89comp · Posted: Oct 06, 2004 6:35 am Post subject:

Want2ride-
First of all, you can get the educational discount @ apple's website (www.apple.com). Look for the link on the store page. Or if there is an apple store close to you, you can get the educational discount in the store by proving you are a student. I used to just print off my current class schedule and show it to them. Got me up to $500 off sometimes. I don't deal with windows resellers so I can't speak for them.

Now for your mac vs. pc question. For what you want to do, I'd go with a mac. Yes you can get photoshop for windows, and Adobe Premerie is a good video editing package, but I switched from windows 4 yrs ago and have never looked back. I really enjoy not having to worry about viruses, spyware, trojan horses, etc. as mac aren't affected by them. Plus apple's hardware is always the best looking and most functional. In addition to all of that, you can get apple's powerbooks with up to 2 GB of RAM which should do the trick for your needs.
Do expect to take some time getting used to the mac OS if you switch. It isn't windows so don't expect to sit down and be a speed demon. But if I can get my 50 yr old + computer illiterate coworkers to not only switch and be happy, then I'm sure you're get along just fine.
If you're close to an apple store, go there and play with the hardware, ask their specialists about your concerns, then weigh the costs/benefits. Let us know what you end up with...

Bowen · Posted: Oct 11, 2004 4:14 pm Post subject:

I've got a 12" powerbook and I could not be happier...It is a haus. I am a film student and have rendered many a videos on it and it runs flawless.

I agree with 89comp...he gave you great advice.

Nor*Cal · Ladies Man Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 9479 City: Sac

http://forums.wakeboarder.com/viewtopic.php?t=16880&highlight=laptop

http://forums.wakeboarder.com/viewtopic.php?t=21066&start=0

Jumalian and myself both got Toshibas...

flukdfilms · Posted: Oct 12, 2004 6:58 pm Post subject:

I've been shopping around for a while and finally decided toshiba is the best for me. plus everywhere i went thats what every single sales guy told me was that toshiba was the best computer, but maybe they were just trying to make some commission.