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laptop ignoramus - apologies ahead of time

post #1 of 14
10/17/08 at 8:31am
Thread Starter 
hi

i would very much love for someone to help me out with a query.

i know absolutely nothing about laptops but ive decided i desperately need to buy one if i am to hold on to what little is left of my sanity.

im a graphic designer and have been running my own business from home for the past two years. and as appealing as it sounds, working in your old pyjamas from your lounge room listening to the music you want to listen to having a break when you feel like one (when youre not being hunted down by psycho clients) its also slowly starting to drive me mad.

so ive decided to bite the bullet and scrape some money together top buy a laptop so i can at times sit amongst people and feel human again while im working, and be able to go away every once in a while and not be tied to my place without one weekend away.

 so now that ive cut a short story long, which im very good at doing, this is what i need to be able to do on this laptop:
  • run outlook, photoshop, acrobat, indesign and illustrator at the same time so im able to switch over from program to program (as my desktop pooter does)
  • have lots of space on it – by that i mean 300gb would be handy
  • have a wide screen (19 inch would be amazing but not vital; 17 would be ok I think)
  • at least 2 gb of ram
  • a nice graphics card – unfortunately i know nothing about them
  • external preferably whogeewhatsit mouse…. remote mouse, i cant deal with those little plates youre supposed to use instead of a mouse

 i dont need to watch tv on it or play super duper games. i just need to be able to do graphic design on it and have it fast and polite (as in not freezing up on me when i try to run too many programs at once, the bastard).

 if anyone here would be kind enough to be bothered to throw even the tiniest bone my way and point me in the right direction i would be extremely appreciative.

 many, many thanks!

ania
 ania@redwagon.com.au
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post #2 of 14
10/17/08 at 8:59pm
My suggestion would be to check out the Dell Precision M6300 or M6400 (6400 costs a good chunk more).

If you need help finding these, go to www.dell.com.au, then under for office select laptops and select the small business centre or something such as that. Then near the top hover your mouse over laptops and select view all precision mobile workstations. You can then play around configuring the M6300 and M6400. In either case, any 2.0ghz+ processor will suffice, possibly you should upgrade the stock graphics card to the 3600 model. Also modify your HD space to your liking, and add in at least 2gb or 4gb of ram (no more than that).

I think that should work. PM me if you need any more help (i'm not too often viewing up here on the notebook general section)

Hope my opinion helped!
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post #3 of 14
11/6/08 at 12:49am
Thread Starter 
thanks SO MUCH!
ill go to dell now and see what they have there.... thank you again for answering
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post #4 of 14
11/6/08 at 3:09pm
You mentioned you'd like a nice graphics card but you don't want to play games. The single and only purpose for a dedicated graphics card is to run games and 3D applications. Unless you do this you don't need a dedicated graphics card and integrated graphics (shared memory) will be fine and give you better battery life.

Running Vista and some of the software you menitoned, especially several apps at once, I recommend a minimum of 3-4 GB of RAM. RAM is cheap and they should offer that much these days. Like the above poster said you don't need more than 4GB. The amount RAM is probably the most important aspect for keeping things running smooth and quick.

Centrino 2 branded notebooks are a good bet because you are ensured of getting the very latest in notebook chipset, CPU, and memory technology regardless of who you buy the computer from and who makes it. Centrino 2 represents a marketing brand for the Intel package, not just the CPU but it's a good idea and makes shopping a little easier.
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post #5 of 14
11/6/08 at 7:26pm
Thread Starter 
THANK YOU!

this is all chinese to me but i am printing out all of this advice and i will use it when making my final decision.

yesterday i had a look at this http://www.logicalblueone.com.au/cat...roducts_id/154

it seems sort of kind of similar-ish enough to and a bit cheaper than the dell precision M6300 http://www1.ap.dell.com/content/prod...=bsd&cs=aubsd1

or am i hallucinating?

could you guys comment?

thanks so much! its so great to be able to get advice from people who arent trying to sell me something. really appreciated
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post #6 of 14
11/10/08 at 12:13am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ania View Post
THANK YOU!

this is all chinese to me but i am printing out all of this advice and i will use it when making my final decision.

yesterday i had a look at this http://www.logicalblueone.com.au/cat...roducts_id/154

it seems sort of kind of similar-ish enough to and a bit cheaper than the dell precision M6300 http://www1.ap.dell.com/content/prod...=bsd&cs=aubsd1

or am i hallucinating?

could you guys comment?

thanks so much! its so great to be able to get advice from people who arent trying to sell me something. really appreciated
i would take a Toshy Quosimo over anything Dell, any day of the week

those laptops are pure sex in looks, build quality, and stats


thats a dam nice choice
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post #7 of 14
11/10/08 at 12:18am
The screen res on the Toshiba is a little low for a screen that size where the dell is running 1920X1200 the highest res you can get on a notebook to my knowledge. For the graphic work you are looking at doing the higher the screen res the better.
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post #8 of 14
11/10/08 at 12:20am
Quote:
Originally Posted by DarqHelmet View Post
The screen res on the Toshiba is a little low for a screen that size where the dell is running 1920X1200 the highest res you can get on a notebook to my knowledge. For the graphic work you are looking at doing the higher the screen res the better.
blarg didnt see that.......yeah that will help out tons

i swore toshy always had the 1900x screen on the Q line =/
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post #9 of 14
11/10/08 at 12:44am
Thread Starter 
.
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post #10 of 14
11/10/08 at 12:44am
Thread Starter 
oki doki.... thanks for all that. looks like dell then. an old friend just got in touch today and he is a computer person and he suggested the below but im worried about the graphics card only being 256. should be 512 no? or is that enough? i dont do any animation. thing is when i tried to changer it on the dell site it doesnt give me the option for 512.

cost around $2600AU

BUILD MY DELLProcessor
Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo Processor T9300(2.5GHz, 6MB Cache, 800 MHz FSB)editOperating System
Genuine Windows Vista(R) Ultimate 32 bit SP1 Edition (English)editSoftware
Microsoft(R) Works 9.0 (English)(Does Not Include Microsoft(R) Office 2003/2007 Software)editVista Transfer Cable
NoneeditDisplay
17'' Widescreen WUXGA CCFL(1920x1200) TFT Display with TrueLife(TM) with WebCameditOptional Notebook Colour Kits
Ruby Red Colour with Black U-TrimeditMemory
4GB(2x2G) Dual-channel 667MHz DDR2 SDRAMeditHard Drive
320GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Driveedit2nd Hard Drive
320GB SATA 2nd Hard DriveeditOptical Drive
Internal 8X DVD + /-RW Combination Drive with dual layer write capabilitieseditVideo Card
256MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3650editAudio Solution
Intergrated Stereo SoundeditWireless Network Card
Dell Wireless 1510 802.11n Half Mini-CardeditBluetooth Module
Dell(TM) Wireless 370 Bluetooth ModuleeditPalmrest Option
Palmrest with Fingerprint ReadereditACCESSORISE MY DELL Great Deals on Dell Printers
NoneeditCarrying Cases
Belkin Messenger Bag Fits up to 17" Screen (Colour: Black/Red)editBatteries
9-cell Lithium Ion Primary BatteryeditPower Option
90W Primary AC Adapter (110V/220V)editMore Accessories
NoneeditExternal Backup & Storage
NoneeditTV Tuner & Remote Control
TV Tuner with Remote ControleditMY DOCKING SOLUTIONExternal Monitor
NoneeditKeyboard
Dell(TM) Keyboard with Touchpad (English)editMouse
Targus USB Wireless MouseeditPROTECT MY DELLDell Service: Hardware Maintenance
1 Yr Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote DiagnosiseditDell Service: Installation, Education and More
NoneeditCHOOSE MY SOFTWARESecurity Software
McAfee(TM) Security Center(TM) - 15 Months OEM (English)editABOUT MY ORDER?Delivery Charges
Standard Delivery: Delivery 9am-5pm - Monday to Friday (excl. public holidays)editRecycling Program
NoneeditAlso included in this systemThe following options are default selections included with your orderLabel (Core 2 Duo & Dell Wireless or no wireless)
Dell(TM) PC-Restore
Dell(TM) Travel Remote Control
Discount is only valid if the corresponding upgraded item is selected above.
Limited time promotional offer only. No further discounts apply.
Integrated 10/100/1000 Fast Ethernet
8-in-1 media card reader
Dell Connect 2.1
Dell Welcome Note Included
External USB modem (WW)
Mod Specs Info (Australia)
Dell(TM) Support Center
Shipping mod
Regulatory Label
Power Cord (ANZ)
Vista(R) HTML Guide Included
Dell(TM) Chat
Google Toolbar
ANZ Return
eBay Web Access Software
No Floppy Drive
Dell(TM) Network Assistant
Inspiron(TM) Handling & Insurance Charges (Australia)
Laptop Batteries Carry One Year Warranty Only From Invoice Date
Dell's Terms and Conditions apply
Genuine Windows Vista(R) Premium Label




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post #11 of 14
11/10/08 at 2:15am
Since you're a graphics designer, I'd tend to agree with your friend that more video memory would be a good thing for you, especially since you're using a high-resolution screen. If you can get a notebook with a 512MB video card, it would most likely be worth your while when you're running full-screen simulations at 1920x1200. However, the graphics card you have listed will still work well, just not quite as well when being used for high-resolution 3D image rendering.
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post #12 of 14
11/10/08 at 3:43am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Djembe View Post
the graphics card you have listed will still work well, just not quite as well when being used for high-resolution 3D image rendering.
ok great thanks very much
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post #13 of 14
11/10/08 at 8:05am
hello ania,

look at this for inspiration and idea of what available now for laptop computer

Lenovo W700
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=4638
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post #14 of 14
11/11/08 at 1:51am
The price is abit overkill there. My Dell laptop 1525 for only AU$725 and yeah in Australia. Is perfect for everything except gaming. So basically that price is overkill!

And if you don't do alot 3D animation that GMA X3100 can actually do the job. You don't even need 256MB ATI card. That is good card for gaming and is expensive. But if you want a better card i would suggest a low-end card such as Geforce 7200. Is better then intergrated and is not expensive.

If you're doing Painter, Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash. The Dell 1525 does the job perfectly with X3100. Except i recommend you have 3GB RAM for designing but is rather optional.
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