Posted by John Plant on September 15, 2006 at 4:45 PM
Having done the deed and bought into the megapixel bracket (i.e. >10Meg)my tusty old Sony Vaio (been round the world twice and processed thousands of shots) is now groaning
I have been doing the reviews and know I need lots of RAM bigger hard drive etc
Anyone got any recommendations? Apple is probably out due to comparative cost unless someone can convince me otherwise.
Ideally I want something with a screen of around 14 inches (for portability)
Advice please
Posted by Sean Bolton on September 15, 2006 at 5:55 PM
Hi John
I have used Dell laptops (and desktops) for the last few years and found them reliable and good quality. What's good with Dell online ordering is you have a lot of flexibility with the machine configuration (ram, HD, DVD, graphics card, processor, etc).
Might be worth ordering a small fire extinguisher as an optional extra though
cheers
Sean
Posted by John MacTavish on September 15, 2006 at 6:07 PM
I'm running a 17" Macbook Pro and have only good things to say about it.
It's so good I use it for all my puter needs. Fast enough to satisfy my processing.
Hard drive shouldn't be too big a worry when buying a laptop, after all you should be using externals for storage.
RAM is important and you should be thinking around the 2Gb mark. Most vital of all with a laptop is connectivity, firewire (both 800 and 400) USB2 (at least two ports) DV interface for monitor, ethernet port for network or crossover cable connection. Also look out for battery life, obviously the longer time between charges the better, but look at power saving features too as they can be just as important.
Sony, Dell, Acer and HP are some that spring to mind, also worth considering would be the older Mac G4 powerbook. A mint condition 17" 1.66Ghz one can be had on Ebay for around the £600 mark....a positive bargain when you consider that they are every bit as fast as most folks' PCs.
I've been bit with the Mac bug and my only regret is not being bit a lot sooner.
John
Posted by Barrie Harwood on September 16, 2006 at 2:19 AM
Hasn't been asked as far as I can see so John, why do you need the Laptop - what do you intend doing with it?
Barrie
Posted by John Plant on September 16, 2006 at 10:47 AM
Barrie, It travels with me to review delete edit archive and sometimes despatch images. Desk top isn't a problem mine is so hot I am heating the house with it
Posted by Rob Ashton on September 16, 2006 at 1:52 PM
You say 14" TFT but would you consider smaller? There is a good line of ultra portables at 12" TFT that are ideal for this type of work. The downside is cost as they are a little more than the average "standard size".
They have all got the same feature set though (1GB RAM, 80GB HDD, DVD-RW, Wireless and 10/100 Ethernet, Modem etc.). Sony, Fujitsu and Toshiba all do these sizes.
Rob
Posted by Rene de Heer on September 17, 2006 at 6:07 AM
I love my Apple Ibook G4, small and compact. I also recommend Dell laptops, i have seen some great offers on those laptops.
Rene de Heer
Discussion
6 repliesI have been doing the reviews and know I need lots of RAM bigger hard drive etc
Anyone got any recommendations? Apple is probably out due to comparative cost unless someone can convince me otherwise.
Ideally I want something with a screen of around 14 inches (for portability)
Advice please
I have used Dell laptops (and desktops) for the last few years and found them reliable and good quality. What's good with Dell online ordering is you have a lot of flexibility with the machine configuration (ram, HD, DVD, graphics card, processor, etc).
Might be worth ordering a small fire extinguisher as an optional extra though
cheers
Sean
It's so good I use it for all my puter needs. Fast enough to satisfy my processing.
Hard drive shouldn't be too big a worry when buying a laptop, after all you should be using externals for storage.
RAM is important and you should be thinking around the 2Gb mark. Most vital of all with a laptop is connectivity, firewire (both 800 and 400) USB2 (at least two ports) DV interface for monitor, ethernet port for network or crossover cable connection. Also look out for battery life, obviously the longer time between charges the better, but look at power saving features too as they can be just as important.
Sony, Dell, Acer and HP are some that spring to mind, also worth considering would be the older Mac G4 powerbook. A mint condition 17" 1.66Ghz one can be had on Ebay for around the £600 mark....a positive bargain when you consider that they are every bit as fast as most folks' PCs.
I've been bit with the Mac bug and my only regret is not being bit a lot sooner.
John
Barrie
They have all got the same feature set though (1GB RAM, 80GB HDD, DVD-RW, Wireless and 10/100 Ethernet, Modem etc.). Sony, Fujitsu and Toshiba all do these sizes.
Rob
Rene de Heer