I'm ready to invest in a new Windows-based laptop that I will use for Photoshop (CS2 at the moment, but upgrading to CS3 soon) and for my computer programming business. I must keep the price below $1,500 so I'm faced with a myriad of tradeoff decisions.
I can properly weigh the features from the perspective of my programming needs, but I'm less confident of my insight when it comes to performance with CS2, Bridge, Camera RAW, etc. Please help me make up my mind about the following, strictly from the perspective of a great, high-performance laptop configuration for PS:
REMEMBER-- for my programming business I must have a Windows-based computer, so MAC is a no-go.
SCREEN: Because I must do much of my photo editing away from my desk and because my eyes are not as sharp as they used to be, I want a 17-inch screen, 1440x900 at least, but should I go larger on the resolution (1680 or even 1920 width)? What computers have the best non-glare screen (I know Dell makes non-glare in the 1440 size) or did you get used to your super-glossy screen after using it for awhile? Should I go for an "extra-bright" (HP Ultra Brightview, others?) or are they not worth the extra expense?
RELIABILITY: Any brands to avoid? (It seems that everywhere I look I hear of horror stories with almost all the brands, but do any stand out to you as being habitually bad quality or consistently good quality? I do note that in looking at listings on EBay of refurbished machines, I don't see as many Toshibas as I do Dell and HP/Compaq, but does this really mean anything at all?
CPU/RAM: Should I put more money into faster CPU or instead put the money toward more RAM? I will have a minimum of 2 G ram, but will 3 or 4 gigs make much difference compared to going from 1.5Ghz CPU to maybe 2.2 or 2.4 Ghz CPU? How much difference does 1M vs 2M L2 cache make?
VIDEO: NVidia vs Radeon vs Intel integrated? Shared RAM vs Dedicated video RAM? 128M dedicated RAM (NVidia 8400) vs 256 dedicated (NVidia 8600)?
HARD DRIVE(S): Performance-wise, which is better: 1 7200 RPM drive or 2 5400 RPM drives? I'll get at least 160 G and already have an external Firewire 250G,
WINDOWS: Vista 32-bit Home Premium, Ultimate, Business, Vista Ultimate 64-bit, plain old XP? (I have a Microsoft Universal MSDN subscription, so I can load any MS OS onto it). In fact, I will probably use Virtual PC to support XP for programming purposes if I go with Vista as the main OS. Is anyone running Vista 64-bit?
SERVICE CONTRACT: I'm really drawn to the Dell 3-year in-home service plan, but do the others have something similar? How often have you had to get your computer serviced and how was the experience? Should I skimp on something else and put the $250-$300 on this?
Please rank the following in order of importance for best Photoshop experience:
Fast CPU
More than 2 G RAM
Dedicated Video RAM
Hard Drive performance
Windows version choice
Thanks for any advice you care to give. Just writing this all down has already helped to relieve my stress a bit, but feel free to be as opinionated as you want, because I need the benefit of real-life performance experience related to Photoshop. Obviously, if I could just double my budget a lot of these questions would not be quite as perplexing.
Please show me the best performance bang for the buck!
Dave in St. Pete, FL
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Dave in St. Pete, FL |
