Laptop for Digital Editing?

[monkeygirl]

Any suggestions for a laptop to use while on location, (Animal Portraits) to download and edit,(Photoshop) then print? The best bang for the buck. We can't go hog wild yet, we're just starting, we'll have to upgrade at a later date. Is buying used, a good option with laptops or not really? Remember what you guys pay in the States, tack on 30% for exchange. http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/images/smilies/rolleyes.gif

[booster]

These are my two suggestions. Both are rated very well by independent a lab and both would do well with what you are asking. Neither are "top of the line" but they will certainly get the job done.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1625617,00.asp

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1625652,00.asp

Used: check Dell and IBM's web sites for refurbs. I actually like buying these, get the full waranty though. As an example, my last IBM laptop was a wonderful powerhouse, I bopught at a 20% discount likely because it had a slight defect that was repaire then resold to me. The only thing wrong was the battery door stuck. Then I dropped it from my kitchen table http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/images/smilies/frown.gif.

[Andy]

I am assuming that you are doing only photo editing, not video editing, so the main things to consider are display capacity, memory, and hard drive speed. With that in mind, I would consider Dell for a laptop. A spiffy Pentium M machine with great battery life combined with a display well beyond the standard 1024x768 laptop screen would work wonderfully. The 1920x1200 display on the 8600 is really good for photos. Make sure that you have a minimum of 384-512MB memory so you are not constantly cacheing to the hard drive (using Windows XP here), and combine a unit such as this with the Hitachi 7200rpm 60GB hard drive so there are no bottlenecks in the speed of the machine, and you should be good to go. Of course it will be a little more than a rock bottom cost of around 1k a generic (kinda slow and limited) laptop, but much more valuable for your purposes in the end. Keep in mind that the words laptops and economical are typically not used in the same sentence, especially looking at performance features.

[booster]

Andy's suggestion is a good one, but will set you back $2300, before tacking on Canada's 30%. Tough one eh?

Basic photo editing and storage can be effeciently accomplished on an economical machine that is "well-equiped".

[Patonb]

Go for a Dell (http://www.dell.ca), i have an old P3 500 that still works well. You can get a mid level Dell for 2000 which will do what you want. Now if you want greatness get a Mac powerbook, but they run 3-4000.

And whats the 30%??? Its like only 15% Silly Americans, Oh and we don't still live in igloo's... i traded mine in for a shanty http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/images/smilies/biggrin.gif with all 4 walls and a roof

[booster]

Pat, why don't you look up at Monkey's post, that's where the 30% came from. Must of gone to school in an Igloo eh Pat?

[Scott Pruett]

Apple Powerbook http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

I still use my 800mhz TiBook & it's definitely been a workhorse for the past 2 years. I run Photoshop CS almost daily.

[McDuff]

I just got a new Dell. Based my choice on weight and "decent" speed/power. If you were to go strictly on weight you would get stuck with a 12" screen. I wanted bigger. So I went with the Dell 600M series laptop, it was their lightest with a 14". If weight isn't really an issue, you can get more power for less $$$.

Specs:
Intel M 1.5gig processor
Intel Centrino b/g wifi integrated
14.1" 1400x1050 res
384M ram (get 512, wish I did)
60gig HD
CD RW/DVD
Windows XP Pro
$1583.16 ttl delivered (YMMV depending on specials)

If you go used, make sure there is a decent warranty period. Laptops have more probs than most computers. According to a reputable reporting firm this is the order of laptop repairs needed from least(~17%) to most(~23%): Apple,Toshiba,Sony,IBM,HP,Dell,Compaq,Gateway

McD

"Rather be ridin' than rollin'"

[Scott Pruett]

Actually monkeygirl, what are you intending to do editing-wise? You may not need much if this is just for a quick proof, crop, & print. Shoot the photos right & avoid as much post-processing as possible, especially if you have a decent amount of volume.

What camera are you intending on using? Would you ever consider shooting tethered to a laptop? What printer will you be using? (asking b/c some printers can't keep up with a nonstop workflow)

Just trying to get details out of ya. I've done location work like this in the past, but w/ people instead of animals. http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/images/smilies/wink.gif

[jimnms]

You can save some money by buying refurbished. "Most" refurbished notebooks have a 1 year warranty. There's nothing wrong with buying used either, but you probably wont get a warranty.

_____
Learn from the mistakes of others, you won't live long enough to make all of them yourself.

[Scott Pruett]

just got this via email; might be worth a look:

http://pages.ebay.com/college_coupon/computers.html

[PN]

I usually suggest getting a three year extended warrenty that covers the Backlight. So far I have read a lot of good suggestions along with the links. I will leave the URL to Fatwallet below. Good luck, MG.

HP Compaq (http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/generic_category.do?catLevel=1&landing=notebooks&category=compaq_presario&storeName=computer_store&aoid=15536)

http://www.fatwallet.com/

PN

[Conk]

Hi everyone. Monkeygirls other half here. I read all the replies to her post and noticed most people are partial to the Dell. I'm surprised. I know the Dell to be inexpensive but have not really heard good things regarding their warranty and customer service.
Personally I've been looking at Toshiba notebooks. I'm not a huge fan of Compaq but am impressed with the screen display.
The things I would have to consider are,
1)Graphics card. Must be half decent. I know lcd has come a long way but I still find CRT monitors on a pc to be superior for image viewing/editing.
2)Processor speed. I'll be using Adobe Photoshop CS with plugins.
3)HD space
4)Ram memory.
Weight is not important.
The notebook would be used mostely on-site durring photoshoots for visual display to confirm images taken from the camera. Also the plan it to give clients "instant gratification" durring shoots to allow for them to leave with photo in hand. I'll be using a Canon i960 printer. Editing can be done if need be (time allowing) to make necessary changes.

[jimnms]

Everyone has their brand prefrences. I own an HP notebook, I bought it refurbished and kind of in a last minute decision. I like it, but I'm thinking of getting a new one. I'm looking at a Fujitsu.

I know a friend that had a Dell laptop, he never had problems with it. I also know lots of people that have had trouble with Dell desktops. Personally I don't care much for Dell or Gateway.

Two peices of advice, don't get a Celeron, and don't get a video card that shares the system memory.

_____
Learn from the mistakes of others, you won't live long enough to make all of them yourself.

[booster]

For video, the ATI 9600 and 9700 mobility are the standard for good graphics in a notebook. In all the major brands minus HP and Compaq (new models, due to board config) the graphics do not share system memory. 16MB is the standard vid ram

512 is the standard system RAM

40 gig or better at 5400 or 7200 hard drive is a must

Most good laptops also have mem card readers.

All have atlest two USB 2.0 ports, you'll be surprised that firewire is not standard.


For ratings, the two independent sources I trust ar ZD labs (own PC Magazine) and PC world. Dell takes a hit on support due to outsourcing. IBM continues to rate tops. Newcommer Averatec also rates well. It is mainly brand preference, associated with features. Toshiba is nice but have a higher than average repair rate. I recently read a revier of the Toshiba A45-S250 and was impressed. I favor the Averatec 6200 series because of the 15.4 inch screen and price.

You always want the extended waranty and I have insurance on my work laptop. This covers droping it, loosing it, etc. Costs me $130 a year.

[McDuff]

I am surprised that the number of repairs quoted in places are so high. I am in the computer industry(mostly unix @work), have friends and family with multiples: Fujitsu, Toshiba, Sony, IBM, Dell and can honestly say in the last couple of years not one has needed fixing. FWIW, the company supplied laptops are all IBM, don't know if that is cost or durability driven. So I believe personal prefs should factor heavily in your decision, as long as you stick with name brands.

Other than that, Booster 'bout said it all. Jimnms had good point, do not get a Celeron. Especially for what you want. It does not have an integrated onchip floating point unit(FPU) which does all the mathematical calcs. You will be doing a LOT of that in your apps, and would be lots slower.

McD

"Rather be ridin' than rollin'"

[monkeygirl]

Well, we got a Toshiba, this one here:

http://www.toshiba.ca/web/product.grp?lg=en&section=1&group=1&product=3150

It's pretty nice, but geez, we're having a horrible time loosing the network connection. Every 10 mins it's lost. Hubby's been on with support continuously tring to get it fiqured out. http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/images/smilies/confused.gif He's thinkin the router maybe?

Anywho, thanx for your help guys http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif

[booster]

What kind of router do you have?

There can be several reasons you loose connection in wireless. If it is a "b" router, god help you. A microwave can interfere (same freq) with the signal, causing disruptions. Cell phones and cordless phones can also cause issues. If it is a "g" router, most electronic devices do not operate in that freq range. Some 2.4 gig cordless phones do, but they freq hop so quickly that there is little interference.

If it is a "g" router, do you have other computers, etc that uses this router? If not, let me know if tech support does not help and I can walk you through troubleshooting this.

[jimnms]

Both 802.11b and 802.11g operate on the same frequency.

Are you by any chance using WPA security? When I was using WPA-TKIP on my AP, the two wireless systems would constantly disconnect.

I've since gone back to using just 64bit WEP encryption and they no longer drop off.

_____
Learn from the mistakes of others, you won't live long enough to make all of them yourself.

[jimnms]

Oh, I just remembered reading about some built in wireless chips being quite buggy and dropping connections. Who makes the wirelss card in your notebook? I'll see if I can find where I read it.

_____
Learn from the mistakes of others, you won't live long enough to make all of them yourself.

[PN]

I believe the Toshiba laptop comes with 802.11g. Is your connection to the Internet, wireless?

Congratulations on the new laptop!

PN

[This message was edited by Paul Nussbaum on 08-25-04 at 07:48 PM.]

[monkeygirl]

This is the router:

http://www.linksys.com/products/product.asp?grid=33&scid=35&prid=601

Card, I don't know, hubby's at work.

[booster]

Jim,

I'll can't post the article (membership required), but early routers the difference between "b" and "g" freqs were .01 (2.43_ and 2.44_ respectevly) which caused issues with compatibility, thus why I asked.

The "buggy" chips issue was a Cisco (owns Linksys) issue, but fixed in a firmware upgrade, now there could have been something else that I don't recall.

Monk,
Same router I have.

Hubby needs to (maybe has)
a) do a firmware upgrade, located in the "downloads) section under the proper version.
b) temporarily enable SSID bradcast, see if this helps the dropoff, likely not though.
c) enable WEP security only going 64 bit (compatibility)
d) Make certain through MAC filtering (security) the laptop is the only computer shown.
E0 Pick a wireless channel in the middle of the router's spectrum.

Write more if you still need help.

[jimnms]

If you've disable SSID broadcast in the AP and there's another wireless network in range, Windows likes to connect to those broadcasting SSID first, even if your network is the primary one in the list. I discovered that the hard way.

Disabling SSID doesn't do anything for security, and IMO is more troublesome with it off, so turn it on and leave it on. All wireless sniffing programs will see the network even if SSID is off because the SSID is still sent through the air with every packet.

Download NetStumbler (http://www.netstumbler.com/downloads/) and see if there's a wireless network with SSID broadcast off using the same channel as your AP. If so, change your AP to an unused channel. It's also a good diagnostic tool because it shows the network strength and noise level (if your card supports it).

_____
Learn from the mistakes of others, you won't live long enough to make all of them yourself.

[monkeygirl]

Well, turned out to be the router, exchanged it and everythings good now. Thank god, we can actually enjoy it now. Thanks guys, sure is nice to know you're here to help. Who woulda thunk it would be cool to be a computer geek! http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/images/smilies/biggrin.gif Wish I was one years ago, instead of being a punk-ass! http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/images/smilies/rolleyes.gif

[booster]

I'm not a geek, just a dork http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/images/smilies/tongue.gif who reads too much, and has the weird hobby of building computers when he's board... I need to get out more...

[monkeygirl]

Dork...lol.. I haven't heard that in years. Just wanted to say how awesome this laptop is. Man they are so cool. http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/images/smilies/cool.gif I don't even like using the big one anymore.

[booster]

http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/images/smilies/biggrin.gif glad yall are happy.

[PN]

MG

Congratulations again on your new laptop. Just think of it as a desktop replacement.

PN

[rybread]

i have pretty much the same 1, a toshiba w all the same specs. i replaced 1 slot of ddr333 512 chip for some impovement, tthen i relacexd the hard drive w/ 7200rpm, 16m cache at 50gigs and noticed a night and day difference. also, make sur to flash bios to most recent on cdrw. in case it makexs things aact wierd, just work yourwat down in version numers. i had to do that at first, but the newest 1 rocks. arent widescreenns awesome! let me know if u need help. rybread66@cox.net

c5 complete, 7-9-2000
www.Leedensport.com (http://www.Leedensport.com)