Off topic (?) Laptop suggestions?

[Seeking~Zen]

He yeveryone, I'm new to this forum, so please forgive me if this is posted in the wrong place.

Figuring this is somewhat photography related...
I'm looking fo a decent budget priced laptop because I can never get enough time on our family PC. I'm hoping to get into photoshop or the likes and learn/try to create some HDR images etc. I don't want to spend a fortune on a laptop as my budget is tight and I'm also trying to save for a DSLR so...my questions;

Given my budget, I can get into a 17.3" screen (Toshiba or Acer) with 3 or 4 gigs of ram and an AMD athalon processer (aprox 2gig) or I can get into an HP with a 15.6" screen with an intel processer and reportedly a better battery.

I'm leaning on the bigger screen over processer...or should I? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated as I'd like to pick one up this week.

Thanks in advance,
Seeking~Zen

 

[DennyCrane]

Any current CPU will have plenty of horsepower to run processing, but I would try to find one with a discreet graphics processor. One with something like Intel's onboard 4500 integrated graphics will slow up things a bit. Also, it's VERY important to see what your pictures look like on a notebook before you spend the cash on one. Grab a USB jump drive, load a few images you're very familiar with and head over to your Best Buy or wherever and view the pictures on the different models. I came very close to an Asus notebook that had all the hardware I wanted, only to discover my pictures looked washed out. There's no way this would be any kind of screen that's good for photography.

Bottom line, do your homework and get some real hands-on time before you buy.

 

[Provo]

unless toshiba has made a drastic change in durability over the last 3 yrs I would stay away from them the last toshiba laptop I purchased lasted barely over a year.

I currently own two Asus laptops and they are great alot of features for the price. Check out bestbuy they have them in stock.

here are two these are not the same ones I have but they are good. Also you might want to do a comparison price check with tigerdirect.com or newegg.com
Asus $649

Asus $749

 

[DennyCrane]

The features of an Asus notebook are terrific. Their screens, specifically the color gamut and sharpness? Not so much.