laptop computer users?

[Osmer_Toby]

i'm gettin ready to buy a new laptop, and so far i know i want at least a gig of ram and the smaller 14.5-15 in screen. i'm thinkin i want about somewhere between 1 & 2 ghtz processor. after that, not sure what to look for, as in brand, best place to buy, etc. i'm a pc guy, not a mac, and i want to keep the price at $1600 or less...
any suggestions?

oh, yeah, what about storage? i heard dvd's were the way to go, then i heard they were 6 bucks a pop, and hold only about 100 photos. seems more cost effecient to go with cd's no?

 

[markc]

CDs are less than a Gig of storage, but DVDs are 5.4G. The number of pictures really depends upon your image resolution, but DVDs hold a lot. If your images were 20MB in size, then a high capacity CD would hold at most 50 images. A DVD would hold 270. You can get DVDs for $1 each in bulk.

I've liked IBM Thinkpads and they tend to get good reviews. I'm not up on what a good current laptop is, though.

 

[Geronimo]

I would highly recommend the thinkpad line. Namely the R-series, as they are solid machines with great performance.

 

[TwistMyArm]

I prefer the Dell laptops myself. Thinkpads are good machines, but I just find them unattractive and not always as comfortable as the Dell Latitudes.

If I were you I'd try to get at least a 15" screen. If you're going to be using it for some image editing in the field you might want that extra inch.
I also recommend that you don’t' skimp on the processor. IBM and Dell both use Intel processors so if you go with either of them opt for a P4. Although the Celery's will save you money they don't perform near as well as the P4s.

 

[photogoddess]

www.sagernotebooks.com

check it out.
That's where I got mine - love it!

 

[Osmer_Toby]

thanks all- will be checking that thread out and keeping in mind all your thoughts...

 

[urameatball]

I only use my cheapo laptop (Pentium 166mhz) for storing files at a photoshoot so I don't have to carry $1000 worth of compact flash cards with me.

However, I do know that if I were to get a laptop for actual use, I'd save up for the IBM T-series. Not exactly the most beautiful or stylish laptop out there but definately the most dependable. IBM's have that harddrive protection thingy that automatically stops the harddrive from spinning if it senses the the laptop is freefalling onto the ground. Not only that, the T-series has a titanium / magnesium shell to it's built to take quite a few hits. Plus you'll never hear any creeking noises as you open it up like you hear with Dell's and compaqs (and their nasty plastic exteriors).

But I guess it really depends on how you're using it... If it's field work, I say t-series all the way, if you just want to lounge around at home in your home wireless network connection, get yourself a Dell and save a couple hundred.