what Laptop do i choose ?? HELP!

[usayit]

I do not want an apple I hate them and they're way out of my budget...please HELP! Thank u

Let's not degrade this to yet another Mac vs PC thread. OP said no to Apple and out of budget. There's no reason to keep bringing up Mac.

In general, you'll need a good monitor to calibrate in a fixed location. It doesn't matter which laptop you choose.

 

[Arch]

^ BUT that is the OP!


Fwiw, i don't buy into alot of these opinions. We have people who say 'there isn't a laptop suitable for photo editing', well this is of course not true... there is only the expression laptops are not as good as a desktop fully calibrated monitor, anything else is hogwash.

I have used 2 Dells over the last 6 years... granted both are very high spec machines so they are not cheap (current one has 3Gh, 8G RaM, 1tb HD, ati HD graphics), but i will often edit a photo on one when i cant be arsed to sit at my desk... then later i will view it on my desktop and it will look virtually the same. I know the gamma on my lappy is a little on the high side so i compensate for it in editing.... as long as you can make a final check on a desktop there isn't a problem using a laptop at all.

 

[Buckster]

If you can spend 1200-1600, go with the Asus G73JH. Quad core I7 processor, 1080p HD screen, ATI 5870 video card ( very very good ) 8gb of ram ( for ALL of your multitasking needs ) I have one, I love it, its fast and I can multitask like a CHAMP.
Great deal for the specs.

Being on the road so much, I decided a couple months ago to stop lugging around my desktop machine and all that goes with it, and after snooping around, the Asus G73JH is what I got too.

It's a real powerhouse and I've not run into any problems at all working with large files in CS5, a giant library of photos in Lightroom 3, autocad, etc., and yeah, it multitasks like crazy. I typically have several of those things all going at the same time, along with Excel, Access, and more, and have yet to hit the wall even once.

On the monitor, though this has a nice, big, bright monitor, I felt I needed more, so I extended my screen real estate by hooking up an external 23" widescreen LG W2353VP. Are either screens perfect or high end, competitive with the best of the best? I'm sure the're not. But they do get the job done with big, bright screens that deliver fantastic color and contrast, and I'm very happy with the setup.

The only headache with it is that it doesn't have a smartcard slot nor an eSATA interface port. That may not be a big deal to you - I don't know. For me, it means that my 10 TB hard drive backup bank won't plug in directly, and that turned out to be a major bummer for me. I have to use a USB2.0 to eSATA adapter from Addonics, which won't allow for all the drives to be hooked up at once, so I have to pick and choose which I want to work with, and USB2.0 is a slower pipeline than eSATA.

Even with that, I'm VERY happy overall with this machine.

 

[usayit]

^ BUT that is the OP!

OP was quoted to bring attention to it.. not in response to it.

 

[usayit]

there is only the expression laptops are not as good as a desktop fully calibrated monitor, anything else is hogwash.

<snip>

as long as you can make a final check on a desktop there isn't a problem using a laptop at all.

I think that's what most posters are saying... its not a laptop versus desktop decision. It is all about a properly calibrated monitor for the final edit. It doesn't matter if it is connected to a laptop or desktop

 

[Phranquey]

If you can spend 1200-1600, go with the Asus G73JH. Quad core I7 processor, 1080p HD screen, ATI 5870 video card ( very very good ) 8gb of ram ( for ALL of your multitasking needs ) I have one, I love it, its fast and I can multitask like a CHAMP.
Great deal for the specs.

Being on the road so much, I decided a couple months ago to stop lugging around my desktop machine and all that goes with it, and after snooping around, the Asus G73JH is what I got too.

It's a real powerhouse and I've not run into any problems at all working with large files in CS5, a giant library of photos in Lightroom 3, autocad, etc., and yeah, it multitasks like crazy. I typically have several of those things all going at the same time, along with Excel, Access, and more, and have yet to hit the wall even once.

On the monitor, though this has a nice, big, bright monitor, I felt I needed more, so I extended my screen real estate by hooking up an external 23" widescreen LG W2353VP. Are either screens perfect or high end, competitive with the best of the best? I'm sure the're not. But they do get the job done with big, bright screens that deliver fantastic color and contrast, and I'm very happy with the setup.

That's funny... I just picked up a G73 today. It came with 6gb DDR3, so I went ahead and upgraded to 8Gb, and this thing absolutely ROCKS.
My old laptop finally died.... 8 year-old Toshiba, which did OK, but this made me realize what I was missing. I've been installing software all evening and just took a break to drop in.

Now I can't wait until Diablo III comes out...

 

[table1349]

While I understand that the OP doesn't want to consider a MAC there is one thing to remember.
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlNxib1zXmA[/ame]

 

[Phranquey]

 

[kkart]

Here are a few links to help you.

Top 5 Laptops for Photographers Top 5 Laptops for Photographers Wondering & Pondering&#8217;s Weblog

Sony Vaio AW-Series Laptop for Photographers Sony Vaio AW-Series Laptop for Photographers | PhotographyBLOG

A look at the evolving laptop display Rob Galbraith DPI: A look at the evolving laptop display

Photographers’ Laptops
From the ultra-mobile netbooks to full-featured desktop replacements, there’s a portable computer just right for your photography Digital Photo - Photographers? Laptops | DPmag.com

 

[usayit]

After looking at the first link kkart posted, I took a look at Lenovo's latest iteration of the W700:

http://www.lenovo.com/shop/americas...s/ThinkPad/W-Series/W701-W701ds_datasheet.pdf

Very impressive.

Good LCD display
Built in monitor calibration
Built in wacom
Built in raid controller
Retractable 2nd display

http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/...-category-id=3B10ECA8EB78454180D484668504D02E

So far, that would be my first choice. I've had IBM and Lenovo thinkpads at work. They've always been pretty good and I would choose them over dell. The calibration is a big thing as you'd want to do it every time you change location (lighting conditions)

 

[hankcah]

This thread should be called 'I want viruses, Not a Mac.'
If you are going to get a PC then get a desktop tower, so when you have to replace a part, it will be 10 times easier. I appreciate IBMs as well but their colors onscreen are horrible. Sony's are expensive and tacky anymore. When you buy a PC you have to re-image the machine just to clear all the crapware off of it. This response it totally biased I know, but Mac just makes everything easier, IE: backing up photos. (just because you put photos on a different hard drive, does NOT mean you're backing up).Apple uses TimeMachine. IMO i'd get a desktop with nice Samsung monitor.

 

[Village Idiot]

I think I have the best opinion.

i7, good GPU, IPS panel, at least 4gb of ram.

 

[ethansmith50]

Hey I suggest you to buy a DELL and windows 7 64 bit. actually dell is very nice product and quality product. also it is very durable that means you can use it any ware.

 

[FemFugler]

all aside I would get a dell or a toshiba or asus anything that is not hp or owned by hp. That just my opinion though anything i have had hp has sucked donkey balls and has broken within the first couple months.

I've had really good experiences with HP. Not a problem. The only problem was due to my own fault.

Asus suck. Toshiba... meh. Gateway suck. Acer suck. OHHH and stay FAR away from E Machine

Basically your safe with: Toshiba(meh the old ones were good the newer ones i've heard mixed things), Dell(i suppose), HP, Compaq, and Sony.

Also make sure you get Intel and not AMD.