Buying Laptop very soon - DPChallenge Forums

Sony DT 18-70mm f/3.5-5.6 Aspherical ED Zoom Lens for Sony Alpha

07/02/2009 01:35:02 PM · #1

I'm heading off to University in September and need a Laptop, but I have no idea what's a good deal or where to get one. My budget is a max of 900 dollars, maybe i can squeeze a bit more to 950 if necessary. As far as I know, the best brands are either Sony or HP, and I should buy an Intel Core 2 Duo processor. I just want a laptop that has good durability that will last me for at least 5 years, and one that has a decent graphics/video card with enough RAM to run Windows 7 smoothly.

Suggestions?

houstonian

Sony DSLR-A200

07/02/2009 01:36:48 PM · #2

I have an HP, paid about $600 for it. Would definitely recommend. I've had it almost 2 yrs and it runs like new every day.

*eta* I have 2 gb of ram in it and it runs Photoshop flawlessly.

Message edited by author 2009-07-02 13:46:53.

MattO

Nikon D4

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II

07/02/2009 01:40:21 PM · #3

I recently bought This Dell and it will run lightroom, CS3, has 3gb of memory and a built in 256 video card. I got it for less then $700 through the Dell small business site.

Matt

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II

07/02/2009 02:03:38 PM · #4

The Dell laptop looks pretty cool, and the HP sounds good but I may need 4GB of RAM to run Windows 7 smoothly

MattO

Nikon D4

07/02/2009 02:05:43 PM · #5

Originally posted by cujee:

The Dell laptop looks pretty cool, and the HP sounds good but I may need 4GB of RAM to run Windows 7 smoothly

The dell will take 4gb of memory. just add it. I only got 3GB because I require XP for my day job on the laptop.

Matt

smjbmw

Nikon D3100

Nikon AF Nikkor 20mm f/2.8D

07/02/2009 02:28:48 PM · #6

I have the Dell 1525 and have had it for over a year.
Runs Lightroom 2, Photoshop CS4 and well all the cs4 software.

You can get them pretty cheap from Dell these days!

Nikon AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 VR DG IF-ED

07/02/2009 03:07:21 PM · #7

Is it a ripoff to buy laptops from Bestbuy or Future shop?

ErikV

Nikon D7000

07/02/2009 03:27:33 PM · #8

Originally posted by cujee:

Is it a ripoff to buy laptops from Bestbuy or Future shop?

The advantage of buying direct from the manufacturer rather than a retail store is that you can customize your laptop to meet your needs. For example as a photographer you may be more interested than the general public in a large hard drive and you will have more choices if you buy direct. In addition, with online purchases you may have more options for longer warranty periods and/or more comprehensive warranties which cover things like accidents and spills (this definitely is the case for Dell, I don't know about the others). Also for direct purchases, some manufacturers offer educational discounts (or more comprehensive warranties) to students, so that is also worth checking out. But sometimes the computers in the retail stores are priced quite well (especially during sales), so it does pay to comparison shop.

Neil

Fujifilm X-T30

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

07/02/2009 05:04:03 PM · #9

HP has some really nice laptops on their site. I've not had one yet (I bought gateway for the past two, and Dell before that) but my last desktop was a HP, and my next laptop is very likely to be one.

Check them out. It's easy to configure one with lots of good stuff right around your price range (the second one here is about $90 more than your price range, but I was loading them. You could also easily go lower with those or other laptops on their site)

These actually came to around $1100 but they have a $200 or more instant rebate now (and free shipping).

HP Pavilion dv6z Artist Edition 2 HP Pavilion dv6z Artist Edition 2
NW836AV

* â�� Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (64-bit)
* â�� AMD Turion(TM) X2 Ultra Dual-Core Mobile Processor ZM-85 (2.3GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 4.4 GT's Bus Speed)
* â�� FREE Upgrade to 4GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
* â�� FREE Upgrade to 320GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
* â�� ATI Radeon(TM) HD 3200 Graphics
* â�� 16.0" diagonal High Definition HP LED Brightview Display (1366x768)
* â�� LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-RW with Double Layer Support
* â�� Webcam Only with HP Imprint Finish(Artist Edition)
* â�� Wireless-N Card with Bluetooth
* â�� HP Color Matching Keyboard
* â�� 12 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
* â�� Integrated 56K Modem
* â�� Microsoft(R) Works 9.0
* â�� HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope

Estimated build date: July 17, 2009 This ships free

HP HDX16t Premium Series customizable Notebook PC HP HDX16t Premium Series customizable Notebook PC
NK606AV

* â�� Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (64-bit)
* â�� Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo Processor P7450 (2.13GHz, 3 MB L2 Cache, 1066MHz FSB)
* â�� FREE Upgrade to 4GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm) from 3GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
* â�� FREE Upgrade to 320GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive from 250GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive
* â�� 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT
* â�� 16.0" diagonal High Definition HP Ultra BrightView Infinity Display (1366x768)
* â�� FREE Upgrade to Blu-Ray ROM with SuperMulti DVD+/-R/RW Double Layer
* â�� Webcam + Fingerprint Reader with HP Imprint Finish (Fluid)
* â�� Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N Mini-card with Bluetooth
* â�� No TV Tuner w/remote control
* â�� HP Color Matching Keyboard
* â�� 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
* â�� No Productivity Software
* â�� HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope

Estimated build date: July 10, 2009