Laptop Question - DPChallenge Forums

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS

07/23/2008 10:24:11 AM · #1

Hey all -- hope all is well.

Had a quick question. Before I ship off to university I need to buy a laptop. Right now I am pretty open to my options but my main concerns are durability, practicality, ability to handle Photoshop and RAW processing with ease, and relatively low cost. I'm leaning towards Mac. Does anyone have any experience doing Photoshop work using a Macbook? I would opt for the 2.4 ghz model -- I'm wondering if it's worth it for me to spare the $600 from getting a Macbook Pro.

Any insights/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. My goal is to spend not more than $1200, if possible. I've also looked at the Sony VAIO FZ series, but everyone I have talked to has said to uninstall Vista immediately so I've been wary.

Thanks for your time,
Lee

Strikeslip

Canon EOS-5D

07/23/2008 10:41:16 AM · #2

You should also be concerned about how well it runs games, so you can pwnz0r your friends at LAN parties! ;-)

awpollard

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS

07/23/2008 10:51:08 AM · #3

The problems with the Sony Vaio's is not Vista, it is the amount of Crapware that they come preloaded with... Expect about 24 POS apps that will make any OS a dog. Everyone you talked to probablly talked to someone else, none of em really know Vista or have used it... Don't sweat Vista sweat the crap that Sony adds. BTW: For an extra $100 you can get a clean Sony Install (no crapware)... WTF is that about.

zeuszen

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II

07/23/2008 11:55:01 AM · #4

Originally posted by Tranquil:

Does anyone have any experience doing Photoshop work using a Macbook? I would opt for the 2.4 ghz model -- I'm wondering if it's worth it for me to spare the $600 from getting a Macbook Pro....

The MacBook comes with 2GB of RAM, 4GB capacity, which is sufficient to run CS3 speedily and effectively. For my liking, I'd prefer the 17" monitor of the MacBook Pro, which would be quite outside your budget. Resolution and Graphics are better with the Pro, something you would be able to clearly see, if you edited the same file on both models, side by side.

I recommend you investigate Apple's refurbished notebooks.

Samsung Galaxy S21, S21+, S21 Ultra

07/24/2008 02:14:15 PM · #5

Thanks for the suggestions.

zeuszen - thanks for the link. With my student discount, the price difference makes refurbished notebooks not really worth it. I get $200 off the Pro and $100 off the regular MacBook. I think that 13" is a sacrifice that may be worth $600.

Any more input?

Bear_Music

Sony 24-70mm F4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

07/24/2008 02:16:27 PM · #6

Originally posted by awpollard:

Sony gets paid for product placement on their machines. No kidding. A clean machine costs them money.

R.

one2one

Olympus E-5

Olympus 7-14mm f/4.0 Zuiko Digital Zoom

07/24/2008 02:34:05 PM · #7

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

Originally posted by awpollard:
The problems with the Sony Vaio's is not Vista, it is the amount of Crapware that they come preloaded with... Expect about 24 POS apps that will make any OS a dog. Everyone you talked to probablly talked to someone else, none of em really know Vista or have used it... Don't sweat Vista sweat the crap that Sony adds. BTW: For an extra $100 you can get a clean Sony Install (no crapware)... WTF is that about.

Sony gets paid for product placement on their machines. No kidding. A clean machine costs them money.

R.

Isn't that just crazy, lol. What a world we live in.

Dells come loaded too. My neighbor's laptop has 92 processes running after boot up. I have 26 on my PC.

Spork99

Canon EOS M6 Mk II

Canon EF-M 22mm STM Lens

07/24/2008 02:54:03 PM · #8

Originally posted by Tranquil:

I just took posession of a brand spankin' new 13" MacBook. So far, so good though I will probably connect it to a larger monitor for photo editing.

icu1965

Sony DSLR-A200

Sony 75-300 mm f/4.5-5.6

07/24/2008 03:00:26 PM · #9

Well if it's durability you want go with Dell. They sent me a lemon for my birthday and they refused to take it back, so whenever it screws up I throw it. I even jumped on it once. It won't break, which sucks because it means I'm stuck with it.
edited because it sounds like Dell gave me a b-day present, but they didn't my husband did, he paid way too much for a hunk of crap, but a very durable hunk of crap!

Message edited by author 2008-07-24 15:01:55.

muckpond

Nikon D200

Sigma 15mm f/2.8 EX Diagonal Fisheye for Nikon

07/24/2008 03:08:18 PM · #10

i have a dell latitude and i have to say that it's been the best laptop i've ever had. i even dropped it on the corner onto a concrete floor and, although the case has a slight crack, it looks and functions perfectly on the inside.

one BIG tip if you want to order a PC without crapware: order it from the "Small Business" department of whatever place you buy it from (like Dell). the machine showed up without a lick of crap on it and the service department is outstanding compared to the cattle call that is normal IT support. all you need to do is tell them that you're a freelance writer or whatever and that you file taxes as a self-employed person and they won't ask you for any documentation.

also, check with your university. ours here has an agreement with microsoft where we get operating systems and office for free. if that's the case, you can order a laptop with whatever OS it has on it and then "downgrade" to XP.

oh! and also check out Academic Superstore for cheap student goodies.

Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Canon

07/24/2008 05:00:24 PM · #11

Thanks everyone.

My university offers software through its computer department (CS3 Suite, etc.), although Office is only available for faculty (I was thinking to use OpenOffice).

Spaz -- Do you think the 13" is too small for editing? Especially for school, I think it may be impractical to carry a monitor to and fro.

icu1965 - I hear you. I've also heard Lenovos are remarkably durable.

muckpond - Thanks for the advice on "Small Business", I will definitely keep that in mind.

Besides the bloatware, I just wonder about the Sony VAIOs. It seems that even with the nuisance of the extra software/Vista its too good to be true at $1000, half the price of the MacBook Pro with the same graphics/memory/monitor size.

Spork99

Canon EOS M6 Mk II

Canon EF-M 22mm STM Lens

07/24/2008 05:12:54 PM · #12

Originally posted by Tranquil:

Spaz -- Do you think the 13" is too small for editing? Especially for school, I think it may be impractical to carry a monitor to and fro.

I suppose it would depend on the editing to be done. For a quick 'n dirty to show and tell, I think the 13" would be OK. For a more involved job, I'm not sure the 17" is enough. I sometimes wish my 20" monitor was larger.

If you order straight from Apple, CS3 is $300 for the whole suite. Then, after you graduate, you can get the upgrade for the regular upgrade price.

Also, Apple offers MS Office - Mac for $149

Message edited by author 2008-07-24 17:15:11.

SamDoe1

Canon EOS-350D Rebel XT

07/24/2008 05:22:44 PM · #13

I have an HP business class notebook and it's a tank and has worked flawlessly for 4 years now. They are rather expensive but quite good. We just got my sister an HP laptop too and it's been good so far...although we've only had it for a month now but no problems with that. Dells are very good laptops but IBM Lenovos are crap. I have one for work and I hate it. The screens suck, the keyboards are awkward to use, the case is very flimsy, etc, etc... I would stick with either a Dell or HP if I were you. Unless you plan on doing mainly Photo/Video editing or graphic design, a Mac wouldn't really be worth double the cost. And Windows PCs work great if you take care of them properly. I've never had a single problem with mine in the 4 years I've had it and the only software I use to protect it is freeware.

onesaint

Nikon D300

Nikon AF Micro-Nikkor 60mm f2.8D

07/24/2008 05:27:05 PM · #14

Dells - suck and will die after a year or so. thats the case with the majority of their products.

Lenovo - great because they have the old chinese IBM manufacturing plants. the issue is only buy the "T" or "R" series and the battery life is about 1 year. My wife has an old IMB T40 and its lasted 6 years of daily use. too bad the sold out.

Sony - great - if you buy it with XP, and format the computer once you get it. that way you wipe all the rubbish they put on there.

Apple - best option. still kinda made in the US. runs on linux so you can actually use the 4 gigs they allow. Windows will take a performace hit because apple writes their own bios such that windows cannot access the graphics directly. my fuji (see below) is a 13" and editing in PS is so so. however with a mac you can hook that 13" DVI up to a 22" monitor and edit away!

asus, gigabit, fujitsu, and all that are hit and miss. I personally have a Fujitsu tablet pc which i love and the tablet is great for editing, but its been in the shop twice for poor build qual.

so, the short answer is Mac book 13" duo core 2.4 or whatever the top is that the point you buy. then spend 300$ nad get a 20" lcd + color calibrater for your dorm.

rommel

Nikon D90

Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 Di II LD Aspherical (IF) for Nikon

07/24/2008 05:27:37 PM · #15

IBMs(Lenovo, now) are really nice. perfect business laptop.
Apple - so expensive and a lot of software you cannot use with it. A shiny toy IMO.

Message edited by author 2008-07-24 17:35:10.

scalvert

07/24/2008 05:30:22 PM · #16

Personally, I would prefer a MacBook Pro over a MacBook because you gain a dedicated video card and the ability to expand to eSATA, etc. That does raise the price though. Note that you can also get a free iPod Touch with purchase. School may be approaching, but I wouldn't rush the purchase... Apple will be revamping their laptop line very soon (I would guess within a month) and possibly lowering the prices to boot.

Scapeshots

Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM II

07/24/2008 05:34:52 PM · #17

I have a thinkpad t61 and it's a great machine but the LCD monitor is crap when it comes to showing the right colors...and my monitor is calibrated...not sure who out there makes a good lcd monitor for a laptop that shows good colors...anyone?

Originally posted by rommel:

IBMs(Lenovo, now) are really nice.

Message edited by author 2008-07-24 17:35:20.

scalvert

Nikon AF Micro-Nikkor 60mm f2.8D

07/24/2008 05:38:54 PM · #18

Originally posted by onesaint:

Windows will take a performace hit because apple writes their own bios such that windows cannot access the graphics directly.

I never heard that one before. Macs generally run Windows faster than any PC with equivalent specs. When PC world tested laptops last year, the fastest Windows computer was a MacBook Pro.

onesaint

Nikon D300

07/24/2008 09:37:30 PM · #19

Originally posted by scalvert:

I never heard that one before. Macs generally run Windows faster than any PC with equivalent specs. When PC world tested laptops last year, the fastest Windows computer was a MacBook Pro.

Thats my experience with Mac Pros. any gpu intensive applications arent aloud to access the gpu directly due to the propriatery bios.

07/25/2008 08:02:29 PM · #20

Thanks everyone again for your input. Some good advice here, I'll have to continue to discuss my options.

scalvert