New System: desktop, laptop, netbook?

[brian.austin]

Note to MACAddicts: Don't bother. Not interested at all. Not going to argue about it. Won't even acknowledge your waste of typing.

I'm heading to Michigan in October and remembered that my normal traveling computer, the laptop, is actually my wife's. We're separated now and it's her only computer. No traveler/mobile solution.

At the same time, my desktop, a Dell Precision 390, just passed its 3 year old mark. It's getting time for an upgrade. I figured Windows 7 would be a good timing opportunity, too.

I've gone back and forth on laptop/desktop as primary workstation for several years. Prior to the Dell, I had a killer 17" Sager desktop replacement. Heavy as heck but gorgeous and very powerful. Before that, a custom whitebox I built. Before that, a different Sager laptop. Now I'm not sure which direction to go.

My original intention on getting a desktop was storage. Laptops were fairly limited at the time. Now, however, it's not so critical. I can get a 500Gb 7200RPM drive in a laptop for a reasonable amount. Not an issue any longer.

So I'm torn on direction. My current workstation can become a storage server after the switch. Desktop? Powerful laptop? Netbook for mobile only? Not sure about that last because I want Lightroom and PS available on the road. Has anyone successfully used a netbook with those apps?

I'm also considering the cost factor. I can get a decent $1000 HP laptop or a really nice Lenovo W700Ds with the extra monitor. The Lenovo comes to $3,500 after tricking out. The HP is "disposable" in my world. If it lasts more than a year, I'd be happy. Replacing it wouldn't bother me too much. For almost $4K with shipping, etc., that Lenovo better still be on my desk in 3 years.

Of course, I travel in a few weeks and the Lenovo ships in 4. It would be close. I can use my iPhone for everything except offloading CF cards. Process later. I'd still rather have something with me, though. An HP (or Toshiba or whatever) can be in my hands within an hour from Best Buy or Fry's Electronics.

On the other hand, if I'm prepared to spend $3500 on a laptop, I COULD get a laptop + Canon 7D for about the same money. Hmm....

I hate these decisions.

[LibertyHeir]

Idle thoughts on the matter...

If you're looking for something to take on the road... and will adequately run PS/Lightroom... go with the laptop.

Netbooks are adequate but you can get a much larger screen with a laptop and a better processor. (Not sure how much pp you intend to do on the road). I'd say the decision will be largely based on how much pp you intend to do on the road.

Myself, I wouldn't want to haul a desktop setup on the road. (I've had to help my son move his back and forth to college too many times). It's a lot of bulk to pack/unpack and takes time to set up and tear down. I'd prefer to leave it at home, safe and sound.

I've got an Asus Eee netbook that runs Lightroom, but I only use it for downloading and to give me a slightly bigger screen to review the shots before I leave the area. It's small, lightweight, and will run for nearly 7 hours on batteries. The Asus was inexpensive (-$300) and drive capacity was not an issue since I have a USB external drive that allows me to easily move data between multiple systems.

I wait until I get home to do any final pp work where I have a bigger screen and access to my printer (and my coffee pot).

Dew

[transcape5]

Brian - I've always used a laptop for most of my work including basic photo editing. Now that I have a Dell Latitude E6500, I don't even use the desktop anymore except as a 3rd & 4th data backup (it has two drives.) I have CS3 running for a while and recently loaded LR 1.2. They are obviously not the latest stuff but are running great on the laptop. The LCD at 1920x1200 native is not too bad either.

Just $.02

[brian.austin]

Tom & Dew,

Good feedback. Thank you.

Do you guys calibrate your laptop monitor? That's one of the things that bugged me about my previous laptops. I couldn't do it.

7 hours on a battery?? Wow. I'm impressed.

[LibertyHeir]

Brian,

I haven't tried to calibrate the monitor. I wanted something that would enable me to get a better view of the image than the camera LCD (Sony A200) while I was at the location. I also wanted to be able to show prospective clients what had been shot without playing pass the camera, and to have a means of 'tagging' their selections. I felt that if I drove 30 miles to shoot someone/something, I'd like to know whether or not I had what I was after, or if I wanted to re-shoot. It also gives me a means of sitting down with someone and show them some ideas of the shoot I have in mind.

For me, an additional consideration was the traveling I have done. The netbook is something I can easily pack to take on a cruise, again to verify what I've got, since I most likely will never return to the area.

The netbook allows this, is small enough to fit in a small backpack, and has wireless as well.

For what I wanted and the funds I had to work with, for me this was the best deal. I still keep the big desktop because of the processing power that's simply not available in any portable unit since I sometimes dabble in 3D graphics and animations. (merely an interest)


Dew

[ohenry]

If it were me, I'd look at upgrading your desktop with a new motherboard, cpu, memory at a considerably lower cost for better equipment than a low to mid end new computer. I haven't bought a name-brand computer for many years, simply building my own and upgrading components along the way. For under a grand, you can build a computer that exceeds the most tricked out Dell (or similar) at much higher costs.

If you travel a lot (I don't), then I'd lean more toward either having both desktop and decent laptop with external drives for photo storage or simply go with a powerful laptop and forego upgrading the existing desktop.

JMO.

[JDArt]

Originally Posted by brian.austin

I'm heading to Michigan in October and remembered that my normal traveling computer, the laptop, is actually my wife's.

I've also been looking around at the options for computing on the road and, after going to several stores and trying out various models, have pretty much decided on the new netbook from Toshiba. A few things I like about it versus other models:

• The keyboard is superior: means a lot to me. On other models I mistyped far too often.
• The battery life, at 9 hours, is superior.
• It seemed the snappiest of all netbooks I tried.
• Memory and hard drive are easily upgradable.
• Screen seems quite good.

I had a hands-on with the Dell Mini (netbook) and was not at all impressed.
I primarily use desktop computers but need something to travel with. A netbook is an obvious choice to me. I've been down the notebook road a lot, and ultimately I find them all too heavy and clunky. The netbook concept I love.

Here's the official Toshiba page for this model.

[Gna]

NetBooks are nice, cheap, lightweight, small, and portable. But they stink with graphics apps. They haven't got the processing power nor the screen real estate graphical editing requires. I would assume they suck as a gaming machine too, for that lack of processing power.

Even though you can install OSX on them:

YouTube - osx netbook

[JDArt]

Originally Posted by Gna

NetBooks are nice, cheap, lightweight, small, and portable. But they stink with graphics apps.

I'm sure that's the case. But I've never met a notebook that didn't stink with graphics apps. I'm used to large screens on a desktop PC, and I don't look to portable computers, regardless of size, to do my photography work. Clearly Brian has to determine which type of machine best fits his needs. IMO, there is no one machine that will fit every need. I have about six machines, at last count. All I was saying is that I've been through a lot of portables, and now what I want most from a portable is portability! Netbooks fit the bill--and they're relatively inexpensive!

[brian.austin]

Originally Posted by JDArt

Clearly Brian has to determine which type of machine best fits his needs.

And part of his current problem is determining the priority of those needs.

The Toshiba looks nice, especially for the price. I need something for mobile work, including photo processing and website development. I don't think the netbooks are going to cut it. I can't load LR2, PSCS3 (upgrading to CS5 when it's out), Dreamweaver, Flash, etc..

As far as desktop upgrades: I'm well aware of upgrading (BTDT on a production level with my own company) but it doesn't take care of the mobile work issue.

I'm leaning toward the cheap route right now. HP, Toshiba, or Dell laptop, probably around $1,000. It won't be a powerhouse but bang for the buck, it's where I'm comfortable. Fast enough to do the job 90% of the time and I'll suffer through the other 10% knowing I can upgrade it next year without feeling like I wasted money.

The calibration thing still bugs me. I'm anal about it on my desktop. Need to figure out how to handle that on a laptop.

[transcape5]

Brian - For the laptop I used the two links below to make the adjustment. Nothing fancy, but it does the job for me, and the non-fancy laptop.

Monitor Calibration
LCD monitor test images

[JDArt]

Originally Posted by brian.austin

The calibration thing still bugs me. I'm anal about it on my desktop. Need to figure out how to handle that on a laptop.

For years now I have had and used the Gretag Macbeth EyeOne Photo, and it has worked on every screen I've had, including laptop screens.

Again, though, I can't see using any laptop as a graphics workstation. Screen real estate is just so critical, as is screen quality, for this type of work.

[brian.austin]

Originally Posted by JDArt

For years now I have had and used the Gretag Macbeth EyeOne Photo, and it has worked on every screen I've had, including laptop screens.

Again, though, I can't see using any laptop as a graphics workstation. Screen real estate is just so critical, as is screen quality, for this type of work.

I have a 24" monitor I'd hook it up to for most of the work. It's one of the reasons I switched back to desktops.

[Gna]

Originally Posted by JDArt

what I want most from a portable is portability! Netbooks fit the bill--and they're relatively inexpensive!

If you're not going to be doing any (photo)graphical editing on a netbook, and portability is your primary requirement, then I would get me an iPhone or an iPod Touch...

Netbooks can't hold a candle to iPhones or iPod Touches where portability is concerned.

[brian.austin]

Originally Posted by Gna

If you're not going to be doing any (photo)graphical editing on a netbook, and portability is your primary requirement, then I would get me an iPhone or an iPod Touch...

Netbooks can't hold a candle to iPhones or iPod Touches where portability is concerned.

I already have an iPhone. For communication, yes, it works great. I need some place to offload images from my CF cards, though. And, as I noted earlier, I want to process images and do website development on the road.

[Gna]

Originally Posted by brian.austin

I need some place to offload images from my CF cards, though. And, as I noted earlier, I want to process images and do website development on the road.

That's what mobile pros do, isn't it?
So take a que from what mobile pros use to do it with.

[brian.austin]

Originally Posted by Gna

That's what mobile pros do, isn't it?
So take a que from what mobile pros use to do it with.

Uh...yeah. Hence my statement earlier that a netbook wouldn't really fit the bill. And if a netbook wouldn't, why would an iPhone?

I really don't understand what you're trying to say here.

[Gna]

Originally Posted by brian.austin

Uh...yeah. Hence my statement earlier that a netbook wouldn't really fit the bill. And if a netbook wouldn't, why would an iPhone?

I really don't understand what you're trying to say here.

So forget an iPhone, and a netbook, if you "want to process images and do website development on the road".
So what you want is a fully graphically capabl mobile workstation with as large a screen as possible, no?

That sounds like what mobile pros would use if it's available, doesn't it? So look what they actually do use and go get that for yourself!
Sounds like a laptop I know, but you don't want to hear about. So I'm not going to mention it.

The way I see it you have a choice: copy what the pros do, or try to reinvent the wheel.

[brian.austin]

Originally Posted by Gna

So forget an iPhone, and a netbook, if you "want to process images and do website development on the road".
So what you want is a fully graphically capabl mobile workstation with as large a screen as possible, no?

That sounds like what mobile pros would use if it's available, doesn't it? So look what they actually do use and go get that for yourself!
Sounds like a laptop I know, but you don't want to hear about. So I'm not going to mention it.

The way I see it you have a choice: copy what the pros do, or try to reinvent the wheel.

Take a deep breath and untwist the panties there, ok?

I can get a decent but relatively inexpensive laptop that isn't necessarily "fully graphically capable" (whatever that means) and a manageable screen size for weight. When at home, I can plug into a docking station or monitor for more screen real estate but still have the luxury of a 14-15" screen (and significantly less weight) when on the road.

Apparently you haven't shopped for a laptop much: the "mobile pros" have everything from a $700 decent machine to a $5000 mobile powerhouse available.

[Gna]

Originally Posted by brian.austin

Take a deep breath and untwist the panties there, ok?

Excuse me?
This from the poster who kicked this thread off with "Note to MACAddicts: Don't bother. Not interested at all. Not going to argue about it. Won't even acknowledge your waste of typing"...?
That's really funny!

Apparently you haven't shopped for a laptop much: the "mobile pros" have everything from a $700 decent machine to a $5000 mobile powerhouse available.

Apparently you haven't looked around inside pro design agencies much: of course "they have everything". That's what they are pros for. But 90% of that "everything" is one particular mobile workstation!
Now, you can keep denying it, but that doesn't change reality. Wake up and smell the roses!

But if you keep insisting on reinventing the wheel, and on ignoring what the overwhelming majority of mobile (photo)graphics pros use, please be my guest. I wish you good luck. You clearly need it.