PC laptop?

[Athena]

Ok - I am still undecided as to what new computer to get. I am considering a couple of Mac options, but I don't want to talk about that here. NO MAC SUGGESTIONS PLEASE.

My question in this thread is what powerful yet portable PC laptop options are out there for me? At the moment I have a dead HP desktop and an Acer Aspire 1680. I need more power than this aspire can offer and I need better graphics. On my desktop I have a lovely Samsung monitor I'd like to be able to plug into the next laptop.

Problem is that I am not computer savvy. I have no clue what I need.

Help?

[Gna]

Originally Posted by Athena

Ok - I am still undecided as to what new computer to get. I am considering a couple of Mac options, but I don't want to talk about that here. NO MAC SUGGESTIONS PLEASE.

My question in this thread is what powerful yet portable PC laptop options are out there for me? At the moment I have a dead HP desktop and an Acer Aspire 1680. I need more power than this aspire can offer and I need better graphics. On my desktop I have a lovely Samsung monitor I'd like to be able to plug into the next laptop.

Problem is that I am not computer savvy. I have no clue what I need.

Help?

OK, let's see if we can condense that: you're looking for a laptop with adequate horsepower and RAM for photo and video editing, right? So that would minimally be a dual core machine, 2,5Ghz and up, with a quality graphics card and at least 4GB of RAM. What size screen do you want? For photo and video editing the bigger the better of course. 17 inch?

[Athena]

The processor part of what you wrote is greek to me, but I will write it down. I do know that I want more than 4GB ram.

17" laptop right now, and it's not fun to travel with. I don't do serious photo editing on trips, so am thinking a 15" would make life easier. At home I would want to plug it into the Samsung monitor for photo editing.

[swampler]

Just an FYI ... you'll need a 64bit operating system to handle more than 4GB of ram.

[Athena]

Is that a problem? Seriously - I have no idea (not being smart, quite the opposite actually lol).

[swampler]

No, not a problem. Just didn't want you spend $$$ on 6GB of ram and then get 32 bit Windows and not be able to use the extra memory.

[Gna]

Originally Posted by Athena

The processor part of what you wrote is greek to me, but I will write it down. I do know that I want more than 4GB ram.

17" laptop right now, and it's not fun to travel with. I don't do serious photo editing on trips, so am thinking a 15" would make life easier. At home I would want to plug it into the Samsung monitor for photo editing.

OK, so that's a 15" screen, for portability. That's not very big of course. Compared to your Samsung screen (I'm assuming that's a 24"?) it'll seem downright puny. I would try to compensate somewhat with quality. I suggest a LED-backlit glossy screen for rich colors, high contrast, and high resolution (1440x900 and up).

So now we only have to find a laptop with a 15" glossy backlit LED screen, a 2,5Ghz (or higher) dual core CPU and quality graphics card (e.g. NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT graphics processor with 256MB of GDDR3 memory), and 8GB of RAM.
Those are the specs you want afaik. Now I hope some of our fellow Camels with expert Windows laptop knowledge will chime in to point you to one or two machines with those specs.

[LibertyHeir]

As a suggestion:

HP Compaq 6730b KS179UT Laptop Computer - Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 2.4GHz, 4GB DDR2, 320GB, DVDRW, 15.4" WXGA, Windows XP Pro/Vista Business at TigerDirect.com

Anyhow, starting with this site, you can readily compare brands/options/pricing as a starting point.

Have you made a list prioritizing the desired features/functionality? Must have vs. want? It might help to narrow down your field of fire.

Dew

[felix.reichardt]

http://www.pc.ibm.com/ch/de/thinkpad/

[Athena]

Definitely don't want a glossy screen. I know not much about computers, but I do know that much. I'll check out both of those links, thanks guys.

[Gna]

Originally Posted by Athena

Definitely don't want a glossy screen.

Because?
Have you seen a glossy screen and a matte screen (obviously of the same size) side by side with the same image? Don't decide on either until you have.

[brian.austin]

The clarity on a newer glossy screen overrides the irritation of reflections, imo.

[Gna]

Originally Posted by brian.austin

The clarity on a newer glossy screen overrides the irritation of reflections, imo.

Agree. Especially since you can manage reflections by slightly shifting either your position in relation to the reflecting light source(s), or by slightly shifting the reflecting light source(s) in relation to your position.

But the proof of the pudding is in the eating of course: you need to actually see both screen types side by side to be able to really appreciate the difference.

[felix.reichardt]

Originally Posted by Athena

Definitely don't want a glossy screen. I know not much about computers, but I do know that much. I'll check out both of those links, thanks guys.

Hard to get a non-glossy one these days. I have no problems with my glossy one.
I heard the not-to-be-named brand has gone back to matte screens (or plans).

[Athena]

My husband has a new sony with a glossy screen. I agree it's colors are very nice, but can not stand the reflections on it. I'm visually very sensitive - notice reflections on everything - so it would be hugely distracting to me. My present laptop has a non-glossy screen.

Why is it difficult to get them now? Why would anyone want a reflective screen? Curious...

[Gna]

Originally Posted by Athena

Why would anyone want a reflective screen? Curious...

Nobody wants a reflective screen. But many people understandably do want the rich colors, high contrast, and high resolution of a quality glossy screen. They deal with reflections by shifting either their position or the reflecting light sources slightly so that reflections are not a problem.

[brian.austin]

You can get anti-glare filters (like screen protectors for LCD screens on MP3 players, etc.) for laptop screens. You'll see some image degradation, though.

[Gna]

Originally Posted by felix.reichardt

I heard the not-to-be-named brand has gone back to matte screens (or plans).

Looks like you heard wrong, felix: that brand released gorgeous new desktop machines just yesterday (upto 27" screens, upto quad CPUs, upto 16GB RAM) with jaw-dropping glossy screens!

[felix.reichardt]

really

From your friendly Mac Online Store:

"The 15-inch MacBook Pro comes with a 1440-by-900-pixel LED-backlit display. Choose a standard glossy display that lets you view graphics, photos, and videos with richer colors and deeper blacks, or an optional antiglare display." We are talking about notbooks I thought ...

Not sure if antiglare means matte but you got the option.

[Gna]

Originally Posted by felix.reichardt

Not sure if antiglare means matte but you got the option.

Indeed. But an 'option' is an extra, i.o.w.: not standard. While "I heard the not-to-be-named brand has gone back to matte screens (or plans)" suggests that matte would be the new standard. It isn't.