Laptop Advice Please?

[LeoLeo]

Hi,

If you still looking, may look to this model:

Laptop Sony Vaio VGN-FW530F/B, Intel® CoreTM2 Duo P7450 2.13GHz, 4GB, 320GB, ATI Radeon HD4650 1GB, Blu-Ray, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium

In Romania, this one is arround 1200USD(including VAT), but for sure prices are different in Missouri. I will upgraded the RAM Memory to 8GB (but is just a flavour).

Good luck,
Leo

[Loose Canon]

Thanks Leo. I’m still going through the “due diligence” on this.

I’m finding that between the two platforms, Windows and OSX, similarly spec’d machines are actually fairly similarly priced (Mac is, as usual, a tad higher). I’ve even looked at some custom build gaming laptops just because they are more highly spec’d.

It never seems to fail. I use my windows machine while I am “on the road”. Its okay. But when I get home and fire up my iMac, I am much happier with its performance all around and is much more pleasant to use. In the five years I have owned it, I have never had to reboot because of a freeze out. I have had to restart a couple of programs a time or two, but never the machine. I have had far less problems all around with my Apple machine.

We all deal with budget busting equipment here. I have all my life in my outdoor pursuits as well. A long time ago I realized that when you need equipment you can’t afford to have fail, you had better have chosen wisely. And yes, it will probably cost you three times more than anything else, but you will always be happier. And if your life may depend on the quality of your equipment, it’s a no-brainer.

In this case, I paid a premium for an Apple computer. But when I spread that out over the years of ownership (in this case five), figure in the performance and how happy I am with it, it is actually a bargain and cheaper in the long haul. While some may find it silly and inconsequential, I also really like such programs as Garage Band, iMovie, iDVD. You can’t beat these programs and especially for “free”. I have a midi trigger for Garage Band and have scored some video without having to worry about music licensing. Same could be done for slide shows. I also need to keep my Final Cut program. It’s an expensive piece of software.

In case anyone is interested, I have been in contact several times with Adobe, because what they told me about cross grading was possibly going to be a deal maker or breaker. In the US, you can cross grade one time. I have an updated version of CS5. Updated from Elements 8. I have to give up both the CS5 and the version I have updated from (Elements). I have to sign a Letter of Destruction, stating that I will destroy my copies of both of these programs and wipe them off my Windows machine(s). After I submit this letter to them, they will ship me a Mac version of Photoshop for cost of shipping. They will at that time deactivate my licenses for both Elements and Photoshop. While I am waiting for delivery, I can load a trial version of CS5 to use in the meantime. When the new copy arrives, I uninstall the trial version and install the new copy. So at least I’m not out Photoshop for any time.

So it would appear that I am leaning toward Apple this time around. I’m thinking I’ll just suck it up and max up a 2011 Macbook Pro 15”. Do a clean OSX install on the Olde Faithful iMac, sell it and my Soul, get a decent IPS display for when I’m home, and don’t look back!

[Sefirothe]

If you were seriously considering gaming laptops, did you look at the (Dell) Alienware m17x? Yea I know its got a lot of geeky flash but the RGB LED screen is pretty darn nice in the R2 version. NOT the current R3 that is listed on the site. You'd have to go thru the Dell outlet currently to find an R2. Which can be had for a pretty decent price. And what I'm typing to you on right now. This screen blows away any other screen I've ever seen on a laptop, tho I will admit I havent seen an IPS screen in person to compare it to. And the rest of the guts of the laptop are pretty hefty and should last a very very long time. However, this thing is heavy, 12-13 lbs. They dont call it a desktop replacement for nothing. With the right bag tho, I dont find carting it around to be that much of an issue.

[proseak]

Just a few thoughts, speaking as a Windows user, but some apply across the board.
Firstly, plenty of RAM, the more the better. You say that you use "very large and multiple composite files", so I'd say a minimum of 4 Gb, and ideally more so it's worth checking to see just how far you can upgrade.
Second, I'd suggest Win 7 64-bit pro, just so that you can run XP under it. This can prove very useful for older apps/hardware.
Third, get the installation media - it makes re-, or custom, installation a breeze.
I'm not keen on glossy monitors...

HTH