Advice 4 Laptop, Please

alison2009

Hello,

I am in need of a new laptop, but need some advice, suggestions. I really don't want a Toshiba as I have had bad exp with that brand. Love my Fujitsu 1VEGW0, but programs keep freezing up on it (LR, PS, Email Prog, Wind Expl - not responding). Get lots of "not responding", and have been told I need more memory, but am maxed out at 4GB and would like to upgrade to current LR3 and CS5. I do ALL my editing on laptop using ext monitor, and store all my photos and catalogs on ext drives. I do all my computer work on my laptop. Currently have Windows Vista Home Pre 32-bit, 4GB memory, Intel Core 2 Duo CPU T5800 2.00GHz, 250GB HD. I really appreciate any suggestions. I really need something I can rely on, and that works well. Last two days, I have done more closing programs than edit photos due to "not responding/freezing".

Thank you ALL,
Ali

Pupator

Brand choice is going to be a matter of preference. For photo editing on a laptop, you'll want:

Intel i5 (better) or i7 (best) processor
6GB RAM
Fast hard drive (SSD is best but pricey, 7200 rpm is better)

The external monitor is essential, so I'm glad you're prepared for that.

Newsy

HP Elitebook 8740 or Lenovo X220
You don't mention a $$$ budget.

If you want a real solid true photo workhorse look to the HP Elitebook 8740 or 8540 as they feature an optional Dreamcolor II IPS tft panel in their screen.

The 8740 offers:
... 17" 1920x1200 IPS tft panel
... wide gamut with RGB-LED back light
... 10bit IPS tft panel
... 12bit processing

I believe the 8540 is similar but with a 15" 1920x1080 screen.

However, the 8740 will set you back about $4500 USD.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-business-class-notebooks/470406-official-hp-elitebook-8740w-owners-lounge-220.html

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If a lightweight travel anywhere and edit accurately model is desired take a peek at the forthcoming Lenovo X220 for about $1299 USD.

It will have an optional 12.5" "Premium" 1366x768 IPS tft panel (just like what is desirable in full size external monitors) for great viewing angles and accurate color.

Dimensions .... 305.0mm x 206.5mm x 19-34.6mm
Weights ....... < 3.0lbs (1.3kg)
Onboard DisplayPort for connection to external monitor !!!

No onboard eSATA or USB3.0 port for fast connection to external hard drives but there is a standard Lenovo dock available which includes an eSATA port as well as two DVI-D ports + more -- the ThinkPad Mini Dock Series -- I think this optional dock is under $300 USD.

"up to a 2.7GHz Core i7-2620M CPU, 8GB of DDR3 RAM, and a choice of Intel SSDs ranging up to 160GB. The 9-cell battery is rated to last you 15 hours and there's an additional external battery pack that will keep you tether-free for 23 hours."

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=6056&review=lenovo+thinkpad+x220

http://www.mobiletechreview.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=40140

http://www.laptopmag.com/review/laptops/lenovo-thinkpad-x220.aspx?page=3

http://notebooks.com/2011/03/07/lenovo-thinkpad-x220/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=lenovo-thinkpad-x220

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notebookreview.com

Price as configured: $1,299.00 (starting at $979.00)

Our review unit of the Lenovo ThinkPad X220 features the following specifications:

• Intel Core i5-2520M dual-core processor (2.5GHz, 3MB cache, 3.2GHz Turbo frequency)
• Windows 7 Professional (64-bit)
• 12.5-inch Premium HD (1366 x 768) LED Backlit Display (IPS)
• Intel Integrated HD Graphics
• 4GB DDR3 (1333MHz)
• 320GB Hitachi Travelstar hard drive (Z7K320)
• Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205 (Taylor Peak) 2x2 AGN wireless card
• Intel 82579LM Gigabit Ethernet
• 720p High Definition webcam
• Fingerprint reader
• 6-cell battery (63Wh) and optional slice battery (65Wh)
• Dimensions: 12 (L) x 8.2 (W) x 0.5-1.5 (H) inches with 6-cell battery
• Weight:
• 3.5 pounds with 6-cell battery
• 4.875 pounds with 6-cell battery and optional external battery slice
• Price as configured: $1,299.00 (starting at $979.00)

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MobileTechReview.com


The ThinkPad starts at $979, which is relatively reasonable for an X Series ThinkPad. The base model is a second gen 2.13GHz Intel Core i3, and you can go up to a 2.7GHz Core i7. Our review unit has the 2.5GHz Intel Core i5 2520M, 4 gigs of 1333MHz RAM, the IPS display option (really, really worth the upgrade price) and the 6 cell standard battery plus 19 cell slice, which Lenovo tells us will cost $1,299 total.

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notebooks.com

it starts at just $899.

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Zerodog

I got the Lenovo X201. For different reasons though. I wanted really long battery life with editing power and very small size. This thing delivers on both parts. It is barely bigger than a netbook It only has a 12" screen. This is a blessing and a curse. But I have run it up to 8hrs on the battery alone. It has the i5 8gb of ram with just a 500gb hard drive. It also has an oldschool PC card slot that I put a CF card reader into. So now I can just load my cards right into the side of the computer with no extra cords.

I use the laptop mostly for, sorting event photos. I load them up, then can watch TV and sort at the same time. It is great. Then I import the photos to my main desktop computer and store them on my external drive. So far LR3 and CS5 have run very well on the laptop.

I also have been using the laptop at events to run a slideshow on a 32"LCD TV. I run LR3, itunes and a slideshow program all at once with no hiccups. I am more than impressed with this little pocket rocket laptop. In fact I have liked it so much I have ended up using it more than my desktop for a lot of things.