Help needed please....

L--T

I need a PC (not Mac) approx 15" screen,(max) for photo-work. Tough but fast.
What specifications do I need & can anyone, from first or secondhand experience, recommend models, or advise which to avoid?


I enjoy stretching my Nikon DSLR's to the limit, but working on my laptop with the results is something I've never really enjoyed. Just don't like sitting down at a computer I guess.
I'm using a slow old-ish Sony notebook & am out of touch with what specifications I need.
For example. I've been told that Panasonic Toughbooks are strong but slower than many other makes...true?

Any help much appreciated.
Thanks.

ChrisJ

I've used many laptops Dell, Toshiba, Sony, Gateway, Fuji, etc... (though not the Panasonic ToughBook). I still like my ThinkPad best. I think quality has gone down very slightly since being acquired by Lenovo, but they are still solid (and expensive).

ThinkPad T Series [lenovo.com]

The T Series is a good balance between portability and size.

L--T

Cheers Chris.
What specifications equal "fast?"

Is anyone else happy & impressed enough with the performance of their notebook to recommend it?
Thanks.

ChrisJ

L--T wrote:

Cheers Chris.
What specifications equal "fast?"

I would go with the 2.2 GHz Core 2 Duo T7500. That seems to be the sweet spot price wise right now. With Photoshop, it helps to get the most memory you can afford. Windows XP (32-bit) can only address 3 gig, but to get the best performance from DDR memory, the chips need to match... so getting 4 Gig RAM as 2 x 2 Gig modules is best.

For Photoshop, any video card will suffice nowadays... Just make sure it doesn't use Shared Memory. I would also recommend a 7200 RPM hard disk.

Just a wish list, obviously you have to adjust based on budget. Those recomendations are for any system, not just a ThinkPad.

ian408

ChrisJ wrote:

I've used many laptops Dell, Toshiba, Sony, Gateway, Fuji, etc... (though not the Panasonic ToughBook). I still like my ThinkPad best. I think quality has gone down very slightly since being acquired by Lenovo, but they are still solid (and expensive).

ThinkPad T Series [lenovo.com]

The T Series is a good balance between portability and size.

We have deployed IBM/Lenovo laptops for some time. There are a variety of
problems we see. Batteries don't last long in some instances and very frequently,
you'll lose half the memory. Requires pulling the memory and re-seating it.
There have been a few times a machine has to be sent back to fix the memory
problem.

I think we noticed the change with the deployment of T42 and successive
models. My T30 is still going strong though.

I don't know that any of these problems is better or worse than some of the
major mfg'ers of laptops and I will say that overall, the IBM line has been
good to work with.

BradfordBenn

I am using a T60 series Lenovo at work, and I am a power user for stuff other than photography. I am really happy with it. The issues that Ian points out I had problem with on my T42 and no problems with my T60.

ChrisJ

ian408 wrote:

I think we noticed the change with the deployment of T42 and successive models. My T30 is still going strong though.

I must admit my direct experience skips from the T41P to the T60. The T41P is still my everyday work computer, and I've never even had to re-install the OS (knock on silicon). The T60 feels just a hair cheaper in build quality, but still haven't experienced any issues with it.

At least Lenovo finally added a Windows key! I can't live without some of those shortcuts anymore.