Help me pick a laptop
Jul 23, 2009 at 3:32 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 65
Clincher09

Clincher09

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I need a new laptop for college. I'm doing graphic design so a good processor is necessary, and I'm looking at these two:

Newegg.com - HP Pavilion dv4-1220us NoteBook AMD Turion X2 RM-72(2.10GHz) 14.1" Wide XGA 4GB Memory 250GB HDD 5400rpm DVD Super Multi ATI Radeon HD 3200 - Laptops / Notebooks

Newegg.com - Gateway T-6345U NoteBook Intel Pentium dual-core T3400(2.16GHz) 14.1" Wide XGA 2GB Memory DDR2 667 250GB HDD 5400rpm DVD Super Multi Intel GMA X3100 - Laptops / Notebooks

The gateway is cheaper, but I really haven't heard much about gateways lately so maybe that's not a good thing. The HP looks good though. Does anyone have experience with any of these? Or could you recommend a laptop around the 500-600$ price range better than these two?
 
Jul 23, 2009 at 4:26 AM Post #2 of 65
Go with the HP, it's a much better brand... 4GB memory and a slightly better graphics card.. the processor isn't as good but programs like photoshop and illustrator will eat the ram up quickly. You may also want a larger screen, I couldn't imagine designing something on a 14" screen, it just isn't that practical.
 
Jul 23, 2009 at 4:44 AM Post #3 of 65
Quote:

Originally Posted by Graphicism /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Go with the HP, it's a much better brand... 4GB memory and a slightly better graphics card.. the processor isn't as good but programs like photoshop and illustrator will eat the ram up quickly. You may also want a larger screen, I couldn't imagine designing something on a 14" screen, it just isn't that practical.


+1

A 14.1" widescreen seems pretty small for graphic design. More RAM is good!
 
Jul 23, 2009 at 5:55 AM Post #6 of 65
Check out the lenovo outlet store for fantastic deals. I grabbed a Lenovo R400 (same body type as T-series) for about $500 when it retails at $1400
wink.gif
 
Jul 23, 2009 at 6:26 AM Post #7 of 65
Quote:

Originally Posted by FallenAngel /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Check out the lenovo outlet store for fantastic deals. I grabbed a Lenovo R400 (same body type as T-series) for about $500 when it retails at $1400
wink.gif



I've seen quite a few lenovos but I have never heard of them and didn't know if they were reliable.
 
Jul 23, 2009 at 6:29 AM Post #8 of 65
Quote:

Originally Posted by Clincher09 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I've seen quite a few lenovos but I have never heard of them and didn't know if they were reliable.


Very reliable which is why they usually cost a lot more, these are more aimed at business people so it might not be a bad idea picking up one of these.

I also like as billybob_jcv suggests, get a decent size monitor in your room to hook up to and work, and then just bring your laptop, or even one of those cheap net books to class...
 
Jul 23, 2009 at 6:32 AM Post #9 of 65
Quote:

Originally Posted by Graphicism /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Very reliable which is why they usually cost a lot more, these are more aimed at business people so it might not be a bad idea picking up one of these.

I also like as billybob_jcv suggests, get a decent size monitor in your room to hook up to and work, and then just bring your laptop, or even one of those cheap net books to class...


I was thinking about a netbook but they don't really have good specs unless I just want to surf the internet.
 
Jul 23, 2009 at 6:39 AM Post #10 of 65
Quote:

Originally Posted by Clincher09 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I've seen quite a few lenovos but I have never heard of them and didn't know if they were reliable.


Lenovos are best known for their business offerings for laptops. I'm not familiar with their consumer laptops as much, but their business line are a no nonsense kind of laptop that is built like a tank. Lenovo bought out IBM's PC line so it's basically IBM. I don't think you can go wrong with a Lenovo, if you can find one at a good price.

You might want to find out if your college has any deals on laptops before buying one on your own. Also, you should see what Dell has to offer. They usually have great deals on laptops.
 
Jul 23, 2009 at 6:47 AM Post #12 of 65
Lenovo is the refresh laptop for engineers where I work, everyone else is getting HPs. I would probably buy an HP if I were to upgrade at home. NOTE: that the pavilions you typically see are NOT the business class HPs.

The best laptop I ever owned was a Toshiba that had an actual metal case (Magnesium)? I haven't seen any toshibas since that were as sturdy.
 
Jul 23, 2009 at 7:01 AM Post #13 of 65
Jul 23, 2009 at 10:27 AM Post #14 of 65
Not a specific brand recommendation here. Does your school offer any discounts? When my son started a few years back we used the discount they offered ans saved about $700.00.
 
Jul 23, 2009 at 11:52 AM Post #15 of 65
Of those I would have picked up the HP Pavilion. More RAM is always nice...
 
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