I did a search for this but there haven't been any threads for a while - that I could find.

So, I'm shopping for a laptop. I'm looking for something in the 15 inch range. I won't be traveling with it a lot, but obviously it will move around some in the house and on short trips, etc.

Anyway, I know I'll need at least a gig of RAM, preferably 2 gigs. I'm currently working with 1 Gig and I'm pretty happy with it with PSCS 3.

Here are my questions:

- Is the Core Duo 2 the new Dual Core Processor? And the AMD Processor to look for is Athlon, right?
- is 120 Gigs of HD space enough for digi-scrapping with Photoshop?
- What about the speed of the processor? What is best?
- I'm looking to spend around $800 - can I get a good laptop for that for designing and digi-scrapping?

Here's the other thing. I don't use my computer to store my image files, except those I'm currently working on. Everything is saved on flash drive and CD until I can get an external hard drive. Just a paranoia thing. Does that effect my choice of HD?

Finally, if anyone has any specific recommendations for machines I'd love to hear your input.

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LaWanna Desjardin,
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Thanks for starting this thread LaWanna - I was planning on buying a laptop soon too and my wants and needs are very similar to yours.

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good thread, I am looking for one too. I have been eyeing an Acer on Newegg.com and waiting for it to go on sale. I love my current Acer, my only beef is that it is difficult to accurately calibrate so I just use it for scrapping, surfing and organizing but not designing.
(And I do use the Colorvision Spyder on it but it still isn't 100% the way my desktop screen is, maybe it is just me.)
It is over 3yrs old and have had 0 problems with it so I would totally buy another.
BUT if there was a laptop out there that was just as accurate as a desktop monitor I would be all over it.
I need 1 gig but must be upgradable to 2 or more gig (I can add that later)

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We have been looking at laptops as DH is getting one for work. The one that we found suitable for digi-scrapping and possibly some designing went for about $2000 US retail. All I needed was something comparable to the desktop system I have now (which didn't cost THAT much).

The $2000 one would have been a nice toy, but I would only need it during our medical trips... so not worth the extra expense. DH is getting something good enough for me to use to dump image from my camera when we are on the road, and do small things - just not designing. After all, it is actually for him for his work, but he was trying to get something that would help me too.

* The processor is how fast your laptop is able to do things, so get the highest number possible.
* If you have to get Vista with it, get a minimum of 2 gig RAM.
* Do research on the video card
* Since you don't already have one, it would also be a good idea to invest in an EHD as there is no way I could function with only 120gig HD space.

Have fun shopping!

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Colleen in Friendly Manitoba...
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Hello Ladies

I would caution you about the fans. I have a laptop and I really like it (Toshiba). My only problem is the heat. I have used the cooling pads and have burned up 2 now. So make sure you get a little fan to put on the desk to keep the heat down.

I have a Dell which is over 2 years old now but fabulous.
What i would recommend is:
2 GB RAM
Dual Core processor or really a Quad if at all possible. They have different processing speeds in amongst that so probably min 6550 but 6600+ if you can stretch that far.
Get a dedicated graphics card - 256 min but 512 if at all possisble
AND compare battery life! Battery life differs hugely. Mine lasts about 4-6 hours but I have a friend with a Toshiba that last maybe an hour.

This is Aussie Dell but it gives you a good guide on what to look for based on the performance you want
http://www1.ap.dell.com/content/prod...hs1&l=en&s=dhs

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agree with all the above.. the graphics card is really only needed for any 3D gaming you might do on it.. otherwise, for photoshop and the like.. any integrated video card will do just fine.. Go with 2GB of RAM since upgrading on a laptop is a royal pain.. hard drives don't matter - get a 7200 rpm if you can - laptop companies still love to skimp with a 5400rpm.. CPU highest that makes sense - at some point the cost per rate of return is useless... 1.8ghz vs 2.0ghz is nothing and not worth the extra $50 say.. Keep in mind things like battery life, screen glare and heat - you'll want to spend the extra $$ and get a good laptop with a decent battery (get an extra one too), the screen should be VERY good quality - anti glare with a good brightness level and the heat levels should be very low - extra fans and good design will help keep you laptop alive for many years.

Dell/acer etc are all good.... stay away from sony and HP... Good Luck!