Freespirit said:

Memory: make sure you have at least 512MB of RAM, but 1026 would be ideal. 2GB would be the best.

Hard drive: 120GB or above is good. If you do more things with video, however, more is better. In my desktop, I have an 80GB for my system files, etc, then a 160GB for video storage and archiving while working on projects.

TMPletz said:

purplerein said:

Damn you, Scotty! You're fired!

TMPletz said:

ay captain...now i have time for my best friend

purplerein said:

TMPletz said:

I love when people make sense. ~hugs. I am thinking I will get extra components (as needed) to work on huge files... and to save important work from being lost and contaminated.

Also, I am now thinking of a laptop... as I walk about my place, I just realized the work I am doing in my second bedroom area. I am turning it into an Art area/Studio... just purchased my work desk and chair yesterday. Going to search for a decent bookshelf today. A laptop may be more ideal... if I wish to work in that area (painting, etc...)... opposed to my room, where my desktop computer is now. I am liking this idea more and more...

Although this computer (I have now...) needs some work... it needs a good zapping, I tell you. I have been saving my files... although I don't wish to contaminate a new computer by using any burned items on something fresh...

Laptop is seeming to be it. Is there a top capacity that laptops can hold... relating to Memory and Hard Drive? Is there a Max out point? (Does that make sense?) Or do different Laptops have different space abilities?

Freespirit said:

you can find a laptop with enough RAM and HD space easily, and at a reasonable price too Julie. Good choice!

CarrieMpls said:

I have had a Dell for years ... love it

~ knock on wood ~ never anyproblems and their tech help peeps rock



next one I buy will prolly be a Dell

How about the Toshiba I listed in the beginning... how do those features look? How about that exact one?

jerseykrs said:

Freespirit said:

awesome, dual core processor, plenty RAM, plenty HD space. If it's a reasonable price, go for it! Google search the model number and read the reviews on it first though.

Mach said:

I am already so turned off by Dell... maybe it's all the annoying commercials... I don't even know why.

Maybe it is because Chris is smart... and that he believes it is not the best choice. Either way... I am now convinced. ~smile.

jerseykrs said:

Trust me.

Toshiba is shit.

jerseykrs said:

The price is $1,099.99. (I doubt if it is a sell price) Can you check it out some, if time allows you. I will do the same.

Freespirit said:

yes, I will. The snob in me will see what kind of SONY you can bag for the same price.

jerseykrs said:

my brother had a lot of toubles with his sony, and eventually got a dell, which he's happy with

NDRU said:

cockblocker!!!!!

jerseykrs said:

i like to block with my cock, so what of it?

Also take a look at Lenovo (formerly known as IBM ThinkPad). These are some of the highest rated laptops out there.

http://www.lenovo.com/us/en/

I just bought a new computer, alienware, and although I am happy enough with it, if I had it to do again I would go with the company suported by IBM. Looking down I see TmPletz already stole the words out of my mouth. Lenovo, is the way to go.

Digital Photography/Graphic Design - Any computer will be able to handle either of these. If you plan on using the big gun applications like Photoshop. Illustrator, Quark, etc... you will definitely want to have alot of memory on your system because all of these programs use up a ton of it. And many times, when working on projects, you'll generally have several of them open at the same time.

Fast Music Burning/DVD - Any computer nowdays is going to come with a CD burner that burns at a high speed and plays DVD's. If you want to splurge a little extra and invest in a DVD burner that's really up to you. Many DVD players on the market nowdays can play standard CD-Roms, so it's really not necessary.

Reliable/Durable and Respectable Name - Ask 100 people, you'll probably get 100 different answers, lol. We've always had really good experiences with Dell's XPS systems. But I've also purchased a few of their cheapo systems (under $500) and was disappointed.

Laptops are nice, but if you plan on spending hours in front of your computer each night, you might want to opt for one of those docking stations that you can plug a mouse and keyboard into. They will also prop your laptop up so it's at eye level.

Also, try and shop for the laptop in person rather than order it online. The screens on them vary quite a bit. Some are kinda cheep, low resolution, and don't display colors very accurately, while others look just as good as a desktop LCD.

As for the processor, memory, and hard drive. The dual core processor will be great. I'd really recommend going with at least 2-3 gigs of memory (theres 1 gig in the specs you mentioned on that Toshiba). Photo and Graphic Design programs will use it up quickly, and if you end up switching over to Windows Vista in the next year or two, you're gonna need that extra memory. Hard drive, if it's not much more expensive to upgrade to a 250-300GB drive, go for it.