PC or Laptop

TrueHereticX

Hey guys

I'm looking to get into photography on a strictly hobby level and woud like to mess around with photoshop and other things once i save enough money for a pc or laptop

So my question would be, which should I get?

What I'll be doing: Photoshopping, loadings pics onto it, music management (i have an ipod nano 4gb), web browsing, and maybe a teensy bit of gaming (Warcraft 3 and Battlefield 2 mostly)

Edit: My budget is going to be up to $AUS2000, as soon as i save up that much

QuarterMaster

Each of them have benefits. Laptops are much easier to carry around with you, so if you'll be doing lots of shooting out of town, etc. that might be the best option. Desktops tend to be more powerful (though in your price range, it really won't make much difference), and they are much easier to upgrade if you want more longevity.

TrueHereticX

Thanks for the response

I think I may go with a laptop, seeing as how the portable-ness of it appeals to me (Also have a photo printer I can lug around in a carry case) but I will see if I get anymore repsonses on here before I make a definate choice

JAEF

Honestly if you ever feel you want/need to be able to use your computer outside of your house (travel frequently? Student? Pants?) and you don't mind not being able to handle top of the line gaming or upgrading piecemeal in the future then absolutely go with a laptop. They've gotten remarkably cheap here in America, I know prices are still a lot higher on electronics in Aus but it should still be a reasonable stone's throw from a desktop with monitor.

TrueHereticX

JAEF wrote: »

Honestly if you ever feel you want/need to be able to use your computer outside of your house (travel frequently? Student? Pants?) and you don't mind not being able to handle top of the line gaming or upgrading piecemeal in the future then absolutely go with a laptop. They've gotten remarkably cheap here in America, I know prices are still a lot higher on electronics in Aus but it should still be a reasonable stone's throw from a desktop with monitor.

Thanks

But... Pants?

I'm confused

QuarterMaster

I was wondering about that too, JAEF.

I live in the U.S., so I don't know much about the stores you have down there, but a quick google search yielded this. Just as an example of what you could get for that much. Also, I'm partial to HP.

TrueHereticX

I know practically nothing about laptops

So i'm guessing that is a good one?

Also, getting it from Dick Smith stores would rock, because my brother works there and he gets a (pitiful) 5% discount

So i'm going to save something like 75$-100$ depending on what i get

QuarterMaster

Looks like I clicked the right link then.

If you're using it for photo editing, you're going to want as much RAM as you can afford (most of the ones I looked at had 2GB, but you may be able to find some with 3 or 4 gigs within your price range). A large hard drive is also important, especially if you shoot a lot of RAW files or in a hi-res mode. Screen size depends on how much portability you want - 15.4" is a decent size, but if you don't mind something relatively large, 17" would be a good bet. And as long as it has something better than Intel integrated graphics, you should be good for simple games. Almost all new laptops come with dual-core processors now, so you don't have to worry about that too much.

You'll also want to pick up a mouse and an external HDD. I'll say that again: An external HDD is extremely important. Trust me on this.

TrueHereticX

External HDD and mouse are a go, seeing as how everyone else i've seen with a laptop always begrudges the fact that they don't have some

I'll be looking at 2gb ones, since that's the basic they have their, but if they have something at a 3 or 4 at my brother's work or the DSE up the other end of the mall i shall get that

Many much thanks be heaped upon you QM, verily you hath helped me so

QuarterMaster

No problem, but you might hang around a bit and see what everyone else has to say. 2GB would probably be enough for hobby-level stuff, and you can always upgrade later if you need to. It's just that Photoshop is an extreme RAM hog.

JAEF

TrueHereticX wrote: »

JAEF wrote: »

Honestly if you ever feel you want/need to be able to use your computer outside of your house (travel frequently? Student? Pants?) and you don't mind not being able to handle top of the line gaming or upgrading piecemeal in the future then absolutely go with a laptop. They've gotten remarkably cheap here in America, I know prices are still a lot higher on electronics in Aus but it should still be a reasonable stone's throw from a desktop with monitor.

Thanks

But... Pants?

I'm confused

In case you ever decide to become a traveling pants salesman. For the salesman on the go.

Desktop Hippie

Anyone I know interested in photography or image editing tends to use a Mac, so you may want to check some out. From what I've heard Macs tend to pack more power into a smaller, lighter package too. Any Macbooks I've seen have been very light and easy to carry. I haven't used Macs much myself, so I don't know how they are day to day. The interface is different if you're used to a PC, but the few times I've used one I've been able to find what I wanted without any difficulty, so I think pretty much anyone could use one with a little practice.

I've got an Eee which is unbelievably small and light and is a kickass little machine too. Unfortunately, the Linux interface is a bit hit and miss when it comes to recognising devices, the screen is small and the battery doesn't last very long (about 4 hours) when your out and about so it may not be what your looking for. Still, it's really cheap and has a built in card reader, so you might want to look at it for a second computer for when you want to travel light.