Need help picking out laptop

Ataxrxes

I don't know if this would be better here or in G+T so please move it if this isn't the place. My girlfriend is thinking about buying a laptop to use mostly for work. She will be doing some design work along with her other Executive Director responsibilities. The first part of the question is, what would serve her better, an Apple laptop or a Windows based one? Money IS an object and we would like to find her something powerful enough and reliable enough while not breaking the bank.

Thanatos

What sort of design? Art design? Does she need to be able to run any specific software? What are other people at her company generally using?

Ataxrxes

She needs to be able to run apps like InDesign and Photoshop, make presentations, reports, etc.

aperlscript

How tech-savvy do you want to go? You could get a mid-level Macbook for $1300, and dual-boot both Mac and Windows on there using Apple's own Bootcamp. That would let her flip between the two OSs if the need comes up. The Macs do tend to be a bit pricier though...

Ataxrxes

Yeah, that's the thing. I am in design school right now and everyone in my class that has a laptop, including myself, has a Powerbook or some sort of Mac. You hear people say all the time that Apple is better for that sort of thing, but is that really the case? I really like my Powerbook, but she is used to using Windows, so I'm not sure what the best solution for her would be. What I do know is that she isn't too thrilled about the idea of shelling out $3000 for her computer and all the software she would need.

saltiness

Does she already own these applications or can she get them free from work? If so, for which OS? Since these two programs are almost equal to the cost of a notebook I would make sure she gets the right OS.

Also, I get that a lot being in art school. I tell people I use a PC and they look at me like I just told them I'm from the moon. Both platforms work just fine for artistic work.

Ataxrxes

She is most likely going to have to buy the software herself, so it would all come down to which OS seems to be the best for her. I think right now I am leaning towards finding her a good Windows laptop. So on that note, are there any suggestions?

stigweard

So this company expects her to shell out over a grand for an Adobe suite? I hope they are paying her good money. The MS Office suite isn't exactly cheap either with SBE coming in somewhere around 500$. Add those two to the price of even a cheap laptop and you are nearly at the 3k$ mark.

Ataxrxes

They don't expect her to, it's just something she wants to do for herself to make her life at work and at home easier. This is going to be her computer, but she wants to be able to do work on it wherever she is. If she doesn't buy this software for herself, she will probably be stuck using Photoshop 1.0 or something like she is now. This notebook should have at least a 15inch display, be capable of reading DvD's and ripping and burning CDRoms, be wi-fi ready out of the box, and have enough memory and processing power to be able to work in Photoshop and InDesign and stuff like Word or whatever simultaneously without too much slow-down or lag.

TheBurritoMan

I reccomend ibuypower to everyone who asks me, and I've had no complaints yet. You can get a decent rig for a decent price. They sell Windows books, of course, but that seems to be what you're looking for.

urchin

A friend of mine had a very poor experience with the ibuypower tech support people - the laptop had multiple hardware failures in the first year and they took FOREVER to fix and ship it to him. One time when they shipped it back there was a new problem. I think ibutpower has great deals, but if it fails, you're in for a hell of a time if you have to send it in to get it fixed.

If you hurry and configure a Dell system by November 30th, you might be able to use one of these coupons (unless it hits the max number of uses before then)

20% Off select Inspiron Laptops $999+: Q?T7W4J36SFLWF
25% Off select Inspiron Laptops $1199+: 93ZXTRV9NZLD20

She might want to get the 17" so she has more screen space, but if mobility is really important, try spec'ing out the 15.4" with the Core 2 Duo - you can choose SXGA+ which offers 1400x1050 resolution...that's a bit higher than the 1280x1024 that most 15.4" have. Just make sure she gets 2GB of RAM (atleast), even though Dell totally rips you on it. If you get the 17" she'll probably want the UXGA+ resolution.

Btw, what the hell was Dell thinking with their new laptop configuration process? It's so annoying and ugly!

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Ataxrxes wrote:

You hear people say all the time that Apple is better for that sort of thing, but is that really the case? I really like my Powerbook, but she is used to using Windows, so I'm not sure what the best solution for her would be.

It used to be the case in regards to how the processors work, but it's not the case anymore.

A MacBook will most likely be fine. While they do cost more than PCs, keep in mind they also keep their value way, way better, making it a little easier to take some of the cost out of upgrading to a newer one down the line.

As far as adjusting to a different OS, I doubt she'd have any trouble at all. The only real big difference I would think she'd encounter right away is the control/command key switch, and the command key is way more comfortable to use. I got a macbook at the start of this semester and I've taken to it like a duck to water.

Also, take into account what other people at her work are using.