Hints for buying Laptop / to use Photoshop - Painter

[Agustin Poratti]

not sure if this is the right place to post this, but i'm buying a laptop soon mainly for painting/design pourposes. so any tips or experience you had with brands and such?
i just want to be able to run PS and painter as smoothly as possible. maybe a 3d program eventually. yeah, and a decent screen...
i know todays laptops pretty much do the job, but still, any tips or personal experience?

thanks a lot!

[GriNGo]

Make it dualcore, 2 gigs of ram, and lots of harddrive space. Also get a big screen. Go for a MacBook Pro (if you're into macs), or an Alienware (if your into Windows and PC's).

[Agustin Poratti]

okay, thanks

[GriNGo]

I forgot to mention that if you can invest in more ram, then go for it!

[bumskee]

yeah dualcore and more ram... u could never have enough ram...
I think 14~15 inch screen are plenty... 17 is good but u usually end up with a desktop kinda laptop.. not fit for carrying around... tho mac and LG ones are quite thin and lighter....
if you are planning on 3d, make sure u get one with decent graphic card.. replacing gfx on a laptop is virtually impossible once you buy it... it's coz they are usually integrated even tho they are not.. if u are doing 2d work only it doesn't matter... you can easily upgrade more HDD and RAM after the purchase (eg, kingston, cruicial.. WD and seagate), but for screen, gfx and CPU(u can if but with a bit of hassle..) it's best to decide now...

remember also, battery life is one of the most important thing... make sure u read enough about it before making the decision...

:D

[Agustin Poratti]

bump

thanks, that's a lot of usefull advice.

what about matte and "shiny" screen finish? what's the best for digipaint?

and yes, i'm the kind of freak wich before buying something (not a soda can tho) thoroughly examines all the possibilities, pros and cons, etc, so by the time i buy my laptop i may be able to fix yours...

[bumskee]

it's good to test evertything out.. before buying..
I am kinda of an impulse buyer!! these days I leave my wallet behind if I go look for something coz I know I will buy it on the spot.. heh..

matte is better for brighter light surroundings, simply because of the reflections.. u get less and it's more easier especially in sunlight... if u do ever go out with it that is..
shiny on the other hand is brighter, more contrasty but sucks when it comes to reflections and in sunlight.. I have toshiba m200 tablet.. with shiny screen.. it's pretty much useless in the sun actually.. u can barely see a thing... :O but it being a tablet u need the hard shiny surface I guess..

well I've only owned shiny screens but yeah.. they don't make that much of a difference, I am exaggerating a bit... heh

I would go for a matte honestly, but best is to walk into a store with lots of laptops.. and check them out for urself.. the screen come in many many many many fixed resolutions.. make sure u do some research on the resolution, naturally the bigger the more expensive.. :)

[Agustin Poratti]

um, interesting! i hate reflections aswell...
will check twice before buying... lol "can i take this laptop outside? i wanna check reflections and such..." *runs*

yeah... resolutions, will check. and speaking of screens, i'm kind of old school.. i never liked much these "panorama" screens... however, i bet it has it's pros and cons, right?

well, you're being a lot of help, bumskee, thank you very much

[bumskee]

well u can just face ur screen to some bright lights in the store... u will instantly notice what I am on about... u will get it too on matte as well just not as much, and also LCDs have that viewing angle.. so make sure u check it out..

I think widescreen def is better... especially if u are working in PS.. u can layout more palettes and stuff across.. maybe I am just so used to it.. depends what u like but I think the non wide screens are actually cheaper... :P