 David W. Daugherty |
should I go laptop or pc? Should I purchase a laptop or pc to use for my photo's? I'm a serious hobbiest and have the opportunity to begin a business in photography. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
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Christopher A. Vedros |
It depends. Obviously, if you travel much, or plan to, then a laptop would be a good idea. It's not always a necessity, but it's convenient to have. Although the gap is not as wide as it used to be, you can still get more "bang for your buck" with a desktop PC than with a laptop. I'm sure someone will chime in and tell you to get a Mac. Just ignore them. ;-) Chris A. Vedros
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Pete H |
David, You can certainly get by with a laptop, but if you plan on doing any serious editing, you will want a larger monitor when you get home. Screen real estate is everything to the serious photo editor. Don't forget to backup your images.
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David W. Daugherty |
Chris, Your respose made me chuckle this morning. It's the same comment my wife made when I brought up a Mac. Very funny. Thanks for your response
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David W. Daugherty |
Pete, thanks for the comment. I think a 17" monitor and 1 to 2 GB RAM is what I've been reading on all reviews. Buy as much as I can afford is what most reviews state.
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Pete H |
2 Gb's RAM is preferred. ..and get a decent clock speed. Adobe not only eats memory like a bear coming out of hibernation, but many of the editing (actions) are quite math intensive..Shoot for no less than 3 Ghz if you can afford it in a laptop..2 Ghz will get ya' by, but you will wait for some operations. With monitor prices coming down, you may want to look into 19" or even a 21" Pete
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Craig m. Zacarelli |
im stilll reading alot of stuff sayinc LCD's arent as good at reproducing colors as the big, clunky VGA monitors... I use my LCD and dont seem to be hindered in any way.... I couldnt use a lap top though, the movment of the screen would drive me nuts... I find it hard to just watch a video on it...im always adjusting the angle of the screen to try and get the best view!!
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John P. Sandstedt |
Have the best of all world's. Get a laptop with a docking station/replicator. This will allow you portability of the laptop and the ability to use a full size keyboard and large monitor for the docking station or replicator. As to monitor size, I'd go at least 19-in. for the docking station, but you need to be certain what you'll get if you choose a wide screen model. I'm concerned that photo files will be stretched. If the image is shown at "normal" aspect ratios, the additional screen space might be available for Photoshop palettes. Be careful of two things with laptops, however. The sysop at my former employer suggested that laptop "technolgy" lags that of desktops. Don't know for sure, but thos means types of chips and speed. Also, I have eight USB ports on my desktop and use them all. I'm not sure how many you can get with a laptop.
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Christopher A. Vedros |
Craig - I've heard that said about LCDs also, that they are not as good as CRT monitors for viewing images. The problem is that (like most things) not all LCDs are made equal. I have a 19" KDS LCD that I have had for a few years now on my main desktop machine that I am totally satisfied with. But the 16" KDS LCD that I bought at the same time for the kids' computer was disappointing. In less than a year, it had some dead pixels and started to have some strange color problems a few months later. When it came time to replace their PC, I took advantage of a bundle rebate and replaced it with an HP LCD which is great. John - a wide screen won't stretch images if you set your video card to a correct resolution. You need to choose a screen resolution that has the same aspect ratio as the LCD. If you just use the horizontal size control on the monitor to fill the screen, then it will stretch images. Most newer screens are pretty good at setting themselves up automatically. That sysop was correct about laptop technology lagging desktops. If you look under the hood of a desktop PC at the CPU, you'll understand why. High-power CPUs typically have large heatsinks and large cooling fans. To get the same performance in a smaller, portable package that doesn't have the room for large fans takes longer to develop. This is also why if you compare a current laptop and a current desktop PC with equivalently-powered CPUs, the laptop will usually be more expensive. You're right about the USB ports. On my desktop PC, I have all these USB devices: Scanner, two printers, Hard Drive, webcam, card reader, and 3 DVD burners (I do lots of video work). Plus I have two ports on the front for temporarily plugging in cameras, cell phones or iPods. With a laptop, even if you have a docking station, you will usually need at least one USB hub with extra ports. The good thing about the USB 2.0 spec is that you can stack hubs without really degrading the performance of most devices. Chris Vedros
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