which laptop?????

[natasha5465]

Hi I'm So Sick Of Being Stuck In My Computer Room While The Familys Out In The Living Room I Like The Idea Of Being Able To Scrap And Be A Bit Involved Too.

What Is The Best Laptop For Digi Scrapin?

What Should I Look For Memory, Ram, Wise ??

I Don't Know Much About Laptops

The Laptop Will Only Be For Scraping (with Pse5)

Please Help

Natasha

[jamie]

I don't know much about which is best for digi scrapping or how much memory, ram, etc, BUT I would HIGHLY recommend Dell mostly because of their customer service! I have an Inspiron 6000 from Dell, about 2 years old and I've had amazing customer service. I've had a couple of things go wrong (key fell off my keyboard, lost my start up CDs, etc) and in each case, I got the part within a day or two. Its also a really easy computer to do things yourself on. I just upgraded my hard drive and it was a matter of unscrewing two screws, so easy!

[carolyn d]

I run PSCS 2 on a dell. with no problems. I had PSE5 for some time until my software upgrade. I did install 2 GB memory tho. As mine is about 2 yrs old and I bought it before my digi scrapping "addiction", I bought a pretty basic unit. Most now come with duo-core processors which are pretty fast so you won't bog down. If all you are gonna do is scrap, then a basic unit should be fine. Just make sure you have plenty of memory. Check prices, because sometimes it's less expensive to upgrade your memory on your own rather than ordering with max memory. And another wise investment is an external hard drive. You can find them online pretty inexpensively. ( I got a 500 GB for $129.00) You can store all your digiscrapping files and photos on the external, keeping your laptop running smooth. Also, should something happen to the computer, all your files will be safe and sound. ( I learned this the hard way)

I have had good luck with the Dells. We currently have 4 in the house. (kids and their computers are home from school.) We have received wonderful customer service and very quick turnaround time on parts. (ink and in one case, a new processor for my son's old computer)

Good luck with whatever you decide to purchase.

[Christine]

I love HP, they used to be so poor at customer service, but a couple of years ago, they made some major changes and now they are great! I just barely got one, it has 1GB of RAM and 120 GB of hard drive space. I am able to run Vista (which is a RAM hog) and CS3 without any problems. Plus I always have the internet and a couple other programs running in the background cuz I don't like not having my task bar full, apparently. Hope this helps. :)

[untmom2003]

I had a Sony Vaio (terrible computer, beautiful screen) and Best Buy just replaced it. I got a IBM Thinkpad bc it runs Win XP and the others that are considered their personal computers are all running Vista. I have some older hardware and software that wouldn't be compatible. I have 1 gb Ram, 120 gb hard drive, dvd burner, etc... I really like it so far, even though I've only had it a couple of weeks. I agree with the external backup, and I also am using Carbonite, plus cd/dvd incremental backups. Good luck and let us know what you get

[dmrdm]

Just got a Gateway laptop a month ago. Replaced a Gateway that was a still running on Windows 98. Always, always, always get the most RAM you can afford. When working with photos and graphics, you need a computer that can handle them. The machine we got was given a great rating in a recent PC WORLD mag, although now it comes with a bigger hard drive then the article mentioned (specs on what's being sold change often, so you need to check their site). It's really a wonderful machine. PC world stated: "Gateway's NX860XL has the muscle, screen, and audio to put most other notebooks to shame".

It came in less than a week once we ordered it also. Installed PS CS 3 on it with no problems. Ordered a new GPS program and put that on it last night. It has a 17 inch widescreen model so we had to buy a new bag for it. The widescreen is so neat! For scraping it would be GREAT!!! We also purchased the longer life battery although when we used it in the car we have a hook up for it. Like the wrist pad a lot.

My husband also got a new Gateway desk top last week. It is really a wonderful machine and a real workhorse. It is soooooooo much faster than my 3 year old desktop. When we always price out the specs we want between Gateway and Dell. The high end models which my husband always gets come out a lot cheaper at Gateway than Dell. He also got the 24 inch widescreen montior which is really, really neat. It has 4 GB RAM. It has a real fast processor. When writing to a disk the new desktop is alot faster than the laptop (but that might not be an issue with you)

We have always purchased GATEWAYS with no problems. Our first computer was a desktop Radio Shack DOS model back in the 80's...I also had a Radio Shack laptop back then (a heavy puppy compared to now) Since then we have always had Gateways. My husband and I have our own desktops and we always have a laptop. I was just making a list the other day and we have had 6 computers since 1/97 and that doesn't include the 2 new ones we just got. We always give our old ones to nieces and nephews as they are always still working.

We called tech support a couple of times this month, both times it was answered promptly. We've never had an issue in that regard over the years.

I don't know what kind of cards your camera's use, but you'd want to make sure your computer has what you need it that regard or the ability to accept a USB to hook up a card reader. If you need a CD/DVD writer, you'd want to make sure you got what you needed there. Plus you want to make sure you have enought SBU ports to meet your needs.

Here's a link about laptops. There is also a laptop buying guide to help you if you need that. You'll also notice the laptop reviews. Notice the categories. The one we got fell into Power Laptops:

http://www.pcworld.com/ic/laptops/

(while the computers are great...we have bumped into a of VISTA issue on the "desktop"...it has nothing to do with Gateway. The Microsoft boards are full of people with the same problem on Dells and such as it is a Microsoft issue)

Think you need to decide how much money you can spend and then figure out what specs are important to you. You can go to GATEWAY and Dells websites and price them out. Everyone has different wants/needs/setups that are important, so it's always important to figure out what you need, want you want...and what you can afford. We didn't spec out of laptop with the best of everything because our desktops are where we do our real work. To me a desktop still is cheaper, more powerful workhorse. We have our laptop for photography primarily (so we can check our photos and such) and when we are traveling.

Hope you find the link helpful! (but don't get less than 2 GB of RAM whatever you do!) (also agree with getting an external hard drive. You can find them on sale cheap, just watch the ads)

[Meryl]

I love, love love my Dell Latitude D620 (did add to the specs though) Dell customer service is quite unsurpassed in my opinion :)

[Samara]

I purchased a Sony Vaio Sz220. It's AMAZING! I love that it's small, weighs 4.2 pounds, and the screen is incredible.

I'm also a teacher and use this laptop in my classroom and it was important to me to have something that could handle all my powerpoint needs as well as my photoshop needs. I will say that I spent a chunk of change on buying a Sony. I'm sure that you can find the same specs in a Dell for less.

I have had an HP laptop and I will never make that mistake again. I had all sorts of problems with it. THat said, I love my HP desktop! LOL

[Teresa]

A lap top is certainly the best way to go for digital scrapbooking. Mine goes everywhere in the house, town and state.

Mine is an HP and I am ready to have it sprout wings and fly away. I'm on my third hard drive, my second power cord and my battery is shot. It also gets so hot that it shuts itself down.

I still have a Dell desk top from 1995 or '96 that I use for work. The thing was custom made and is a tank. When I do get fed up enough with this lap top, I'll probably be getting a Dell.

[guitargirl]

Whatever you get, make sure you get enough RAM. When I got my laptop a couple of years ago, it had 512MB of RAM. It had two slots for RAM, so one of them was empty for quite some time. I tried running PSE5 on it - really slow! My husband got me 1GB of RAM for my birthday in May. It was really easy to install (just unscrew a couple of screws and plug it in) and everything runs great now. It felt like getting a whole new computer!

[ShaylaSharp]

Well I'm a big fan of Dell, still using my inspiron 8200, but hoping to upgrade soon. Not knowing your budget, I'll give some general recommendations. Get as much RAM as you can--like 1 GB or more. Programs and files are only getting bigger and more complicated, more ram = more speed. Also get a large harddrive, this allows you storage space and the computer room to work. I have only 40 GB on my 8200 and have purchased an attachable 320 GB harddrive to put additional programs, files, etc. on--you want to have less than half (preferrablly around 1/3) of harddrive space for programs or you'll notice a slow down on things. Get yourself the wireless card (and router) if you don't have one already, so you can get internet in the bedroom or whereever. If going with a Dell, they have the UltraSharp screens--mine is gorgeous. A DVD-RW drive is always a nice addition. Hope this gives you some ideas. BTW, I bought mine through the Dell outlet and it has never had a problem (6 years now).

[Meryl]

I can only agree with all ShaylaSharp says - I too am a big Dell fan I have a Latitude D620............ then do yourself a favour and order yourself a Mimi laptop bag (http://store.digitalscrapbookplace.com/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&-----=233383149aeb31057b8a2d9cc137dc63&keyword=laptop+bag) in which to carry it, THE coolest laptop bags ever, I love, love, love mine!

[ShaylaSharp]

Yes, those are cool bags, I have a "scrapbook" one I use to hold my sewing stuff in--haven't got the laptop one though, hmm...

[carlalee]

Just got a Gateway laptop a month ago. Replaced a Gateway that was a still running on Windows 98. Always, always, always get the most RAM you can afford. When working with photos and graphics, you need a computer that can handle them. The machine we got was given a great rating in a recent PC WORLD mag, although now it comes with a bigger hard drive then the article mentioned (specs on what's being sold change often, so you need to check their site). It's really a wonderful machine. PC world stated: "Gateway's NX860XL has the muscle, screen, and audio to put most other notebooks to shame".

It came in less than a week once we ordered it also. Installed PS CS 3 on it with no problems. Ordered a new GPS program and put that on it last night. It has a 17 inch widescreen model so we had to buy a new bag for it. The widescreen is so neat! For scraping it would be GREAT!!! We also purchased the longer life battery although when we used it in the car we have a hook up for it. Like the wrist pad a lot.

My husband also got a new Gateway desk top last week. It is really a wonderful machine and a real workhorse. It is soooooooo much faster than my 3 year old desktop. When we always price out the specs we want between Gateway and Dell. The high end models which my husband always gets come out a lot cheaper at Gateway than Dell. He also got the 24 inch widescreen montior which is really, really neat. It has 4 GB RAM. It has a real fast processor. When writing to a disk the new desktop is alot faster than the laptop (but that might not be an issue with you)

We have always purchased GATEWAYS with no problems. Our first computer was a desktop Radio Shack DOS model back in the 80's...I also had a Radio Shack laptop back then (a heavy puppy compared to now) Since then we have always had Gateways. My husband and I have our own desktops and we always have a laptop. I was just making a list the other day and we have had 6 computers since 1/97 and that doesn't include the 2 new ones we just got. We always give our old ones to nieces and nephews as they are always still working.

We called tech support a couple of times this month, both times it was answered promptly. We've never had an issue in that regard over the years.

I don't know what kind of cards your camera's use, but you'd want to make sure your computer has what you need it that regard or the ability to accept a USB to hook up a card reader. If you need a CD/DVD writer, you'd want to make sure you got what you needed there. Plus you want to make sure you have enought SBU ports to meet your needs.

Here's a link about laptops. There is also a laptop buying guide to help you if you need that. You'll also notice the laptop reviews. Notice the categories. The one we got fell into Power Laptops:

http://www.pcworld.com/ic/laptops/

(while the computers are great...we have bumped into a of VISTA issue on the "desktop"...it has nothing to do with Gateway. The Microsoft boards are full of people with the same problem on Dells and such as it is a Microsoft issue)

Think you need to decide how much money you can spend and then figure out what specs are important to you. You can go to GATEWAY and Dells websites and price them out. Everyone has different wants/needs/setups that are important, so it's always important to figure out what you need, want you want...and what you can afford. We didn't spec out of laptop with the best of everything because our desktops are where we do our real work. To me a desktop still is cheaper, more powerful workhorse. We have our laptop for photography primarily (so we can check our photos and such) and when we are traveling.

Hope you find the link helpful! (but don't get less than 2 GB of RAM whatever you do!) (also agree with getting an external hard drive. You can find them on sale cheap, just watch the ads)
I agree 100%! My old Toshiba died in mid-April and I found when trying to replace it that the only operating system available was Vista. This was a BIG problem because my employer (5th largest bank in the country) had only switched to XP service pack 2 (yes sad to say we are technology deprived) was nowhere near Vista compliant. I work from home on my own pc so I was desperate for XP Pro! I called Gateway and it wasn't a problem. They custom built my NX860XL and it was delivered within 2 weeks. I run PSCS2 and some pretty intensive stuff for work. I haven't had any problems. HTH -c-

[addicted]

Thanks Meryl for the link. I would have never known ther were here and I really need to get a bag. I'll be getting one soon!!!

[maryjos]

You may want to consider getting a tablet PC. They basically give you all the functionality of a laptop, but also the ability to draw using a pen, almost like having a wacom (not quite, but close). Can really come in handy when scrapping. I love them for the ability to take freehand notes, drawings, etc. Dell hasn't come out with their tablet yet, but Gateway carries some that are very reasonably priced.

[fairlady1212]

The most important things is the processor speed and memory, the higher the better. You should get something that has at least 1GB of ram and at least a 1.4 ghz processor. Also, something with a big harddrive for all of your scrap stuff too. At least 80 gb. I have a toshiba satellite which is fantastic, i run Photoshop cs2 on it. However, don't order a laptop online. You have to go to the store and check them out, as you want a screen that is clear and sharp, no matter what angle you looking from and no matter how bright or dark your room is. I got tired of having to constantly tilt the screen to make sure the color, etc. was right. Hope this helps!

[addicted]

You have to go to the store and check them out, as you want a screen that is clear and sharp, no matter what angle you looking from and no matter how bright or dark your room is. I got tired of having to constantly tilt the screen to make sure the color, etc. was right. Hope this helps!


I agree with this!! This is the trouble I'm having with mine. It drives me crazy. On the home computer they look 1 color and on the laptop they look another!

[Jenni]

I bought my first laptop in June and would HIGHLY recommend Gateway. I have had nothing but Dell's for the last decade, but I knew exactly what specs I wanted....2GB RAM, Vista Premium, Core 2 Duo processor, 140GB hard drive...and I priced them. Best Buy had a sale for exactly what I wanted and it happened to be a Gateway. I have had to call them a couple of times for a Vista Windows Mail problem (a common problem...not related to Gateway) and they have been superb! No regrets what so ever and I LOVE having a laptop....it's great to be able to take it with me....

[ShaylaSharp]

I agree with this!! This is the trouble I'm having with mine. It drives me crazy. On the home computer they look 1 color and on the laptop they look another!

This is probably due to monitor calibration (or lack thereof) more than anything else. When the color isn't coordinating between print and screen that's when you know that your monitor is not properly calibrated to the printer profile.

Personally, I didn't have a problem ordering online, but I knew what I wanted. If you're not sure then go to a store like Circuit City and look at the different screens, some companies are definitely better than others.

[addicted]

This is probably due to monitor calibration (or lack thereof) more than anything else. When the color isn't coordinating between print and screen that's when you know that your monitor is not properly calibrated to the printer profile.

Personally, I didn't have a problem ordering online, but I knew what I wanted. If you're not sure then go to a store like Circuit City and look at the different screens, some companies are definitely better than others.



So, can it be calibrated? Or am I out of luck?

[Karen]

I'm another fan of Dell, having not long ago upgraded my Compaq laptop to a Dell XPS M1710, it has a Core 2 Duo Processor,4G of Ram, the processor is 2.33gh it has a 250G hard drive and more importantly, for me anyway in my profession as a photographer is that it has a top of the line video card which means it can be colour calibrated and I stayed with XP instead of going to Vista.
Can you tell I love this :) and there was nothing wrong woth my old laptop apart from the fact it wasn't really capable of be calibrated :)

[ShaylaSharp]

Absolutely, it can be calibrated. Personally, I use the Eye One Display 2 from Gretag Macbeth. Not terribly expensive but can be used on both your laptop and your desktop. http://gretagmacbethstore.com