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Notebook Advice please

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s k u l p t118025

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Hi.I'veposted this on the Pro Forum as well, but I'd love your input in this as well.

Just wondering if anyone has had experiences with Notebooks for graphics work? I'm looking at a:

Dell Inspiron™ 9100, Pentium® 4 2.8GHz,
15.4-in. WUXGA
1GB Dual Channel DDR SDRAM at 400MHz
128MB ATI™ Mobility Radeon™ 9700
60GB Ultra ATA Hard Drive

Dell® Wireless 1350 Internal Wireless (802.11b/g, 54Mbps)

98 WHr Primary Battery

Is there something that I am missing or should consider? This will be replacing an old P3 900Mhz desktop. Is this a good wireless card,or what is the standard these days for going wireless?

Is the graphics card overkill? Should I invest more in a faster hard drive? Should I go for the 8600 series which has the M processor at 1.5Ghz? I'll be using this mostly indoors and connected to an outlet. I'll be doing a lot of RAW work as well.

Thanks

Brian

--
-------------------------------------------
Graphic Design Directory: http://www.adigitaldreamer.com
My Portfolio: http://skulpt.com
 
If you don't wander around with a notebook often, I would suggest not to have a notebook instead of desktop.Basically, a desktop is a lot more inexpensive and stable than a fragile laptop that carries the same functions.
 
Dell makes a nice laptop.....most of the time you will want to hook it up to a regular monitor.
Sounds like the video adapter kicks butt! 128 MB should be mighty quick.
19 inches or better are best for graphics.
If you will be walking around with it alot....I'd suggest you check the weight.
You will probably want to get an external drive for additional storage.
60 GB is not alot of drive space. Make sure it has a firewire connection.

Good luck,

Jen
s k u l p t said:
Hi.I'veposted this on the Pro Forum as well, but I'd love your
input in this as well.

Just wondering if anyone has had experiences with Notebooks for
graphics work? I'm looking at a:

Dell Inspiron™ 9100, Pentium® 4 2.8GHz,
15.4-in. WUXGA
1GB Dual Channel DDR SDRAM at 400MHz
128MB ATI™ Mobility Radeon™ 9700
60GB Ultra ATA Hard Drive

Dell® Wireless 1350 Internal Wireless (802.11b/g, 54Mbps)

98 WHr Primary Battery

Is there something that I am missing or should consider? This will
be replacing an old P3 900Mhz desktop. Is this a good wireless
card,or what is the standard these days for going wireless?

Is the graphics card overkill? Should I invest more in a faster
hard drive? Should I go for the 8600 series which has the M
processor at 1.5Ghz? I'll be using this mostly indoors and
connected to an outlet. I'll be doing a lot of RAW work as well.

Thanks

Brian

--
-------------------------------------------
Graphic Design Directory: http://www.adigitaldreamer.com
My Portfolio: http://skulpt.com
Click to expand...
--
I never met a camera or a bicycle that I didn't like.

http://www.pbase.com/bikejen
http://www.jenford.net/nuke/modules.php?name=gallery
 
s k u l p t said:
Hi.I'veposted this on the Pro Forum as well, but I'd love your
input in this as well.

Just wondering if anyone has had experiences with Notebooks for
graphics work? I'm looking at a:

Dell Inspiron™ 9100, Pentium® 4 2.8GHz,
15.4-in. WUXGA
1GB Dual Channel DDR SDRAM at 400MHz
128MB ATI™ Mobility Radeon™ 9700
60GB Ultra ATA Hard Drive

Dell® Wireless 1350 Internal Wireless (802.11b/g, 54Mbps)

98 WHr Primary Battery

Is there something that I am missing or should consider? This will
be replacing an old P3 900Mhz desktop. Is this a good wireless
card,or what is the standard these days for going wireless?

Is the graphics card overkill? Should I invest more in a faster
hard drive? Should I go for the 8600 series which has the M
processor at 1.5Ghz? I'll be using this mostly indoors and
connected to an outlet. I'll be doing a lot of RAW work as well.
Click to expand...
The graphics processor unit is heavy duty enough to handle all your needs and then some on the system you listed. For the heady duty graphics work you mention, you're more into looking at the horsepower and the fields you're letting it run through.. 1 Gig memory is tons enough and will make a difference over a 512 Megs system.. enough to notice to make it worth the extra coins for the doubled memory (less swap file accessing, lesss overhead manamgement). Dual Channel DDR memory.. phew.. Laptops are getting fast!!

If given a choice over HDD speeds over CPU speeds I'd jump on the CPU advancement. Unless you're transfering huge files across several platters the HHD rotational speed isn't going to make too much of a difference.. you would 'maybe' notice, mostly not.

Check the specs on the M processors.. you're giving up the push of 2.4G P4 for a M 1.5G which is a step backwards.. the M basicaly saves you a lot on the batt power since it uses less power and if I am not mistaken has less core instructions and might not be best suited for the type of work you're looking to do. Since you've indicated you're going to be plugged in a lot then the M processor isn't a concern for you and you'd be better off with the 2.4 system.

The wireless card is basicaly standard, 2.4G standard Wireless.. where it makes the difference is when you try to move stuff across your network from one computer to the other. a Wired system is roughly 100 mbs whilst a wireless system is 10 mbs but on a G system it's closer to the 100 mark

(depending on make and model).. A GIGALINK system is closer to the 1G transfer rate.. oooooohhhh.. but that's wired only.. so far..

To put everything in perspective, I'm using a P4 1.7G 512Megs memory with 16 megs ATI video Toshiba (3 or 4 years old) and it's still keeping up with the work I throw at it.. even linear A/B video editing...

Dang, a lap top like you've listed should be worth a pretty penny.. If you're not really looking into the mobility aspect of a computer, I would suggest getting into a high end HyperThreading P system or a 64 bit AMD with the bells and whistles, tons of space and head room for expandability AND be tons cheaper, even with a decent 19" FS monitor and KA 7.1 sound system.

Laptops are great but if you don't absolutely have to have one.. Desk top are the route to take... tons more bang for the buck and better upgrade options in the future.

best of luck!

Cheers

(love your work btw!)

--
http://www.eastcoastphotos.com/
 
128mb doesn't make it fast, its the speed of the Graphics Card itself that makes it fast and the 9700 is extreemly fast for a laptop. In fact the 9100 is one of the best gaming laptops about at the moment.

It does weigh alot and you don't need the Firewire connection as it has USB 2.0
Jen Ford said:
Good luck,

Jen
s k u l p t said:
Hi.I'veposted this on the Pro Forum as well, but I'd love your
input in this as well.

Just wondering if anyone has had experiences with Notebooks for
graphics work? I'm looking at a:

Dell Inspiron™ 9100, Pentium® 4 2.8GHz,
15.4-in. WUXGA
1GB Dual Channel DDR SDRAM at 400MHz
128MB ATI™ Mobility Radeon™ 9700
60GB Ultra ATA Hard Drive

Dell® Wireless 1350 Internal Wireless (802.11b/g, 54Mbps)

98 WHr Primary Battery

Is there something that I am missing or should consider? This will
be replacing an old P3 900Mhz desktop. Is this a good wireless
card,or what is the standard these days for going wireless?

Is the graphics card overkill? Should I invest more in a faster
hard drive? Should I go for the 8600 series which has the M
processor at 1.5Ghz? I'll be using this mostly indoors and
connected to an outlet. I'll be doing a lot of RAW work as well.

Thanks

Brian

--
-------------------------------------------
Graphic Design Directory: http://www.adigitaldreamer.com
My Portfolio: http://skulpt.com
Click to expand...
--
I never met a camera or a bicycle that I didn't like.

http://www.pbase.com/bikejen
http://www.jenford.net/nuke/modules.php?name=gallery
Click to expand...
 
If you are basing your purchase on CPU speed you aren't going to notice much of a performance drop with the pentium M processor. Have a look here http://www.cpuid.com/PentiumM/index.php

Figures from that site show that a pentium M clocked at 1.3GHz outperforms a pentium 4 at 2.4 GHz, and project that a pentium M clocked at 1.6GHz would be very close to a desktop pentium 4 running at 3Hz. The 1.5GHz pentium M would probably be close to if not better than the 2.8GHz pentium 4, with all the advantages of lower power consumption if you ever want to take it mobile. Doesn't sound like much of a step backwards to me.
Peter Henry said:
s k u l p t said:
Hi.I'veposted this on the Pro Forum as well, but I'd love your
input in this as well.

Just wondering if anyone has had experiences with Notebooks for
graphics work? I'm looking at a:

Dell Inspiron™ 9100, Pentium® 4 2.8GHz,
15.4-in. WUXGA
1GB Dual Channel DDR SDRAM at 400MHz
128MB ATI™ Mobility Radeon™ 9700
60GB Ultra ATA Hard Drive

Dell® Wireless 1350 Internal Wireless (802.11b/g, 54Mbps)

98 WHr Primary Battery

Is there something that I am missing or should consider? This will
be replacing an old P3 900Mhz desktop. Is this a good wireless
card,or what is the standard these days for going wireless?

Is the graphics card overkill? Should I invest more in a faster
hard drive? Should I go for the 8600 series which has the M
processor at 1.5Ghz? I'll be using this mostly indoors and
connected to an outlet. I'll be doing a lot of RAW work as well.
Click to expand...
The graphics processor unit is heavy duty enough to handle all your
needs and then some on the system you listed. For the heady duty
graphics work you mention, you're more into looking at the
horsepower and the fields you're letting it run through.. 1 Gig
memory is tons enough and will make a difference over a 512 Megs
system.. enough to notice to make it worth the extra coins for the
doubled memory (less swap file accessing, lesss overhead
manamgement). Dual Channel DDR memory.. phew.. Laptops are getting
fast!!

If given a choice over HDD speeds over CPU speeds I'd jump on the
CPU advancement. Unless you're transfering huge files across
several platters the HHD rotational speed isn't going to make too
much of a difference.. you would 'maybe' notice, mostly not.

Check the specs on the M processors.. you're giving up the push of
2.4G P4 for a M 1.5G which is a step backwards.. the M basicaly
saves you a lot on the batt power since it uses less power and if I
am not mistaken has less core instructions and might not be best
suited for the type of work you're looking to do. Since you've
indicated you're going to be plugged in a lot then the M processor
isn't a concern for you and you'd be better off with the 2.4 system.

The wireless card is basicaly standard, 2.4G standard Wireless..
where it makes the difference is when you try to move stuff across
your network from one computer to the other. a Wired system is
roughly 100 mbs whilst a wireless system is 10 mbs but on a G
system it's closer to the 100 mark
(depending on make and model).. A GIGALINK system is closer to the
1G transfer rate.. oooooohhhh.. but that's wired only.. so far..

To put everything in perspective, I'm using a P4 1.7G 512Megs
memory with 16 megs ATI video Toshiba (3 or 4 years old) and it's
still keeping up with the work I throw at it.. even linear A/B
video editing...

Dang, a lap top like you've listed should be worth a pretty penny..
If you're not really looking into the mobility aspect of a
computer, I would suggest getting into a high end HyperThreading P
system or a 64 bit AMD with the bells and whistles, tons of space
and head room for expandability AND be tons cheaper, even with a
decent 19" FS monitor and KA 7.1 sound system.

Laptops are great but if you don't absolutely have to have one..
Desk top are the route to take... tons more bang for the buck and
better upgrade options in the future.

best of luck!

Cheers

(love your work btw!)

--
http://www.eastcoastphotos.com/
Click to expand...
 
s k u l p t said:
Hi.I'veposted this on the Pro Forum as well, but I'd love your
input in this as well.

Just wondering if anyone has had experiences with Notebooks for
graphics work? I'm looking at a:

Dell Inspiron™ 9100, Pentium® 4 2.8GHz,
15.4-in. WUXGA
1GB Dual Channel DDR SDRAM at 400MHz
128MB ATI™ Mobility Radeon™ 9700
60GB Ultra ATA Hard Drive

Dell® Wireless 1350 Internal Wireless (802.11b/g, 54Mbps)

98 WHr Primary Battery

Is there something that I am missing or should consider? This will
be replacing an old P3 900Mhz desktop. Is this a good wireless
card,or what is the standard these days for going wireless?

Is the graphics card overkill? Should I invest more in a faster
hard drive? Should I go for the 8600 series which has the M
processor at 1.5Ghz? I'll be using this mostly indoors and
connected to an outlet. I'll be doing a lot of RAW work as well.

Thanks

Brian

--
-------------------------------------------
Graphic Design Directory: http://www.adigitaldreamer.com
My Portfolio: http://skulpt.com
Click to expand...
Brian

I would recommend a CDRW for the laptop. It is a great method to archive your work. This is a great desktop replacement.

Phil
--
I am not an art critic but I do know what I like.
 
Thanks for the advice Yellowgreen.

The problem is I also do a bit of design work where I meet with clients, and having a laptop would be a big boost. So I started looking at cheap laptops to do the job. But none of the cheaper ones have the kind of displays that I was looking for. So then I'm thinking I could spend more on the display, and a bit more on the rest, and it might be worth it.

So I won't be toting my notebook around every day,but maybe a few times a month. Just enough to warrant a laptop, even a heavier one. :)

Brian
Yellowgreen said:
If you don't wander around with a notebook often, I would suggest
not to have a notebook instead of desktop.Basically, a desktop is a
lot more inexpensive and stable than a fragile laptop that carries
the same functions.
Click to expand...
--
-------------------------------------------
Graphic Design Directory: http://www.adigitaldreamer.com
My Portfolio: http://skulpt.com
 
That's good to hear. The thing I like about this laptop is the ability to attach 2 monitors, plus the widescreen can display 1900X1200, which beats the pants even off my current Viewsonic Monitor.

I agree that 60gb isn't enough, so I'd probably go for a firewire external hd. Yes, this laptop (or table top considering its 9lbs!) has firewire.

Brian
Jen Ford said:
Good luck,

Jen
s k u l p t said:
Hi.I'veposted this on the Pro Forum as well, but I'd love your
input in this as well.

Just wondering if anyone has had experiences with Notebooks for
graphics work? I'm looking at a:

Dell Inspiron™ 9100, Pentium® 4 2.8GHz,
15.4-in. WUXGA
1GB Dual Channel DDR SDRAM at 400MHz
128MB ATI™ Mobility Radeon™ 9700
60GB Ultra ATA Hard Drive

Dell® Wireless 1350 Internal Wireless (802.11b/g, 54Mbps)

98 WHr Primary Battery

Is there something that I am missing or should consider? This will
be replacing an old P3 900Mhz desktop. Is this a good wireless
card,or what is the standard these days for going wireless?

Is the graphics card overkill? Should I invest more in a faster
hard drive? Should I go for the 8600 series which has the M
processor at 1.5Ghz? I'll be using this mostly indoors and
connected to an outlet. I'll be doing a lot of RAW work as well.

Thanks

Brian

--
-------------------------------------------
Graphic Design Directory: http://www.adigitaldreamer.com
My Portfolio: http://skulpt.com
Click to expand...
--
I never met a camera or a bicycle that I didn't like.

http://www.pbase.com/bikejen
http://www.jenford.net/nuke/modules.php?name=gallery
Click to expand...
--
-------------------------------------------
Graphic Design Directory: http://www.adigitaldreamer.com
My Portfolio: http://skulpt.com
 
Thanks for the response.

I think I've heard that the P4 will do better with background work like converting RAW in the background. Not sure how well the M does with stuff like this.

I agree that desktops are the way to go if you can, but I do some presentations a couple of times a month and could use a laptop for those times.

As for price, I get what I mentioned, with a CDRW drive, a 3 year warranty, all for $2000 US, or $2700 Canadian. They are offering a 512mb to 1 GB of memory upgrade for free, as well as $10 shipping. I think it's a pretty good deal.

A reason why I'm willing to invest in this now is beacause of my current requirements. This should last me 3 years at least. I usually upgrade when I can get a system 3Xs as fast. Well, my old system was a P3 900, 384mb of ram, 32mb graphics card... : )

I still cringe when looking at desktop pricing, but I think this will be a good enough replacement for the next 3 years. It should make my current programs fly, and I won't be upgrading my Photoshop anytime soon.

Brian
Peter Henry said:
s k u l p t said:
Hi.I'veposted this on the Pro Forum as well, but I'd love your
input in this as well.

Just wondering if anyone has had experiences with Notebooks for
graphics work? I'm looking at a:

Dell Inspiron™ 9100, Pentium® 4 2.8GHz,
15.4-in. WUXGA
1GB Dual Channel DDR SDRAM at 400MHz
128MB ATI™ Mobility Radeon™ 9700
60GB Ultra ATA Hard Drive

Dell® Wireless 1350 Internal Wireless (802.11b/g, 54Mbps)

98 WHr Primary Battery

Is there something that I am missing or should consider? This will
be replacing an old P3 900Mhz desktop. Is this a good wireless
card,or what is the standard these days for going wireless?

Is the graphics card overkill? Should I invest more in a faster
hard drive? Should I go for the 8600 series which has the M
processor at 1.5Ghz? I'll be using this mostly indoors and
connected to an outlet. I'll be doing a lot of RAW work as well.
Click to expand...
The graphics processor unit is heavy duty enough to handle all your
needs and then some on the system you listed. For the heady duty
graphics work you mention, you're more into looking at the
horsepower and the fields you're letting it run through.. 1 Gig
memory is tons enough and will make a difference over a 512 Megs
system.. enough to notice to make it worth the extra coins for the
doubled memory (less swap file accessing, lesss overhead
manamgement). Dual Channel DDR memory.. phew.. Laptops are getting
fast!!

If given a choice over HDD speeds over CPU speeds I'd jump on the
CPU advancement. Unless you're transfering huge files across
several platters the HHD rotational speed isn't going to make too
much of a difference.. you would 'maybe' notice, mostly not.

Check the specs on the M processors.. you're giving up the push of
2.4G P4 for a M 1.5G which is a step backwards.. the M basicaly
saves you a lot on the batt power since it uses less power and if I
am not mistaken has less core instructions and might not be best
suited for the type of work you're looking to do. Since you've
indicated you're going to be plugged in a lot then the M processor
isn't a concern for you and you'd be better off with the 2.4 system.

The wireless card is basicaly standard, 2.4G standard Wireless..
where it makes the difference is when you try to move stuff across
your network from one computer to the other. a Wired system is
roughly 100 mbs whilst a wireless system is 10 mbs but on a G
system it's closer to the 100 mark
(depending on make and model).. A GIGALINK system is closer to the
1G transfer rate.. oooooohhhh.. but that's wired only.. so far..

To put everything in perspective, I'm using a P4 1.7G 512Megs
memory with 16 megs ATI video Toshiba (3 or 4 years old) and it's
still keeping up with the work I throw at it.. even linear A/B
video editing...

Dang, a lap top like you've listed should be worth a pretty penny..
If you're not really looking into the mobility aspect of a
computer, I would suggest getting into a high end HyperThreading P
system or a 64 bit AMD with the bells and whistles, tons of space
and head room for expandability AND be tons cheaper, even with a
decent 19" FS monitor and KA 7.1 sound system.

Laptops are great but if you don't absolutely have to have one..
Desk top are the route to take... tons more bang for the buck and
better upgrade options in the future.

best of luck!

Cheers

(love your work btw!)

--
http://www.eastcoastphotos.com/
Click to expand...
--
-------------------------------------------
Graphic Design Directory: http://www.adigitaldreamer.com
My Portfolio: http://skulpt.com
 
Is there anything else I need to know? How does it do with multitasking. I'll be processing RAW in the background...

Brian
George Eliott said:
Figures from that site show that a pentium M clocked at 1.3GHz
outperforms a pentium 4 at 2.4 GHz, and project that a pentium M
clocked at 1.6GHz would be very close to a desktop pentium 4
running at 3Hz. The 1.5GHz pentium M would probably be close to if
not better than the 2.8GHz pentium 4, with all the advantages of
lower power consumption if you ever want to take it mobile. Doesn't
sound like much of a step backwards to me.
Peter Henry said:
s k u l p t said:
Hi.I'veposted this on the Pro Forum as well, but I'd love your
input in this as well.

Just wondering if anyone has had experiences with Notebooks for
graphics work? I'm looking at a:

Dell Inspiron™ 9100, Pentium® 4 2.8GHz,
15.4-in. WUXGA
1GB Dual Channel DDR SDRAM at 400MHz
128MB ATI™ Mobility Radeon™ 9700
60GB Ultra ATA Hard Drive

Dell® Wireless 1350 Internal Wireless (802.11b/g, 54Mbps)

98 WHr Primary Battery

Is there something that I am missing or should consider? This will
be replacing an old P3 900Mhz desktop. Is this a good wireless
card,or what is the standard these days for going wireless?

Is the graphics card overkill? Should I invest more in a faster
hard drive? Should I go for the 8600 series which has the M
processor at 1.5Ghz? I'll be using this mostly indoors and
connected to an outlet. I'll be doing a lot of RAW work as well.
Click to expand...
The graphics processor unit is heavy duty enough to handle all your
needs and then some on the system you listed. For the heady duty
graphics work you mention, you're more into looking at the
horsepower and the fields you're letting it run through.. 1 Gig
memory is tons enough and will make a difference over a 512 Megs
system.. enough to notice to make it worth the extra coins for the
doubled memory (less swap file accessing, lesss overhead
manamgement). Dual Channel DDR memory.. phew.. Laptops are getting
fast!!

If given a choice over HDD speeds over CPU speeds I'd jump on the
CPU advancement. Unless you're transfering huge files across
several platters the HHD rotational speed isn't going to make too
much of a difference.. you would 'maybe' notice, mostly not.

Check the specs on the M processors.. you're giving up the push of
2.4G P4 for a M 1.5G which is a step backwards.. the M basicaly
saves you a lot on the batt power since it uses less power and if I
am not mistaken has less core instructions and might not be best
suited for the type of work you're looking to do. Since you've
indicated you're going to be plugged in a lot then the M processor
isn't a concern for you and you'd be better off with the 2.4 system.

The wireless card is basicaly standard, 2.4G standard Wireless..
where it makes the difference is when you try to move stuff across
your network from one computer to the other. a Wired system is
roughly 100 mbs whilst a wireless system is 10 mbs but on a G
system it's closer to the 100 mark
(depending on make and model).. A GIGALINK system is closer to the
1G transfer rate.. oooooohhhh.. but that's wired only.. so far..

To put everything in perspective, I'm using a P4 1.7G 512Megs
memory with 16 megs ATI video Toshiba (3 or 4 years old) and it's
still keeping up with the work I throw at it.. even linear A/B
video editing...

Dang, a lap top like you've listed should be worth a pretty penny..
If you're not really looking into the mobility aspect of a
computer, I would suggest getting into a high end HyperThreading P
system or a 64 bit AMD with the bells and whistles, tons of space
and head room for expandability AND be tons cheaper, even with a
decent 19" FS monitor and KA 7.1 sound system.

Laptops are great but if you don't absolutely have to have one..
Desk top are the route to take... tons more bang for the buck and
better upgrade options in the future.

best of luck!

Cheers

(love your work btw!)

--
http://www.eastcoastphotos.com/
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
--
-------------------------------------------
Graphic Design Directory: http://www.adigitaldreamer.com
My Portfolio: http://skulpt.com
 
Thanks Philip. This does come with a CDRW drive.That's exactly what I was thinking. I can upload 1 full 512mb card per cd. cds are so cheap now too. This is the way to go.

Brian
Phillip Gibson said:
s k u l p t said:
Hi.I'veposted this on the Pro Forum as well, but I'd love your
input in this as well.

Just wondering if anyone has had experiences with Notebooks for
graphics work? I'm looking at a:

Dell Inspiron™ 9100, Pentium® 4 2.8GHz,
15.4-in. WUXGA
1GB Dual Channel DDR SDRAM at 400MHz
128MB ATI™ Mobility Radeon™ 9700
60GB Ultra ATA Hard Drive

Dell® Wireless 1350 Internal Wireless (802.11b/g, 54Mbps)

98 WHr Primary Battery

Is there something that I am missing or should consider? This will
be replacing an old P3 900Mhz desktop. Is this a good wireless
card,or what is the standard these days for going wireless?

Is the graphics card overkill? Should I invest more in a faster
hard drive? Should I go for the 8600 series which has the M
processor at 1.5Ghz? I'll be using this mostly indoors and
connected to an outlet. I'll be doing a lot of RAW work as well.

Thanks

Brian

--
-------------------------------------------
Graphic Design Directory: http://www.adigitaldreamer.com
My Portfolio: http://skulpt.com
Click to expand...
Brian

I would recommend a CDRW for the laptop. It is a great method to
archive your work. This is a great desktop replacement.

Phil
--
I am not an art critic but I do know what I like.
Click to expand...
--
-------------------------------------------
Graphic Design Directory: http://www.adigitaldreamer.com
My Portfolio: http://skulpt.com
 
skulpt -

I'm an overpaid microprocessor designer who will gladly let my corporate Sugar Daddy spend any amount of money they want to on Linux boxen, Sun Ultrasparcs, and high-end laptops, but when I buy laptops for myself, I BUY LOW-END. The problem, as I see it, is that the premium for high-GHz CPUs, fast memory, big hard-drives, larger glass, and a lighter gross weight, is way out-of-line with the value actually added.

My two-year-old Toshiba Satellite bit the dust not due to electronics failures but to mechanical problems with the case itself. The machine was never abused, but used constantly, and travelled with me on vacations. Over time it developed cracks in the case and hinges, weakness in the battery charger input, and eventually open circuits in some of the wires leading from the motherboard to the TFT glass.

When I replaced it (Dec '03), I bought a $599 Dell Inspiron. 2.3GHz Celeron CPU, 256MB memory, 20GB HD, CD-RW. I replaced the 20GB HD with a 40GB HD I was using in the old Toshiba - re-formatted & re-installed WinXP Pro, then downloaded additional drivers from the Dell site to complete the job. Runs Photoshop CS and C1/LE just fine, and backs up my images when I'm on a photo shoot away from home.

One last IMPORTANT POINT: it's almost impossible to do fine image edits on a laptop, since the contrast of the images changes markedly when you change the TFT angle just a bit or move your head up or down an inch. You'll want to buy a CRT to hang off the video output of your laptop for work at home.

--
Zapped (Austin, TX)
http://www.pbase.com/pricklypear
 
Hmmm....Well the Graphics card has 128 MB on it. So yes, 128MB will make it faster then a graphics card with 32 MB or 64 MB.

Why limit yourself to USB 2 ?
Fireware is way faster.......

Here's a site comparing usb2 v firewire.

http://www.frozentech.com/article.php?story_id=27

Have a cheerful day...
Cemesis said:
It does weigh alot and you don't need the Firewire connection as it
has USB 2.0
Jen Ford said:
Good luck,

Jen
s k u l p t said:
Hi.I'veposted this on the Pro Forum as well, but I'd love your
input in this as well.

Just wondering if anyone has had experiences with Notebooks for
graphics work? I'm looking at a:

Dell Inspiron™ 9100, Pentium® 4 2.8GHz,
15.4-in. WUXGA
1GB Dual Channel DDR SDRAM at 400MHz
128MB ATI™ Mobility Radeon™ 9700
60GB Ultra ATA Hard Drive

Dell® Wireless 1350 Internal Wireless (802.11b/g, 54Mbps)

98 WHr Primary Battery

Is there something that I am missing or should consider? This will
be replacing an old P3 900Mhz desktop. Is this a good wireless
card,or what is the standard these days for going wireless?

Is the graphics card overkill? Should I invest more in a faster
hard drive? Should I go for the 8600 series which has the M
processor at 1.5Ghz? I'll be using this mostly indoors and
connected to an outlet. I'll be doing a lot of RAW work as well.

Thanks

Brian

--
-------------------------------------------
Graphic Design Directory: http://www.adigitaldreamer.com
My Portfolio: http://skulpt.com
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I never met a camera or a bicycle that I didn't like.

http://www.pbase.com/bikejen
http://www.jenford.net/nuke/modules.php?name=gallery
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I never met a camera or a bicycle that I didn't like.

http://www.pbase.com/bikejen
http://www.jenford.net/nuke/modules.php?name=gallery
 
Dangit! You had to throw the wrench into this, didn't you??? LOL ; )

It's a hard balance for me right now. I'veput off getting a notebook for years because they never seem to match what I need for graphics capabilities. The've always had this integrated video card, poor cache, and so on. It seems like notebooks are getting better in these regards.

Generally as well, I wait until I can afford a system that offers (at least on paper with specs) 3Xs the speed as my last computer. My old computer is a P3 900Mhz, 384mb, with a 32mb graphics card. This notebook offers that 3X increase for $2000.

I know I can get an increase in performance if I get a cheaper latop, but I want it to be a pretty big boost over my old system. My thinking is I'd rather spend a bit more now for a more significant increase than an incremental increase. I hate the premium you pay, but on this laptop, it's not that bad compared to a Dell dektop.

I took the Dell 4600 for example with the same kind of setup,and the desktop works out to be about 30% cheaper.... But the front side bus on the notebook is 800mhz vs the desktop at 533mhz..

As for usage, I will not be taking this everywhere. I will need to show clients things maybe once a week if that. The rest of the time it will stay home. I would be better suited much of the time with a desktop, but I'll need the laptop aspect as well other times.

Man, I'm having a war in my head right now.LOL

Brian
Zapped said:
skulpt -

I'm an overpaid microprocessor designer who will gladly let my
corporate Sugar Daddy spend any amount of money they want to on
Linux boxen, Sun Ultrasparcs, and high-end laptops, but when I buy
laptops for myself, I BUY LOW-END. The problem, as I see it, is
that the premium for high-GHz CPUs, fast memory, big hard-drives,
larger glass, and a lighter gross weight, is way out-of-line with
the value actually added.

My two-year-old Toshiba Satellite bit the dust not due to
electronics failures but to mechanical problems with the case
itself. The machine was never abused, but used constantly, and
travelled with me on vacations. Over time it developed cracks in
the case and hinges, weakness in the battery charger input, and
eventually open circuits in some of the wires leading from the
motherboard to the TFT glass.

When I replaced it (Dec '03), I bought a $599 Dell Inspiron. 2.3GHz
Celeron CPU, 256MB memory, 20GB HD, CD-RW. I replaced the 20GB HD
with a 40GB HD I was using in the old Toshiba - re-formatted &
re-installed WinXP Pro, then downloaded additional drivers from the
Dell site to complete the job. Runs Photoshop CS and C1/LE just
fine, and backs up my images when I'm on a photo shoot away from
home.

One last IMPORTANT POINT: it's almost impossible to do fine image
edits on a laptop, since the contrast of the images changes
markedly when you change the TFT angle just a bit or move your head
up or down an inch. You'll want to buy a CRT to hang off the video
output of your laptop for work at home.

--
Zapped (Austin, TX)
http://www.pbase.com/pricklypear
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Graphic Design Directory: http://www.adigitaldreamer.com
My Portfolio: http://skulpt.com
 
Thanks Jen. : )

Brian
Jen Ford said:
Why limit yourself to USB 2 ?
Fireware is way faster.......

Here's a site comparing usb2 v firewire.

http://www.frozentech.com/article.php?story_id=27

Have a cheerful day...
Cemesis said:
It does weigh alot and you don't need the Firewire connection as it
has USB 2.0
Jen Ford said:
Good luck,

Jen
s k u l p t said:
Hi.I'veposted this on the Pro Forum as well, but I'd love your
input in this as well.

Just wondering if anyone has had experiences with Notebooks for
graphics work? I'm looking at a:

Dell Inspiron™ 9100, Pentium® 4 2.8GHz,
15.4-in. WUXGA
1GB Dual Channel DDR SDRAM at 400MHz
128MB ATI™ Mobility Radeon™ 9700
60GB Ultra ATA Hard Drive

Dell® Wireless 1350 Internal Wireless (802.11b/g, 54Mbps)

98 WHr Primary Battery

Is there something that I am missing or should consider? This will
be replacing an old P3 900Mhz desktop. Is this a good wireless
card,or what is the standard these days for going wireless?

Is the graphics card overkill? Should I invest more in a faster
hard drive? Should I go for the 8600 series which has the M
processor at 1.5Ghz? I'll be using this mostly indoors and
connected to an outlet. I'll be doing a lot of RAW work as well.

Thanks

Brian

--
-------------------------------------------
Graphic Design Directory: http://www.adigitaldreamer.com
My Portfolio: http://skulpt.com
Click to expand...
--
I never met a camera or a bicycle that I didn't like.

http://www.pbase.com/bikejen
http://www.jenford.net/nuke/modules.php?name=gallery
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
--
I never met a camera or a bicycle that I didn't like.

http://www.pbase.com/bikejen
http://www.jenford.net/nuke/modules.php?name=gallery
Click to expand...
--
-------------------------------------------
Graphic Design Directory: http://www.adigitaldreamer.com
My Portfolio: http://skulpt.com
 
When I was looking at it the last time we were looking at the benchmarking towards various applications and we did see enough of a hit that the M processor was going to be slower hence sticking with a P4 series. The M series processors are good.. there's no doubt but for the work I normaly do the P4 was going to be better for our needs..

Cheers
George Eliott said:
Figures from that site show that a pentium M clocked at 1.3GHz
outperforms a pentium 4 at 2.4 GHz, and project that a pentium M
clocked at 1.6GHz would be very close to a desktop pentium 4
running at 3Hz. The 1.5GHz pentium M would probably be close to if
not better than the 2.8GHz pentium 4, with all the advantages of
lower power consumption if you ever want to take it mobile. Doesn't
sound like much of a step backwards to me.
Peter Henry said:
s k u l p t said:
Hi.I'veposted this on the Pro Forum as well, but I'd love your
input in this as well.

Just wondering if anyone has had experiences with Notebooks for
graphics work? I'm looking at a:

Dell Inspiron™ 9100, Pentium® 4 2.8GHz,
15.4-in. WUXGA
1GB Dual Channel DDR SDRAM at 400MHz
128MB ATI™ Mobility Radeon™ 9700
60GB Ultra ATA Hard Drive

Dell® Wireless 1350 Internal Wireless (802.11b/g, 54Mbps)

98 WHr Primary Battery

Is there something that I am missing or should consider? This will
be replacing an old P3 900Mhz desktop. Is this a good wireless
card,or what is the standard these days for going wireless?

Is the graphics card overkill? Should I invest more in a faster
hard drive? Should I go for the 8600 series which has the M
processor at 1.5Ghz? I'll be using this mostly indoors and
connected to an outlet. I'll be doing a lot of RAW work as well.
Click to expand...
The graphics processor unit is heavy duty enough to handle all your
needs and then some on the system you listed. For the heady duty
graphics work you mention, you're more into looking at the
horsepower and the fields you're letting it run through.. 1 Gig
memory is tons enough and will make a difference over a 512 Megs
system.. enough to notice to make it worth the extra coins for the
doubled memory (less swap file accessing, lesss overhead
manamgement). Dual Channel DDR memory.. phew.. Laptops are getting
fast!!

If given a choice over HDD speeds over CPU speeds I'd jump on the
CPU advancement. Unless you're transfering huge files across
several platters the HHD rotational speed isn't going to make too
much of a difference.. you would 'maybe' notice, mostly not.

Check the specs on the M processors.. you're giving up the push of
2.4G P4 for a M 1.5G which is a step backwards.. the M basicaly
saves you a lot on the batt power since it uses less power and if I
am not mistaken has less core instructions and might not be best
suited for the type of work you're looking to do. Since you've
indicated you're going to be plugged in a lot then the M processor
isn't a concern for you and you'd be better off with the 2.4 system.

The wireless card is basicaly standard, 2.4G standard Wireless..
where it makes the difference is when you try to move stuff across
your network from one computer to the other. a Wired system is
roughly 100 mbs whilst a wireless system is 10 mbs but on a G
system it's closer to the 100 mark
(depending on make and model).. A GIGALINK system is closer to the
1G transfer rate.. oooooohhhh.. but that's wired only.. so far..

To put everything in perspective, I'm using a P4 1.7G 512Megs
memory with 16 megs ATI video Toshiba (3 or 4 years old) and it's
still keeping up with the work I throw at it.. even linear A/B
video editing...

Dang, a lap top like you've listed should be worth a pretty penny..
If you're not really looking into the mobility aspect of a
computer, I would suggest getting into a high end HyperThreading P
system or a 64 bit AMD with the bells and whistles, tons of space
and head room for expandability AND be tons cheaper, even with a
decent 19" FS monitor and KA 7.1 sound system.

Laptops are great but if you don't absolutely have to have one..
Desk top are the route to take... tons more bang for the buck and
better upgrade options in the future.

best of luck!

Cheers

(love your work btw!)

--
http://www.eastcoastphotos.com/
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
--
http://www.eastcoastphotos.com/
 
CS works fine with 256MB of RAM? Why do I always crash when performing an action? PFN_LIST_CORRUPT, IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL etc.

I have removed many programs and I dont know where to go next. Heck CS even freezes (not xrashes though) my 2.6GHz, 512MB DDRAM Dell 8250 if I have a 16-bit RAW image processed enough and then rotated.

Yiannis

Show them Amato !!

http://www.pbase.com/ystasino
 
I just bought one from Amazon with pentium 4, 3Ghz, 17" screen, 1440 x 900 res, 512M ram, 6 in 1 card reader, cd and DVD read/Writer, wireless built in, 3 year warranty. It was $1700, shipped free, no tax. It's a great desktop replacement and a joy to edit photos on.
s k u l p t said:
Hi.I'veposted this on the Pro Forum as well, but I'd love your
input in this as well.

Just wondering if anyone has had experiences with Notebooks for
graphics work? I'm looking at a:

Dell Inspiron™ 9100, Pentium® 4 2.8GHz,
15.4-in. WUXGA
1GB Dual Channel DDR SDRAM at 400MHz
128MB ATI™ Mobility Radeon™ 9700
60GB Ultra ATA Hard Drive

Dell® Wireless 1350 Internal Wireless (802.11b/g, 54Mbps)

98 WHr Primary Battery

Is there something that I am missing or should consider? This will
be replacing an old P3 900Mhz desktop. Is this a good wireless
card,or what is the standard these days for going wireless?

Is the graphics card overkill? Should I invest more in a faster
hard drive? Should I go for the 8600 series which has the M
processor at 1.5Ghz? I'll be using this mostly indoors and
connected to an outlet. I'll be doing a lot of RAW work as well.

Thanks

Brian

--
-------------------------------------------
Graphic Design Directory: http://www.adigitaldreamer.com
My Portfolio: http://skulpt.com
Click to expand...
 
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