Notebook Advice please

[Doc Tonic]

I'm not sure if you realize this, but if you have the 9100 with the ATI 9700 128 card, then

1. You don't need a docking station for a second monitor, in fact you don't want to use one. You want to plug an external monitor into the DVI port and use it as a dual monitor set up. So when you run PS, you run the CRT screen or LCD as one big window. The ATI 9700 can run two monitors at the same time. Hence, its usefulness in running front projectors.

2. You don't need a dock for keyboard/mouse...just get an optical mouse and it just plugs into the USB port.

3. And for an external DVD-R, you want to get the newer ones that just take advantage of firewire.

And, as far as the screen, there was a big difference between the intermediate screen and the high end screen. I was told by the dell rep it is more than just increased resolution, but better contrast and color as well. (which is why I recommended only getting the 1920x1200 screen). The cheaper screens apparently look dimmer which you may have noticed.

 

[s k u l p t118025]

A thing I really like about the 9100 is the 4 USB ports vs just 2 of the 8600. I know you can get a USB hub, but I'd rather not. I can use 1 for my Wacom graphics tablet, 1 for my card reader, 1 for an optical mouse, and 1 for my scanner. Nice. : )

I plan on using an extra monitor for previewing webpages for my webdesign work, surfing the web, and for palettes in Photoshop and some other programs. I've never had dual monitors before, so this will be a treat.

Brian

I'm not sure if you realize this, but if you have the 9100 with the
ATI 9700 128 card, then
1. You don't need a docking station for a second monitor, in fact
you don't want to use one. You want to plug an external monitor
into the DVI port and use it as a dual monitor set up. So when you
run PS, you run the CRT screen or LCD as one big window. The ATI
9700 can run two monitors at the same time. Hence, its usefulness
in running front projectors.

2. You don't need a dock for keyboard/mouse...just get an optical
mouse and it just plugs into the USB port.

3. And for an external DVD-R, you want to get the newer ones that
just take advantage of firewire.

And, as far as the screen, there was a big difference between the
intermediate screen and the high end screen. I was told by the
dell rep it is more than just increased resolution, but better
contrast and color as well. (which is why I recommended only
getting the 1920x1200 screen). The cheaper screens apparently look
dimmer which you may have noticed.

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

 

[takitimu]

You'll love dual monitors, once you have them it's very hard to go back. I'm thinking three now .

Good luck & enjoy, let us know how you find the 9100.

Nigel

P.S. Getting a docking station is a handy thing too

I plan on using an extra monitor for previewing webpages for my
webdesign work, surfing the web, and for palettes in Photoshop and
some other programs. I've never had dual monitors before, so this
will be a treat.

Brian

I'm not sure if you realize this, but if you have the 9100 with the
ATI 9700 128 card, then
1. You don't need a docking station for a second monitor, in fact
you don't want to use one. You want to plug an external monitor
into the DVI port and use it as a dual monitor set up. So when you
run PS, you run the CRT screen or LCD as one big window. The ATI
9700 can run two monitors at the same time. Hence, its usefulness
in running front projectors.

2. You don't need a dock for keyboard/mouse...just get an optical
mouse and it just plugs into the USB port.

3. And for an external DVD-R, you want to get the newer ones that
just take advantage of firewire.

And, as far as the screen, there was a big difference between the
intermediate screen and the high end screen. I was told by the
dell rep it is more than just increased resolution, but better
contrast and color as well. (which is why I recommended only
getting the 1920x1200 screen). The cheaper screens apparently look
dimmer which you may have noticed.

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

--
Pbase supporter
http://www.pbase.com/sgidude

 

[s k u l p t118025]

Just wondering what you would have that would use 3 monitors? 1 for palettes, 1 for the work, and 1 for?

Brian

Good luck & enjoy, let us know how you find the 9100.

Nigel

P.S. Getting a docking station is a handy thing too

I plan on using an extra monitor for previewing webpages for my
webdesign work, surfing the web, and for palettes in Photoshop and
some other programs. I've never had dual monitors before, so this
will be a treat.

Brian

I'm not sure if you realize this, but if you have the 9100 with the
ATI 9700 128 card, then
1. You don't need a docking station for a second monitor, in fact
you don't want to use one. You want to plug an external monitor
into the DVI port and use it as a dual monitor set up. So when you
run PS, you run the CRT screen or LCD as one big window. The ATI
9700 can run two monitors at the same time. Hence, its usefulness
in running front projectors.

2. You don't need a dock for keyboard/mouse...just get an optical
mouse and it just plugs into the USB port.

3. And for an external DVD-R, you want to get the newer ones that
just take advantage of firewire.

And, as far as the screen, there was a big difference between the
intermediate screen and the high end screen. I was told by the
dell rep it is more than just increased resolution, but better
contrast and color as well. (which is why I recommended only
getting the 1920x1200 screen). The cheaper screens apparently look
dimmer which you may have noticed.

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

--
Pbase supporter
http://www.pbase.com/sgidude

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

 

[takitimu]

I'm mainly thinking of when I'm coding, so I'd use two for code/systems & one for email/web ( I do graphics stuff, so you easily chew one for preview ). In reality it would more likely be four screens if I had the choice .

For Image stuff, two for images & one for email/web.

It's also kinda handy to have the monitors setup differently, I have one setup to emulate print, another a default seting to see what your average user might expect .

Nigel

P.S. Alot of traders use 3 (big) screens & the TV studio I work at has 4 in one block + another for email for one presenter.

Brian

Good luck & enjoy, let us know how you find the 9100.

Nigel

P.S. Getting a docking station is a handy thing too

I plan on using an extra monitor for previewing webpages for my
webdesign work, surfing the web, and for palettes in Photoshop and
some other programs. I've never had dual monitors before, so this
will be a treat.

Brian

I'm not sure if you realize this, but if you have the 9100 with the
ATI 9700 128 card, then
1. You don't need a docking station for a second monitor, in fact
you don't want to use one. You want to plug an external monitor
into the DVI port and use it as a dual monitor set up. So when you
run PS, you run the CRT screen or LCD as one big window. The ATI
9700 can run two monitors at the same time. Hence, its usefulness
in running front projectors.

2. You don't need a dock for keyboard/mouse...just get an optical
mouse and it just plugs into the USB port.

3. And for an external DVD-R, you want to get the newer ones that
just take advantage of firewire.

And, as far as the screen, there was a big difference between the
intermediate screen and the high end screen. I was told by the
dell rep it is more than just increased resolution, but better
contrast and color as well. (which is why I recommended only
getting the 1920x1200 screen). The cheaper screens apparently look
dimmer which you may have noticed.

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

--
Pbase supporter
http://www.pbase.com/sgidude

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

--
Pbase supporter
http://www.pbase.com/sgidude

 

[s k u l p t118025]

It'll sure be nice to set the monitor up to show what things look like in 800X600 for the web. That's the standard I design for for websites.

Brian

For Image stuff, two for images & one for email/web.

It's also kinda handy to have the monitors setup differently, I
have one setup to emulate print, another a default seting to see
what your average user might expect .

Nigel

P.S. Alot of traders use 3 (big) screens & the TV studio I work at
has 4 in one block + another for email for one presenter.

Brian

Good luck & enjoy, let us know how you find the 9100.

Nigel

P.S. Getting a docking station is a handy thing too

I plan on using an extra monitor for previewing webpages for my
webdesign work, surfing the web, and for palettes in Photoshop and
some other programs. I've never had dual monitors before, so this
will be a treat.

Brian

I'm not sure if you realize this, but if you have the 9100 with the
ATI 9700 128 card, then
1. You don't need a docking station for a second monitor, in fact
you don't want to use one. You want to plug an external monitor
into the DVI port and use it as a dual monitor set up. So when you
run PS, you run the CRT screen or LCD as one big window. The ATI
9700 can run two monitors at the same time. Hence, its usefulness
in running front projectors.

2. You don't need a dock for keyboard/mouse...just get an optical
mouse and it just plugs into the USB port.

3. And for an external DVD-R, you want to get the newer ones that
just take advantage of firewire.

And, as far as the screen, there was a big difference between the
intermediate screen and the high end screen. I was told by the
dell rep it is more than just increased resolution, but better
contrast and color as well. (which is why I recommended only
getting the 1920x1200 screen). The cheaper screens apparently look
dimmer which you may have noticed.

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

--
Pbase supporter
http://www.pbase.com/sgidude

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

--
Pbase supporter
http://www.pbase.com/sgidude

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

 

[Doc Tonic]

the only limitation of the ATI 9700 mobile is that the external monitor cannot be larger than 1600x1200 (which if you use it to run a plasma, LCD, DLP screen or something, could be problematic).

 

[takitimu]

Brian,

I was more thinking about colours, but for sure, the ability to have multiple resolution & colour depth monitors is real handy.

My read is that PCI Express is where this sort of thing will really take off, two video cards requires one AGP & one PCI now, but this won't be the case soon , anyone for Doom III @ home in a dome ( or even 180degrees ) driven by 4+ video cards & projectors anyone .

Nigel

P.S. We have vendors who are talking multi video cards on PC's now, it was something SGI used to be great @, but PCI Express is the last major hurdle for PC's I can see anyway.

It'll sure be nice to set the monitor up to show what things look
like in 800X600 for the web. That's the standard I design for for
websites.

Brian

--
Pbase supporter
http://www.pbase.com/sgidude

 

[Noah_Mercy]

SKULPT,

I'm an Electrical Engineer. I'm doing a research Ph.D. on an NSF fellowship. I'm working on optoeletronics, specifically Organic and Polymer LEDs. We got a package of quantum dot nano-crystals in this week also (inorganics). In a few years a major revolution in displays will take place.

For this and other reasons I must generally concur with the Zapped comments.

Sorry,
KC

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

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

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

 

[MarcosV]

If you are constantly moving your laptop around, docking stations are nice. They also save wear and tear on your connectors. I have worn out firewire and audio connectors a number of times. Really annoying when the speaker output jack no longer recognizes when nothing is physically plugged in; my old 8200 doesn't play anthing through it's built-in speakers because of it. Docking stations help here.

Yeah, docking stations aren't necessary, but, having got use to them, I'll splurge and buy one under similar circumstances.

The 9100 supports DVI? I didn't notice that. I got to take a closer look at the connector. I just assumed it was another analog/s-video output jack.

I hated the high-end screen for the 8100/8200. 1600x1400 is way too much resolution for a 16 or 17" LCD. In fact, I'm not aware of any 17" LCD that supports that resolution; the ones I use are 1280x1024. I wonder how the higher end display looks on the 9100. Are you still squinting or is it acceptable? I personally don't like trying to make the fonts/icons look bigger as compensation. We have a number of home-ground apps that don't resize their UI properly.

• Marcos

I'm not sure if you realize this, but if you have the 9100 with the
ATI 9700 128 card, then
1. You don't need a docking station for a second monitor, in fact
you don't want to use one. You want to plug an external monitor
into the DVI port and use it as a dual monitor set up. So when you
run PS, you run the CRT screen or LCD as one big window. The ATI
9700 can run two monitors at the same time. Hence, its usefulness
in running front projectors.

2. You don't need a dock for keyboard/mouse...just get an optical
mouse and it just plugs into the USB port.

3. And for an external DVD-R, you want to get the newer ones that
just take advantage of firewire.

And, as far as the screen, there was a big difference between the
intermediate screen and the high end screen. I was told by the
dell rep it is more than just increased resolution, but better
contrast and color as well. (which is why I recommended only
getting the 1920x1200 screen). The cheaper screens apparently look
dimmer which you may have noticed.

 

[ChuckH]

If you are constantly moving your laptop around, docking stations
are nice. They also save wear and tear on your connectors. I have
worn out firewire and audio connectors a number of times. Really
annoying when the speaker output jack no longer recognizes when
nothing is physically plugged in; my old 8200 doesn't play anthing
through it's built-in speakers because of it. Docking stations
help here.

Can't argue with any of what you have written, but Brian said that he will only take the laptop on the road at most one day per week. So, in his case, there would be very little docking/undocking taking place. The money could probably be better spent on other things
--
Chuck

 

[Doc Tonic]

Good point on the squinting...my father couldn't stand to look at this screen. They should put a warning on the screen that people of a certain age should not purchase the high end screen. As we age, the accommodative power of the eye gradually declines and I'd be shocked if anyone over 50 could handle a 15 inch 1920x1200 screen. Its getting to be borderline for me in my mid 30s, but I still love it and don't need to squint. (the fact that you are squinting just means you have lost some accomodative power of your eyes). I showed my father in his 60s this laptop and he couldn't make out the icons. I can see a young 20 year old just loving this screen though...

 

[s k u l p t118025]

Hey, no problems. : )

Basically if this comes to be true, I'll have had a good display by todays standards for 2 years or so. Considering delays from these large companies that most often happen, it could be 3 or four.

Remember them all talking about digital paper/ink? ; ) They were talking all about these flexible displays that they could use for ebooks, newspapers, and billboards. It'll be a lot longer before this hits the mainstream. Even if it does come out sooner, I'm still working on the same laptop. Kinda like paying for the 300D now when of course in 2 years there will be something better and cheaper. But we decided to overpay now. : ) And the 300D won't change. If we are happy with the 300D, then newer stuff shouldn't have to change that. : )

Good points though.

Brian

I'm an Electrical Engineer. I'm doing a research Ph.D. on an NSF
fellowship. I'm working on optoeletronics, specifically Organic
and Polymer LEDs. We got a package of quantum dot nano-crystals in
this week also (inorganics). In a few years a major revolution in
displays will take place.

For this and other reasons I must generally concur with the Zapped
comments.

Sorry,
KC

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

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

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

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

 

[s k u l p t118025]

What do you do for fonts Doc Tonic? Does anyone have a 1900X1200 screen grab of how fonts look on this display?

Brian

Good point on the squinting...my father couldn't stand to look at
this screen. They should put a warning on the screen that people of
a certain age should not purchase the high end screen. As we age,
the accommodative power of the eye gradually declines and I'd be
shocked if anyone over 50 could handle a 15 inch 1920x1200 screen.
Its getting to be borderline for me in my mid 30s, but I still love
it and don't need to squint. (the fact that you are squinting just
means you have lost some accomodative power of your eyes). I showed
my father in his 60s this laptop and he couldn't make out the
icons. I can see a young 20 year old just loving this screen
though...

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

 

[MarcosV]

If you are constantly moving your laptop around, docking stations
are nice. They also save wear and tear on your connectors. I have
worn out firewire and audio connectors a number of times. Really
annoying when the speaker output jack no longer recognizes when
nothing is physically plugged in; my old 8200 doesn't play anthing
through it's built-in speakers because of it. Docking stations
help here.

Can't argue with any of what you have written, but Brian said that
he will only take the laptop on the road at most one day per week.
So, in his case, there would be very little docking/undocking
taking place. The money could probably be better spent on other
things
--
Chuck

 

[Doc Tonic]

oh don't worry, the font and size are adjustable through windows, so you can easily make them larger to avoid squinting...if that is an issue for you. Like I said, not a problem for me or most who probably buy this notebook. If you are pushing 60 or have problems say reading newspaper text without glasses, then it could be a problem.

 

[steaktaco]

I suggest considering a g4 ibook. they're one of the best deals out there.
-c

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

 

[MarcosV]

Even if true, it would be 3 years before the technology is cheap enough for the common man (or those of us who can't afford the very best in laptop technology because we spent too much on camera stuff). 3 years is a reasonable length of time for a laptop to last.

That argues favorably for buying a decent laptop now.

In the meantime, keep your eyes on the cheap laptop manufacturers like ASUS. I'm hoping for the day when I can ala cart my laptop like I currently do with my desktop computer.

• Marcos

I'm an Electrical Engineer. I'm doing a research Ph.D. on an NSF
fellowship. I'm working on optoeletronics, specifically Organic
and Polymer LEDs. We got a package of quantum dot nano-crystals in
this week also (inorganics). In a few years a major revolution in
displays will take place.

For this and other reasons I must generally concur with the Zapped
comments.

Sorry,
KC

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

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.

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Zapped (Austin, TX)
http://www.pbase.com/pricklypear

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Graphic Design Directory: http://www.adigitaldreamer.com
My Portfolio: http://skulpt.com

 

[Paul Barrett]

I have a notebook for use on the road but for use back at base I would never consider using a notebook in prefernce to a desktop unit especially if I was going to do a lot of work with RAW images.

Photo processing puts demands on three key parts of a system:

a) CPU
b) RAM
c) DiskAccess

For extensive RAW proces work you need tomalke sure youhave the fastest CPU you can get, as muh mempry as possible (min 1Gb) and teh fastest disc configuration possible. You also need a graphics card that optimises 2D.

In a notebool all those will be of lower specification and much higher price than in a desktop. Expect to pay probably double what you would pay for a desktop of higher spec.

Finally, with a notebook, expansion capabilities are very limited

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

 

[timc13]

I am looking at the same model..
One piece of advice...just get the basic 256 megs of ram..

Then go to crucial.com and you can get 2 512 meg sticks for about 135 apiece, so for a gig of crucial, which is very good ram, you can save about 80 dollars over what dell wants for that much ram...t

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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Click below for my website:
http://www.glorifychrist.com/
http://www.tecphotos.com