What laptop machines are you using for designing

M

mikeymo

New Member
Hello,

I am looking at buying a new machine to do my designing my desktop pc is nakered i dont know whats up with it so i am looking at buying a laptop. I do mainly design for print using cs3 premium. Just wanting to know what laptops you guys are using (if you use them) apart from the most obvious mac book....i would love a mac but its out my price range at this moment in time :(....I am looking at price range of £450-£550 mark. Are anybody using a custom built laptop and know of laptops tried and tested for designers??
 
Mac every time. The refurb bit on the official Apple site had some bargains too (just search for 'refurb'). All with the same guarantees as a brand new machine.
 
hey guys thanks for replys :), yeh i have used macs all through college to uni and now at work, i love them but i just cant afford a macbook, believe me if i could afford one i would buy one. Yeh i had a look at the refurb bit on apple site but im a little sceptical about them whether i'll get any problems with them as they have been refurbed its good having the guarantee but i just cant put up with having a laptop with problems again....so what macs are all you guys using, have non of you worked on/or have had windows based laptops?
 
Spark have you had any problems with your macbook pro? how much did you pay for it at the time, i had a look on ebay and saw some quite good deals to be honest on macs, there was one that i found hard to believe though, a macbook pro brand new on auction with 35 bids at £350, surely that cant be for real
 
That deal on ebay does sound too good to be true. No probs with my Mac so far - I've had it for about 2 years and counting...
 
Mercy Design said:
They're designed to work for designers
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Which is why there is only one mouse button because two is just too confusing :icon_rolleyes:

I believe that this is the only thread that Apple have to cling to when they are trying to flog you equipment with a £700 apple logo on the back :icon_mad:

Get a PC with a Mac spec, use applications that were designed originally for windows (then ported to the mac) and save yourself a load (you won't get the £700 apple decal but it's worth it)
 
This doesn't need to be a mac pc debate at all. As long as you get as good a machine as you can afford which has enough oomph to run the suite (memory etc) it doesn't matter.
 
Sorry...couldn't help myself :icon_wink: with all the mac fans on here I thought I'd stir it up a bit hehe *evil grin*

Anything with over 2GB of RAM and some dual core CPU for multi-tasking will be sufficient (so you've got a very large choice)
 
Logopro said:
Which is why there is only one mouse button because two is just too confusing :icon_rolleyes:

I believe that this is the only thread that Apple have to cling to when they are trying to flog you equipment with a £700 apple logo on the back :icon_mad:

Get a PC with a Mac spec, use applications that were designed originally for windows (then ported to the mac) and save yourself a load (you won't get the £700 apple decal but it's worth it)
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Ok, firstly how out of date is that opinion? Macs have had two button mice for years. And you can buy any PC mouse and plug it in. In fact, I use a Logitech one with tow buttons and a scroll wheel and I like it just fine.

Secondly, Macs were running Photoshop and Pagemaker (before Quark took over) when you still had to boot PC's from MS-DOS. Those apps weren't 'ported'.

Macs are industry standard for a reason - proper designers have always liked reliable, easy to use systems that work for them. With windows 7, PC's may finally have almost caught up, but too late for most design and advertising agencies.

Price is your only argument then. And I think we already solved that one...

Edit - just read your second post. It worked - you stirred things up. lol
 
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mikeymo said:
...I am looking at buying a new machine to do my designing my desktop pc is nakered i dont know whats up with it so i am looking at buying a laptop. I do mainly design for print using cs3 premium.
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Perhaps I'm missing the point, but in terms of bangs for your bucks, I'd have thought a laptop was a mistake: I mean, for processing power, memory, and so on, a desktop is always better value (and that's without thinking of the limitations of a laptop screen). Laptops are good for the circumstances they are intended for, they take up less space in the house, they're less noisy in a crowded office, they're still useful for work in the field, and so on. But I can't see how they can have a serious place in any environment where performance is key, that isn't what they're for.
 
JohnRoss said:
Perhaps I'm missing the point, but in terms of bangs for your bucks, I'd have thought a laptop was a mistake: I mean, for processing power, memory, and so on, a desktop is always better value (and that's without thinking of the limitations of a laptop screen). Laptops are good for the circumstances they are intended for, they take up less space in the house, they're less noisy in a crowded office, they're still useful for work in the field, and so on. But I can't see how they can have a serious place in any environment where performance is key, that isn't what they're for.
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Actually, I kind of agree with that. I personally prefer a laptop for work on the move, and being able to sit with the family and work rather than being stuck in my office. But you're right - bang for buck, a desktop is better. I suppose the laptop has the advantage of not needing an external monitor too, although I use one with mine.
 
wow didnt mean to start a lil debate sorry people :)....my problem is the budget like i said im looking at 450-590 price range and i just dont want to settle for a low end macbook, the high end macbook and macbook pros are like 900-1300 which i would love but got to be realistic for what money i have. to be honest i can use any platform mac or pc it doesnt bother me just as long as it can handle the design progams its ok with me :)

i have been told to look for a laptop with dedicated memory to graphics with a good graphics card and about like Logopro said 3/4gb of ram with good processor, if anybody know or seen a good price machine with that spec please post up the link. i didnt think laptop shopping was this stressful iv been searching the net for the right one, found a couple but its hard to decide...damit
 
What size screen are you looking for on a laptop?

I use a 13.3 inch laptop plugged into an external display hence the question, everybody needs something different :icon_smile:

EDIT: also, will you be claiming the VAT back?
 
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im looking for anything from 13.3 inch like yours to 15inch i prefer 15 though....dunno about VAT, how do i do that
 
The coolest lap top

Nothing says you mean business more then a stupidly ridiculous laptop and for £600 you can get one.

Dell XPS M2010 (20" screen great for design )

spec:
weight: a small bus
material: magnesium alloy
robot in disguise: Transform in to a leather finished briefcase (although you won't want to take it out as your arm will fall off and like me you will permanently worry about rain getting in the machine).
retro styling: it is about the size and shape of a commodore amiga. It might be an upgraded commodore amiga.
Getto Blaster: 8 Speakers under the screen and 1 sub woofer measuring in at 2, yes 2, thats right 2 whole inches.

Despite all of this, it is great, fantastic performance, and very impressive and distinctive. the large monitor and removable Bluetooth keyboard makes it an excellent presentation tool you can get a gyroscopic mouse with wii style screen pointer & data call for remote music selection ect.
 
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