Buying new laptop, help? (Digital Multimedia)

[chiefhorror]

Hey there, I'm looking to buy a new laptop next week, and while I've been doing my research, I want to make sure I get the best bang for my buck. I really just need something that can handle running Photoshop, a few animation and art programs, Skype, and play videos as well as allow me to tinker around with them in Sony Vegas—in fewer words I need a multimedia laptop that won't die on me, ha-ha! Currently I have a Lenovo, and I've been looking into Lenovo and Toshiba laptops but I'm not sure what to go with.

1_What is your budget?
$400-$550

2_What is the size of the notebook that you are considering?
Whatever falls under "normal", I plan on hooking up to an external screen.

3_What screen resolution do you want?
High resolution? I'm not very computer savvy in this respect... The primary use will be digital art and photo manipulation.

4_Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop?
I guess a "desktop replacement" since this will be all I use.

5_How much battery life do you need?
4-6 hours, though it'll probably be plugged in more often than not.

6_Do you want to play games with your laptop? If so then please list the games that you want to with the settings that you want for these games. (Low,Medium or High)?
I mostly just play old games on emulators, but I might venture into more graphic heavy games. I supposed medium-low...?

7_What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo / Video editing,watching movies, Etc.)
Watching movies, photo/video editing, digital artwork, music

8_How much storage (H.D.D Capacity) do you need?
Whatever works best for animating, programming, and drawing. I do have an external harddrive where I keep a good portion of my "important" files.

9_If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post their links.
None (suggests on where I can go to get a good deal would rock...).

10_How long do you want to keep your laptop?
As long as possible.


11_What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc ?
Uh, all of the above? I don't burn DVDs too often, and it's not a necessity, but hey, if I can get it. If not, DVD ROM works, maybe Bluray? Not picky.

12_Please tell us about the brands that you prefer to buy from them and the brands that you don't like and explain the reasons.
No preference, whatever works. (Although I have heard good things about Toshiba and Lenovo, both seem to fit nicely into my budget, I just want to make sure.)

13_What country do you live in?
US

14_Please tell us any additional information if needed.
I'm not very computer savvy as far as hardware is concerned, I just want to make sure I can snag the best of what I can get for the price I have lined out. My needs are relatively simple, I just want something fast, and something that can handle a lot of use.

 

[chiefhorror]

I know bumping and double-posting is probably a no-no, but some help would be very much appreciated, just bringing this back to the first page. : o

 

[will305]

Hello. I just joined to answer another post about a laptop I just bought, but it seems to fit your requirements.
I don't know if I can post links, but it is item A50-156320 from Tigerdirect.com.
Has a 3rd Gen i5 3210m, 4gb DDR3, Intel HD4000 video, 500gb Hard drive, HDMI and VGA output, USB3.
I just got it last night and runs great, and it is $480 now (was on sale monday for $399 after a rebate). I haven't tried out any graphics programs yet, but I did install Minecraft to test it and it gives me an average of 45 FPS out of the box.
Good luck with the laptop search!

 

[henzerani]

Hi
I'm on the .co.uk site so I guess you are too. I don't think I'm allowed to advertise, but I work in the computer section of a department store and we basically answer your question as our job. But we have the advantage of being able to walk you round the different models and talk you through them. We don't push you to buy and we're not on commission. We mainly stock Toshiba, Samsung, Sony and HP with the odd Lenovo and Dell and I'd pretty much rate them all. I think it would be easier going into a store than trying to get ideas online, cos everyone has their own preferences. If you want to do your homework first try www.johnlewis.com (oops, that gave it away). Even if you're not in the UK have a look at it anyway, it'll give you a good idea of range (don't be scared by the prices, we're an island race and every thing will seem expensive if you're in the US).