Notebook for graphic designer

I need a noteboot for a guy who's going to start his graphic design career. He wants a computer that would last him enough, and with a good battery life. He thought of a MBP 17" but that stuff is really expensive.

General Questions

1) What is your budget?
< 1300

2) What size notebook would you prefer?

d. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen
e. Desktop Replacement; 17"+ screen

3) Where will you buying this notebook? You can select the flag of your country as an indicator.

USA

4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?


5) Would you consider laptops that are refurbished/redistributed?
Yes

6) What are the primary tasks will you be performing with this notebook?
Graphic design...so, photoediting, some video editing, etc.

7) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places, leaving it on your desk or both?
Both

8) Will you be playing games on your notebook? If so, please state which games or types of games?
Not really

9) How many hours of battery life do you need?
4+

10) Would you prefer to see the notebooks you're considering before purchasing it or buying a notebook on-line without seeing it is OK?
Don't mind buying it online

11) What OS do you prefer? Windows (XP or Vista or Windows 7), Mac OS, Linux, etc.
Windows 7 or MacOs

Screen Specifics

12) From the choices below, what screen resolution(s) would you prefer? Keep in mind screen size in conjunction with resolution will play a large role in overall viewing comfort level. Everyone is different. Some like really small text, while others like their text big and easy to read. Click here for Screen resolution information.

13) Do you want a Glossy/reflective screen or a Matte/non-glossy screen?
Any

Build Quality and Design

14) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
No

15) When are you buying this laptop?
December

16) How long do you want this laptop to last?
2+
Notebook Components

17) How much hard drive space do you need; 80GB to 640GB? Do you want a SSD drive?
500gb +
18) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a CDRW/DVD-ROM, DVD Burner or Blu-Ray drive?
DVD burner...blu-ray reader would be cool

 

the best i can come up with is a sager/clevo with a 90% gamut screen upgrade in that budget. and for graphics work it is much better than a MBP unless your touchpad obsessed, but any designer uses a mouse and digitizer

try to build something like the system in your sig for him just dump the bigfoot card

 

-Thinkpad W520 w/ 1080p (95% gamut)
-Sony Vaio F2

 

agree with the 520 if it has the quadro 2000 or higher, not so much on the F2, its screen still leaves ALOT to be desired and the 540 gpu is weak for cuda acceleration in cs5/cs 5.5 etc.

 

Is the w520 good in battery? I got an offer of a XPS 17 with these specs:
Sandy Bridge Cori i7-2630QM processor 2.00GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 2.90
6GB DDR3 RAM
Backlit Keyboard
Camera/Camera Software
17.3in screen (1080p) 1920x1080
NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M 3GB GPU with Optimus
500 GB 7200 RPM HD
Silver/Black
Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
Creative SoundBlaster X-FI MB1.2 (Sound is amazing for a laptop)
9 cell battery
DVD Drive
NIC
2 year warranty (in home service)

 

mediocre screen. and if your friend runs alot of pro apps or will be.... they want Optimus about as much as a frontal lobotomy with a dull drill.

after close to 2 years they still cant get it running right for alot of OpenGL apps that arent games

 

daaaamn that w520 is huge...is there another?

 

bumpity...help here