Graphic Designer looking for a laptop.

[Tekel]

I know Clifford has a similar topic going but they are heading in a completely different direction.

So far I have looked at the Dell E1505 and the HP DV6000t. With the current promotion of the 20% coupon and the ability for the dell to have the 9cell battery without it sticking out.
I am interested in the Macbook pro but to get it to the stats I want it would be $2200+

General Questions

1) What is your budget? $1000-$1600

2) What size notebook would you prefer?


b. Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen
c. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen


3) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?
Running Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and Premier

4) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk?
Taking it with me to and from class and also where ever else I have to go.

5) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?
Yes, no specifics at the time.

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

No

7) How many hours of battery life do you need?
3hrs+

8) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?

No

9) Please select your country's flag as a post icon and tell us what country are you buying this in.
USA

Screen Specifics

10) Would you prefer standard or widescreen? Widescreen

11) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?
Widescreen
d. WXGA or WXGA+ - 1280x768/800 or 1440x900; Wider viewing version of XGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
e. WSXGA+ - 1680x1050; Wider viewing version of SXGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
f. WUXGA - 1920x1200; Wider viewing version of UXGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.

12) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?
Glossy/reflective for better image quality

Build Quality and Design

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

14) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last?
Buying within the week and would like it to last a atleast 1 year strong and after that it be powerful enough get me by.

Notebook Components

15) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 200GB?
100GB+
16) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD-ROM, DVD-CD/RW or DVD-RW drive? DVD-CD/RW

[jetstar]

A good 14 inch notebook to consider is the HP nc6400 (available with the X1300 GPU), which is a business class notebook with excellent build quality and support. It however has a matte screen.

Other 14 inch notebooks to consider include the Asus A8Js/A8Jp models, as well as the Compal HGL30. The Asus W3J is another good 14 inch model.

In addition to the 15.4 inch notebooks you mention, you can also check out the Asus S96J and Compal HEL80 models.

[charlotte]

Just a quick question....have you ever tried to use Photoshop or Illustrator on WXGA? Not much screen real estate. Most Photoshop users opt for the higher WSXGA+ resolutions. Just making sure you've thought of that.

I'm using the same programs as you and wanted the best specs and the best screen possible. It's taken me 2 months (and sending back a Dell and the Compal Hel80 for less than great screens) and I have settled on the Asus G1 which you can get in the low $1700's (excaliberpc.com or milestonepc.com by pricematch). A little above the budget you were thinking, but supposed to be a great system. Has an excellent graphics card - you could play games for quite a while on this without it going out of date. It takes an excellent screen for graphics program and someone yesterday described the G1's screen as "to die for".

You can also look at the Asus Z96J which about the same as the S96J that jetstar mentioned, except it has the same high res screen as the Asus G1.

[Tekel]

here is the E1505 I have built
My Components
PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7200 (2.00GHz, 4MB L2 Cache, 667MHz FSB) edit
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows Vista™ Home Premium
LCD PANEL 15.4 inch UltraSharp™ Wide Screen SXGA+ Display with TrueLife™ edit
MEMORY 2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHZ, 2 DIMM edit
HARD DRIVE 120GB 5400rpm SATA Hard Drive edit
OPTICAL DRIVE 8X CD/DVD Burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability edit
VIDEO CARD 256MB ATI MOBILITY™ RADEON® X1400 HyperMemory™ edit
SOUND OPTIONS Integrated Audio


All that for around $1350 before tax. Know of any comparably equipped systems for around the same price range?

[charlotte]

The E1505 is not a terribly high quality machine. Most better built machines are going to cost more just because they are better built. The machines people have been suggesting to you are better quality machines and are going to cost more. The Asus A8JP is the best "bargain" going right now.

With the Inspiron, you are getting what you are paying for, excellent components with cheaper build quality. Nothing wrong with that if it is what you want.