Any help would be very much appreciated...

[LisaKelly]

Hi, I'm sorry to add another "please help me I'm a clueless idiot buying a laptop" thread, but hey... I am.

I've never had a laptop before, so I really don't know exactly what to look for, or the kind of performance I can expect. I've been using an ancient PC for years now and it's started to make mysterious groaning noises, so I guess it's time to bite the bullet and get something new.

I'd like a laptop because I'm a writer and I'm fed up typing away in my office. I'd like to be able to take my work outside, or just write where I feel comfortable. My major hobby is digital photography, and I surf the web a lot too. So I'd be using the laptop for the following things:

*writing
*uploading and storing (hundreds of) pics from camera (in RAW format- hefty file sizes), plus quite a bit of heavy-duty editing work in Photoshop
*watching dvds/playing mp3s
*internet surfing

I don't do any gaming nor download movies, so those are the four major things I'd be using the laptop for. Size/weight isn't an issue... actually, I'd prefer something that feels reassuringly sturdy. Battery life isn't a crucial factor, but the more hours the better.

My only big requirement is a large, bright screen (for the photo work). And, if at all possible, low noise when I'm working at it, and an all round comfortable machine for long hours of typing.

My budget is tight. Very tight. Money is... ugh, let's not go there. I can scrape together a grand (sterling) but I'm in the UK and I don't think we get the same bang for our buck here as you guys. I'm really looking not to spend any more than I absolutely need to. So I'd appreciate some advice on the following options I've been looking at, if you wouldn't mind helping.

First up- a Toshiba 2.8 ghz intel celeron. Great price... is it a decent machine for what I need, though?

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/store/pcw_page.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@1025914067.109416291 9@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccciadcmhdfmkmkcflgceggdhhmdfhm.0&category_oid=-15257&page=Product&sku=925023&fm=0&sm=3&tm=undefined

Second is another Toshiba - intel pentium M4 3.06 ghz. £300 more expensive than the previous laptop. Worth the increase?

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/store/pcw_page.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@1025914067.109416291 9@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccciadcmhdfmkmkcflgceggdhhmdfhm.0&page=Product&sku=900692&category_oid=-15257&fm=0&sm=3&tm=undefined

Final option is a Sony K215M intel pentium 4 2.8 ghz. £1100- max end of my budget. What do you think?

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/store/pcw_page.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@1025914067.109416291 9@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccciadcmhdfmkmkcflgceggdhhmdfhm.0&page=Product&sku=401187

I guess the big question is- how much do I need to spend to get a good machine which covers my needs? Any suggestions/advice would be really appreciated. Thanks! :)

[Ioman]

It looks like you would be better off with a desktop replacement notebook. I would recommend the Sony A160 if that is doable, maybe you can finance it? When you are at home the A160 has a docking bay, and external speakers so you have the same feel as a desktop computer, but then when you want to go, you can just unplug it from the docking bay.

I would also recommend the Gateway M520 series. I am reviewing one for Designtechnica and so far I am pretty impressed, plus they are very affordable. I would recommend at least 512mb of memory minimum. If you can bump up to a Centrino or Pentium 4 chipset over the Celeron, I would do that as well.

Here is the Gateway M520: http://www.gateway.com/home/products/hm_ptb_m520.shtml?clv=Img

And the Sony A60 review from Designtechnica: http://reviews.designtechnica.com/review1781.html

[LisaKelly]

It looks like you would be better off with a desktop replacement notebook. I would recommend the Sony A160 if that is doable, maybe you can finance it? When you are at home the A160 has a docking bay, and external speakers so you have the same feel as a desktop computer, but then when you want to go, you can just unplug it from the docking bay.

I would also recommend the Gateway M520 series. I am reviewing one for Designtechnica and so far I am pretty impressed, plus they are very affordable. I would recommend at least 512mb of memory minimum. If you can bump up to a Centrino or Pentium 4 chipset over the Celeron, I would do that as well.

Here is the Gateway M520: http://www.gateway.com/home/products/hm_ptb_m520.shtml?clv=Img

And the Sony A60 review from Designtechnica: http://reviews.designtechnica.com/review1781.html

Thank you so much for the advice! I hadn't considered a desktop replacement, but I think you've steered me in the right direction there.

I can't find a precise match on this side of the Atlantic for the notebooks mentioned, but I have found a very nice looking Sony Vaio K215S here:

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?rb=1575539593&action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=63182

Fingers crossed, it sounds like a good fit for me.

I'll do a bit more reading and try to find the right deal. Many, many thanks for the help. :)

[ECA]

REmember...
US>UK priceing...is about 1.6-1.8 conversion. You can purchase and ship to the UK for about the same cost IN the UK.

That means a Unit that costs about 1,800 is about 1000UK.
Have fun converting... http://finance.yahoo.com/currency/convert?amt=1800&from=USD&to=GBP&submit=Convert

Then shipping will be about 50-60GBP..

[LisaKelly]

REmember...
US>UK priceing...is about 1.6-1.8 conversion. You can purchase and ship to the UK for about the same cost IN the UK.

That means a Unit that costs about 1,800 is about 1000UK.
Have fun converting... http://finance.yahoo.com/currency/convert?amt=1800&from=USD&to=GBP&submit=Convert

Then shipping will be about 50-60GBP..

Thanks very much for the advice- I'd considered ordering from the US, but I think I'd just get slapped with quite a hefty import duty when my order passed through British customs. :(

I've been doing some more reading and I think I've settled on the sony vaio PCG-K215z.

P4 3.06 ghz, 512mb, 60GB hard drive, DVD +/- RW, 15.4" wxga x-black tft, WLA WLAN b/g Radeon 9200 Adobe XP home.

It has a nice bundle of included software too. 1300 sterling- about 2 grand US.

What do you guys think? I'm not going to be using any of the wireless connectivity gizmos, and I'm a bit worried about how the machine will handle image editing/graphics in general, but I've heard only good things about the screen's quality and sony's all round reliability.

Does it sound like a good enough buy?

[0pal_t0ad]

you'd also say goodbye to any chance of a warranty, which if i'm not mistaken is an optional extra in the US. ;)

[znaps]

you'd also say goodbye to any chance of a warranty, which if i'm not mistaken is an optional extra in the US. ;)

A lot of manufacturers provide international warranties, or transferable warranties between countries.

[dang]

celeron procs are not the best work horse processors. Photoshop most likely wont be hammering it too hard, but if a M proc that is faster is only $300 more, I personally would go for that. I avoid celeron procs as if they were the plague.

Since you'll be saving a lot of RAW images, you probably want to try to get a fairly large hard drive as well. Especially if you are not archiving them onto a CD-R or DVD-R/+R.

More memory is a must for you if you are editing RAW images in photoshop.

[ECA]

Software, PAH...
MOSt is trialware, of LE, Limited Edition STUFF...
You paid NOTHING for it, and can get MOST of it off the net.
DONT GEt the extra software.... They are REALLY charging you for it...EVEn if it MESSes up your machine...RUN AT YOUR OWN RISK..

[artfuldodger73]

Another factor that I would consider are notebooks with AMD chips. That can make a HUGE price differential. It sounds like you're just looking for the basics. A kick-a** AMD chip may actually be of comparable price to a low-end Intel Celeron chip (and they will do the same exact functions). Check out eMachines.