I need help choosing a laptop. PC not Mac (one day maybe)

I have an old Dell laptop that is basically being used as an e-book reader. LOL
I didn't like it that much when I got it but it was a requirement of the company I used to work for.

I have built my own desktops from my first one back in the 90's so I know all about the ins and outs of hardware. Laptops are a bit different.

Here's my problem:
I find a few laptops that fit most of my wants but then I'll go look for reviews and Blammo! Idea shot to h*ll.

HELP!

What laptop do you have and what are your likes/dislikes?

I need something that is fast when handling several open programs at once. At minimum I have running all the time: Firefox, Thunderbird, MS Office 2007, Photoshop CS4, Digsby, ringcentral, skype & antivirus.

I use Photoshop CS4 ALOT so it needs to have a very good graphics card.

Leave me some models to check out- links to review pages would be awesome as well.

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~Christina|BD Mag|VOSTeam

Hi Christina:

I love this question, b/c I am in the market for a new laptop too! I anxiously await the responses.

Lisa.

I was a Window user for many years until I purchased an Apple MacBook Pro in January and I love it.

The reason I got Mac was because it's known for great graphic cards. I've meet several photo editors that use Mac as well for that purpose.

I was able to run several programs at once without cluttering my screen by using "space" and it has an automator to save you time as well.

One of my worry about getting a Mac was receiving and opening a .doc file or any other word files from clients who use Windows/PC . But that problem was easily solved by downloading NeoOffice - a free software similiar to OpenOffice - which allows me to open these files.

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Brenda A. Jones
www.brevos.com

I have a Dell Latitude D505 it does everything you say and bit more. You should try visiting dell.com and use their build a laptop service. This may give you an idea on the cost you will be looking at. Good Luck~ Andrea

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Action Jackson Virtual Assistant|

I have a Dell inspiron laptop that has worked well for me. I don't know about having a strong graphics card since I haven't used it much for that. I have run several programs on once with it along with Photoshop Elements. My husband also just recently got a Dell Studio Laptop that he seems pretty happy with in terms of speed and function.

My recommendation with any machine is to make sure you get at least 4 MB of RAM when running Vista.

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Kimberly
Facebook Marketing Magic!

I have an HP which I love however, I do not use excessive graphics capabilities to I cannot help you there. My son has the same machine for his personal use so I am sure it handles a lot because he does not get hung up either.

Like Kimberly 4MB RAM is a must especially for strong graphics on any brand.

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Lee Drozak
My Office Assistant

Hi Christina. I have a Toshiba Satellite A300-07G which I got last November. So far it's been great. I have no idea if it's better or worse than others though. I believe it's already out-of-date, so you probably couldn't find the same model - but a better one no doubt.

The difference with this one is that it's a 64-bit processor, which is fairly new I think - 32-bit has been the norm for quite a while. The thing is, I didn't realize it was 64-bit when I bought it - didn't even know there was such a thing, so didn't know to ask about it.

The 64-bit speeds it up. But some of your existing software may need to be updated to work on it. It took me a while to get all that sorted out.

It's very fast and I use Photoshop CS3 on it. CS3 doesn't offer a 64-bit version, but it works fine on it anyway.

So thought I'd mention the 64-bit thingy in case you weren't aware of it. I think it's worth it to get now though - will probably have to at some point anyway. Just may have to check out how it will affect your existing software.

Deb

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Deb at Ivy Freelance
Metrics, Marketing and Macros

I have a Dell Dimension desktop and 2 Dell laptops. I use the desktop for everything as I find I can't get up the typing speed on a laptop without attaching a proper keyboard, mouse and human sized monitor. I find the laptops useful for presentations and taking meeting minutes offsite though. I really do like the Dell products.

Lynne
www.wordprowizard.com