Need advice on buying a laptop.

[.Melchiah.]

My girlfriend is about to buy a laptop that would be adequate for programs like Adobe PhotoShop, InDesign CS2 and Illustrator CS, Macromedia FreeHand MX, Autodesk Inventor and RhinoCeros.

Would she need 1024MB of memory, or would 512MB be enough?

Would there be any noticeable difference between these processors when using those programs?
Mobile AMD Athlon 64 3200+
AMD Turion64 ML 32
AMD Sempron 3400+
Intel Pentium M740
Intel Celeron M390
Any recommendations for a processor of similar price range?

What about the video card? Would ATI X200 be enough, or would it have to be X600 or X700 (it doesn't have to be ATI btw)? She isn't going to use the laptop for playing.


Which of these examples would suit her better:

AMD Turion64 ML 32
1024 MB DDR SO-DIMM (2 x 512MB)
ATI Radeon Xpress 200, 128MB shared memory

or

Mobile AMD Athlon 64 3200+
512 MB DDR (1 x 512MB)
ATI Mobility Radeon X700, 128MB memory

Both cost exactly the same (1199 euros).

 

[Tim Murray]

amount of memory makes an unbelievable amount of difference in Photoshop. the difference from 512 to a gig is way more important than a pretty minor shift in clock speed.

avoid the Celeron M like the plague.

 

[{Sniping}Waste]

What size screen your looking for? MSI has a new barebone with a 17" wide screen with a X700 that use Turion MT(25W) and not the ML(35W).

The 17" MSI barebone is the 1036 and the 15.4" is the 1029. Many places have them and will add what ram, CPU, and harddrive you want in them.

 

[Sxotty]

What size screen your looking for? MSI has a new barebone with a 17" wide screen with a X700 that use Turion MT(25W) and not the ML(35W).

The 17" MSI barebone is the 1036 and the 15.4" is the 1029. Many places have them and will add what ram, CPU, and harddrive you want in them.

That sounds like a really good suggestion.

Get the ML or MT if you are getting an AMD system, don't buy any that use desktop processors (i.e. P4, Celeron M, A64 mobile) get a turion, or centrino style...Oh and buy a wireless card with it...(the PCMCIA slot ones suck)

 

[Tim Murray]

That sounds like a really good suggestion.

Get the ML or MT if you are getting an AMD system, don't buy any that use desktop processors (i.e. P4, Celeron M, A64 mobile) get a turion, or centrino style...Oh and buy a wireless card with it...(the PCMCIA slot ones)

the wireless stuff that comes with Centrino machines is pretty great, so you don't need to worry about that.

 

[NocturnDragon]

don't buy any that use desktop processors (i.e. P4, Celeron M, A64 mobile)

The Celeron M is derived from the Pentium M not from the desktop Celeron, but yeah, stay away from it!

 

[Sxotty]

the wireless stuff that comes with Centrino machines is pretty great, so you don't need to worry about that.

Yes you do, b/c Turion doesn't come with wireless by default as Centrino does.

My point is that you need to buy the wireless with the laptop, if you don't you are screwed due to stupid bios locks that will not allow you to put your own mini pci wireless card in.

Let me tell you of my story. I got a Turion, and thought hmm I can buy my own wireless card much cheaper, so I got a cheap PCMCIA slot card at first but I cracked it off on accident. So I got a minipci wireless card from broadcom that was the same brand as what HP included, stuck it in after taking the entire laptop apart so I could run the antenna behind the screen. Of course it doesn't work. I tried to figure out how to hack the BIOS, but it was to no avail.

So I got another PCMCIA slot one and I already cracked it as well, though it still functions fine

The moral is get the minipci with your system if you buy Turion, if you buy Centrino it is already included as Baron said.

 

[{Sniping}Waste]

Yes you do, b/c Turion doesn't come with wireless by default as Centrino does.

My point is that you need to buy the wireless with the laptop, if you don't you are screwed due to stupid bios locks that will not allow you to put your own mini pci wireless card in.

Let me tell you of my story. I got a Turion, and thought hmm I can buy my own wireless card much cheaper, so I got a cheap PCMCIA slot card at first but I cracked it off on accident. So I got a minipci wireless card from broadcom that was the same brand as what HP included, stuck it in after taking the entire laptop apart so I could run the antenna behind the screen. Of course it doesn't work. I tried to figure out how to hack the BIOS, but it was to no avail.

So I got another PCMCIA slot one and I already cracked it as well, though it still functions fine

The moral is get the minipci with your system if you buy Turion, if you buy Centrino it is already included as Baron said.

Don't know why you had problems with the minipci card. I install many minipci wireless card in Athlon XP and Turion notebook and had no problems. Centrinos are a platform that most likely use a intel2200BG wireless minipci card. I use many 2200BG in Turion platforms with out any problems. I wouldn't use a broadcom minipci card because there flaky and have very poor range to start with. All the Centrino is is a notebook with wireless minipci card 2200BG installed with a intel Pentium M or Celeron M in it. The Turion with a installed wireless card is the same thing.

One note to know is the Celeron M is bassed on the Pentium M but with less cashe and all the power saving teck dissabled so Celeron M bassed notebooks will have shorter battery life compaired to Pentium M and Turion.

 

[Sxotty]

Don't know why you had problems with the minipci card. I install many minipci wireless card in Athlon XP and Turion notebook and had no problems. Centrinos are a platform that most likely use a intel2200BG wireless minipci card. I use many 2200BG in Turion platforms with out any problems. I wouldn't use a broadcom minipci card because there flaky and have very poor range to start with. All the Centrino is is a notebook with wireless minipci card 2200BG installed with a intel Pentium M or Celeron M in it. The Turion with a installed wireless card is the same thing.

One note to know is the Celeron M is bassed on the Pentium M but with less cashe and all the power saving teck dissabled so Celeron M bassed notebooks will have shorter battery life compaired to Pentium M and Turion.

Sniping Waste you need to look into the matter or else you will likely find out the hard way.

All Dell, IBM, Gateway, HP, Compaq notebooks sold after this last summer have BIOS locks that will only allow wireless cards with matching PCI ids to be installed. More unfortunately some of the mini pci cards sold by Dell, HP etc have unique numbers that were given to them by Intel/Broadcom/Atheros etc and thus you cannot buy those cards on the open market. The card I got was the exact same card with the same chipset etc, but the EPROM was programmed with a unique PCI id so I could not install it. Do a google search and you will quickly find I am not speaking out of my but. I would actually like to know what card I can use in my laptop though, for it would be well worth it to me to get it, but I have not yet waited on the phone with HP attempting to get it. I have contacted support, and perused other support where the companies will not give you the information b/c unless the antenna and the card have been passed together by the FCC they are illegal in the United States. Of course you can buy a third party BIOS, but that is too expensive for me.

 

[{Sniping}Waste]

Sniping Waste you need to look into the matter or else you will likely find out the hard way.

All Dell, IBM, Gateway, HP, Compaq notebooks sold after this last summer have BIOS locks that will only allow wireless cards with matching PCI ids to be installed. More unfortunately some of the mini pci cards sold by Dell, HP etc have unique numbers that were given to them by Intel/Broadcom/Atheros etc and thus you cannot buy those cards on the open market. The card I got was the exact same card with the same chipset etc, but the EPROM was programmed with a unique PCI id so I could not install it. Do a google search and you will quickly find I am not speaking out of my but. I would actually like to know what card I can use in my laptop though, for it would be well worth it to me to get it, but I have not yet waited on the phone with HP attempting to get it. I have contacted support, and perused other support where the companies will not give you the information b/c unless the antenna and the card have been passed together by the FCC they are illegal in the United States. Of course you can buy a third party BIOS, but that is too expensive for me.

This must be very new then. Most of the minipci wireless cards I get are used ones for $10 and most are the Broadcom or Intel 2200BG and install with out problems.

 

[Hubert]

Hijacking the topic

Hello !

I am also interested in buyin a laptop. It will be a first for me, so I really don't know what to buy. I do know the following. It should not exceed 1000-1200 EUR + 20% VAT, I am an architect, I will use it for small designs and text editing, small amount of coding, and I will use it at home mostly, sitting in my armchair while me and my wife watch TV.

So. I was thinking of a Fujitsu Siemens Amilo, with Turion processor, 1 GB RAM, some decent VGA with unshared memory, preferably 128 Mb. I am using ArchiCad, it has a built in OpenGL based real time renderer; I have good experience with a desktop Radeon 9600 XT, so I do not need a professional or a very powerful card. The screen should be 1200 x 800, I do not need higher resolution 'cos my eyes are not that good anymore.
So I pretty much know what I need performance wise, but I am uncertain about the brand, and extra options, extensions, connectivity and so on.

 

[Blazkowicz]

why worry so much about WiFi? it's not like only Centrino laptops are the only one with integrated WiFi, far from it. Centrino is only a well advertised brand to bring cash to Intel.

Also, about RAM, if you can't find a cheap enough laptop with 1GB, or can only find 512MB laptop in your price range with dedicated video RAM, you have the option of buying a 512MB laptop and throw in a 512MB so-dimm stick.

 

[Sxotty]

why worry so much about WiFi? it's not like only Centrino laptops are the only one with integrated WiFi, far from it. Centrino is only a well advertised brand to bring cash to Intel..

The reason, was i just wanted to make sure that he chose to get that option. And further the reason is that it is a really annoying and unfriendly thing that corporation are doing. For example, if your wireless card dies and it isn't under warranty you are somewhat hosed now. That is dissapointing.

 

[skilzygw]

Definitely stick to a Pentium M notebook. These notebooks have the bast performance/features, generally.

Have you thought about maybe a MacBook Pro with the new CoreDuo chip? I believe apple makes the best laptops. IMO.

I would probably wait until the Dual Core Pentium M laptops to come out for the windows side of things, before purchasing a laptop.

 

[.Melchiah.]

Thanks for all the replies. =)

We visited the local electronics stores last weekend, and noticed the choices were pretty limited. However, I found a webstore that has this laptop;

Pentium M 725 (1.6GHz)
1024MB of memory
Radeon X700 128MB

Price: 1299 euros.

So, what would you recommend for my girlfriend, the above or one of these:

AMD Turion64 ML 32
1024 MB DDR SO-DIMM (2 x 512MB)
ATI Radeon Xpress 200, 128MB shared memory

or

Mobile AMD Athlon 64 3200+
512 MB DDR (1 x 512MB)
ATI Mobility Radeon X700, 128MB memory

Both cost exactly the same (1199 euros).

 

[Sxotty]

The turion system I assume would be cheaper, but the Intel one you listed has a real graphics adapter instead of just on the chipset. Of course that will likely result in worse battery life...

 

[.Melchiah.]

Actually the ad for the Pentium laptop states it has a long battery life. So I'd assume it lasts longer than usually?

 

[Sxotty]

Actually the ad for the Pentium laptop states it has a long battery life. So I'd assume it lasts longer than usually?

Just because the ad says it has a "long" battery life doesn't really mean much. Find a review of it and see what the battery life actually is. You never listed who the manufacture is etc. If you do that then you can pehaps find reviews for the models in question.

 

[.Melchiah.]

The Pentium laptop is HP Pavilion dv4339EA,
AMD Turion is Fujitsu Siemens Computers AMILO A1655G,
and AMD 3200+ is Fujitsu Siemens Computers AMILO A1667G.

 

[ANova]

Dells new latops are available with the Core Solo for a decent price and you can get a Core Duo for not much more, though they come with the Intel GMA 950. I'm not so sure you need anything more than that however.

Tbh, you'll probably be better off getting a Turion 64 or Pentium M. Something like a 1.6 GHz with 1 GB ram and a mobility X300.