Selling my laptop .. some advice

[HuskiesD1]

First, I'm not considering selling my laptop due to a financial crunch. Keeping it just seems impractical.

(I've started so many posts with these words!) I am an intern photographer for a local weekly paper in MN, a Mass Communications (Photo, of course) and History major at a nearby college, and my dad and I are members of a sports photography company.

Last year, I bought a 13" MacBook, the nice little white one, to edit photos on the spot. This purchase has presented some problems:

1) I bought the MacBook to write articles and edit photos on the fly. Turns out that this has been a little less necessary than I thought, to the point where I don't do it much at all. If I have to write at school, I can just go to the library.

2) My computer could be used by members of the sports photography company, but everyone has their own laptop and really does not know how to use a Mac. I am always more of a photographer than an editor/salesmen.

3) The hard drive is 60GB. This is not very large.

I may sell this laptop - for cheaper because it is just a little used. I don't know if I'd buy another one because I may not need it yet.

Any suggestions?

[cosworth]

External hard drives are cheap. I just bought a new dell XPS with a small but FAST hard drive.

That's all I got. If you don't use it, sell it.

[liza]

Go ahead and sell it. I don't know that I'd really use one either. You could purchase a sweet lens (like the 300 f/2.8) with the proceeds. :)

[HuskiesD1]

I appreciate your really, really, really fast responses.

I don't feel like carrying around the extra hard drive, no matter how small.

Fortunately, most of my photo assignments are also closer to home, so I can either drop by the office or drive home to edit first.

[Woolburr]

Usually no need to carry an external drive on an assignment...I just d/l stuff to the laptop for a quick edit and to send the necessary files and photos on their merry way. When I get back to the office, I plug into the external drive and remove the latest shoot from the laptop, freeing up that space for the next shoot. I like having a laptop on assignment, if only for nothing more than a bigger screen to review the shots on.

If you find you aren't using yours...by all means...sell it and get something practical.

[steved110]

As always, there is no point keeping gear you don't use.

And with tech stuff, the longer you sit on it, the less value it holds. Sell it fast!

[DimensionZero]

just wondering would you use it more if you had a larger hard drive? because that's pretty easy to upgrade. You'll just have to reinstall the OS and your programs again, but it would definitely be something to consider.

Not too expensive either... You can get a 160gb hard drive for about $150CDN and I'm sure in the US you can find one for much cheaper than that online...

Plus you can then take your old hard drive and pick up a hyperdrive enclosure or something for dumping your photos off the CF card when you're out in the field.

[HuskiesD1]

just wondering would you use it more if you had a larger hard drive? because that's pretty easy to upgrade. You'll just have to reinstall the OS and your programs again, but it would definitely be something to consider.

Not too expensive either... You can get a 160gb hard drive for about $150CDN and I'm sure in the US you can find one for much cheaper than that online...

Plus you can then take your old hard drive and pick up a hyperdrive enclosure or something for dumping your photos off the CF card when you're out in the field.

Good suggestions, but if I am shooting that many photos, I will be shooting for the sports company and someone else will have the equipment needed.

Part of the reason for selling it is the need for summer tuition if I'd like to graduate with two degrees next Spring :)

[Fade2]

I'm in need of a mac!
Let me know.