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Tumeg
9th of October 2008 (Thu), 00:17
Alright, so here is the deal.
My dad said he will give me $1,500 to put towards a new computer, if and when I become an eagle scout (will be one sometime in July or so). I know that is still quite a ways away, but I like planning ahead... WAY ahead...
SO, I am willing to pay a little more, but it is not ideal.
I went around to Dell, Toshiba, and Sony and I ended with the conclusion that Sony has the best bang for your buck. I did think about the MacBook Pro, since they are suppose to be updated soon, along with a price drop, but I will have to think about that after they update them. ANYWAY, I configured a Sony VGN-FW290 laptop, and here are the specs, all for a total of $1,620 (including tax)

16.4” LCD – XBRITE-FullHD
320GB SATA Hard Disk Drive [7200 RPM]
ATI Mobility Radeaon HD 3650 with 512MB vRam
Intel Core 2 Duo Processor P8600 2.40GHz
DVD+R DL / DVD+RW / DVD-RAM Drive
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64- bit
4 GB DDR2-SDRAM (DDR2-2gb x 2)

Please let me know if this is a good machine for editing. I currently have lightroom, and will be loading it on the laptop (it will be replacing my PC, it has about twice the specs as my desktop) and in the future I plan on Photoshop CS4. I know what you guys may say; "If Lightroom runs fine on your computer, than it will run amazing on the laptop" but I just want to make sure. :lol:

I realize the screen is HUGE, but c'mon, it's HD, the smallest HD screen available. I will be getting the HD screen, and it is 16:9.
The hard drive may sound small, but my current one is 120gb and I just filled it (unloaded some unused photos on to an external and cleared them off my HD. I only put photos on the external that I don't really need access to (older photos)).

I will be traveling with this laptop (15 day cruise. We are leaving localy, but flying across the country to get back home in the end). So I'd like to know how practical you guys think this will be.


Sorry for the long post! But thanks for the help, in advance...

Tony-S
9th of October 2008 (Thu), 00:28
I wouldn't use a laptop for photo editing unless I had a nice external display for it.

Tumeg
9th of October 2008 (Thu), 00:47
I wouldn't use a laptop for photo editing unless I had a nice external display for it.


Well, of course I will be using an external display... But not when traveling (that's why I will be getting the 16.4" screen)

Motley
9th of October 2008 (Thu), 01:35
omg, I just got the EXACT same VAIO laptop delivered to me yesterday! Really, the only difference was I got the 250GB hard drive.

This XBRITE-FullHD 1920x1080 Screen is incredible! It has 2 LED backlite, so editing photos is awesome, just as good (if not better) than my 24" LCD Dell 2405FPW.

Alot of companies are coming out with LED Backlit, High Definition laptop LCDs now.

Tumeg
9th of October 2008 (Thu), 01:44
omg, I just got the EXACT same VAIO laptop delivered to me yesterday! Really, the only difference was I got the 250GB hard drive.

This XBRITE-FullHD 1920x1080 Screen is incredible! It has 2 LED backlite, so editing photos is awesome, just as good (if not better) than my 24" LCD Dell 2405FPW.

Alot of companies are coming out with LED Backlit, High Definition laptop LCDs now.

Nice! :D

How do you feel about it's size\weight? Would you consider it a burden to travel with? (If in a laptop\camera backpack)

FlyingPhotog
9th of October 2008 (Thu), 01:48
I just wanted to toss in a "Good Job" for making Eagle...

Definately a worthy accomplishment. I'm very proud to be one myself.

Tumeg
9th of October 2008 (Thu), 01:55
I just wanted to toss in a "Good Job" for making Eagle...

Definately a worthy accomplishment. I'm very proud to be one myself.

I actually am not one yet :oops:
Just have to finish up one merit badge and to my project, which I will be completing in May-July, so an Eagle possibly in August some time.
I am doing my project them, because that will be the end of school and I can spend more time working on it. I am only 15, so I can wait :D

But thanks anyway! My brother just became an eagle scout about a month ago.

FlyingPhotog
9th of October 2008 (Thu), 01:58
I actually am not one yet :oops:
Just have to finish up one merit badge and to my project, which I will be completing in May-July, so an Eagle possibly in August some time.
I am doing my project them, because that will be the end of school and I can spend more time working on it. I am only 15, so I can wait :D

But thanks anyway! My brother just became an eagle scout about a month ago.

Awesome!

Don't ever hesitate to put it down on a resume when you head out into working world. It made several of my earliest employers sit up and take notice. ;)

Billginthekeys
13th of October 2008 (Mon), 20:32
There almost no point in specing out a laptop over 6 months before you buy it, everything will have changed by next summer.

Where are you taking your cruise?

Microcosm
14th of October 2008 (Tue), 18:32
Wow lucky! I became and Eagle last November.. no presents!
It's helpful though, I put it all over my college applications and anything else. It is true that you never know who could be one, and the respect you get for it.

Anyway, yeah it's hard to say what will be available several months from now. I'd wait to look around, unless you just like looking which I do.

Tumeg
14th of October 2008 (Tue), 18:56
There almost no point in specing out a laptop over 6 months before you buy it, everything will have changed by next summer.

Where are you taking your cruise?


Yeah, I guess :p


15 day, Panama Canal cruise... Leaving from Las Angeles, CA and the last port is in Florida and then I fly home (Orange County, CA)

Billginthekeys
15th of October 2008 (Wed), 00:08
Yeah, I guess :p


15 day, Panama Canal cruise... Leaving from Las Angeles, CA and the last port is in Florida and then I fly home (Orange County, CA)

Awesome, what line? I took that same cruise with Regent last Christmas. Except I'm from Florida so I ended up at home in the end.

Tumeg
16th of October 2008 (Thu), 02:59
Awesome, what line? I took that same cruise with Regent last Christmas. Except I'm from Florida so I ended up at home in the end.

Princess, on the Coral Princess :D