Need laptop advice

[Coppatop85]

So, my computer is 6 (SIX) years old. I need a new one that will last me another 6 years, but I will be moving around a lot in that time, so I intend to get a laptop.

Usually when I buy stuff like this, I tend to buy top of the line so it lasts me a very long time. I do a lot of stuff with my computer (Business stuff, gaming, photoshop) so I pretty much need it to be a desktop replacement.

I have never bought or owned a laptop before, so I am looking for advice on what to get, where to buy from, and where I can get a (relatively) good deal. I know macs are best for photoshop and apps, but since I game as well, and have never owned a mac, I would like to stay PC-style. I am looking at quadcore laptops, though I am wondering how long it will be before the core i7 chips are available for laptops.

Any responses would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

[Thalagyrt]

Price range? Lenovo just released a serious powerhouse laptop workstation, but it's in the $4000+ range. The thing has a built in Wacom tablet, a second display that you can pull out, quad core 2.83 chip, the works.

People here will probably say buy Apple, but I'll pre-counter that with a story. Also, as a note, I do run OSX, but not on Apple hardware.

Pre-rant note: I am a computer engineer.

I owned a Macbook Pro 17 inch, second generation. Great laptop, while the thing lasted. Due to what appeared to be a manufacturing defect, all of the networking hardware started malfunctioning, and anything else on the PCI bus (not much in Apple hardware) was also acting very wonky. I took this for an AppleCare repair, and for something that should be covered under warranty, they quoted me $1000. Yes, that's right. For what should be a warranty repair, they wanted me to pay $1000 to replace a part or two that likely had a total cost sum of $100 simply because the laptop had a small ding on it from bumping it. It made more sense for me to buy this Vostro 1700 with better specs than spend $2800 to replace something that was less than 4 months old.

If you don't have any issues that require any form of repair, then they're great machines, but the chances of that happening is honestly pretty low.

[Coppatop85]

3,000 max for the lappy.

[KayakPhotos]

Maybe look into having a custom machine built? This is a little bit harder to do with a laptop, but I'm sure it's possible. You could probably get a little bit better bang for your buck having a pc built to your specifications. The advantage of the MAC choice seems to be that a lot of pc's come bundled with crap software and shoddy hardware components so that they can be sold for cheaper. Since you have a large budget, I am sure you could find a top end PC that would fit your needs. The MAC usually has a price premium, but some people (including me) prefer the OS. If you go for newer Macbook Pro, I would suggest avoiding the 15" model and going for the custom 17" that has the Matte Screen option. All of the 15" models have a glossy screen that is extremely reflective. Not very good for editing. You could also look into getting last years model, which a lot of photographers on the forum have said they preferred over the newer ones.

[Coppatop85]

Here's what I'm looking at: http://www.powernotebooks.com/configure.php?special=551 with some upgrades (more ram, faster processor, better video card)

[MaxxuM]

There are some up's and down's to that 'laptop'. Like other gaming machines this thing is going to be heavy, think, suck down the battery quickly and HOT. The up side is you're getting a desktop CPU with slightly slower bus bandwidth than current gen laptops. If you're on the go a lot (2-3 week or more) this thing is going to become annoying. Notice how they don't show you the power brick? It's double the price and likely double the size as most power bricks. The chipset is dated (2006) but it is par for the course for these type's of laptops.

Personally, I would look elsewhere. Perhaps Alienware, Dell XPS, Asus, or Rock Direct. 6 years is a lot to ask from any computer and that goes doubly for laptops. Personally, I would buy a 17" MacBook Pro :)