Need help in buyng a computer

What is the best computer to purchase for a beginner photographer? Im going to school for Vis Com Graphic art and printing then transfering to major in photography. I just sold my HP laptop and am not looking to buy a desk top.

The first thing I'd do is check with your school and see what they use/recommend. No use buying a PC if your school uses Macs or vice versa.

also: many schools offer discounts to students via direct purchase or referral.

Are you looking for PC or are you also considering an Apple?

Looking to buy a Mac

For laptops, I would look at a Dell. Just don't buy the pre-configured crap. I would configure something with more memory/CPU power/HD space, etc. And get the 3 year warranty with it, and an extra battery.

Ideally, once you get it I usually have it reformatted and Windows installed bare. These manufacturers are great at loading useless software.

crn3371 wrote in post #8989650
The first thing I'd do is check with your school and see what they use/recommend. No use buying a PC if your school uses Macs or vice versa.

Why is that? My school uses Mac, yet I have a PC (would've bought a Mac if I had the money, that's not the point. Thing is I can wait for a long time till that moment). Still, using things as Photoshop on a PC, brings me just as much knowledge about it in Photoshop, except for a few key's and such.

Personally I'd go Mac. I just like them a lot more. They seem a lot more stable to me, work fast enough for a lot of things and they are pretty easy to get used to, even if you switch.

I'd have to strongly recommend MacBook I've used mine 12 hours a day for 2+ years without problem.

Only issue for photography is the screen is bit small so getting another screen to plug it into would be worthwhile.

Not sure on current price but I paid $1500 aud for it 2+ years ago

P.S CanonChic what sort of budget range?

1500 would sound about right for a budget range, I was looking at the IMac for the large monitor. Is a laptop better then desk top?

Ahh well if you want a Mac it's easy. Just find the nearest Apple Store and give them all your money.

Ah well I'm a student at art school and I couldn't handle not having my laptop with me some days. It makes study alot easier in alot of aspects. For really in depth long photoshopping etc I prefer desktop but overall I would recommended laptop over desktop.

One solution I've found is just getting a cheap large monitor and keyboard I can plug into my laptop so when at home I can plug all these together and work in more comfort.

I teach Vis Com and Mac is the way to go. Before teaching I ran a design and photo studio for 18 years. Just saying because maybe I'm Mac-biased.

Laptops are probably better for students. The big advantage to desktops are expandability and better performance for less money. Small components cost a premium, but for students, portability is probably very important. IF you can work on a train or something.

iMacs are a great deal. Everywhere I go tends to have a Mac, so I travelled to school with just a 250GB external FW drive. Bus-powered. Everywhere I went, I had all my data. Might be the best deal for you.

Buy the minimum amount of memory, then buy more in the aftermarket market. Companies make a killing upselling RAM.

Go into your mac store and look around, tell them what you want to do and for how much. Take everything for a test drive.

nphsbuckeye wrote in post #8990331
Buy the minimum amount of memory, then buy more in the aftermarket market. Companies make a killing upselling RAM.

This would be true if you were buying a PC or an older mac* that still had a door for RAM.

But, since the OP is asking for advice on purchasing a new mac, I would guess she's not going to be opening up a unibody MacBook to install more ram.

*I full endorse buying a refurbished mac. My 2006 MacBook Pro I bought used for less than $1000 performs comparably to my 2008 unibody MacBook Pro which ran closer to $1800 new.

snails wrote in post #8990380
Go into your mac store and look around, tell them what you want to do and for how much. Take everything for a test drive.

This would be true if you were buying a PC or an older mac* that still had a door for RAM.

But, since the OP is asking for advice on purchasing a new mac, I would guess she's not going to be opening up a unibody MacBook to install more ram.

*I full endorse buying a refurbished mac. My 2006 MacBook Pro I bought used for less than $1000 performs comparably to my 2008 unibody MacBook Pro which ran closer to $1800 new.

Sorry, I skipped most of the thread and skipped to adding my .02. But yes, obviously you can't add memory to a unibody unless you want to void the warranty.

nphsbuckeye wrote in post #8990408
Sorry, I skipped most of the thread and skipped to adding my .02. But yes, obviously you can't add memory to a unibody unless you want to void the warranty.

Only to a certain degree... the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act protects consumers from losing their warranty entirely.