Laptop search

[Elaineofshalott2]

I am trying to help a friend locate a laptop.

She will put it to general use. She definitely wants to be able to run Creative Suite 6 smoothly. She does a fair amount of photo editing mostly at a skilled hobbyist level she isn't doing it for employment. Since she has inconsistent internet access she intends to purchase Creative Suite 6 from last year. Minimal video editing but she might combine clips from brief video taken with her camera. Light gaming should be possible. She wants a minimum screen size of 15 inches. An optical drive is a must.

She found this laptop but it is more than she wanted to pay. She was looking to find something closer to $1000.

http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-17-3-Inch-i7-4700MQ-Processor-SuperMulti/dp/B00HWI4OB4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411840027&sr=8-1&keywords=toshiba+laptop+qosmio

I priced out a Sager with similar specs for about $1200. Are there any other ideas? Are any of these specs overkill for what she uses it for? No HP recommendations please. She's had bad experiences with quality from them in the past and doesn't trust them.

 

[Burpo]

$758 Walmart
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Dell-Long...bucket_id=irsbucketdefault&findingMethod=p13n

 

[Enigmoid]

$758 Walmart
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Dell-Longi...ingMethod=p13n

Thats a 15W i7 and likely 1/3/-1/2 as powerful as the 4700MQ.

 

[Burpo]

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i7-4510U+@+2.00GHz
Yeah about 1/2 with better battery life & still plenty for what she's doing..

 

[Ketchup]

How much hard drive does she need? How about something like this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-890-_-Product

and use the money saved over the Toshiba to get her a nice-sized SSD. She will love it!

 

[Elaineofshalott2]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-890-_-Product

No HP recommendations please. She's had bad experiences with quality from them in the past and doesn't trust them.

She also doesn't want to do any upgrades. I actually offered to build her a desktop since she doesn't plan on moving it around but she says she wants "something that just works it comes out of the box"

How is tigerdirect these days?

I found this Acer there for $1000.00 http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=9086754&CatId=7669

Newegg also has this Asus for pre-order releasing next week

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834232122&cm_re=asus_rog-_-34-232-122-_-Product

Will integrated graphics get in her way? Does 16GB RAM make much difference for the full version of photoshop over 8 or 12?

 

[Burpo]

That pre-order is kick a$$.. Not that she'll see any improvement in photoshop with the 16gb of ram, but it's nice to have.. Smaller screen is the only real disadvantage.

 

[Away]

15"
http://www.logicbuy.com/deals/lenovo-y50-gaming-laptop/48712.aspx

17"
http://www.logicbuy.com/deals/dell-inspiron-17-touch-laptop/46651.aspx

 

[Ketchup]

No HP recommendations please. She's had bad experiences with quality from them in the past and doesn't trust them.

That's fine, but don't get an Acer. They are the most cheaply laptops made, and reviews from those who have had them more than a year will show it. I have worked with HPs that are several years old and functionally they have held up very well (there was a line or two a few years ago that didn't do so well, but that's it).

Toshibas, Lenovos, and Dells are also good laptops overall. The laptop you linked at the top is nice and should last her a while, I think most of us are just trying to show you that you can get something that works just as well for less money.