Laptop?

[149motorsports]

I'm tossing around the idea of buying a cheap laptop to take with me when im on the road to get some work done. What is a good one to buy, im only using it for graphic work and possibly the internet if im in a place where i can get free wifi. whats some good models? do i need anything specific like gigs,ram,ect i should be looking for? thanks

 

[CP Signs]

A minimum of 8gigs of ram and a good NVIDIA graphics card. A i5 or i7 processor is a big plus.

 

[mgcustomgraphics]

cheap lap top is not gonna do it my friend, unless you dont work with big files, i agree at least a 8 gb ram and that is not in the cheap category, unless you buy used which i dont recommend when buying electronics.

 

[149motorsports]

any models you suggest? i wont be cutting off it, just designing and transfering it on to my usb and then when im back in town ill put it on my main computer. thanks!

 

[SlightlyChilled]

I have a toshiba Qosmio it's real nice

 

[WildWestDesigns]

I have a toshiba Qosmio it's real nice

That's what I use as well. It is an 18" behemoth though, but it handles all my programs really well and well run all the embroidery heads and cutter/printers just fine.

 

[SlightlyChilled]

Hardest thing is finding a laptop backpak

That's what I use as well. It is an 18" behemoth though, but it handles all my programs really well and well run all the embroidery heads and cutter/printers just fine.

 

[James Burke]

Get something good...especially if you'll be showing customers your digital portfolio.

Stay away from Black Friday specials...they're nothing but trouble.


JB

 

[WildWestDesigns]

Hardest thing is finding a laptop backpak

Targus has one. Works great. Even fits my 12WX as well.

 

[john1]

I would look for something with a intel i7 processor and as good of graphics card and buncha ram you can find. Laptops anymore are cheap, I think anyway.

 

[choucove]

As I mentioned in a thread similar to this recently, I highly recommend the HP EliteBook series of laptops for any kind of design work. Especially for the price, you cannot beat the EliteBook at any kind of design oriented task with a similarly priced consumer grade laptop. I would never recommend to someone to get a consumer-grade laptop. Owning a computer repair shop personally, the vast majority of computers we get in with problems are just junk laptops. However, in three years time we have sold dozens of HP ProBook and EliteBook laptops and have not had a single one have a single hardware fault yet.

Some of the big differences that set an EliteBook apart:

These are high-durability business-class notebooks. They are built with solid magnesium alloy chassis core, and the frame all around the display panel is solid magnesium alloy to give the most protection possible to your computer during normal travel, wear, and tear. These computers also come with the best performance capabilities possible, with mid to high end Intel processors and professional series graphics cards like the FirePro and nVidia Quadro instead of gaming graphics or even basic integrated graphics which don't perform with near the fidelity and precision as true professional graphics cards.

Additionally, the HP EliteBook series come with a higher quality display panel and support for running multiple external monitors if you need, offering all of the latest connectivity options. The laptops also are highly customizable and upgradable, so you can add up to 16 GB of RAM on some models, 32 GB of RAM in others, as well as options for SSDs, extended batteries, docking stations, and more.

And finally, most of your consumer-grade laptops will only come with a standard 1 year warranty. Most HP EliteBooks come standard with a 3-year next business day top tier business class warranty.

If you want an example of the tested and true nature of the EliteBook, a couple years ago when I went to the ISA convention in Las Vegas most of the vendors running any kind of demonstration, including wide format printers and routers, were using EliteBook laptops for all their work.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

As I mentioned in a thread similar to this recently, I highly recommend the HP EliteBook series of laptops for any kind of design work.

I've had better luck with the Lenovo ThinkPads then I have had for the HP EliteBooks. Just my experience though.

.

Additionally, the HP EliteBook series come with a higher quality display panel and support for running multiple external monitors if you need, offering all of the latest connectivity options. The laptops also are highly customizable and upgradable, so you can add up to 16 GB of RAM on some models, 32 GB of RAM in others, as well as options for SSDs, extended batteries, docking stations, and more.

The Qosmio that I have, does have all those capabilities. About the only one that I have taken advantage of though is the external monitors. I run a 12WX with mine. Not a lick of problems. I got this when Win 7 first came out, so it's been a little over 3 years, still runs as fast as the day I bought it. Now it's still technically consumer grade, however, not all consumer grade products are created equal. I certainly wouldn't lump the VX7 either with the same stuff you can just pick up at Best Buy.

 

[choucove]

I've had better luck with the Lenovo ThinkPads then I have had for the HP EliteBooks. Just my experience though.



The Qosmio that I have, does have all those capabilities. About the only one that I have taken advantage of though is the external monitors. I run a 12WX with mine. Not a lick of problems. I got this when Win 7 first came out, so it's been a little over 3 years, still runs as fast as the day I bought it. Now it's still technically consumer grade, however, not all consumer grade products are created equal. I certainly wouldn't lump the VX7 either with the same stuff you can just pick up at Best Buy.

WildWest you are correct, there are some that stand out above the rest and the Qosmio is a line that I know has had a good reputation. There are some differences, even when you consider they are similar in cost and performance.

I shouldn't make the broad statement that all consumer laptops are junk, that's not really what I mean, but most of the time people want to go pick up a $500 laptop from Best Buy or online from Walmart and are upset when it breaks six months down the road or runs too slow right out of the box to be practical for any use at all. This is why we recommend business-class laptops. For the same price, you get so much better quality and service behind it. As I stated, we have never had a ProBook or EliteBook come back in yet.

 

[Move In Media]

most of the time people want to go pick up a $500 laptop from Best Buy or online from Walmart and are upset when it breaks six months down the road or runs too slow right out of the box to be practical for any use at all. This is why we recommend business-class laptops. For the same price, you get so much better quality and service behind it.

+1 except for the "same price" part.... in my experience the business line are more expensive than consumer models.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

+1 except for the "same price" part.... in my experience the business line are more expensive than consumer models.

Asus VX7. That just breaks the mold in my experience.

 

[Vinylman]

Here we go

I am running a MacBook Pro.
Using Parallels to run the ONE PC program I use. {XARA}.
The rest of my programs are Adobe Suite 6.
This set up, though NOT CHEAP runs circles around my former laptop set up.

I have been running Macs and the "Parallels" system for several years, and they play well together giving me the best of both worlds.

 

[Move In Media]

Asus VX7. That just breaks the mold in my experience.

Well, that's no standard consumer model, that's a gaming laptop..... and unless there have been changes in design software, you don't really need a graphics card for design, just a powerful processor, lots of ram and a speedy hard drive, but in terms of quality of hardware, usually gaming laptops are at/above the level of business line computers. And that's the real difference between consumer and business grade, not necessarily the speed, rather the quality of hardware, as business laptops are ideally built for reliability.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

This set up, though NOT CHEAP runs circles around my former laptop set up.

What exactly was that former laptop setup?

I know my Toshiba runs circles around my mom's MacBook and she was running Parallels as well. She has since gone on to a ThinkPad (which is one of the reasons why that line comes to mind quickly for this thread).

 

[WildWestDesigns]

Well, that's no standard consumer model, that's a gaming laptop..... and unless there have been changes in design software, you don't really need a graphics card for design, just a powerful processor, lots of ram and a speedy hard drive,

That depends. I have had renderings for my embroidery patterns bog down the computer, especially on bigger patterns when there was a less then stellar graphics card in there. Now, my embroidery programs do render in 3D, so that could be the difference there as well.

However, if you are going to run more then 1 monitor, I would say a good graphics card is necessary for that as well.

My Toshiba setup can take the place as my main design setup if need be. Minus the 3rd monitor. But now, when I go on the road, that's what I want. A mobile version of my office. That isn't for everyone though.

 

[Move In Media]

Now, my embroidery programs do render in 3D, so that could be the difference there as well.

Lol, I was just thinking 'should I revise my post to mention the few exception when there is 3D rendering that needs done'. My above opinion is based on some research I've done when purchasing a computer for office. Seems that most sources say that a powerful graphics card is secondary when designing. Although IMHO, I dont understand why software companies dont tap into the potential of gaming video cards, some of them have as much ecomputing power than the CPU... these days they're almost like mini-computers....

However, if you are going to run more then 1 monitor, I would say a good graphics card is necessary for that as well.

TBH I dont know anything about this... I know that you might want a video card with two outputs if you plan to run two monitors on a desktop, but do you really need the processing power?