i dont know what im doing.. help?

james_d_23

hi, im a multimedia student and have decided to get myself a laptop for this year, problem is i dont really know what to look for..

basically i can get 20 percent off dell computers and im looking to spend no more than €1000, so thats a computer worth.. €1210.. thats all fine an all but i just dont know what i should go for, i need to use programs like photoshop, flash, dreamweaver (all at once alot of the time) so i think that means i need a good bit of memory, right?! not too sure, any suggestions would be really appreciated..

cheers, James.

Villain

Is that 1210 including VAT? If so an Inspiron M1210 might be an idea: http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/products/features.aspx/xpsnb_m1210?c=ie&cs=iedhs1&l=en&s=dhs

Or if you want a big screen i.e. 17" try and Inspiron 9400, both those have a good spec at your price except for the shared graphics. You could go with a 6400 with a simalar spec but with a 128mb Radeon x1300 for that money also.

DirkVoodoo

Hmm, the m1210 with gfx card adds another 300 euro onto the list price. I configured one with GFX card and a core 2 duo T7200 and it came to €2000 with the standard warranties on offer, incl. VAT of course.

Would be the best option for u tho, but if u want a cheaper alternative, then the 6400 is a bargain buy.

james_d_23

those do look like good options, unfortunatly over 1200 would mean no eating for me so thats out the window!

am i right in thinking that shared graphics means that things like photoshop will run slower? cos i dont mind sacrificing things like hd space if i need to..

Villain

Correct, shared graphics will be slower with photoshop etc, I'd go with a 6400 with 128mb graphics.

DirkVoodoo

Ive heard that the m1210 can run older 3D games like unreal tournament (year unknown, apologies) can run quite well, altho there is some texture tearing.

If u buy a few sticks of RAM after its shipped, and when u get the cash, then you might have a bit more freedom. Ive never used shared graphics so i cant speak from experience.

I was considering purchasing one myself with the intel GMA 950 chipset, for battery and heat reasons, as i only need it for some light 3D rendering (anyone know what the system reqs are for MIMICS software?).

Im sure that it could handle photoshop, but maybe someone wiser could clear that up for you.

EDIT: agree with irish1, 6400 with gfx would be good. €1349 for a pre-specced one on dell.ie, its the only one with the core 2 duo, but to be honest, a yonah T2500 would be snappy enough.

james_d_23

yeah that seems like a good all rounder and with the graphics card seems the best..

on the 9400 it says it has "Integrated Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 950"
is that just slightly better than shared graphics to make up for the extra screen size? or am i taking sh'ite?!

DirkVoodoo

i think the m1210 uses the GMA 950 as well, its still integrated, and can use up to 200-something MB of your RAM.

Also, the 9400 is pretty big, if your going to be carrying it around a lot, get the 6400, same but smaller (more or less)

james_d_23

size isnt really an issue (heh heh..) but i think the overall consensus seems to be the 6400 with the 128MB ATI® Mobility™ Radeon® X1300.. agreed? that works out at 1008 so i can possibly get a few upgrades too..

is it worth it to upgrade to windows media centre? its 36yoyos

james_d_23

also does anybody know how the 6400 with the x1300 would compare with the

apple macbook (the cheapest white one ),


13.3-inch widescreen display

1280 x 800 resolution

1.83GHz Intel Core Duo1

512MB memory (2 x 256MB SODIMMs)

60GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard drive 2

Combo drive (DVD-ROM, CD-RW)

but ive been told that apples and pcs shouldnt be directly compared as apples generally run faster, is that true?

tywy

the macbooks have integrated graphics...

you are also recommended to upgrade to 1GB of RAM

james_d_23

ah, i see, thanks