laptop question re PP

wersal gummage

i wouldn't be too up to speed on computers and i just wanted to ask a question.

i currently have a dell laptop - its about 5 years old. inspiron 1150. pentium4, 512mb ram.

it takes me about 30 mins to PP an image in photoshop - just to open the photoshop takes 10mins, then auto levels is instant, then saving the image takes about 15 mins.

i was just wondering - can i upgrade my laptop with more memory? (and is this worthwhile) or would i have to buy a new one???? and if i need a new one - whats the cheapest i'd get away with? - just use it for internet and photoshop and canon software.

thanks very much.

oshead

The cost and hassle of upgrading is not worth it. Sounds like you need new ram, processor and hard disk(s). Not really doable in an old laptop.

You can get some really good, fastish laptops from dell.ie for around €600. Give the old one to a younger sibling or something.

Rb

Hey,

Forget about upgrading it, it's lived quite a long life tbh!

What's your budget like? I'd say e500 will get you something good.

Xiney

If your laptop supports it, you could probably get an extra gig of ram in there and it would make all the difference. I have no idea how much this would cost here, but in Canada it was around 80 bucks.

Otherwise, check out http://www.dell.ie/outlet

wersal gummage

Rb wrote: »

Hey,

Forget about upgrading it, it's lived quite a long life tbh!

What's your budget like? I'd say e500 will get you something good.

i dont have a budget for a laptop at the moment! but getting pretty frustrated with the one i have now.

thanks to oshead and xiney as well.

Rb

Something like this is a good buy for its price. Toshiba are a good make, has good spec etc.

If you wanted to go down the dedicated graphics route, there's some decent Compaqs available for about e550 with 3gb of ram and a 256mb dedicated card. Only problem is it's a Compaq and it's build quality is quite inferior to Toshiba (imo).

wersal gummage

Rb wrote: »

a 256mb dedicated card

thanks.

whats a dedicated card?:eek:

Xiney

dedicated graphics card.

It's generally more useful for gaming than PP.

RAM is where it's at for Photoshop. You can make your computer run like a new machine with a bit of extra RAM - although some laptops don't have space for more or don't support larger formats. Yours should be able to handle up to 2GB (2 x 1GB) though, if it's 5 years old. I wouldn't know for sure without doing a bit of research.

Slidinginfinity

you can just upgrade you memory, dell has the upgrade here, but unless you know laptops innards you will have to pay someone to install it and it will make a bit a difference but you will still have the bottle neck at the CPU.
The memory Upgrade would be a mere stop-gap, allowing you to save a bit and research a new computer.
Hope that helped some. I do know a bit about computers, enough to build my own desktops from scratch.

YourName

I had the exact same problem with my laptop which is also about 5 years old. Two programs I began using regularly just took extremely long times to load or do anything really, one was photoshop and the other is a video editing software called "Avid".

I asked a few people what I could do over in the Computers Building and Upgrading forum and they sent me in the right direction. I only had 512mb of RAM and the max that my laptop could handle was 1GB so I purchased 512mb more from an Irish company online from memoryc.com, got on great with them, cheap enough, great customer service as I didn;t have a clue what I was buying and everything worked out great.

All I had to do was open up the underside of my laptop and pop it in and "Hey Presto" I was done ! ! ! !

Thats just my recommendations, I wouldn't go getting a new PC before giving this a shot first.

(Oh and by the way, I don;t have any connection to memoryc.com whatsoever, just a happy customer)

wersal gummage

Xiney wrote: »

RAM is where it's at for Photoshop. You can make your computer run like a new machine with a bit of extra RAM

Slidinginfinity wrote: »

it will make a bit a difference but you will still have the bottle neck at the CPU. The memory Upgrade would be a mere stop-gap

now that confuses me.

which is it? i'd love to buy new memory. after reading the replies here and googling - apparently i can put 2x1gb ram into the laptop very easily.

but i dont want to go spend a 100 quid doing this if it will 'be a mere stop-gap'. because, obviously, thats 100 quid i could put towards a new laptop....

thanks for all the replies but i'm still kinda confused like i was when i asked the question originally.

wersal gummage

mcgowaner wrote: »

I had the exact same problem with my laptop which is also about 5 years old. Two programs I began using regularly just took extremely long times to load or do anything really, one was photoshop and the other is a video editing software called "Avid".

I asked a few people what I could do over in the Computers Building and Upgrading forum and they sent me in the right direction. I only had 512mb of RAM and the max that my laptop could handle was 1GB so I purchased 512mb more from an Irish company online from memoryc.com, got on great with them, cheap enough, great customer service as I didn;t have a clue what I was buying and everything worked out great.

All I had to do was open up the underside of my laptop and pop it in and "Hey Presto" I was done ! ! ! !

Thats just my recommendations, I wouldn't go getting a new PC before giving this a shot first.

(Oh and by the way, I don;t have any connection to memoryc.com whatsoever, just a happy customer)

thanks magowanaer but they only sell 512mb cards for the laptop i have. i've two RAM slots so i'd be looking to get 2x 1gb cards if i go down that route.

af_thefragile

My macbook is about 3 years old but i upgraded the hard disk and ram last year to 200GB and 2GB respectively. Costed me about €140 for the hard drive and about €40 for the ram. My mac gives me no problems with PP.

But i think your laptop has had its days. 5 years is quite a while, its best you get a new one. You don't need an amazing laptop for PP. Just something with good RAM and a fast processor.

wersal gummage

af_thefragile wrote: »

My macbook is about 3 years old but i upgraded the hard disk and ram last year to 200GB and 2GB respectively. Costed me about €140 for the hard drive and about €40 for the ram. My mac gives me no problems with PP.

But i think your laptop has had its days. 5 years is quite a while, its best you get a new one. You don't need an amazing laptop for PP. Just something with good RAM and a fast processor.

thanks. ok right, well its about 50 50 between upgrade memory and buy a new machine.

whats the processor?? someone else mentioned the CPU - thats central processing unit - ie. processor?? whats this??

if i'm buying a new machine i'll be looking for 3gb ram or higher, but whats the processor part ?? my processor isn't the intel pentium 4 bit is it?? what should i be looking for here? thanks a million.

Slidinginfinity

wersal gummage wrote: »

now that confuses me.

which is it? i'd love to buy new memory. after reading the replies here and googling - apparently i can put 2x1gb ram into the laptop very easily.

but i dont want to go spend a 100 quid doing this if it will 'be a mere stop-gap'. because, obviously, thats 100 quid i could put towards a new laptop....

thanks for all the replies but i'm still kinda confused like i was when i asked the question originally.

Since you can upgrade to 2g of RAM, you should get a year or two more use out of it. Which is good because buying a computer now with Vista is pointless and "downgrading" it XP is more expensive, since Microsoft should be releasing the next Window inside the next 2 to 3 years.

By stop-gap I meant you could hold out until this release. Sorry I wasn't more explicit.

Take the memory upgrade. It will speed up everything.

CPU = Pentium 4

Pete67

Good site here to find out what type of RAM a computer takes - yours can take up to 2 GB total in 2 slots, so 2 x 1GB cards required. It's DDR PC2700 ram.

You can get 2 x 1GB sodimms on eBay (here for example) for around Eur 62 delivered.

Xiney

2.8 Ghz isn't too slow a processor though.

I'd still go for the ram option.

Rb

I second the crucial.com reference, they're absolutely fantastic for memory.

wersal gummage

Pete67 wrote: »

Good site here to find out what type of RAM a computer takes - yours can take up to 2 GB total in 2 slots, so 2 x 1GB cards required. It's DDR PC2700 ram.

You can get 2 x 1GB sodimms on eBay (here for example) for around Eur 62 delivered.

thanks

wersal gummage

would you recommend the crucial above the dell ???

http://accessories.euro.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=ie&l=en&cs=iedhs1&sku=A1535075

the dell is 39 euro.

the crucial is 51

Pete67

Thats a good price from Dell - I'd go with that if the delivery was reasonable.

af_thefragile

wersal gummage wrote: »

thanks. ok right, well its about 50 50 between upgrade memory and buy a new machine.

whats the processor?? someone else mentioned the CPU - thats central processing unit - ie. processor?? whats this??

if i'm buying a new machine i'll be looking for 3gb ram or higher, but whats the processor part ?? my processor isn't the intel pentium 4 bit is it?? what should i be looking for here? thanks a million.

Yup, the pentium 4 bit is your processor. Its one part of your laptop you can't change or upgrade easily.
My macbook has a dualcore processor which is fast enough for what i need.

I think you should look for a laptop with alteast 1.8ghz dual core processor and 2GB ram. That should be sufficient to run photoshop efficiently and smoothly.

wersal gummage

Pete67 wrote: »

Thats a good price from Dell - I'd go with that if the delivery was reasonable.

tis free.

thanks for the advice.

will order now.

Rb

That's surprisingly cheap from dell :pac:

wersal gummage

great stuff.

thanks for all the comments.

2x1gb cards ordered from dell just now. 79.22 with free delivery.

Rb

When upgrading your ram, you'll want to back everything up *just in case* so it's as good an excuse as any to give your system an entire spring clean.

Good luck!

Xiney

Also - with a 5 year old Hard Drive you'll want to be backing everything up onto optical disks regularly.

Pete67

Good point regarding the hard disk, at 5 years old it's a bit of a risk alright. However a new hard disk is not too expensive - 120GB here for Eur56.

You'll also gain a bit a speed from the new drive as it will likely have larger cache and a clean install of the OS and applications will result in a speed boost anyway.

wersal gummage

thanks again for all that. very helpful.

so i'll back up everything i want to keep. then i'll wipe the thing completeley and reinstall windows.

just a quick question - i have some programmes on here that i dont know where i've put the instalation CDs etc - is it possible to back these up? like would there be a .exe or something on the computer somewhere or would i need the CD?? - photoshop being one example:eek:

Rb

wersal gummage wrote: »

thanks again for all that. very helpful.

so i'll back up everything i want to keep. then i'll wipe the thing completeley and reinstall windows.

just a quick question - i have some programmes on here that i dont know where i've put the instalation CDs etc - is it possible to back these up? like would there be a .exe or something on the computer somewhere or would i need the CD?? - photoshop being one example:eek:

You'd need the installation discs or files, although you can download them if you have your serial numbers for the programmes?

You see, when you run an installation disc for say Photoshop, it unpacks a ton of files into different locations on your computer as well as making a load of new entries to the system registry (to see what this is, go to start - run - regedit.exe but do NOT edit anything!!) so backing it up isn't really feasible!

Pete67

You could take an image of the existing hard disk using something like Norton Ghost, save it to a USB drive, install new hard disk in laptop and copy the image back to the new drive - that way the OS, installed programs, data and settings are preserved and you get the reliability of a new hard disk. You don't get the benefit of a clean install however.

City-Exile

Slidinginfinity wrote: »

Since you can upgrade to 2g of RAM, you should get a year or two more use out of it. Which is good because buying a computer now with Vista is pointless and "downgrading" it XP is more expensive, since Microsoft should be releasing the next Window inside the next 2 to 3 years.

By stop-gap I meant you could hold out until this release. Sorry I wasn't more explicit.

Take the memory upgrade. It will speed up everything.

CPU = Pentium 4

OP, completely ignore the above post.
I've never read such nonsense!

Firstly, laptops have an average lifespan of 3 years.
I normally get a hardware refresh every 2 years.

The cost has come down considerably and I bought a HP G70 laptop for my sister for €455, which would be more than capable of running Photoshop.

Windows Vista SP2 is very stable and I have no driver issues.
I've been running Vista for 2 years and SP2 has really improved it.
Vista will be supported for longer than a laptop you buy now will last.
I don't see any reason why you'd avoid buying it, simply because it will be replaced at some point.

We're already running Windows 7 in Beta, which is the next client OS from Microsoft.
It's anticipated that it will be RTM by Q4 of this year, or Q1 of 2010.
It's very similar to Vista and in my opinion, offers little more to the home user.
Anyone running Vista can rest assured that they're not missing out on much.

The Pentium 4 comment was comical!
I don't know of any laptops that ship with a Pentium, let alone one as old as the 4.
If they have Intel processors, they're either Celeron, or Core.
The ultimate laptop processor from Intel being the Core 2 Extreme.

My advice, buy a new machine, but avoid Dell.
They're more trouble than their worth and after 12 years of people in tears, asking me to fix their Dell crap, I'd be happy if I never saw another one.

Placebo

infairness if photoshop is all you use, then ram upgrade will speed up photoshop.
there is a panel under your laptop, open it up and it will have 2 RAM cards , [128x2] , you can easily order 2 of the same type and plug them in.

check what you have here
http://www.crucial.com/

saying that it may cost you up to 80 euro ? new laptops are quite cheap.

anoble66

I have always found Dell laptops to be very good...then again maybe I am biased

But I would agree with the rest of this post, upgrading an old laptop really is a false economy. You might see a little speed difference by upgrading the memory, but that processor will always be the weak link. The time you buy new memory, new hard disk you will be looking at 150e - why not add another 350e and get a new laptop and be done with it.

Something like this for 449e would be decent:-

http://ireland.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/laptop-inspiron-1545?c=ie&cs=iedhs1&l=en&ref=lthp&s=dhs

City-Exile wrote: »

OP, completely ignore the above post.
I've never read such nonsense!

Firstly, laptops have an average lifespan of 3 years.
I normally get a hardware refresh every 2 years.

The cost has come down considerably and I bought a HP G70 laptop for my sister for €455, which would be more than capable of running Photoshop.

Windows Vista SP2 is very stable and I have no driver issues.
I've been running Vista for 2 years and SP2 has really improved it.
Vista will be supported for longer than a laptop you buy now will last.
I don't see any reason why you'd avoid buying it, simply because it will be replaced at some point.

We're already running Windows 7 in Beta, which is the next client OS from Microsoft.
It's anticipated that it will be RTM by Q4 of this year, or Q1 of 2010.
It's very similar to Vista and in my opinion, offers little more to the home user.
Anyone running Vista can rest assured that they're not missing out on much.

The Pentium 4 comment was comical!
I don't know of any laptops that ship with a Pentium, let alone one as old as the 4.
If they have Intel processors, they're either Celeron, or Core.
The ultimate laptop processor from Intel being the Core 2 Extreme.

My advice, buy a new machine, but avoid Dell.
They're more trouble than their worth and after 12 years of people in tears, asking me to fix their Dell crap, I'd be happy if I never saw another one.

Nforce

There is absolutely NO reason to buy a new laptop. Upgrade the memory to the maximum that it will accept (2x 1GB of PC2700 ?).
The cpu could be upgraded too for not much outlay...what was the fastest cpu that was offered in your model? My son has a 5 year old laptop that I've upgraded the memory and swapped out the original Intel pentium iv 2.8ghz for a 3.4ghz version. It's simple enough to do the upgrade.
My own Photoshop notebook is an Alienware m9750 with 4gb of ram and dual hdd/gpu's and i've upgraded that too.

anoble66

ok, so how much would you spend on a new CPU, memory, hard disk....and if your doing all that you may as well upgrade the graphics card. You will be looking at 300e minimum.

Then what do you do about the crappy old motherboard that is now a complete bottleneck and you cannot increase the bus speed to take advantage of the faster cpu, memory or graphics card....its pointless.

Just buy a new laptop

smelltheglove

Hi Op did you get sorted? Laptops dont last that long, I am sitting here on my trusty and loyal desktop typing away and my laptop of less than a year has crashed again. My last laptop only lasted a year also, they just arent as hardy as the desktops so in all likelihood you need a new one.

I have a friend who has a computer company and actually sells quite cheap laptops, he even upgrades second hand ones to new standard for people who cant afford too much. PM me if you are not sorted and I will send you his details, based in Celbridge.

Nforce

anoble66 wrote: »

ok, so how much would you spend on a new CPU, memory, hard disk....and if your doing all that you may as well upgrade the graphics card. You will be looking at 300e minimum.

Then what do you do about the crappy old motherboard that is now a complete bottleneck and you cannot increase the bus speed to take advantage of the faster cpu, memory or graphics card....its pointless.

Just buy a new laptop

CPU...€40
Memory...€60
HDD...not necessary, although you'd get one(make sure it's the older PATA/IDE) on adverts.ie for ~€20.
Graphics card... Why would you need to get a new one? The OP's laptop most likely uses onboard graphics anyhow. The motherboard won't be a bottleneck if the notebook is upgraded to the maximum specified components that it's designed to take.;)
The new cheapo Vista notebooks from the likes of Dell are false economy (I know as i've bought some) and performance can be dire.