redfordl Loc: Carver,Ma.

Many of the photo courses i have been taking recently require or rx a laptop for post processing purposes etc.Even for displaying ones"s photos at a club event etc. The laptop should have the following features 4-6 gb dram mem,500gb drive,15.6" screen, an i-3 processor or equivalent . Will be using it to download photos and process them on pe10. Price should be around $500. Any recommendations?

steve40 Loc: Asheville/Canton, NC, USA

I have Dell N5010, that I have had a little over a year. Has i5 core, 750 gig HD, 8 gigs of RAM, 15.5 inch screen. I paid around $800 something for mine, but I noticed they have gone down to around 5-6. Mine has worked like a horse - I am not kind to computers, and its still ticking. I would recommend one. :)

Pentony Loc: Earth Traveller

You already have your own requirements (specifications [specs]). Now go to your nearest Best Buy store in Mass, there are several; go there not to buy, but to get a look at different laptops. See how each feels to you. Talk to the sales person. Resist thetheir pressure and temptation to immediately buy. Continue your research. Then go on the INTERNET and search for different laptops based on your specs. Next go to a different Best Buy and a different non-Best Buy (competitor) electronic store, like CompuServe (CompUSA / Tiger Direct), etc. Now you have some experience and comfort before you spend the $$$. The only thing I recommend is that you buy a notebook which has a numeric pad on the right side of its keyboard. Numeric key pad usually means a 15 inch screen. Also buy one which has a camera and a DVD burner. Some excellent manufacturers are ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Samsung and there are others. We can recommend different laptops but the final decision is yours. Your search may seem over whelming at first but keep at it. After a short while you'll get comfortable and narrow your selection. Have fun. ***************** Oh by the way, as with any man made machine, there are lemons. If you get one, take it right back. You have a warranty and usually within the first 15 or 30 days, a trial period, you can get another one, a different one or a refund. Read the fine print right away. KEEP THE BOX. *********************
After purchasing your laptop, if it's the one you're going to keep, first thing is to charge its battery before using it. CHARGING THE BATTERY BEFORE USING THE LAPTOP IS VERY IMPORTANT, charge it usually overnight. Then make a set of backup DVDs and store them away in a cool temperature location. Your laptop's hard drive is formatted into a 'C' drive and a 'D' drive. Only use the "C" drive. The laptop may not come with a hard copy manual. You can go on line at the manufacturer's site and read the manual. Eventually you may want to down-load the manual. It's probably easier and cost effective to go to UPS or FedEx and pay them to down load it for you. Again, have fun. Let us know how you make out!

Pentony Loc: Earth Traveller

Some more things. Skip Microsoft Works. Buy one of the Microsoft Office Software suites and have it preloaded. Get an anti-virus program. Go on line to Microsoft and down load for free Microsoft Security Essentials. Before you do that, right down your laptop's specs; i.e., OS (operating system; i.e, Windows 7 or 8), bits (32 or 64), hard drive size, ram size, authorization code, etc. Definitely get a cover or a "bag" for your laptop.

Iduno Loc: Near Tampa Florida

Prices on laptops are dropping like a rock. Do take a look at Costco. They have a 90 day, no questions asked return policy on computers. Unheard of. More importantly they DOUBLE your warranty period offered by the mfg. If all this isn't enough, they offer their own tech service BASED IN THE USA. I just bought a desktop from them and could not be more pleased with their service.

For notebooks, I like Lenovo. They seem bullet proof though I'm currently writing this from a Gateway notebook that just won't die. Buy as much processor (Intel i3, i5, or i7) as you can afford, then as much memory as you can afford.

redpepper Loc: Central NY

I'm a pc user and have recently bought LR4. My desktop is pretty sluggish when using LR. I'm thinking of buying a macbook pro. I love the way the images look on a mac screen. Although its only a 13" screen, do you think that's large enough for pp? Anyone else out there favor Mac over pc for photo editing?

haroldross Loc: Walthill, Nebraska

I use the MacBook Pro almost exclusively for PP. The screen is large enough for using Lightroom and PhotoShop. I really like the Mac touchpad with it's multi-touch gestures. The only software I sometimes need, Portrait Professional, can be run on the Mac through software called Parallels Desktop. The MacBook Pro is not a cheap way to go.

ggttc Loc: TN

Prices are dropping...so shop shop shop...ASUS, DELL, SONY are all good machines...stuff as much RAM as you can in it...64 bit...HD drive is important but not critical as you will probably graduate to external...and the best Intel processor...may cost a little more but will ceratinly pan out in performance

flyguy Loc: Las Cruces, New Mexico

I have 13" one that I bought last year and love it, got it with biggest hard drive and and all the RAM it it would hold (8G) and have had no problems.

bamfordr Loc: Campbell CA

A few thoughts.

If you will be using the laptop for PP, RAM, main processor, and integrated graphics processor are the most important considerations. If you are like me, you will plug in a full-sized keyboard and (eventually) add a large, high resolution monitor ... so ensure the laptop can add both peripherals (most can). I'd buy the highest end Intel main processor I could (I5 or I7). Even if your software cannot take full advantage of it now, it eventually will. As far as graphics processing is concerned, you'll need to check out the laptop and display with your software.

Consider a solid state disk drive - for speed. Capacity is not as critical, assuming the laptop can also handle an external hard drive, which most can.

By the way, I carry an 11 inch Acer Aspire One laptop for backup storage and previewing on trips (compact, light, etc.). I still use a desktop for PP. The laptop plus the desktop cost less than the high end laptop, and I don't have to worry (too much) about damage or theft, and I can (theoretically) upgrade the desktop (graphics card, memory, motherboard, etc.).

PhotoArtsLA Loc: Boynton Beach

For $500, you are going for a PC. With any PC, the gamma of the screen, and its color performance are generally less than optimum. The added expense for a Mac shines in its ready for prime time screen performance. Much higher resolution than any PC screen, and much better gamma and color. This is why the Mac is the 800 pound gorilla in the world of advertising.

mcveed Loc: Kelowna, British Columbia (between trips)

I'd recommend a mac, but they're out of your price range. While you're doing your shopping take a look at a few macs. You may find a very strong incentive to adjust your budget.

rebride

Couple thoughts...
Get an i5 (with turbo boost) rather than i3. 3rd generation if possible. 2nd generation okay though.
The new Intel 4000 integrated graphics is being put into a lot of laptops now. At least the 3000, not the 2000. A dedicated video card would be nice.
You should be able to get 6GB RAM maybe 8GB for that price. I have only 6GB in my desktop. Hasn't been a problem.
Make sure it has a port for connecting to your desktop monitor for critical editing.
7200 RPM hard drive vs 5400 RPM to speed things up. Might not be an option and not a deal breaker.
Shop around.

drupoint Loc: MARGATE Tasmania

I just Purchased the Fully optioned Mac Book Pro - Retina Display .

$4K Australian Dollars .

Magic Mouse, USB Keyboard and My Wide Screen Video Adapter Plug .

Runs CS6 Web design Premium , and PHOTOMATIX

Love this Rig .

Cheers