heyjoe Loc: cincinnati ohio

just bought a dell with i5 chip 4 ram,i am running photoshop
cs5,elements 10,photomatrix,lightroom 3, portrait program
my laptop is fast with no problems,i have a 14" screen but will times plug into my 22" desk top screen,my pro buddy's use
the mac books,but they make money with their cameras

piedmonte66 Loc: Michigan

You can't go wrong with the macbook pro! I switched to a mac about 3 years ago and absolutely love it for photo editing. It is a little more expensive than a windows base pc, but you will be money ahead in the long run. Best of luck to you!

kweinberg Loc: Bucks Co. PA

Asus is good. MacBook Pro 15" screen is also good. I've had good luck with Toshiba.

DO NOT buy any HP. EVER (unless you want to buy a server). I'm serious. I've yet to own one that didn't break within a year and a half, usually because of bad design or bad assembly. They also like to use "unique" hardware, so that a $15 part becomes $200.

rufus1 Loc: Winter Haven, Florida

Same here have an M17X, when you order one design it for your needs had mine for two years and it's as quick as the day I purchased it. Do not let my kids touch it, no junk downloads allowed.

Al FR-153 Loc: Chicago Suburbs

I won't talk about screen or processor yet.... Anytime you buy a computer, laptop or otherwise, get the maximum amount of RAM (random access memory) as you possibly can. Second, get the highest capacity of hard drive that you possibly can (dollars included). Those two items will dictate the performance of the computer more than you can imagine. The hard drive is also difficult (in more ways than one) to replace down the road. Do it right the first time. Now, thirdly, look at the processor. The faster the processor, the happier you will be, but the faster the processor, the more heat that is generated (and the more wattage demand on your laptop battery). And last, to the screen. the larger screens are better (especially when you get to my age). In general, the LCD screens of today are great and generally last a long time. They are back-lit for the luminance. If you can get one that has LED back-lights, they will last forever, florescent bulbs do not. LED back-lighting take the bumps of a laptop better also.

Hope that helps.

jba1 Loc: Detroit, Michigan

Joe West has the numbers right. Processor Intel i-3 or i5 with 6-8 Gig Ram. Good video card.
If price is a factor then look at ASUS.
I have had many laptops computers. My story is bad reviews with HP. Terrible experience with Toshiba. Dell OK, best so far is Asus especially for price.
The best would be a i-7 Intel Processor but you will pay for it. I would look at specs . If I was price wise I would look at i-5 with 8 Gig ram. Capacity of HD not that relevant to me because I have external drives for that.
I cannot comment on Mac. So many professionals use it tells the story.
Another note....I tried laptops for what you want to do and always went back to my Desktop which has much larger screen. Gave my last laptop away, bought a I-Pad for portable use and do all my graphics stuff on my destops.

Judy Loc: SW Missouri

I switched from a PC to the MacBook Pro last year. Very glad I did. There is a bit of a learning curve, but if you're a bit of computer nerd -- no problem. I've got to say I prefer my own system of organization and don't use iPhoto. My system transferred easily to the Mac. I've had not problems moving the files back and forth and backing up on the same external hard drive (which by the way the Geek Squad said I couldn't do)!!! But I'm sure they were coming at it from a different angle than i was! Good Luck to you!!

bobmcculloch Loc: NYC, NY

I've been thinking about this myself, not sure of your budget, but I5 with 6 or 8 Gigs of ram and a video card with it's own RAM, ,that's my criteria, found a couple of 17" laptops with those specs, Samsung, HP, Toshiba, ADVOID DELL repeat ADVOID DELL, had too much bad luck with DELL's at work, just built to a price point, I also suggest you go to a retailer where you can view the screens, makes a big difference, BOB.

02Nomad Loc: Catonsville, MD

You can buy a Toshiba direct from the factory and customize it any way that you want. No matter which brand that you buy, if you are going to spring for a warranty, I advise getting the manufacturer's. It has been less expensive than the "chain stores" and you can also get accidental breakage for the monitor, etc. I'm partial to Toshiba and I do buy their extended warranty coverage (from them) and have never had to use it; the peace of mind is great! I subscribe to O'Shea's Law: "Murphy was an optimist".

sbesaw Loc: Boston

three months ago went down same road. Ended up with Teathertools, Capture One SW, 15 inch Mac Book Pro and Color Munki.

Could go LR3 but I had the money to go Capture One. 17 " Mac would have worked great as well but 15" was enough image size for me and more manageable for carrying. I use Mac to get idea of focus and composition not to make many if any edits when shooting. The Teathertools stuff is solid quality.

SteveH Loc: Putnam Valley NY & Boynton Beach, Fla

I am going a little against the grain of the previous comments since I like you am a PC user. Have PC's in NY and Fla (I am a snowbird). Carry a lap top with me between homes and on trips.

1. As someone stated earlier, it is not so easy to switch
between a MAC and a PC. There is a definite learning curve.
You also need to consider which of your software for the PC will transfer over to the MAC.

2. The MAC costs a great deal more. My laptops last 3 or 4 years and either blow up or the technology becomes outdated. When you compare prices per year, the PC has it all over the MAC.

3. I have compared results on both (there are several MAC
laptops in my family) and I don't notice that much of a difference.

4. Keep in mind, I do use Literoom and Photomatix but not Photoshop and I don't do all of the sophisticated corrections that one can do in the RAW. MAC's are definitely better for this.

5. I recently replaced my old laptop that crashed with a new one from DELL. I usually buy them on line but was able to get a very good one at Best Buy on sale. For around $650 I was able to get a DELL Inspiron N5110 with Windows 7 Home Premium. It has 6 gigs of RAM, a 64-bit operating system, and an Intel Core cpu running a 2.30GHz. It has a 17" screen and is very thin and light. I believe the memory is 650 gigs and I recommend that you buy a backup drive that will hold all of your photos and back up your work. It has a built in program for calibrating colors on the display but I have not felt the need to use this.

BigBear Loc: Northern CT

I am a PC user that was converted to 15" Macbook Pro for managing my pics with Aperture. The graphics are better than a PC and I got an adapter to connect to my 42" HD tv with HDMI cable just to get the full effect.

I have not been disappointed with it.

torofoto

I am a macbook pro user and I do a lot of photography.
I also travel extensively. Recently, while in France I met a professional photographer and showed him some of my work.
He had just purchased an iMac for his work and I asked him why he was not using a laptop. He told me that laptops are not really good for calibrating. Since you can never be sure of the precise angle of the screen when you open it, calibration is almost impossible.
After a lot of research, I bought a Samsung LED monitor just for my photographs.
Look at buying a good laptop and a quality monitor/display for your photographs. More money, I know, but you will be happier with your results.
Good luck

tainkc Loc: Kansas City

First off. let me give you one of my credentials. I am a Microsoft certified engineer. I ham also equally comfortable with anything Apple. Captain C. is absolutely right! A desktop computer is the right way to go if you are serious about photo editing for the simple fact that the monitor is going to always stay in one position. So get a good monitor. A Mac is also good for this. 99% of your graphic arts companies, printers, commercial artists, and so on, use macs because they are better suited for photo editing and they are less troublesome than a P.C..

But you said you wanted a laptop. Like the Captain said, if you can afford it, go with the Mac Book Pro. If you are going to go P.C., stick with a name brand. I just pulled up all of my repair records of the last 5 years and my #1 & #2 repairs are Toshiba & Compac (which HP now owns). Dell has excellent customer service. My wife bought a nice Acer 16.5 inch screen Acer and it does an excellent job. No problems. My daughter has had a H.P. laptop for 3 years and no problems. All can be upgraded. So can the Mac Book Pro.

Here is the clue for the basics. This applies for all (P.C. or Mac):
at least 8 gigs. of ram. 16 is preferable.
Minimum 500 gig hard drive ( for other reasons besides photo storage) You can and should have a 1 T.B external drive for photo storage.
Put the fastest and bestest video card you can afford into it.
Basically any type of processor nowadays will be sufficient. Once again, faster is better.
AMD or Intel? Both are very good. AMD is cheaper.

You want it to be of gaming quality because your photo editing programs are hard core, processor intensive programs that will bog a slower machine down and you don't want that.

All of this applies whether it is a notebook or a desktop.

Most importantly, do your homework! Talk to different sales people. Then take what you remember and do internet research on all of it before you buy. There will always be sales so don't let anyone pressure you. Digest it all and then decide what your needs are and what your pocket book will allow.

Add-on warranties? It all depends. Some are better than others. For the most part, they are a crap shot. If you can afford one and you want the piece of mind, go for it. But first check out the manufacturer warranty. They often overlap and you would be wasting money. Be careful.

I hope this is of some help.

Oh, and if you are a P.C. user and you decide to go Apple, Don't worry. There is a learning curve but not that much. Apple also gives free lessons.

tk Loc: Iowa

Tainkc, great advice from a pro, thanks. I'm glad Joan asked this question because I jumped from DELL (very unhappy for 3 years and TWO laptops) to MacBook Pro. Spoke to a friend whose husband is an Apple Tech and he said never underestimate the benefit of refurbished. He said Apple's philosophy on refurbished is too give their best and it is all he personally gets for home. More stuff for less money. I bought the Apple I wanted for the price of the good PC. Can't wait for it to get here Tuesday!!!!
Because of you guys, I won't have to deal with that itchy "buyer's remorse."