Help needed with specs for new laptop please!

[Lizzy257]

My laptop is dying, so I'm looking at new ones now in preparation for when it goes, and I'm going cross-eyed from looking at different options ! I'm using CS3 right now, but may switch with DH's pc in the future and go to CS4 (if that makes any difference).

The processor is the really confusing point for me, so if anyone can shed any light on which of these is best, I would be very grateful

Intel® Core™ i3-330M (2.13Ghz, 4Threads, 3MB cache)
Intel® Core™ i5-430M (2.26Ghz, 4Threads, turbo boost up to 2.53 GHz, 3MB cache)
Intel® Core™ i5-520M (2.4GHz, 4 Threads, turbo Boost up to 2.93GHz, 3MB cache)
Intel® Pentium® Dual-Core Processor T4400 (2.2GHz, 800MHz, 1MB cache)
AMD AthlonX2 Dual Core Mobile Processor QL-64 (2.1GHz/1MB L2)
AMD TurionX2 Ultra Dual Core Mobile Processor ZM-82 (2.2GHz/2MB L2)

Or maybe the best thing to ask is not which is best, but if they are all capable of supporting the use of PS? Are any of them just overkill? Or which ones should I avoid?

What type of graphics card should I be looking for?
How much memory do I need?
Anything else I should look out for?

Thanks girls!

[jannylynn]

Any of those will support PS. At this point it's all overkill because many of us are running these programs on much slower processors without problems. I wouldn't get the fastest processor because you will pay more for little return. Get the second fastest because they have marked the price down on those. So, the AMD's are just fine. I wouldn't spend the extra on the intel 2.4 unless you have a gamer in the house.

You want a graphics card with onboard memory. If it doesn't list memory specs, then it doesn't offer onboard memory. But I think now it's standard for them to have some onboard memory. If you can afford 1gb that's more than enough. This will prevent white screens while you are trying to create a layout. I would also make sure that it can handle HD video both editing and viewing. I'm working on upgrading my desktop graphics card for this reason.

You want at least 4 gigs of memory and check for the ease of upgrading should that not be enough. I'm currently running on 8 on my desktop and 4 on my laptop without any issues with photoshop.

I would also watch for screen resolution on the laptop. I regret that I didn't insist on something better. But I rarely use it for scrapping so it isn't that big of a deal. I *think* you want to look for 1080p but that ups the price considerably! If it doesn't say that, then it isn't. Go out and shop and do a comparision to find a clear, crisp screen.

[Lizzy257]

Great info there, thanks so much for your reply

[ColleenSwerb]

When I bought mine 2 years ago, I went with a gaming machine from HP as it had the better processor and video card. I think I have 2GB of RAM and never have issues (I either have 2GB or 3GB, I can't remember). 8GB is WAY overkill, in my opinion. Most operating systems don't "understand" that there is more than 3 or 4 GB available to be used, so anything over 4 is useless (again, just my opinion from what I've learned from my computer geek hubby).
Hard drive space is a personal preference. I only have 250GB on my laptop and I'm ok with that. I don't keep my scrapping supplies on it, only my photos as a 4th backup option (I have 3 EHD's, 1 is photo's only, and the other two have all my scrap stash). If you want to use your HD to store your stuff, then get a bigger HD than that.

[jannylynn]

Colleen's correct. I typed the wrong numbers.

You want at least 2 with a max of 4 for memory. That's what I have. So divide my memory numbers in half. And sorry for the crazy response there. LOL!

[Jamies Creations]

I just got a new laptop in Feb and I LOVE it. It's got the Intel i3, mostly because I didn't want AMD since they haven't really come out with anything new in a while. That's personal preference though . Mine has 4g of RAM and a 500g HD. I went with a bigger HD because my EHD is getting full and it was cheaper to go with more in the LT than to get another EHD so, we put off the EHD for now. Windows 7 is awesome and not as bad of a memory hog so, 4g of RAM is plenty! PS runs great and doesn't lag. Screen size is all preference too. I went with a widescreen which isn't bad but, finding a cute desktop is near impossible to find! It's a true 16:9 But, I did get the 10 key which I really wanted! It's onlt 720p native but, can outpu 1080 so, when we watch stuff on the laptop, I just use the HDMI and play it on out TV.