Laptop - School/Photography/Photoshop CS3

[JDGreen92086]

I'm looking for a laptop for school. But since I'm getting a laptop for school, I should just go ahead and get one that will allow me to do alot of photoshop editing and uploading my pics via my camera. I want a laptop that will run PS CS3 smooth and if I can play a little CoD4/WoW, I won't mind.

I had my eye on this Acer Aspire, but I read the 8400M G doesn't run games well and the negative reviews about the touch pad is disheartening. My absolute limit is $1200 but I'd prefer below $1000. Screen should be 14", 14.1" or 15.4" and battery life should be at 3Hrs+ if possible.

No Apple or HP/Compaq.

Thats it. Hope I get more help here than another forum where I asked this.

 

[JDGreen92086]

24 Hr bump.

 

[Peter.Cort]

well to be honest you aren't going to get a super gfx card from a sub 1000 dollar laptop, and also are you really going to be doing a lot with a touch pad if you are gaming and using cs3?

also why no apple?

 

[JDGreen92086]

I'll just say I like Windows and avoid anybody posting about how great Apple is or how bad Windows/Vista is to them.

I don't want a super graphics card, but I'd like to know what I'm getting and get the best bang for my money. If you have any laptop suggestions I'd love to hear them.

Thanks.

 

[Peter.Cort]

ok, well before I got off on lappy hunting spree are you looking to go to a store and pick one up and try it out first, or are you looking to get one customized like from dell/toshiba or buy one online like from newegg?

also a bit off the point, but are you going to college? and if so where and what are you studying? (if you don't mind me asking)

 

[Puddle Jumper]

This is one of the few high performance laptops under $1000.

The Dell Online Store: Build Your System

The 8600mGT should have no problem with wow or CS3 and should be able to play cod4 with decent settings.

Also this Asus laptop has a good specs and an HD2600 512mb graphics card but its right at the limit when it comes to price.

Newegg.com - ASUS F3 Series F3KA-A1 NoteBook AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-60(2.00GHz) 15.4" Wide XGA 2GB DDR2 667 160GB 5400rpm DVD Super Multi ATI Mobility Radeon HD 2600 - Retail

 

[JDGreen92086]

Yeah I'm going to college. I've been out of school for about 3 years, so I'm starting easy with Ivy Tech for a year, then IUS for a year, and then IU.

I'll buy online or retail, doesn't make a big difference. If I can try it, thats fine, but if not I'll buy online. I'm not a huge Dell fan for many reasons, but I'll see what I come up with.

Gaming isn't my primary concern. I just need to run Photoshop CS3, upload my photos via camera to the laptop, unzip fast, and watch movies/tv shows.

I really like the ASUS especially the 8-in-1 card reader, but I wonder if it reads CompactFlash, and it doesn't say how long battery life is.

What type of Battery should I get for this laptop, if I do buy it? Will any battery work with any laptop?

 

[JDGreen92086]

I need to pick a laptop today or tommorrow.

Last bump.

 

[Puddle Jumper]

A laptop that is good at gaming should also be good at photoshop CS3.The only issue with dedicated graphics on a laptop is it will negatively impact battery life. I could not find out if the Asus laptops memory card reader supports compact flash but since it is an 8 in 1 I would guess that it does but I am not sure.You can always get a usb memory card reader if it does not support compact flash.

 

[JDGreen92086]

What batteries can I use on this laptop?