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*Shira* · 07-20-2007, 02:41 PM

I definitely recommend going with a laptop instead of a desktop because of the flexibility it offers in being able to easily take your computer with you if you find you want to.

In the laptop world, these are some of the buzzwords you may encounter describing different types of machines:

Ultra-Portable. Really small. Long battery life. Light weight. (Mine weighs 2.7 pounds.) Tend to be much more expensive than other laptops. Disadvantage: less hard disk space than other categories of laptops, fewer USB ports, slower processor power.
Portable. Bigger and heavier than ultra-portables. Although they weigh a little more than ultra-portables, have a little shorter battery life, and are a little bigger, they're still better on these metrics than the other categories of laptops.
Desktop Replacement. Bigger, heavier, and bulkier than the above categories, but probably lower price tag, more hard disk space, and faster processor. If you plan to do a lot of video editing work in the future, look for a dual-processor model for extra speed.
Gaming Machine. Whizzy video features, graphics accelerator, lots of memory and hard disk. These are the features you need if you plan to play video games, but may be overkill if you don't. Bulky size.

From what you described of your needs, I'd suggest a desktop replacement category of machine. If you go to a web site such as zdnet.com and search for reviews on notebook computers / desktop replacements, you should be able to find some product reviews to help you evaluate your choices.

I agree with those who suggested that regardless of what computer you buy, you use an external hard disk to store those photos and audio files that you don't use every day instead of keeping them inside your computer. I've had good reliability from the Seagate 200 gigabyte firewire/usb drive. I've had POOR reliability from the SimpleTech 500 gigabyte firewire/usb drive - I bought 3 of them, and 2 months later one has quit working, making me unable to access any of the data on it. So I advise against SimpleTech for that reason. An external hard disk generally works just like an internal one - you can see it in "My computer", and use Explorer to move files to/from it as desired.

Big warning: if you buy a new Windows computer, I urge you to also purchase Windows XP disks, and use them to replace the Vista operating system that comes on all new windows machines now. Vista is horrid, absolutely horrid. Stick with XP for as long as possible!!!!

07-20-2007, 02:41 PM	#9
Shira Master BHUZzer Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 3,922	I definitely recommend going with a laptop instead of a desktop because of the flexibility it offers in being able to easily take your computer with you if you find you want to. In the laptop world, these are some of the buzzwords you may encounter describing different types of machines: Ultra-Portable. Really small. Long battery life. Light weight. (Mine weighs 2.7 pounds.) Tend to be much more expensive than other laptops. Disadvantage: less hard disk space than other categories of laptops, fewer USB ports, slower processor power. Portable. Bigger and heavier than ultra-portables. Although they weigh a little more than ultra-portables, have a little shorter battery life, and are a little bigger, they're still better on these metrics than the other categories of laptops. Desktop Replacement. Bigger, heavier, and bulkier than the above categories, but probably lower price tag, more hard disk space, and faster processor. If you plan to do a lot of video editing work in the future, look for a dual-processor model for extra speed. Gaming Machine. Whizzy video features, graphics accelerator, lots of memory and hard disk. These are the features you need if you plan to play video games, but may be overkill if you don't. Bulky size. From what you described of your needs, I'd suggest a desktop replacement category of machine. If you go to a web site such as zdnet.com and search for reviews on notebook computers / desktop replacements, you should be able to find some product reviews to help you evaluate your choices. I agree with those who suggested that regardless of what computer you buy, you use an external hard disk to store those photos and audio files that you don't use every day instead of keeping them inside your computer. I've had good reliability from the Seagate 200 gigabyte firewire/usb drive. I've had POOR reliability from the SimpleTech 500 gigabyte firewire/usb drive - I bought 3 of them, and 2 months later one has quit working, making me unable to access any of the data on it. So I advise against SimpleTech for that reason. An external hard disk generally works just like an internal one - you can see it in "My computer", and use Explorer to move files to/from it as desired. Big warning: if you buy a new Windows computer, I urge you to also purchase Windows XP disks, and use them to replace the Vista operating system that comes on all new windows machines now. Vista is horrid, absolutely horrid. Stick with XP for as long as possible!!!!