What notebook would you recommend for running intensive applications?

Question

I primarily need a notebook...

... for intensive applications (Adobe Creative Suite 2 Premium, Dreamweaver, FrontPage, etc.)
... to store music, photos and videos (also, video editing)
... to play games
... to connect to networks (wired/wireless)

The notebook should have

... Lots of hard drive space for storing personal, business and multimedia files
... DVD burner
... plenty of memory (1 GB +) to run multiple intensive applications
... If possible, dedicated video memory - for video editing
... S-Video output for connection to a TV
... IEEE1394 (FireWire) so I can connect my camcorder
... Card reader so I can download photos from my camera
... Ethernet/wireless so I can connect to networks

Price: as cheap as possible

What do you recommend?

Answer 1

Apple MacBook Pro by far! The MacBook Pro has been updated with an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, along with more RAM and hard drive storage. I have the top-of-the-line 17-inch model, a thing of beauty clad in sleek aluminum.

Still only one-inch thin, the MacBook Pro also remains one of the lightest notebooks and it does come with a 15.4-inch widescreen display. This 5.6-pound notebook is excellent for home or office use but is portable and compact enough to take on the road.

Using the MacBook Pro is a pleasure, and it didn’t take me too long to fall in love with the 17 inch screen, whose optional glossy treatment is perfect for watching movies. The notebook comes with an infrared, six-button remote, so you can enjoy movies from across the room.

I like the MagSafe Power Adapter, which disconnects from the notebook if you trip over the cord. For this model, Apple added the MagSafe Airline Adapter, which uses the same concept but connects to an in-seat power port (a $59 option, not included). The MacBook Pro’s illuminated keyboard and motion-sensor technology for protecting the hard drive help make this a solid pick for business travelers.

The big improvement is the upgrade from Intel’s 2.16-GHz Core Duo processor to a 2.33-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo. Like the previous CPU, the Core 2 Duo has two processing cores, but now each chip has 4MB of shared L2 cache. That cache allows the Core 2 Duo to store more data nearby so that it makes fewer passes to the main memory.

Speaking of memory, Apple’s computers have long been RAM weaklings, with standard configurations that paled next to their Windows counterparts, but Apple corrected that nicely. The 2.33-GHz 15-inch MacBook Pro comes with 2GB of 667-MHz DDR2 SDRAM standard, twice that of the previous version. I maxed out the system with 3GB of RAM, for an extra $575. That’s overkill for all but the most demanding power users like myself - I run my home network from it.

I downloaded the free Mac BootCamp, which enables Macs to run Windows XP. http://www.apple.com/macosx/bootcamp/

Productivity performance was decent. I suspect this may be due to the fact that Windows uses only a small partition of the MacBook Pro’s hard drive (although you can set it to use more) and that Boot Camp itself has some performance overhead. BEWARE that using this now opens the MAC to the same malware attacks as the PC'ers are experiencing.

I ran MobileMark to test the battery life, the MacBook Pro’s battery lasted 2 hours and 53 minutes with Wi-Fi off, compared with the average runtime of 3:41 for mainstream notebooks. I also ran a DVD rundown test and got 2 hours and 58 minutes with Wi-Fi on (compared with 3 hours and 5 minutes on the13.3-inch MacBook). That’s a decent runtime considering the larger size of this display, but the bottom line is that you should go with the slower (and cheaper) 2.16-GHz processor if you want more endurance.

Wireless antenna strength is supposed to no longer be a problem with Apple’s high-end notebooks, but I noticed a weaker signal with this MacBook Pro than with one of my other Mac's desktop in the same location. Compared with my Toshiba notebook, the MacBook Pro wasn’t too far off with scores of 12.6 Mbps at 15 feet and 9.6 at 50 feet.
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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS 15-inch MacBook Pro
_______________________________________
Processor and memory
Choice of 2.16GHz or 2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor
*4MB on-chip shared L2 cache running 1:1 with processor speed
*1GB (single SO-DIMM) of PC2-5300 (667MHz) DDR2 memory on 2.16GHz configuration
or
*2GB (two SO-DIMMs) on 2.33GHz configuration
two SO-DIMM slots support up to 3GB
*667MHz frontside bus
******************************************************
Expansion
*One FireWire 400 port at up to 400 Mbps
*One FireWire 800 port at up to 800 Mbps
*Two 480-Mbps USB 2.0 ports
*ExpressCard/34 slot
*************************************************
Battery and power
*60-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery (with integrated charge indicator LEDs) providing up to 5 hours of battery life
*85W MagSafe Power Adapter with cable management system
*MagSafe power adapter port
************************************************************
Communications
*Built-in 54-Mbps AirPort Extreme wireless networking (802.11g standard; 802.11n capable with optional 802.11n enabler)
*Built-in Bluetooth 2.0+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate)
*Built-in 10/100/1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45 connector)
**************************************************************
Audio
*Combined optical digital input/audio line in (minijack)
*Combined optical digital output/headphone out (minijack)
*Built-in stereo speakers
*Internal omnidirectional microphone (located under left speaker grille)
**********************************************************
Display
*15.4-inch (diagonal) TFT display, support for millions of colors; optional glossy widescreen display
*Supported resolutions: 1440 by 900 (native), 1280 by 800, 1152 by 720, 1024 by 640, and 800 by 500 at 16:10 aspect ratio; 1024 by 768, 800 by 600, and 640 by 480 at 4:3 aspect ratio; 1024 by 768, 800 by 600, and 640 by 480 at 4:3 aspect ratio stretched; 720 by 480 at 3:2 aspect ratio, 720 by 480 at 3:2 aspect ratio stretched
********************************************************
Video and graphics support
*ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 graphics processor, dual-link DVI support
*128MB of GDDR3 SDRAM on 2.16GHz configuration
or
*256MB of GDDR3 SDRAM on 2.33GHz configuration
*Dual display and video mirroring: Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display and up to 2560 by 1600 pixels on an external display, both at millions of colors
*DVI output port
*VGA output using included DVI to VGA adapter
*Built-in iSight camera
***********************************************************
Storage
*120GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard drive.
or
*Optional 160GB 5400-rpm, 200GB 4200-rpm drives3.
*6x slot-loading SuperDrive (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Maximum write: 6x DVD-R and DVD+R; 4x DVD+RW and DVD-RW; 2.4x DVD+R DL (double layer); 24x CD-R; 10x CD-RW
Maximum read: 8x DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD+R; 6x DVD-ROM (double layer DVD-9), DVD+RW, DVD-RW; 4x DVD+R DL (double layer); 24x CD
***************************************************************
Input
*Built-in full-size keyboard with 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) keys, including 12 function keys, 4 arrow keys (inverted “T” arrangement), and embedded numeric keypad
*Backlit keyboard with ambient light sensors for automatic adjustment of keyboard illumination and screen brightness
*Solid-state scrolling trackpad for precise cursor control; supports two-finger scrolling, tap, double-tap, and drag capabilities
*Apple Remote
****************
Electrical and environmental requirements
*Meets ENERGY STAR requirements
*Line voltage: 100V or 240V AC
*Frequency: 50Hz to 60Hz
*DC input: 18.5 Vdc, 4.6 A max.
*Operating temperature: 50° to 95° F (10° to 35° C)
*Storage temperature: -13° to 113° F (-24° to 45° C)
*Relative humidity: 0% to 90% noncondensing
*Maximum operating altitude: 10,000 feet
*Maximum storage altitude: 15,000 feet
*Maximum shipping altitude: 35,000 feet
***************************************************************
Size and weight
*Height: 1.0 inch (2.59 cm)
*Width: 14.1 inches (35.7 cm)
*Depth: 9.6 inches (24.3 cm)
*Weight: 5.6 pounds (2.54 kg) with battery and optical drive installed
***********************************************************
Software
*Mac OS X v10.4 Tiger (includes Spotlight, Dashboard, Mail, iChat AV, Safari, Address Book, QuickTime, iCal, DVD Player, Xcode Developer Tools)
*iLife ’06 '06 suite for creating photo projects, making movies, designing DVDs, building websites, and composing music (includes iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie HD, iDVD, iWeb, GarageBand), Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac Test Drive, iWork ’06 (30-day trial), Comic Life, FileMaker Pro Trial, OmniOutliner
*Photo Booth
*Front Row
*******************************************************************
Options Include:
Apple Wireless Keyboard (M9270LL/A)
Apple USB Modem (MA034Z/A)
Apple Wireless Mighty Mouse (MA272LL/A)
Apple Keyboard (M9034LL/A)
.Mac Subscription (MA361Z/A)
AppleCare Protection Plan (MA515LL/A)

Online store options when purchasing your MacBook Pro
Up to 3GB main memory
Storage - 100GB 7200-rpm, 160GB 5400-rpm, 200GB 4200-rpm hard drive
AirPort Extreme Base Station (M8799LL/A)
AirPort Express (M9470LL/A)
Apple DVI to Video Adapter (M9267G/A)
Apple 85W MagSafe Power Adapter (MA357LL/A)
MagSafe Airline Adapter (MA598Z/A)
Rechargeable Battery, 15-inch MacBook Pro (MA348G/A)
Rechargeable Battery, 17-inch MacBook Pro (MA458G/A)
World Travel Adapter Kit (M8794G/B)
iWork (MA222Z/A)
********************************************************************
MacBooks pricing start at $1099.00 The MacBook Pro starts at $1999.00. Perhaps you qualify for an educational pricing - homeschoolers also qualify!

In short, the MacBook Pro is what I recommend - highly.

Answer 2

Hello,

The playing field for laptops is pretty much the same. No company is any 'better' in my opinion. HP, Toshiba, Dell, Gateway, etc. are very similar and offer great deals on laptops.

What you need to be concerned about is the SPECS of the machine. You need to make sure the machine can handle all of your desktop publishing programs and requirements. I recommend either an AMD 64 bit processor or the Intel Core Duo 2 processor. You'll also need at LEAST 2 GB of RAM if you want to run all of these programs and Windows Vista Home Premium/Ultimate.

I recommend purchasing a laptop through the Internet. This way you can customize the machine to your specifications. Otherwise, you'll get a computer at a store that may be a powerful machine but lacks graphics or has great graphics but low memory.

www.dell.com and www.gateway.com are tremendous sites to use/customize your laptop so you can get a feel for the price your laptop will cost.

Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any questions.

Answer 3

With the components your looking for you probably won't find a system that meets your needs for less than $2,000.
Try www.tigerdirect.com or www.neocomputers.com
Both sites have good prices and are reliable, I've shopped from both before. You might want to check into the "customize or build your own laptop" options. The Toshiba Sattelite models seem to have some good higher-end units. You might wanna try looking there or with HP brand. I highly recommend both those brands.

Good Luck!

Answer 4

I agreed with the above poster. The laptop that fit your requirement would cost around $1500 US or more. For intensive applications you don't want a cheap unknown brand laptop. You should look for a Toshiba or HP. I would highly recommend the Toshiba Satellite series. It meets all your requirements. Check it out here : http://www.toshibadirect.com/td/b2c/laptops.to?coid=-26368

Answer 5

Don't overlook the Dell Precision M90
http://www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/precn_m90?c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd

Answer 6

go to ebay .com and click on computers and networking then laptops.there is a wide choice there.cheaper than retail

Answer 7

IBM 261

Answer 8

No question...An apple mac book pro is your choice!