need advice for buying a laptop?for xmas present..confused?

Question

okay,I can use a computer but I'm really illiterate about GB,MB,RAM,MEMORY.I know a little but not enough.it's for my 18 y/o art school son,graphic designs,etc.please give brands,specs I need and best prices if possible.Walmart had that Acer but I read it had very little space?thanks,all.

Answer 1

For graphic design your going to need a computer with high end video capabilities. In other words, it won't be cheap.

Today, windows based computers come with MS Vista installed by default. The minimum memory you should use to run Vista is 2GB, because your application requires more memory for optimum use, you should get at least 4GB in my opinion.

For a hard drive, graphics eat up tons disk space, therefore a large internal HDD would be recommended, probably a minimum of 200Gb. I would also recommend getting an external USB HDD of equal or greater capacity. (example Seagate ST302504FDA1E1-RK (search amazon.com to see it - $90)). Assume your son will have a digital music library and probably digital pictures too, disk space is not something to skimp on.

The other thing I would recommend is that you get a 17" screen, if given the option pick the glossy screen (which is better for displaying movies/graphics) and an extra graphics video engine (i.e. ADI Radon or NVIDIA GeForce card).

I would also recommend going with the Intel Core 2 Duo processor, which Vista can make use of.

I priced out a Dell Inspiron with those options on the web, it would cost you about $1800.00

The other option that you might consider is the Apple MacBook Pro. It's a better machine for graphics and art type work than a Windows machine - in my opinion. However it carries a steeper price tag. With the 17" Macbook Pro there are few options that don't come with it, so your getting the Cadillac right out of the box - but also at a $2800 price tag.

I don't advocate purchasing a computer from a retail store, primarily because the technology changes to fast, the computers in the store are obsolete before they arrived on the dock. I would purchase online from Dell or HP.

If your son is going to college you might contact the school before you buy one. Some colleges have relationships with vendors like Dell/HP/Apple, where the students can get the computer directly from the vendors on-campus store. The advantage to those programs is that they include a warranty on the hardware for the entire time your son is enrolled at the school. If something breaks, all he does is take the computer back to the on-campus store and they will fix/replace it right there. If you bought directly from Dell for example you would have to ship the computer back to them which can take weeks to months for the system to come back. My daughter is going into college next fall, I'm waiting to find out which school she is going to go to before determining how/when/etc.. regarding a computer purchase.

For my older daughter we bought her a laptop as a HS graduation present. She accidently damaged the Ethernet port and the keyboard went bad - she had to be without for awhile - where if I'd purchased from the on-campus Dell store they could have fixed for her while she was in class one day.

Answer 2

As another mentioned, you do not have enough information to make the purchase.

For an Art school student, a Mac maybe better than a Windows based system.

My suggestion is that you get or make up a nice card and inside it put a note say that after Christmas you get him a notebook computer of his choice of up to $xxxx. Sitting together with him in front your computer for research to find the correct machine is a great parent-son activity. For a computer useful for art and graphic design, your are looking at $1500- min, and probably more.

Answer 3

On best buy they have great deals for realy good laptops near christmas, i bought a laptop there for a cousin not to long ago. Dell is a very good one for space and memory, if u check out some laptops in best buy i can sure you that u can find a very good one with a resonable price, alos you can vist best buy to, future shop can be a little more expensive then best buy, and they both have the same laptops.

Answer 4

You should just take her out one day to a shopping outlet and pass through the store where the dress you picked out is sold at. While she's looking around, you'll get an idea of what kind of dresses and clothing styles she likes. Then consider the one you found on that website, if she likes it or not, at least you'll know what she into and what she's not into. If she likes it, it'll be easier for you to find a similar dress that you think she'll like (since she approved of the one you chose) but if she doesn't like it, at least you're out seeing what she DOES like and what catches her eye. Also, girls have a few insecurities (even though in your eyes, it doesn't really show) but you'll also find out what parts of her body she's insecure about and what she's confident about, I hope this helps :)

Answer 5

I would reccomend the Dell Vostro. It will cost around a thousand. Get a C2D t7100, NV 8600 video card, 2 GBs of RAM and a 120GB HD.

Answer 6

Standard answer for this is to set down with then teen you are getting this for and be real. Christmas gift or not they will appreciate your asking for their input ! Be sure to be clear on the money matter. Check that persons logic ask them a lot of questions. Most will be more than willing to answer your questions. There is no shame in being willing to learn, there is in not bothering to learn.

Answer 7

The Main thing is that surprising someone with a computer isn't a good thing. Tell them you getting them one and bring them with you to Target, Staples, whatever, so they can talk to you about exactly what they want and you can both talk to one of the people working there.

Answer 8

Please visit IBM shop or phone to as many PC vendors as you can and keep asking them all the questions,cross check everything including the price,use your phone pl.