Expert: Bobbert - 11/28/2007

Question
Hi,

I would like to purchase a laptop, I do a lot of work with photoshop, uploads, downloads, so I think what I need is a excellent video card, a lot of memory, speed, and I would like a really nice display. I don't care if it is PC or Mac. But I need it modestly priced. I also would like to find a nice printer for pictures, with different paper sizes.

Thanks for the Help,
Ev

Answer
Firstly, you don't require a video card for what you're doing, secondly, I don't suggest a laptop for anything serious, for a few reasons: firstly, laptops aren't very upgradable, secondly, you pay more, for less (more money for what would cost you much less in a desktop), thirdly, you will be replacing it much sooner (as it can't be upgraded, it becomes outdated faster).

I'd suggest going with a decent desktop, roughly $500-$700, the video card doesn't really matter, as it doesn't hardly affect Photoshop or Illustrator, you want at least 2GB of physical RAM, enough storage for your needs, and a capable CPU (AMD Athlon64 x2 or Intel Core 2 Duo, or better).

As far as a printer goes, I'd look at Canon and Epson, I can't really suggest a model as I don't know your exact needs, however I'd lean on Epson photo printers with a stand-alone scanner.

-bob