Possibly buying a new laptop

I am pretty tech-savvy. But I can't decide what laptop to get. I am either looking at a netbook or a small laptop(better processing power). I wanted a Macbook Pro, but I definitely cannot afford that. haha

I want it to be small and portable - so no bigger than a 13" screen

I was going to just get a netbook and then switc it over to Linix, but I want to be able to run Adobe Photoshop and Google Sketchup, which cannot easily be done with Linux.

I am looking at Acer netbooks right now, but as you may have guessed none of them[netboks] have that big of processors.

A long battery life is always nice as well, but not a must.

I am thinking my budget would be about $200-600 if I do get a laptop.

 

What about tablet PCs? I forget if these can be run off wireless Internet at home just like a PC..or do you have to go through a phone company?

 

People are looking at the thread...what do you think would work for me?

 

you can run them through wireless

I have an acer laptop, it was a good deal I feel like but the drivers and support are lacking. I would never get an eMachine again....they aren't built to last.

 

I've heard Acers are not good quality at all. Actually, I can't recommend a single PC laptop since every single one I've gotten (4, and not cheap ones either) has bitten the dust in a year or less. LOL

I now have a MacBook Pro and it is amaaaazing.

 

Sorry my friend I was out of town.. LOL!! I would go with the mini notebook, rather than a netbook & I'll tell you why.

Mini Notebooks will have:
Larger Display
Faster Processor
More RAM
Larger Hard Drive
Will have Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit vs Windows 7 Starter 32-Bit
Better Webcam
Trackpad tend to be nicer
Better layout of the keyboard
HDMI output
More USB ports

I have a Dell Mini Notebook with the Sprint 4G modem built in. I have Adobe CS4 Master Collections installed & it runs great! Look at it this way, it's cheaper to do it now. Upgrading on any notebook has it's limits & is more costly. So buy more than what you need. You want to grow into it & not out of it when buying any new computer. I also start Ubuntu from a thumb drive, so that I can alway run Windows when need to..

 

I just wish I could afford one.

 

I would save more money if I were u. With 500 bucks u can get an ok laptop, with 3 or 4 cores at the most. I would never get a MAC, though. If u were to get one, forget about cheap parts or cheap software, guaranteed. 700 in price and above will give u more RAM, and more processing power. Have u looked into tigerdirect.com or newer.com? They usually have the better deals on laptops. I believe you will want something with a minimum of 4 gigs of RAM, and a minimum of 4 cores. Don't get dual cores, they work ok with fresh installs, but as u add more programs it will get sloooooow.

Are u firm on your budget?

Sent from my phone using my two opposable digits

 

I also thought about the HP AIOs. They look sleek and have great processing power (or so I've heard). But of course, I couldn't take it with me. $599.

HP Home & Home Office Store - We're sorry!

 

Could you do extra work, chores, etc. and save up for one?

Out of PCs, I would say go with HP. My HP lasted a year (yay!), my Dell lasted 3 months (super yay!!).