Computers

[paiger81]

May I just say, I am a screwed up individual ;) I work at a computer for most of the day, yet when my dad offers to buy me one for personal use I have no clue what to ask for.

Computer geeks help me out. I have no clue what type of computer I need and all the inner workings. I know what programs I want to add to the computer, but damned if I know anything more than that.

Help, please.

[Bugsey34]

Hmm... laptop/desktop? What are you going to use it for?

Tee hee hee masquerading as someone who knows what she's talking about is fun! :cool:

[paiger81]

LOL.

I think a desktop would be cheaper......I don't really know. Don't you know I love how completely idiotic I sound right now :redface:

Anywho, I'd use it primarily for internet use, though the programs I'd like on it would be Dreamweaver(a website design program) and Adobe Photoshop & Illustrator. I'd maybe like to use it to do some freelance marketing work in the near future.

[coll214]

Yep, desktops are cheaper. Dell has quite a few that would fit the bill for what you're looking for, in addition to IBM.

[paiger81]

Yeah, I know I get a discount through Dell, so I've been perusing their site, the one I think I like is the Dimension E510

[coll214]

It looks like a good machine, just make sure you get XP professional and not Home Edition.

[paiger81]

It looks like a good machine, just make sure you get XP professional and not Home Edition.

:D That much I do know!! :D

[Angyl]

http://forums.slickdeals.net/

these guys always know how to get a Dell for cheap. I get a ton of stufff (DVDs, clothes, house stuff) for super cheap as a result.

I personally do not like Dells, but I'm a mac junkie who is forced to use a PC. I use Dells at work and i have one at home and they're pretty reliable, although my home PC is making a weird buzzing sound. I did hera, however, that HPs have better customer service.

[coll214]

LOL, just checking!! :). I'd maybe up the RAM too, to at least 512MB.

[meatwad]

Try to avoid an integrated video card too.

[yankeeyosh]

Desktops are better if you are on a budget and you are into gaming (and/or programs that require powerful grapics) ...plus they're more easily upgradeable. Of course, laptops are soaring in popularity because you can take them anywhere. I really didn't think a laptop was that necessary, so a desktop for me suffices. However, if I ever work in say, Manhattan, and commute, I might get myself a laptop so I can do work on the train.

[cheshrcarol]

I can't live without my laptop. I love being able to sit with iton the couch, in bed, or wherever and not be tied to my desk. And Paige, just an FYI that Photoshop is EXPENSIVE.

[wordsmith]

The only circumstances under which I would actually get a laptop would be if my work bought me one, and it will be a cold day in hell before that happens.

[Morgan81]

Anywho, I'd use it primarily for internet use, though the programs I'd like on it would be Dreamweaver(a website design program) and Adobe Photoshop & Illustrator.
Those are some hardcore graphic programs... First I'd suggest entertaining a Mac at least for comparison's sake. They are a much better box for graphic intensive programs. If you still want the regular windows based box, don't think brand names, and slickdeals is the shit. A friend of mine works at Dell and he has shown me that his (very nice) discount can't compete with that.

You'll probably want a dope video card, so don't get one from the factory, it'll be way overpriced compared to one that you could get aftermarket. It's a simple install too....pop it in and run software, not hard at all. You have two basic chipsets (think AMD vs. Intel) and a million manufacuters (think Dell, IBM, etc.) but the chipsets are ATI vs. nVidia. I'm an nVidia fan myself and the 6800Gt is the hotness, but an ATI fan will tell you the same about the X900, which is really good too.

Unless you have an absolute need for a laptop DO NOT get one. Laptops suck when upgrading and are way more expensive to get parts for. You'll need to upgrade more often than normal if you keep up with the graphic programs.

That and you'll want 1 gig of ram, trust me, you'll appreciate it if you're doing a lot of design.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head, hope it helps. :)

[TheBeve]

I use my laptop for work in Dreamweaver MX 04, Fireworks MX, and internet browsing. It's a Dell Latitude D610 w/ Pentium M & 1 gig of RAM (I second what Morgan said, whatever route you go, get at least 1gig RAM). It works just fine with the image manipulation in Fireworks (not quite as intense as PS). I've had Dreamweaver, Fireworks, multiple Firefox tabs, a few Internet Explorer windows, Word, and Vi for Windows (text editor) open all at once without any noticeable slow downs.

If you decide on a laptop, get an extra battery for the modular bay. My modular battery easily doubles my battery life (worth the extra money!!).

If you're looking at Photoshop, you might want to play around with The GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program). I haven't used it extensively, but it is supposed to be close to what Photoshop can do and it's free. http://www.gimp.org/

If you don't want to shell out the $$ for Office, you might try OpenOffice.org
http://www.openoffice.org/ . It will read and write M$ Office formats, and is free as well.

Just my .02, hope it helps!

By the way, I work in Dreamweaver off and on, do you still need help with the layout tables?

[and1grad]

I say get a laptop. The mobility is worth the extra dough. Plus, it would come in handy for those trips you occasionally have to make.

[computer guy]

Based on what programs you want to use, I'm surprised you don't want a Mac, I mean that's the trendy thing right now. :cool:

I'm sure regardless of the type of computer as long as you get the most ram and processor speed you can afford you'll be doing well. For graphic design work I'd think you would want a large monitor to go with all the processing power you have. That way you have lots of screen space for lots of different things at once.

[paiger81]

--Laptop isn't really a need for me.

--I know, I know, MAC's are the way to go for design work. My work comp. is not a MAC, and I'd like to be able to bring my work home with me.

--Yeah, my design programs are a bit pricey, but in my line of work, they are a necessity & thankfully, I get a pretty good higher ed. discount.

--I've been tooling around with Dreamweaver at work & getting pretty good with it, but thanks for the offer to help!

[old_school_soul]

--Laptop isn't really a need for me.

--I know, I know, MAC's are the way to go for design work. My work comp. is not a MAC, and I'd like to be able to bring my work home with me.



This is a non-issue. Photoshop files for Windows will work with Photoshop for Mac, as well as Word files, Powerpoint, etc. As long as each application and it's version exists on both OS X and Windows, you won't have any interoperability problems.

[paiger81]

This is a non-issue. Photoshop files for Windows will work with Photoshop for Mac, as well as Word files, Powerpoint, etc. As long as each application and it's version exists on both OS X and Windows, you won't have any interoperability problems.

Oh, nifty! I guess it's off to the apple site to peruse options :)

[analogman]

Maybe I missed it, but I didn't see a dollar amount mentioned. Just about any computer can surf the web. The primary consideration should be on your freelance work. If you are going to use it for business (freelance on the side) then you might want to consider quality of support as well.

The computer specs also depend on the complexity of the materials you might work on.
Bigger (RAM/Screen/HD) and faster (RAM/CPU/HD) is generally good but you don't want to waste money by buying too much performance.

Finally, if there is a specific budget then you might need to make compromises (i.e. buying four years of support instead of a bigger screen).

[computer guy]

Bigger (RAM/Screen/HD) and faster (RAM/CPU/HD) is generally good but you don't want to waste money by buying too much performance.


I have found that there is no such thing as too much ram or cpu. I often buy or build computers with the compents at what I call the price break point. I basically get the most processor and ram that I can for the dollar, it's a little more complex than that, but my process is a little random.

My personal PC was a P3 Celron 600 and was running everything I needed fine. When the motherboard went, I replaced it with an ebay special that happened to upgrade my processor a little as well (P3-800). Anyways, getting to the point, I originally built this computer 3 or 4 years ago and I still get plenty of use out of it. I have found that most of the time I can get about 5 years out of a well built system. It seems like overkill in the beginning, but 3-5 years from now it will still do what you need.

A bigger screen is simply an effeciency issue. I did a bit of graphic work (if you could call it that) when I was working at the college I attended. I liked the 19" screen running at a high resolution much better than the 15" screen running at a normal resolution. When I started my first job, the first thing I did was get a 19" screen for programming. Because the OP is going graphic design work, I would recommend the bigger screen, if the OP said she was just going to surf the 'net, then whatever comes with the computer would be fine.