So, this year is my senior year, and I've been thinking of convincing my parents to pay for half of a new laptop as a graduation present. I've been looking around, and the Dell XPS M1530 ("Mobile Powerhouse" model) has caught my eye. It looks like a good laptop, but I wonder if I should make one more oriented toward gaming/photo editting? I'm applying to art colleges, so I'd like to have a laptop that can really help me.
I want to direct you to a notebook computer forum. The community is friendly and you will definitely get all the help you will need. There are a wide range of knowledgeable people there. Most are notebook aficionados and several are like you. Gaming laptops is a specialty there as well. I used it a few years ago when I did my research on what kind of laptop I wanted to buy and I was very happy at the results. http://www.notebookforums.com/index
i bought a Dell inspiron. Not sure about the programs you want. But dell laptops are pretty good. Havent failed me yet.
How big is your budget? The M1530 is decent for gaming, but for a great gaming experience you're going to have to shell out more than what it costs.
make your own? Is that a joke? So far most of the hardware used in laptops is proprietary and not sold to consumers so you can't build your own laptop. Hopefully one day when desktops are dead we will had standards for mobile systems and be able to build our own systems, but for now we can't. If you are planning on doing art I would suggest you get a tablet since you can draw directly in the screen and digitize your art. Really though to pic out a laptop you have to decide what it's use will be. Do you want a desktop replacement that does it all, including games, or will it just be a mobile Internet machine and word processor for school? For example, since I already have a gaming desktop and have to spend time away from power outlest, I plan to get a laptop that can connect to the internet and do some moderate tasks, but it's not going to be a powerhouse.
this one : http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/s...=Category&v1=Mobility&series_name=tx2z_series Pro: Cheap, is a tablet pc, wacom pen + multitouch screen, dedicated Graphic, multimedia feature(got a remote control for Windows media center, stylish. Con: the screen is 12'' widescreen (not that big for drawing but good to take notes), CPU and graphic not that fast (can't play crysis) I got a thinkpad x61 which is a tablet pc and i'm loving it and you can check here for tablet review http://www.tabletpcreview.com/
