laptop help

[lincolnboy]

Plan on getting my girlfriend a laptop. What do I need to look for. All I know is something about more memory. One thing I know she wants out of a laptop is is to be able to run a photo shop program.

[Tx Redneck]

What's your budget?

[lincolnboy]

Hoping for 400-600 if I could find something on black friday if not maybe a bit higher. Will be a xmas gift.

[ram57ta]

400-600 bucks will get you quite a lot of laptop if you do some shopping. If she plans to use any photo editing software I would suggest something with at least an I5 processor...and as cheap as memory is...max it out. Keep in mind that a lot of the Black Friday laptops are going to be bare bones and basic models..cheapo HP's, Dell's, Toshiba's, etc. You could probably order directly from the manufacturer and build a better computer for not much more than the Black Friday deals...and not have to fight the crowds.

[whitetrash]

400-600 bucks will get you quite a lot of laptop if you do some shopping. If she plans to use any photo editing software I would suggest something with at least an I5 processor...and as cheap as memory is...max it out. Keep in mind that a lot of the Black Friday laptops are going to be bare bones and basic models..cheapo HP's, Dell's, Toshiba's, etc. You could probably order directly from the manufacturer and build a better computer for not much more than the Black Friday deals...and not have to fight the crowds.

this.

i ordered my dell from dell with an I5 and 4g of ram shipped to my door for like 625. its been a great comp so far

[ceyko]

In short, what I told my Dad was to shop around and look for...

17" screen (he's older and mainly uses it around house)

Processor: Key in on I5 or I7

RAM: 4GB or more

HDD is generally a given. Make sure the drive is at least a 5400 RPM drive. 7200 is a bonus, but avoid 4200 like the plague.

Graphics: Try to find dedicated graphics, but on the low to mid range that sometimes is not an option

[clevelandkid]

Costco has a Dell with an I7 processor, 8 GB of RAM and a 17" screen for 699 on black friday

[kingjason]

In short, what I told my Dad was to shop around and look for...

17" screen (he's older and mainly uses it around house)

Processor: Key in on I5 or I7

RAM: 4GB or more

HDD is generally a given. Make sure the drive is at least a 5400 RPM drive. 7200 is a bonus, but avoid 4200 like the plague.

Graphics: Try to find dedicated graphics, but on the low to mid range that sometimes is not an option

I am no computer expert but I agree with this. I bought a high end 17in HP for the wife about 7 years ago that had a geforce(I think) graphics card in it. I gave it to my mother about two years ago when I bought my wife a new 15in Dell that we both share. That old HP will still blow this one clean out of the water on videos and other stuff. It just took so damn long to start up being older and all.

[Tx Redneck]

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0375282

[TruestreetTim]

Dell also has refurbished options as well. My GF got a good deal. For what she was willing to spend she ended up with a better model than what she could have afforded otherwise. Warranty and all! Going on 2 years and no issues.