Hey guys,

After some deliberation I've decided against going for a MacBook, mostly due to the price tag but also due to software. As much as I like the sleek and robust feel of it I just can't really afford to let go of £820 for the base model.

So basically I'm now looking for a laptop around the £600 mark, can go up if I need to. I'm a uni student studying graphic design so a good screen would be handy. I'm thinking of around the 15.4" size for a good balance between workspace size and the fact I've got to carry it to and from uni.

I'll be using it mostly for photoshop, illustrator and some flash. Would be good if it could play some games for those days in the studio you just can't be bothered!

Any advice/suggestions much appreciated.

apparently ibm did build a few laptops with ips panels back in the days but those are long gone
so imho what youll want is a cheap light but reasonably powerful notebook to cary around and do some rough sketches using tn panel guesswork while on the road and a proper monitor at home to finish it off

The older model of the MacBook on t3h bay? I bet a lot of people didn't realise a new one was coming out, so they took their recently purchased machines and sold them to get the new one...

Quote from Shotglass :

apparently ibm did build a few laptops with ips panels back in the days but those are long gone
so imho what youll want is a cheap light but reasonably powerful notebook to cary around and do some rough sketches using tn panel guesswork while on the road and a proper monitor at home to finish it off

Yep that's what I'm looking for. Got a half decent 24" screen and desktop at home to work on.

Just looking for some suggestions from people on brands and even models to look at.

Quote from Jakg :

The older model of the MacBook on t3h bay? I bet a lot of people didn't realise a new one was coming out, so they took their recently purchased machines and sold them to get the new one...

My biggest concern is software compatibility. My desktop is a PC, my workstation at work is a PC and the uni computers in our room are PCs. Also I think I'd get annoyed with having to use the command key instead of control to use the keyboard shortcuts in illustrator + photoshop. Wouldn't mind being able to play some games as well, some mornings in the studio you just can't be arsed