Laptop help

Hello can some one help me? My son is going to college for graphic design and he need a labtop with some good software on it. Do any one know someone selling a used good laptop for my son. If you just have the laptop how much also whats a good one for this field. Im not rich he is the oldest out of four. Please help me he start in August of this year thank u

If you belong to Facebook they have a Marketplace that is local for your area. You can always check there. Of course it’s no guarantee of what shape it would be in. It would be a gamble much like buying something at a yard sale.

Otherwise just get the best you can afford. If they are requiring certain software look into student discounts. Most have them. That rate is always a great deal less than market price.

That’s about all I can offer. Good luck.

Moved to it’s own topic :wink:

I dont know how to

Red u didn’t help with nothing. Not wven telling me whats good software. I know my chances when buying anything thank u

The college should have requirements for what software is needed for his degree program. That should include Adobe’s software suite which is Creative Cloud. If in the US the student discount rate is $20 a month as it is a subscription based service.

Thank you. Yes I am in USA. My son is good in this graphic design. All i want to know WHAT IS A GOOD LABTOP FOR GRAPGUC DESIGN? WHATS GOOD SOFTWARE? FINALLY DO ANY ONE HAVE LABTOP FOR SALE WITH SOFTWARE ON IT?

I AM VERY APPRECIATIVE OF ALL RESPONSES PLEASE IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A ANSWER TO ANY 3 QUESTUONS. MAY YOU PLEASE STOP RESPONDING WITH THINGS I ALREADY KNOW
thank u again

The way to find the best computer for the job is to research the minimum requirements to run the graphic design software your son will be using most often. Computers usually have published “specs” or technical specifications that show you exactly how much computing power and storage is inside the machine. This gives you details as to how powerful a laptop can be and if it is powerful enough to effectively run the software.

As @CraigB mentioned, your son will likely be using the Adobe Creative Cloud software, which is an industry standard among graphic designers. These programs become bundled like a subscription, which is paid on a monthly or annual basis. I would consult with his school to see if he is responsible to purchase this individually or if it is included with his tuition.

Within Adobe Creative Cloud are several separate programs that do everything from design, illustration, page layout and even video editing. Some programs need more processing power than others. This is a compiled list of all of the system requirements for each individual program. You can click on “Adobe Photoshop” and “Adobe Premiere Pro” to see some of the requirements for some of the programs that utilize the most processing power. The specs shown are considered the minimum of what your computer will need. You can use these specs to shop and compare computers.

One final thought is that you should check in with your son’s school to see if they have any computer discount programs or if they’re selling refurbished computers. These would be used computers that have been “cleaned out” from previous students, but are still usable.

As has already been written, you should ask the school what software will be needed.

Typically, graphic designers use the Adobe Creative Cloud suite of programs, which includes most of the software needed by graphic designers.

Creative Cloud is purchased through a subscription. You do not actually buy the software. You download it and install it for free, but there’s a monthly or yearly fee to use it. Even if the software is already on the computer you buy, you will need to still obtain a subscription license to use it.

If Creative Cloud is the software used by your son’s school, the school might have a group license or special arrangements with Adobe, but no one here can answer that. You or your son will need to ask the school about it.

Most any good-quality computer will work with most of the software graphic designers use. Get one with at least 8MG of memory or more. Again, it might be best to ask the school whether or not it has a recommended computer or computer configuration. I have no recommendations on where to buy a used computer.


Edit: Looks like @SurfPark answered while I was typing, but both of us are saying much the same thing.

Thank yall so much i will. What about the laptop which laptop is good not just for beginners also for advance. Now i need a good laptop brand model etc. He my oldest and im in the position to buy a nice labtop please help so i wont pay money for a trash computer. Off top its crazy i went to school for it network support over 12 ywars ago

I, like many graphic designers, use a Macintosh laptop with a separate large monitor. Most any Macintosh computer will work for graphic design, but as is the case with almost everything, the more expensive computers with 16 to 32MB of RAM, large solid state drives, and fast processors cost more.

However, Windows computers work just fine too and they tend to be less expensive. I cannot recommend any specific brands, but researching reviews and sticking to the major brands is safest. Just like with Macintoshes, most professional graphic designers who use Windows will buy computers with 8 to 16 MB of RAM or more, large hard drives and fast processors. Again, faster computers with larger hard drives and more memory cost more money.

Graphic design typically requires a larger display or monitor. Lots of windows are open and lots of space is needed to move things around and to see the entire design one is working on.

A student, however, can get by with a simpler configuration. Graphic design students don’t typically need the best, but they need something better than a typical office computer that only runs office software.