Ok, I’m not Dora. And my laptop is broken in a car accident. I need something that can handle Photoshop, Ilustrator and other Adobe programs. Any suggestions? What laptop do you use?
Right now I’ve logged in from home on a MacBook Pro with 16 GB of memory and half a terabyte of storage space on an SSD. It’s also connected to a 30-inch display.
But I’m guessing you’re looking for a Windows machine or you’d likely already know what you want. I would recommend a similar configuration for a PC, however. You can get by with 8 GB of memory, but 16 is a minimum for me — someone who usually has half a dozen applications open at any given time.
Sure, I prefer Windows machine, iOS looks embarrassing for me.
Nope, I have no idea on new laptop, I’m a little bit lost in all this stuff. I want a reliable machine that won’t break down in a couple of month
Oh, we’re gonna get along just fine. (I will point out, however that you probably mean ‘OSX,’ as iOS is Cisco’s mobile OS, ubiquitous on iThings, or as I call it: ‘Why can’t there just be a BACK button?’)
I do hope the car accident has left you yourself unscathed.
I’m not really as into “gear” as I once was, however I and several family members are having good experiences with HP stuff. I don’t know what your budget is, but these ZBooks are interesting: https://www8.hp.com/us/en/workstations-family-page/index.html?jumpid=in_r12139_us/en/psg/ws_overview/products/laptops
Do you have a budget? I think that’s one of the most important questions when looking for a new computer
I’m not quite sure what that means or how it relates. I’m not a big fan of iOS either and have come to prefer Android.
Anyway, I agree with HotButton on having good experiences with HP equipment. For those in our agency who prefer working on Windows, we almost always get HP machines unless someone has a strong preference for something else. Like many things, though, quality and reliability come with a price. We don’t get cheaper models, but we’ve never had one break down in a couple of months either. For that matter, we typically replace them after three years — not because they’re worn out but just because the specs become obsolete. Same with our Macs.
@HotButton Not to nitpick (ok, ok, I am nitpicking), but it’s no longer OSX, it’s now MacOS.
On a separate note, I’ve had an HP tablet and an HP chromebook, and both had power supply issues 2-3 years after purchasing them and I take care of my equipment. I can’t vouch for their full laptops though. I will say I have a Dell PC at work that I occasionally use, and it runs the Creative Suite just fine.
Thanks Craig. I’d rather be nitpicked than wrong. It’s been almost 7 years since I’ve even seen a Mac. Good thing I didn’t try to guess the latest code name. Mojito? 
Mmmmm. Mojito …
It’s, it’s, all about the Nits.
If a lappy’s display has an inferior Illumination/brightness measured in Nits, like somewhere down around 285 nits what’s the point of having full sRGB and all the other blah blah blahs?
I read somewhere that MacBook Pro are dim af down around a laughable (or cryable) 150 nits … lol!
The best I’ve found in my search for a new lappy is Dell XPS 15 (9750) at an industry leading 400 nits (15.6" FHD (1920 x 1080) InfinityEdge Anti-Glare Non-touch IPS 100% sRGB 400-Nits display) … unfortunately that machine has a ton of bad reviews about overheating … with its 8750H 8th gen i7 6ix cores and horrible cooling.
I’m at a loss … I need my nits!
The MacBook Pro display is rated at a maximum of 354 nits, which is bright enough that I always keep mine dimmed (unless I’m outside on a sunny day).
Oh, really? It’s iOS for me, I can’t distinguish one from another.
When I use Apple devices I look like a monkey with stone, that’s why embarrassing 
Budget is about 1200 USD. It’s maximum that I can spend on new laptop.
This one looks awfully nice: https://store.hp.com/us/en/mdp/laptops/spectre-355003--1#!&tab=features
1200 is a pretty decent budget. Look for a premium build, business line, “workstation” or “laptop”, and only go for a ultra-slim type model if you need the extra portability.
Now I will digress… 
For a long time I was a fan of IBM Thinkpads, and I still (mostly) am now that they are owned by Lenovo. In fact all my family members seem to come to me to help them purchase a laptop. Its the curse of being the geeky one in the family I guess. Because they generally have a very low budget, I always pick up a gently used Lenovo business class “workstation” laptop. If you know where to look, you can often pick these up where they have spent nearly their entire lifetime on someone’s desk and perhaps not even used all that often. The last laptop I got for my wife we spent around $500 with extremely good specs and it looked nearly brand new, it was about 2 1/2 years old, and had originally sold for $1600. They depreciate value amazingly fast.
Anyhow, I’ll cut to the chase. I focus on business class laptops because they are premium build quality, most have full aluminum chassis, and can survive quite a bit of abuse. You can even spill liquid into the keyboard of a Thinkpad (at least some of them) and it will run right through special channels out the bottom.
I learned quite a few years ago to avoid budget “consumer grade” laptops if you want something to truly last. Macbooks have a reputation as being very durable. Apple has kept that reputation by not trying to compete with everyone else in the low-end budget arena. I have had friends that say, “I will never by a HP again! I bought a HP for $400 and had nothing but problems with it. HP laptops are crap!” Then they go off and by a budget from Toshiba or Dell that are actually made by the same in the same factory as their HP.
Warranty claim data, backs up the notion that whether you buy a HP, Dell, Toshiba, Asus, Lenovo, or any other brand’s business line, you are going to have very close to the same level of reliability. Besides business lines, generally higher spec “gaming” lines are premium quality builds too, but you want to do your research.
Also don’t overlook the possibility of using a “Boutique PC Vendor.” I broke my own “rule” and rather than going with another Lenovo, the last laptop I bought which I use for all of my design and programming work, I bought from a custom laptop Boutique. http://www.hidevolution.com/ I have had it for more than 3 years now it is still going strong, and I still have a 1 year of warranty on it left. (more on the warranty below) Customer service is usually quite superb with these boutiques when something goes wrong. I had a optical drive issue, I called, they sent me another by two day express, let me be the one to remove the old drive and put the new one in, and I sent the old back. The actual owner of the store talked to me like an old friend for about 20 minutes.
A quick google search will reveal quite a number of these shops, maybe even one in your area. Many have a A+ rating on BBB and high marks on ResellerRatings.com. Usually these boutiques have their “own” brand, and then also sell other brands like Dell, Asus, Lenovo customized for you too. They generally handle 100% of warranty repairs on their “own brands” themselves, but for certain things you will have to go through the manufacture on other brands, so watch out for that.
As for a warranty, it is worth knowing that some credit cards have a perk to extend a manufacture’s warranty. Many by at least 1 year, and some more. My boutique was offering a special on their three year warranty, at the time and with the credit card extending it I ended up with 4 1/2 years of warranty. Also accidental damage and theft is often covered for the first year by such cards. As long as you keep all your papers and receipts it is usually quite easy to get claims from credit card companies.
Anyhow sorry that was so long! Hope it helps someone.
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