I just bought a very expensive laptop - was it a $2500 mistake?

I should state upfront that I have not yet booted up this laptop and I am not a gamer. The laptop is still boxed up, wrapped tight, and still sealed with the manufacturers wrapping tape.

The base price for this laptop is $1300. I paid $2500 for it because I'm a speed freak. No, I don't need a drug intervention, but thanks anyway, Dr. Drew. More on that: I customized my brand new laptop because of my need for speed. I customized it primarily for work and school projects....9 to 5 stuff. Between 9 to 5 I'm a workhorse. I'm all business between 9-5.

All I know is that when I use the computer to work on a school or work project and I experience a slowdown or blockage, I get mad. I act like a racehorse who's stuck in quicksand. I have a little meltdown is what I'm saying. So that's why when I got ready to order a laptop I told myself I must place a priority - a high priority - on speed.

So I built it with 8 gigs of RAM and a quad core processor. The 8 gigs of RAM and the quad core processor is why it went from being a $1300 laptop to a $2500 laptop. (no desktop, thank you! I bought a laptop so I could get out of the house and work away from home 3 or 4 days a week).

My question is for the hardware savvy person out there: did I make a mistake in ramping up a $1300 laptop to the tune of $2500 in my all out quest/balls to the wall need for speed? Is the money that went towards the quad core gonna be worth it when everything is said and done?

Before you answer that, you need to know what I'll be using it for: I'm going to build websites with Wordpress and Dreamweaver. I might be using several programs at once. Programs like Photoshop, Dreamweaver and Flash. I might even have a web based video tutorial open when I'm using Photoshop or Dreamweaver. In a nutshell: I'll be using a lot of Adobe software.

I'll note that there's no need to point out that I could've gotten far more for my money by buying a desktop. That's a given. That goes without saying. I already have a high performance desktop for work and school. I bought the laptop because I need a portable computer that is easy to transport, a computer that I can place in the back seat of my car, or carry on my back when I ride a bicycle or chopper to work or school. A desktop was not an option.

So now that you know all there is to know, don't hold back with your answer. If I made a mistake just say so. Or maybe I bought the perfect laptop, one that has the type of speed that a busy body like me can utilize? A laptop that'll handle anything a worker bee can throw at it 5 years down the road?

Most of all, would I or anyone else be able to appreciate and fully utilize the speed and power of 8 gigs of RAM along with a quad core processor when compared to a machine that has 4 gigs and a duo core processor? Either way, tell me what you think, because I want THE TRUTH and unlike Tom...I can handle the truth :-D

OS: Vista 64 bit
Hard drive: 7200rpm
Memory: 8 gigs of RAM
GPU: 1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 130M
Processor: Intel® Core™2 Quad Processor Q9000 (2.00Ghz)
The Rig Itself: http://www.shopping.hp.com/series/category/notebooks/HDX18t_series/3/computer_store

 

to each their own, I say...

but I think the core2duo and 4 gb of RAM would have been more than enough too. My immediate concern with what you have is that the battery life will be short. Let's just hope you do get 5 years out of it. btw, it looks nice, have fun with it.

 

I agree with 'the gun' above. A high-end Core2Duo and 3-4gb of RAM should be fine. I hope you got a good sized hard drive in the laptop! You did mention that the HD is 7200rpm which is a good thing; most laptops ship with the slower 5400rpm drives (or even the 4200rpm drives in the really inexpensive units).

 

It looks as though it could handle all that you throw at it.
Ram is a bit OTT but other than that it looks to be good (excellent)

Using Photoshop and Dreamweaver it's the GPU that need to be on top or it will throttle the rest but you have a good one in there.

I can see where the extra money went, that is an awesome Quad.

 

Yep you are making a mistake paying that much money, you say your going to be photo/video editing and similar tasks then 4GB ram and a TOP END duo core processor should be fine.

Dacads