Please tell me which laptop is right for me?

im in highschool and would like to buy a laptop. I dont want to spend that much and the three that I will show you are all within the same price range. I'll be listening to music alot and on the internet alot, ill prolly also be running photoshop and limewire and some other stuff. I would like to have limewire open or something and not have the performance of the laptop hinderd while using other programs.
Here they are: Toshiba Satellite L300-ST2501:-----
Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor T6400 (2.00GHz, 2MB L2, 800MHz FSB)
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Basic (SP1, 32-bit version)
Microsoft® Office 2007 Suite Ready
2048MB PC6400 DDR2 800MHz SDRAM (2048MBx1)
Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
250GB HDD (5400rpm, Serial-ATA)
DVD SuperMulti (+/-R double layer) drive
Intel® WiFi Link 5100AGN (1x2)
Lithium Ion battery (6-Cell, 4000mAh)

 

I currently have Toshiba Satellite L305-S5946...Look it up, I believe it has pretty much the same specs. I can currently run a movie or song online, have my anit virus and anti spyware, +2spreadsheets, +1word process app, +another program that uses 300k+memory usage, and it runs with relatively little lag.


But I have also optimized my system. It's like this, my dads laptop is better than mine, but mine runs faster. If you don't know how to optimize, then the cheaper the laptop, the worse you will be, because the crappier the laptop, the less ability it has to make up for someone who doesn't know how to take care of it. The better it is, the more it can over come operator error so to speak.

 

Make sure you check out Major Attitude's tutorial on buying a laptop.

How to buy a laptop on a budget
http://majorgeeks.com/page.php?id=26

Also check out Windows Experience Index at http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=222749 (#5 post), to help, maybe, in your ultimate decision.

Bazza

 

Welcome to MG Danalantras
I can't stress this enough. If you are going to use Lime Wire MAKE SURE you are protected with a good anti-virus program and a good anti-malware/spyware program.

Limewire is what is called P2P (Peer to Peer) there are no firewalls between you and the peer you are downloading from.

I have had to fix more than one computer that fell victim to virus' from Lime Wire. Just be careful. You can use limewire safely using the above advice.

All the best,

Ian

 

A few general notes that should offer faster performance and possibly a lower cost of ownership (based on not having to upgrade for better performance later):

* Get a PC with Windows 7. More stable, easier to use. (Upgrading a system from Vista to 7 will cost at least $100).

* Using Photoshop, you should have a minimum of 4GB (4096MB) of RAM memory for it to perform more complex editing tasks quickly. Adding an extra 2GB stick to the system you've described will cost around $50 (many newer notebooks also use DDR3 memory which is 30-70% faster than the 800MHz speed in the specs you posted).

* Skip the store's extended warranty pitch. If you want an extended warranty that includes accidental damage coverage for a lot less, go to www.squaretrade.com.

* Don't pay for an anti-virus program. Several great free ones are available including Windows Defender and AVG. This will save you $30-$70 per year.

* In addition to an anti-virus program, download and install Malware Bytes (free in the download section). If something slips past the anti-virus program using LimeWire, Malware Bytes can usually get rid of it quickly and easily.

* "Microsoft Office Ready" means you get a trial version - buying the real version that will work past 60 days will set you back about $120 for the basic Home/Student version. OpenOffice (available in the Major Geek's download section) does almost everything Microsoft Office does for free.

If you keep an eye open for sales, you should be able to find a decent Toshiba with a dual-core processor and 4GB memory for about $400-$450.

Hope these tips help.