I am so sorry for your computer issues. I hope you get it all figured out and that your new computer will do everything you need it to and will last you for years.
I wish I could advise you with absolute confidence on your choice of computers, but I don't know enough to give that kind of advice. I will tell you that I have a 4 year old Dell laptop that was middle of the road on tech specs and cheap (I picked it up on sale) and it handled various kinds of software without much trouble. It did seem to slow down with age and with more use, but I still have it and it still works, so I know that you don't have to spend a fortune for a PC or laptop that will do everything you need it to.
Also, about 3 months ago I picked up a refurbished MacBook Air (Size: 11"; Processor: 1.7 GHz Intel Core i5; Memory: 4GB installed, 125 GB flash storage, 1600 MHz) for my trip to Russia. I needed something very portable and that would handle basic web surfing, word processing and photo/movie editing. The guy at the Apple store said that this laptop can handle a lot, but is too low on memory for any professional or "heavy duty" photo editing. He advised me to get something like a mid-level MacBook Pro for anything like that. I ended up getting the cheapest REFURBISHED MB Air and I LOVE IT! I've definitely become an Apple convert and I am not ashamed to say it. LOL!
Anyway, I don't use PhotoShop (too expensive for me), I use the open source software called GIMP instead. It does almost everything that photoshop does and I've been told is an excellent alternative to PhotoShop. My Air handles GIMP without a problem and as of today I have close to 5000 (yes, five thousand) pictures saved on it. Let's just say my trip home was productive. :) I am slowly going through the pics and editing them and I've had no problems with my laptop so far.
Speaking of GIMP, I've used it on my Dell laptop too, as well as Adobe Elements for photo and video. I am not as familiar or comfortable with elements, I primarily use GIMP. The only reason I got the two Elements software was because of a hugely discounted package rate, but haven't invested the time to seriously learn them yet. All I know that the Adobe Elements isn't as robust as Photoshop, but is very, very decent software and very well might do everything you need it to without taking up as much space on your hard drive.
OK, I hope that anything at all that I've written will be helpful to you. I wish you good luck and some fun when picking out your new tech gear. :)
no subject
I am so sorry for your computer issues. I hope you get it all figured out and that your new computer will do everything you need it to and will last you for years.
I wish I could advise you with absolute confidence on your choice of computers, but I don't know enough to give that kind of advice. I will tell you that I have a 4 year old Dell laptop that was middle of the road on tech specs and cheap (I picked it up on sale) and it handled various kinds of software without much trouble. It did seem to slow down with age and with more use, but I still have it and it still works, so I know that you don't have to spend a fortune for a PC or laptop that will do everything you need it to.
Also, about 3 months ago I picked up a refurbished MacBook Air (Size: 11"; Processor: 1.7 GHz Intel Core i5; Memory: 4GB installed, 125 GB flash storage, 1600 MHz) for my trip to Russia. I needed something very portable and that would handle basic web surfing, word processing and photo/movie editing. The guy at the Apple store said that this laptop can handle a lot, but is too low on memory for any professional or "heavy duty" photo editing. He advised me to get something like a mid-level MacBook Pro for anything like that. I ended up getting the cheapest REFURBISHED MB Air and I LOVE IT! I've definitely become an Apple convert and I am not ashamed to say it. LOL!
Anyway, I don't use PhotoShop (too expensive for me), I use the open source software called GIMP instead. It does almost everything that photoshop does and I've been told is an excellent alternative to PhotoShop. My Air handles GIMP without a problem and as of today I have close to 5000 (yes, five thousand) pictures saved on it. Let's just say my trip home was productive. :) I am slowly going through the pics and editing them and I've had no problems with my laptop so far.
Speaking of GIMP, I've used it on my Dell laptop too, as well as Adobe Elements for photo and video. I am not as familiar or comfortable with elements, I primarily use GIMP. The only reason I got the two Elements software was because of a hugely discounted package rate, but haven't invested the time to seriously learn them yet. All I know that the Adobe Elements isn't as robust as Photoshop, but is very, very decent software and very well might do everything you need it to without taking up as much space on your hard drive.
OK, I hope that anything at all that I've written will be helpful to you. I wish you good luck and some fun when picking out your new tech gear. :)
Cheers,
Vin