Trying to decide between 2 laptops for Graphic Design.

RuSty420 · December 27, 2008, 3:06am

Hi,

I used to be a lot more knowledgeable about computers, and then I bought one and now, 5 years later, my knowledge is far outdated.

Anyways,
I am getting in to graphic design and digital media and considering possibly getting into the field as a long term career. With the release of Vista and Adobe CS4 my old computer simply does not do the trick anymore. So I need to get a new computer.

Basically what I would be doing with it is this:

[SIZE=“1”][ul]
[li]1. Using adobe CS applications, sometimes simultaneously (Mostly Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, and Dreamweaver).
[/li]
[li]2. Using Visual Studio for programming (VB.NET, C++, C, C#).
[/li]
[li]3. Light Video Editing.
[/li]
[li]4. Light 3d rendering.
[/li]
[li]5. Heavy internet use / downloading.
[/li]
[li]6. Watching movies.
[/li]
[li]7. Listening to music.
[/li][/ul][/SIZE]

I won’t be playing games, so I don’t need a gaming rig. I like my computers fast, and I realize this can often be a task with large applications running on Vista.

so far, I have two selected, a 15.4" and a 17"

The 15.4 has better specs, but the 17 inch screen is a big plus for me.
Can someone review these specs and try to tell me how big of a performance difference there would be between the two. Would it be not noticeable, slightly noticeable, very noticeable, huge, etc?

Thanks, and here are the specs (truncated non-relevant information):

[SIZE=“4”]
[-] Sager 7680 (15.4") - $1,545.00[/SIZE]

Sager 7680 Ultimate Custom Laptop Gaming Notebook Computer (Built on the Clevo M762TU) Qty: 1

15.4" WXGA Glossy Ultra Bright Widescreen LCD w/ Wide Viewing Angle (1280 x 800) Qty: 1

nVIDIA GeForce 9300M GS with 256MB Dedicated Video Memory (512 Total Shared) Qty: 1

Intel Core 2 Duo 2.80 GHz “Montevina” w/ 6MB L2 On-Die Cache (T9600) - 1066MHz FSB 35 Watt Qty: 1

4096MB (4GB) DDR2 800MHz (2 SODIMMs) (2048MB x 2048MB) Qty: 1

320GB l 7200RPM I SATA II (16MB Cache Buffer) Qty: 1

8X DVD±R / RW / 4X + Dual Layer Drive with Software Qty: 1

Built in 10/1000 Fast Ethernet / LAN Network Card Qty: 1

Built in Intel Pro Wireless Wi-Fi Link 5300 802.11 A/G/N Qty: 1

Microsoft Windows VISTA Home Premium 64 Bit Installed, 64 and 32 Bit CDs both included Qty: 1

Extra Smart Li-ION Battery Pack (6 Cell) (Great for the Traveler or Student!) Qty: 1

[SIZE=“4”]
[-] Sager 7750 (17") - $1,336.00[/SIZE]

Sager 7750 Ultimate Custom Laptop Gaming Notebook Computer (Built on the Clevo M775SU) Qty: 1

17.0" WXGA Glossy Ultra Bright Widescreen LCD w/ Wide Viewing Angle Qty: 1