[Toy_Box]

I'm going to buy a new laptop next week, but I'm torn between the 17" and the 12" w/ an external monitor.

I would really like the extra portability (it's not absolutely essential) of the 12", but I'm not sure if it has enough power for what I need to do.

Does the 12" have enough power to handle big files in Photoshop (10x15, 300dpi) with reasonable grace? Is there any performance decrease when it is hooked up to, say, a 20" LCD? I heard a report that having a 12" hooked up to an external monitor made the fan come on all the time, is that true?

Thanks in advance for the help.

[sildani]

I don't have an external monitor, but I do have a 12" PB (867Mhz, 768MB RAM). Since your concern is performance, and not the laptop display, I would suggest that a 12" PB should give you comparable performance to a 15" or 17" PB. At the same time, if you go mobile, an image file of those dimensions you mentioned is practically un-editable on the 12" screen/resolution. Unless you're ABSOLUTELY sure you won't edit images on the road, I think the 12" may be your best best. Check the tech specs on the video hardware for the 12" and compare it to the 15" to get a good idea of the kinds of displays you can drive.

If you aren't going to go mobile, why not get a G5 PowerMac desktop? I am assuming you intend to go mobile from time to time (why else get a laptop?), so if you are going to be editing images on the go, don't go less than 15".