Humor will not be tolerated!! -Portia

I'm posting this on behalf of my brother:

I'm planning on buying a used laptop soon. I'll be using it for
Photoshop work so I think I need a fast processor and a lot of ram.
Besides that I'm not sure what I'll need.

Some specific advice I'm looking for is:
What should I watch out for in a used laptop?
Does a graphics card make a difference?
What should I expect for 400 – 450?
Any other advice?

I know that a graphics card will make a difference, so look for a laptop that has something besides an integrated graphics card.
For 400-450 you can probably find a decent laptop in terms of a processor and ram, and I would definitely go for a mac because they are better in terms of graphics, video and stuff, so you would have the most luck looking there.

Macs are better for graphic design, but they're twice as expensive as PCs at the level you're looking for.

You want a dual-core processor, 2 or more gigs of RAM, and if at all possible avoid an onboard integrated graphics chip like the Intel X3100 or 945GM. Look for "recertified" or "refurbished." This one is good for the money.

I run Photoshop CS3 on my (bought used) Powerbook G4, and it runs fine. For the record, here are my computers stats:

Powerbook G4 1.5 Ghz
1.5 GB ram
80 GB HD

I bought it used about 6 months ago for $250, but it needed a new battery, so a total cost of about $330. It runs Photoshop pretty quickly, and I have used it to edit 50+ megapixel images. It does get a bit slower with large images, but workable.

If he wants a mac, he really only has a couple options:

1. Buy a PowerPC mac. This is great from a cost perspective, since pretty much any PowerPC based Mac is going to be super cheap at the moment. However, I don't recommend it. Many of the new pieces of software are Intel only, and the next release of the Mac OS is also going to be Intel only.

2. Buy a used Intel Mac. In that price range, there are only two models that he is likely to find available used, a Macbook or a Mac Mini. Despite both have integrated graphics, they will run photoshop without any problem. The newer integrated cards are at least as fast as the 9700 Mobile I have in my computer, and are much faster at some things.

Graphics cards do make a little bit of a difference, but not as much for Photoshop as for games.

Aside from that, I agree with the specs Cog posted. I get along just fine with my 1.5 GB of ram, but there have been times I have wished I had more. Go for 2GB minimum, though I have always thought it would be nice to have 4. Also, go for a bigger hard drive.

If Mac's are too spendy for his taste, check out SlickDeals.net, which has tons of laptop deals, especially this time of year. Often you can take an entry-level Dell and boost the processor and graphics card for another $100. And I'm seeing a lot more laptops with separate graphics cards.