[riff]

Also worth checking what is auto loading and running all the time. There often is a lot of useless software auto loaded and running all the time.

[reeftool]

I have a very cheap HP laptop with an AMD X2 processor, 4 GB memory and a 500GB hard drive and a DVD drive running Windows 7 - 64 bit and it handles everything quite well. I paid $299 at Staples. I had Lightroom 4 beta running on it when I went on vacation last winter and it ran everything quite well. I don't use it often. My wife is working on her masters and uses it constantly. Biggest drawback? The 1366 x 768 display isn't even close to being a modern viewing monitor for photo editing IMO. It has a viewing angle of 1 degree I think. Move your head an inch and it looks like crap. With that said, you can spend a whole lot more and still get the same crappy display. It has a monitor port and an HDMI port so at home I can hook a real monitor so it isn't too much of an issue. If you want to edit your photos with the laptop display, look closely at the monitor specs of whatever you buy. Apples are pretty good in that regard.