Research: Computer Shopping

This morning, my Senior Portfolio project ran into a serious snag: it seems my computer is no longer capable of running Photoshop efficiently. I have a 4-year-old Dell laptop (yes, a PC), and it has been slowly dying for a while now. Today was the last straw when it took over a minute for Photoshop to perform such a basic task as zooming in, and the screen cut off before my image could be saved (a process I had already been waiting over five minutes for.) It's really very pathetic. Since my work this year is Photoshop-heavy, I do not see how I can manage to complete it with the computer I already have. So, my research today was all about which computer to buy. I have absolutely no money to spend on a new computer, but I've been shopping around a bit and I may have to give in and put it on my credit card (eek!) Below are the options I found today.

1.) A desktop PC. Not convenient, stylish, or fun by any means, but practical and the best value. This Acer will run faster and stronger than any laptop in the price range I was looking at, and a huge bonus is the gorgeous monitor it comes with.
2.) An all-in-one desktop PC. This is an interesting option. Closer to a laptop but not portable, and definitely more fun than a regular desktop (it has a touch screen!) And it's cheaper, which helps a lot. Unfortunately, this MSI Wind Top has the disadvantage of being non upgradable, and it has limited memory, which means it would probably run Photoshop a little slow. 3.) A Toshiba laptop. This option is extremely affordable and runs well (my younger brother has one.) The only real drawback I see is that the screen resolution is pretty low, and that is something I am not used to. The one great thing about my Dell is that it has a high res widescreen. I would really miss that feature if I were to buy this Toshiba. Keeping it on the short list, though.4.) This option is my favorite: a certified refurbished (by Apple, so I trust it) MacBook Pro!!! It's several hundred dollars cheaper to buy the refurbished one, and this model fits the specifications that I wanted (including the 13" screen and 4.5 lb weight.) This is the most expensive option on my list, but it is also the only one that excites me. I have been dying to switch to Mac. We will see...Hopefully I will make a decision and purchase one of these soon; then I will be able to start editing images as quickly and easily as I want to. In the meantime, I am going to continue to push my PC as hard as I can and try to make it work. I have so many images to layer on top of each other!