I am actually about to pull my hair out trying to figure this out. I just got a freelance gig doing logo work and branding stuff but my old laptop literally sounds like a jet engine and the colors look all washed out and gross. I tried to look up what to buy but honestly all the tech websites make me feel even more stupid than when I started. People keep talking about RAM and dedicated graphics cards and M2 or M3 chips and I have absolutely no idea what any of that actually means for me in real life. Like do I need 16 or 32 of the ram things? Is a Mac better? I have always used Windows but everyone says designers use Apple and I am just so lost and confused.

I have about $2,300 saved up and I need to buy something by like next Friday because my first big project starts then. I am based in Portland so I can go to a physical store but I dont want to walk in there and get talked into buying something way too expensive that I dont even need just because the salesperson sees I dont know what I am talking about. It is so frustrating because I just want to draw and make cool stuff without the screen freezing every five minutes.

Here is what I think I need but please tell me if I am wrong:

• the screen needs to show colors right because my last print job came out looking neon orange when it was supposed to be a soft peach and it was embarrassing
• it cant lag or stutter when I have Photoshop and Illustrator and like twenty Chrome tabs open at the same time
• something that isnt going to be obsolete by next year because that is a lot of money for me to spend
• I guess it should be somewhat portable because I like to work at cafes sometimes but it doesnt have to be super light

Is there a specific model or a brand I should just go buy right now and be done with it? I am sorry if this is a stupid question or if I am overthinking it but I am just so stressed about making the wrong choice and wasting my savings... what do you guys actually use for professional work nowadays?