New Laptop for Lightroom. Some Options and questions.

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Arcanion

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Simon
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Hey folks,

here is the problem: I need a new Laptop. I know that Desktop PC's are the thing to go in terms of procession power and price. But I need a Laptop for my picture editing on the couch :D Which is, where I sit 80% of time. I also have a 24" calibrated screen IF i need it in my working room.

Since most of my work in Lightroom will be done on the couch, mobility and weight aren't important. Thats why I prefer a big screen. My actual Laptop is 17" and I like it, but the problem is that most 17" Laptops don't have an IPS screen - and thats an upgrade I want to make.

Important:
IPS panel with 1920x1080
17" screen size
Quadcore processor
16GB Ram

There are not many to choose from. Dell Precision 6800, HPZ, Dell Precision 3800, Alienware 18 or Acer Aspire VN7-791G-70Z7 are the only real options for me.

Dell M6800 and HP ZBook: Very expensive and the style is pretty dire. A workhorse that sacrifices design for function. (2500+ Euro)
Dell M3800: Good design, light and QHD+ ! The Macbook for windows. Downsides: Only 15" and no cd/dvd or numeric pad
Alienware 18: Heavy and big. I do like the style though and it's the biggest screen on a laptop with IPS, which is nice! Also playing games could be a thing from time to time.
Acer Aspire Nitro: Looks perfect from price and size. sRGB is "only" around 72% so a bit worse than the graphic specific Dell ones though. Touchpad has no seperate physical buttons (minor complaint).

So my question is, whats your opinion on these`?
Special question for all Retina or M3800/XPS15 users. Is the higher resolution really worth it? I mean especially for Lightroom, Internet and picture presentation (aka showing my pictures to friends and family members on my laptop).

My preferences are changing every day between those four :D
 
I have an XPS15. The screen is beautiful in that there are no jaggies, movie playback looks fabulous and colours are pleasing. In terms of benefits to the high res, a 15" screen is tiny when it comes to assessing sharpness, finding dust spots etc, and while the screen is much nicer to use than a low res version, the benefits are smaller than you would hope. Having said that, I WILL happily sit down and edit on that screen, but I know I'll need to check the images on something bigger before I'm happy with them.

In terms of picture presentation, I'd say the XPS screen would be very hard to beat *for a laptop screen*.
 
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I'll be brutally honest here, I have the Precision M4800 which is my work laptop, here is the rundown on my thoughts on it which should be VERY similar to the M6800....

Positives

  • Power, oodles of it! I've got the i7, 16Gb and Quadro combo
  • Built like a tank and VERY good cooling
  • More expansion ports than you can shake a stick at!
  • Get the Dell Dock and the Dell "Commander Unit" with 2 x 24" Ultrasharps and it's bliss for desktop performance and mobility combined

Negatives

  • The screen, although FHD IPS, is pretty poor in my opinion, my 7yr old HP HDX16 outshines it, I was disappointed to say the least
  • When it's been on your lap for a while, you WILL know about it, the weight of this beast is incredible!! And if you put it in a laptop bag or rucksack, you will pay for it in muscle pain later, I wish I was joking about this point!
  • It's very boxy, meaning that depending on your usage angle, it starts to hurt wrists after a while, it feels like the front lip is a full inch :eek:

As is usual for Precisions, the beast is very reliable and built to last, and given your statement above, I would happily sacrifice the DVDR/W and numeric pad for a better display. QHD reviews of the M3800 have been excellent, and I only wish it was available on the M4800 :(
 
i'll echo the above on the precision range. although i have the older m6600 which doesnt have a nice screen (its a work machine) its built like a friggin fallout shelter and certainly pokey. can run twin hard drives and still have an optical etc.
 
I'm sure you've seen pics of a precision before! But here is mine, with a close picture of the screen, notice the grid-like pattern that is evident?

I'm not saying it's not sharp, but when looking at photographs for periods of time it seems to be more evident

precisionm4800.jpg


resolution.jpg
 
That really looks not like a screen I could work with all the time. Thanks for the pictures. My current screen is a FHD glare 17" TN panel and I have to say its beautiful. I don't even mind the glare, but it's a TN Panel and really hard to get the correct colors or lightness done. Also the whole system is old.

So it looks like I have to decide between the Acer Nitro which has everything I want (except it's so new, that there are no reviews yet) and the XPS15. Still unsure if 15" is enough for me, even at QHD+ I'll have to find out


@ancient_mariner: Having to use a bigger screen to check is not sth I want to do all the time. but maybe if u zoom in you can do without external monitor? Thanks for your input.


Many photographers seem to be happy with mcbook pro and its retina display and call it a perfect laptop for editing. thats why I wondered about the XPS15...


Keep the input coming, its great information so far. Always interested in people which have (had) both a 17" and a 15" as their main photo editing computers...
 
I use my precision as backup only as it's my works laptop, my Thinkpad T400 is my primary, and although a bit clunky when I made it process D800 images, it's a fine machine. Don't rule out the M3800, it's quite the beast!!
 
Neilc28 said:
I use my precision as backup only as it's my works laptop, my Thinkpad T400 is my primary, and although a bit clunky when I made it process D800 images, it's a fine machine. Don't rule out the M3800, it's quite the beast!!
Click to expand...

Well, I haven't ruled it out, since XPS15 is exactly the same thing (just different GPU). Iam just unsure if I want 15" screen for 85% of my working time. And thats when I wondered if the QHD+ makes up for the smaller screen...

neil_g said:
depends if you like working on a mirror. gloss can be a royal pain, especially on a device designed to be moved around a lot.
Click to expand...

Like I said, I have no problems with a glossy screen. I have on at the moment and watching pictures on it is quiet nice. The thing is: I don't need a laptop to move around alot. I need one for my kitchen table or couch or visiting family over weekend. Its not like i need super mobility. The real problem is the lack of available 17" IPS screens on the market.
 
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Arcanion said:
Like I said, I have no problems with a glossy screen. I have on at the moment and watching pictures on it is quiet nice. The thing is: I don't need a laptop to move around alot. I need one for my kitchen table or couch or visiting family over weekend. Its not like i need super mobility. The real problem is the lack of available 17" IPS screens on the market.
Click to expand...
the only thing to watch (other than glare and reflection) is the increased sense of contrast.

theres a reason why no professional monitor brand offers a glossy option.

(i'll be donning my flame suit now by the way)
 
neil_g said:
the only thing to watch (other than glare and reflection) is the increased sense of contrast.

theres a reason why no professional monitor brand offers a glossy option.
Click to expand...

I've always wondered why MacBook's and iMac's are the "Go To" machine for many a photographer and video editor, yet the screens (although impressive), are nowhere near professional grade, in my opinion and backed by your statement above. I can't imagine my 24" Ultrasharp with a glossy screen, it'd look weird!

Anyways, back on subject.... I'm not a fan of HP laptops as have been stung by them in the past, but have you considered HP Envy series, there are models with 17" 1080P displays, i7 Processors and 16Gb of RAM, and you could walk into a PCWorld to check the screen quality yourself! :)[/QUOTE]
 
Neilc28 said:
I've always wondered why MacBook's and iMac's are the "Go To" machine for many a photographer and video editor,
Click to expand...
cool innit.

(granted some software is mac only - aperture, final cut)

personally i have a dislike for apple displays, especially their flagship TB external displays. they've been wholly unreliable for us (probably an 85% issue rate).
 
Neilc28 said:
Anyways, back on subject.... I'm not a fan of HP laptops as have been stung by them in the past, but have you considered HP Envy series, there are models with 17" 1080P displays, i7 Processors and 16Gb of RAM, and you could walk into a PCWorld to check the screen quality yourself! :)
Click to expand...
[/QUOTE]

Thanks but those are not IPS screens. Specs like FHD, 16GB Ram and i7 MQ is not that unique but IPS is...

I guess I will have to go to a PCWorld and look at a XPS15 screen and then decide between this one and Acer Nitro VN7 probably.
 

Thanks but those are not IPS screens. Specs like FHD, 16GB Ram and i7 MQ is not that unique but IPS is...[/QUOTE]

There is a HP Envy with a 17" IPS Panel, I believe it's a touchsmart model although it's doubtful that the likes of PCWorld would have this one on the shelf! (y)
 
So, thanks everybody. After some thoughts I ordered the Acer Aspire VN7 Nitro
4710MQ, 16GB Ram, 1TB HDD + 256 SSD, 17" IPS Screen, BlueRay Player. Its exactly what I needed. I hope the quality of Acer is as high as my 7 year old Dell was (which still looks nice and running - and will still be in use in my family, as my mother needs a new laptop for office work)

So I will report how it works if anyone is interested or is in a similar decision.
 
i think the M3800 is a winner or the thinkpad W530.

both of these have capable processors as well as work station quadro cards that can support 10bit color work flow if you ever decide to go down the route of dell U2413 or U2713H

I have been on the look out for those two for some time. both of these laptops have 15inch which isn't sufficient for photo editing but should be ok for Lightroom work. a larger monitor is a must tho.

now a compromise on the above would be the Dell XPS 15 9560 or whatever with the QHD display etc etc...

basically all of the displays mentioned above have almost 100% sRGB coverage and about 70% or more on adobe RGB...which are highly impressive...the dell monitors mentioned above are 120-130% on sRGB and meant to be 100% or close to Adobe RGB

i think the M4800 display is not a wide gamut one and nor is the M6800 for some reason dell's new generation of precision laptop stopped having wide gamut displays even tho they are equipped with Quadro cards...real shame! oh also the same trend applies to the thinkpad W540 which is not a wide gamut display.

read up the review on notebook review

http://www.itpro.co.uk/laptops/21753/dell-precision-m3800-review
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Lenovo-ThinkPad-W530-N1K43GE-Notebook.80062.0.html
 
Wide Gamut is the least of the problems with the M4800 display! :p
 
If you can get one with QHD+, I was in dispute with Dell for 2 months trying to get M4800's ordered with one, the option was there but due to supply issues the order kept confirming the 1080p screen. Gave up in the end as needed the machines, but used the savings to get the Dell Commander units with 2 x 24" TFT's, so not all bad!
 
Actually reading on note book review forums people were able to buy qhd+ screens and replace the standard version...quite a good idea but too involved for me. Last time I tried to replace a screen i broke the hinge and damaged the plastic casing...
 
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