Beginner What am I looking for in a laptop screen...

gothgirl

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I'm going to be getting a new (used) laptop soon.

I'm pretty familiar with computers, and can take apart / repair a lot of bits etc.

What I am terrible with is terminology / technical terms in terms of screens and resolution.

How do I know if Laptop has a decent enough resolution for a photography ?

My current laptop is very poor (it was a fast substitute for my last one that died a death) and I'm pretty sure that the fact the screen isn't even HD compatible has something to do with it.

I alrady know what I'm looking for in terms of OS, Ram, HDD and a HD ready screen etc

But what are good things to look for in the screen for photography ?

I won't be buying an expensive laptop, something about £150 pre-owned,so I won't be getting anything amazing I know that.... but I want to make sure I don't shoot myself in the foot by buying something with a notorious poor screen
I Ideally want a Toshiba or Samsung.... I've long standing biases against asus and acer... due to the amount I've had to fix and put back together over the years
 
•
Something like my MacBook Pro 17" is pretty acceptable!
Look for the largest screen at the highest pixel density!
 
Kodiak Qc said:
•
Something like my MacBook Pro 17" is pretty acceptable!
Look for the largest screen at the highest pixel density!
Click to expand...

Sorry but I am not a Mac person, I'm born and raised on Windows OS, we're just not compatible.
 
gothgirl said:
Sorry but I am not a Mac person, I'm born and raised on Windows OS, we're just not compatible.
Click to expand...
I was not considering nor contemplating any type of compatibility
between you and me or any OS…
I was just guiding you, as you wanted, towards size and density
and proposing a machine as reference for you to look up.
 
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Kodiak Qc said:
I was not considering nor contemplating any type of compatibility
between you and me or any OS…
I was just guiding you, as you wanted, towards size and density
and proposing a machine as reference for you to look up.
Click to expand...

And your reply and input is appreciated, but for my paticular needs a Macbook would not fulfill them, and I highly doubt it would be within my given budget either.
 
I recommend going to have a look, most of the lower end screens can look washy, also check the viewing angles as they can be very narrow on cheaper laptops, I am a PC guy from the start BUT I use a MacBook Pro Ret for my photo work, main reason for it is the screen and batt life (plus fast), you'd be surprised how easy it is to cross platform, maybe check second hand market, you can run a Mac dual boot (boot camp), the Ret MacBooks don't work out well for Windows as the screen fonts are an issue, I.e VERY small, however the MacBook Air makes a good dual system, anyway I know you don't want a Mac, try before you buy would be wise but not always an option I know, in that case pic best spec you can for budget and buy as many of the sub 400.00rrp (150ish sec hand) laptops are much the same in my experience, they often lack display wise and touchpad. Hope some help.
 
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I find PC laptop screens dull and washed out compared to my Retina MacBook Pro.

One option is to get a decent display and plug the laptop into that for editing work.
 
Andy Taylor said:
I find PC laptop screens dull and washed out compared to my Retina MacBook Pro.

One option is to get a decent display and plug the laptop into that for editing work.
Click to expand...
Space is an issue , or I would have opted for a PC as I could have got a much better of for the price range
 
its strange the way laptop screen tech is often beaten by cheaper phones in terms of screen resolution - 1080p is pretty much standard now for a midrange smartphone (£300+) and 1440p is now standard for top end smartphone (£450+) yet laptops in these ranges sometimes only have 720p (ie only 25% the resolution of a smartphone)
 
gothgirl said:
I may have to make room then

Any suggestions ?
Click to expand...

If your present laptop has enough computing power for processing then you could just buy an external monitor for editing. Cheap'n'cheerful would be a Dell U2412M from Aria.co.uk for around £200 or less depending on what offers they have on.

Laptop screens for editing? Dell make some nice QHD screens at 3200 X 1800 built into well spec'd laptops, but they aren't cheap: http://outlet.euro.dell.com/Online/InventorySearch.aspx?c=uk&cs=ukdfh1&l=en&s=dfh&brandid=7&fid=1547

Editing on a high res laptop screen can mask dull colours and poor focussing, making images look sharper and stronger than they do when seen large and printed. That may not be a problem, but it's something to be aware of. When I use lightroom I enlarge to 2:1 in order to check focus when editing on my XPS, but even then it's not as reliable as using a 24"+ screen.

HTH
 
boliston said:
its strange the way laptop screen tech is often beaten by cheaper phones in terms of screen resolution - 1080p is pretty much standard now for a midrange smartphone (£300+) and 1440p is now standard for top end smartphone (£450+) yet laptops in these ranges sometimes only have 720p (ie only 25% the resolution of a smartphone)
Click to expand...

I think I'll be looking for 1080p minimum
 
Best I have seen so far within budget is a Dell
16:9, 1600x900 pixels.., seems to be a vast improvement on what most are.

An improvement... as my laptop at the minute is
15.4-inch SuperFine WXGA TFT, 1280 x 800 pixels

I've had a look at some macbooks and may be able to stretch to a pre-owned one, but I am totally unfamiliar with the OS, I don't know what I am looking for, what's good and whats bad etc
 
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I bought a laptop from Dell's Outlet a couple of months ago, they seemed to be the best place to get a decent screen for a good price, well happy with it - nice, clear, colourful 4K screen.
Think they're still out of your original £150 budget (the one I went for was an i7 with SSD for about £650), but still miles cheaper than macs.

http://outlet.euro.dell.com/Online/InventorySearch.aspx?brandId=7&c=uk&cs=ukdfh1&l=en&s=dfh

Check out the Inspirion 15 models for closest to budget, then google it along with the 4-digit model number to see what reviewers think of the screen - they'll vary from model to model, everyone's do sadly.
 
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archstanton said:
I bought a laptop from Dell's Outlet a couple of months ago, they seemed to be the best place to get a decent screen for a good price, well happy with it - nice, clear, colourful 4K screen.
Think they're still out of your original £150 budget (the one I went for was an i7 with SSD for about £650), but still miles cheaper than macs.

http://outlet.euro.dell.com/Online/InventorySearch.aspx?brandId=7&c=uk&cs=ukdfh1&l=en&s=dfh

Check out the Inspirion 15 models for closest to budget, then google it along with the 4-digit model number to see what reviewers think of the screen - they'll vary from model to model, everyone's do sadly.
Click to expand...


The one I have seen is a Dell inspiron 15 model. with 16:9, 1600x900 pixels
 
This is my debate at the minute, two I have seen that are not too far out of budget and that seem to fill my needs.

Dell 15-3537,
on Windows 8
4gb Ram
320gb HDD
15.6 inch, 16:9, (1600x900) pixels

or

Apple A1151 MacBook Pro
OS 10.6
2gb Ram
320gb HDD
17" widescreen TFT active-matrix display (1680x1050 native)

I really like the look of the DELL and would be much more familiar with windows...
However am I missing out on the opportunity to switch to mac ?
The only concern I have is that the Mac is at full potential, it can't run any higher ram or HDD or OS.... so leaves no room for improvement, which might be ok
But as I know nothing about Mac OS, I have no idea if 10.6 is good, or bad... or so old that it will be incompatible / obsolete now or soon with most modern softwares ?
 
I used to have an iPhone 3G so I know what apple are like for removing support / compatibility for older products, so that you have to buy new ones

and 10.6 is the max that this macbook is able to support.
 
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Is it one of these? http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook_pro/specs/macbook_pro_2.16_17.html

If so, you're missing out on an old machine that would struggle with modern software, and will be frustratingly slow. Great in 2006, but not ideal now unless you're a fan of vintage hardware - my late 2008 Macbook (2GHz core 2 duo, SATA2 SSD, 8Gb DDR3 memory, running OSX 10.10) can process using lightroom, but it's slow handling 20Mp images, especially if I want to do more than the most basic development. I could not recommend this, even at £150.
 
gothgirl said:
Apple A1151 MacBook Pro
Click to expand...

That's the first Macbook Pro (previous machines had PowerPC chips and were called PowerBooks). It dates from 2006. That makes it 9 years old and "vintage*" since October 2011
I would definitely avoid this for the reasons already given, but also because the battery will be worn out and may start to expand. Apple have stopped selling replacement batteries for this model, so you'd be left with the third party alternatives, which I also strongly recommend avoiding.

*Apple support hardware for 5 years from the date that the model is discontinued and then it becomes "vintage". This is because in California and Turkey they have to provide 6 years support by law. Apple will only service vintage products that were purchased in these territories, so you can't take your 5.5 year old Mac on a trip to Istanbul to get it fixed.
 
That's a pitty then, what about the Dell listed above ?

Dell 15-3537,
on Windows 8
4gb Ram
320gb HDD
15.6 inch, 16:9, (1600x900) pixels

or
APPLE MACBOOK PRO
MODEL: A1260 / A1236
2008
4GB
250GB
15.42ghz
15.4
1440x900
or

Dell 9400
Intel Core 2 Duo 1.86GHz x 2
2GB
320gb
17.1 Inch wide Screen
Screen resolution 1440 by 900
 
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This Dell? http://www.notebookcheck.net/Dell-Inspiron-15-3537.105399.0.html

If so, it's the only one of all those I'd consider for image processing.It's still a dual core processor, but at least it has recent architecture, and you could fit a 128GB SSD for about £40 for a huge boost to performance (keep the original HDD as external storage in a caddy).
 
ancient_mariner said:
This Dell? http://www.notebookcheck.net/Dell-Inspiron-15-3537.105399.0.html

If so, it's the only one of all those I'd consider for image processing.It's still a dual core processor, but at least it has recent architecture, and you could fit a 128GB SSD for about £40 for a huge boost to performance (keep the original HDD as external storage in a caddy).
Click to expand...

Like this one ?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-5-SATA-...267539?hash=item5d4c317293:g:yJwAAOSwo0JWMHHw

And I am guessing that SSD are the same standard size and shape as HDD and interhangeable between laptops ?
 
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ancient_mariner said:
This Dell? http://www.notebookcheck.net/Dell-Inspiron-15-3537.105399.0.html

If so, it's the only one of all those I'd consider for image processing.It's still a dual core processor, but at least it has recent architecture, and you could fit a 128GB SSD for about £40 for a huge boost to performance (keep the original HDD as external storage in a caddy).
Click to expand...

I know how to change and fit a HDD, if the SSD are the same shape and go in the same place that's not a problem, and the external caddy for the HDD is do-able
The problem is if t Take the HDD out to replace it with a SSD... I'll then have to buy a OS Disk won't I and re-install an OS on the SSD? Or aquire one through some other means :jimlad:
 
gothgirl said:
I know how to change and fit a HDD, if the SSD are the same shape and go in the same place that's not a problem, and the external caddy for the HDD is do-able
The problem is if t Take the HDD out to replace it with a SSD... I'll then have to buy a OS Disk won't I and re-install an OS on the SSD? Or aquire one through some other means :jimlad:
Click to expand...

Most SSDs fit the same space as a 2.5" laptop drive. You can get adapters to fit a larger slot. Moving the OS over is dead easy on a Mac, there are a number of options.

For a Windows machine, I am told that this tool will help with the transfer: http://www.todo-backup.com/products/home/download.htm
You will still need the external caddy.
 
Andy Taylor said:
Most SSDs fit the same space as a 2.5" laptop drive. You can get adapters to fit a larger slot. Moving the OS over is dead easy on a Mac, there are a number of options.

For a Windows machine, I am told that this tool will help with the transfer: http://www.todo-backup.com/products/home/download.htm
You will still need the external caddy.
Click to expand...

If I am with Windows on a Dell, I shouldn't have a problem sorting the OS out, even if it means downloading it and creating a install disc myself,
I'd thought of downloading a copy of windows 7 anyway, as I don't like the App interface of 8/9 etc.

So the Dell 15-357, updated to a SSD would be a sound improvement ?
In terms of graphics and speed ?

I'm currently on a fujitsu siemens ESPRIMO™ Mobile V5535 upgraded with a 500Gb HDD. it was the first thing I could get when my old laptop died, that had enough HDD.
It's running vista which I LOATHE, but as it's broken / corrupt I can't uninstall or upgrade it, so it's stuck as is. Not to mention the Dvd drive fell out and half the keys don;t work. *

http://www.engadget.com/products/fujitsu-siemens/esprimo/mobile/v5535/specs/

Going from 1280 x 800 to 1600x900 is a noticeable improvement at least

* Edit - I do have the skill to fix this laptop, but the laptop is not worth spending the money on a Vista disc, new keyboard and new dvd drive to do so.
 
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Sounds like a plan then. W10 might be a good upgrade too, since it *feels* snappier than W7.
 
Is the ssd much better ?
Once I upgrade the hdd to Windows 10 would that not be ok ?

Never had ssd before only hdd
 
It can make a very big difference: took my Macbook from frustratingly slow to about tolerable a couple of years ago. Andy makes a very good point that it affects read & write speeds, so programs will open faster, save faster. It won't change how fast tasks are processed where the bottleneck is CPU and memory transfer rates, so opening and saving images in Lightroom etc will be faster, but actually making changes to the displayed images will not be.

This is also good value: http://www.ebuyer.com/712133-sandisk-plus-240gb-sataiii-2-5inch-ssd-sdssda-240g-g25
 
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Thanks guys, I have bought the Dell, and I am going to look for a SSD now, seen a pre-owned 128gb Toshiba SSD for a decent price so may end up with that as always found toshiba things reliable.

Thank you to everyone that has taken the time to reply, the help and input it is much appreciated
 
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Yes, but.

They work well for regularly used applications, OS files etc, but are poor for opening large seldom-used files like images: you'll get boot times that are very close to those with an SSD, but data manipulation is slow. I built a computer for home accounting using hybrid drive and that works really well because the file sizes are small. If you're going to be handling 20meg raw files then it's not going to help.
 
ancient_mariner said:
Yes, but.

They work well for regularly used applications, OS files etc, but are poor for opening large seldom-used files like images: you'll get boot times that are very close to those with an SSD, but data manipulation is slow. I built a computer for home accounting using hybrid drive and that works really well because the file sizes are small. If you're going to be handling 20meg raw files then it's not going to help.
Click to expand...

Canon 40d so I've got 12mp raw files
 
If you find any 1TB SSD drives with a similar scale of reduction please let me know. :D
 
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