What laptop?

SJD2011

SJD2011

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Name
Sam
Edit My Images
Yes
I have a 4yr old Advent Laptop running Windows XP on 32 bit. I have Adobe photoshop Elements 10 installed on it.

I find it very difficult to do PP on this laptop - I find it very slow and labourious, freezing when it likes and just generally being difficult.

So, I wondered what would be the best lap top to get, purely for photography purposes. In theory, the laptop would need to:

- be fairly small so I could take it to shoots with me
- have a decent battery life
- quick
- able to cope with Elements & general PP
- internet capable.
- have a good monitor & colour settings

The plan is to use it just for my photography & not for every day use. So what do people have or recommend?

cheers
 
I don't want to start the age old mac or pc debate but depending on your budget, whether you want second hand or brand new and if you're prepared to make the switch to a deferent operating system I'd seriously consider a macbook or macbook pro.

I'd always recommend mac as switching for me was the best thing i ever did, they're not for everyone though.
 
I get by just fine running Photoshop CS5 on a Dell Inspiron M5010 laptop.. this is the most basic of the range, AMD 2.3ghz dual-core processor running Windows 7 64 bit with 4gb RAM.

If you have the cash for something better, go for more memory as your first preference, followed by a faster processor.

The argument of Macs being better than PCs for DTP and photo editing used to be valid years ago when they were used throughout the industry, but nowadays there's very little in it - the PC versions of Adobe software are just as capable as those for Macs. It all comes down to whether you prefer the look and feel of MacOS to Windows.

A.
 
jimmyb said:
I don't want to start the age old mac or pc debate
Click to expand...
So why did you? ;) It's only the UI that is different these days and Win 7 is just as good as OS-X as an interface IMHO (better in some respects - I hate the current window menu is at the top of the screen on OS-X for example). The underlying hardware is the same.

Anyway... what's your budget?

Whether Mac or PC you want a i5-2xxx or i5-3xxx, 64bit OS, 8GB memory (4G will do as a pinch). 7200rpm HDD or better an SSD if you can live with the price/GB. You may have to retro-fit this yourself.

Screens will be 15.6" and 1366x768 unless you want to spring £600+ on something with a full HD screen (the choice si very limited). Close to £1000 will get you a Dell XPS with full HD (1920x1080) screen which is brilliant.

Does it need to be a laptop? If so, can you set it up attached to an external monitor for editing? A laptop with 1366x768 screen hooked up to a 24" external monitor will be a much better proposition for editing over a full HD laptop screen on its own.
 
Have a look at the dell outlet site and look for certified refurbsihed.

They have some great deals on laptops.

I picked up an 2nd gen i7 with 6gb ram, 750hdd for £450 just before xmas.
 
keep an eye on the dell outlet store - thats were i got my xps with hd screen and its an amazing bit of kit - £650 should get you one on there and it will blow any mac out the water !
 
neil_g said:
budget?

might also get a better response in the computers section.
Click to expand...

Apologies - I didnt see the computer section :cuckoo:

Thanks for the replies and advice. My budget is £400-£700....I have never used a MAC, but am open to all options. I would definitely prefer a laptop so that I can skinm through the photos and immediately get rid of the duff ones (in my case about 90%!) as all my photos look amazing on the camera LCD, but look pretty cr*p on the larger laptop screens!!

Thanks again - will check out the outlet options mentioned!
 
I posted this question in the equipment section, not realising there was a computer section - :bonk:

So, I am using a 4yr old laptop using Windows XP 32 bit. I have elements 10 installed and it takes forever to edit my photos! My laptop periodically freezes and takes eternity to make my adjustments.

Ergo, I am on the prowl for a new laptop. My budget is pretty small - £400-£700 - ideally around the £500 mark. It needs to be fast, small enough to take with me on shoots, good screen & resolution. I store my images on an external drive which is pretty portable.

I have been advised to check out the Dell Outlet and see if they have anything suitable there. I have never used a MAC, but am open to all options.

What do other people use/ recommend?

thanks
 
There's a couple of i7 Dell XPS 15s in the outlet store around that price (http://www.dell.com/uk/dfh/p/laptop...d-design&~ck=supertab-speed-design#ViewByTabs). The pricier one has SSD, they both have 1366x768 screens, but you could look at an external monitor as the cheaper one will come in about £530 by the time you add vat and delivery. Something like a Dell U2412 from e-bay is only £205 delivered. £740 all in and you'd have a powerful laptop and a decent display for editing on.
 
Another Shout for Dell Outlet. Some really amazing deals on there...
 
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