Looking For A Laptop Recommendation

Glevum Owl

Senior Member
OK, deep breath and here we go...

I'm in the UK and looking to purchase a new laptop in the next two months. It's for general family use but will be used mainly for lots of LR, some PS and frequent HD video editing. Budget is about 900GBP inc. VAT maximum. Must be Windows to tie in with everything else in the house.

So far the best thing I've found is an ASUS machine on Amazon.

All recommendations or suggestions would be appreciated. Donations also welcome. ;)

Thanks
 

clairmatin

New member
Asus is a good brand, their electronics are solid and their PCs and laptops are well built. Their Zenbook range is well reviewed.

Lenovo is also a good brand.

I'd say an Intel Core i5 is probably enough cpu. Don't go lower, but if you have room in your budget, splash out with the i7. Note that the laptop versions of these CPUs are slower than the desktop PC versions with the same name. Confusing.

Do you want it light so you can carry it on vacation, for example? The superlight ones are cool but more expensive.

To run Photoshop you need plenty of memory. 8GB is probably plenty.

Some of them have a Solid State Drive option. This significantly speeds up your work, but the ones you get in laptops are usually only 128GB, whereas the HD option in the same device is usually 512GB or more. So if you choose SSD you may want to get an external USB HD at some later time. Some laptops can support an internal second drive, but not the slimline ones.
 

Glevum Owl

Senior Member
Thanks for all the comments. I'm a retired ex-techie but way out of touch with modern PC specs. I can't believe the number of CPUs that Intel has on the market currently.

Clairmatin: I too discovered that the mobile CPUs are quite different from their desktop counterparts. Having tried a friend's "i7" laptop recently I've quickly changed my mind about getting something portable and will now build my own desktop later in the year. In the meantime, I've upgraded the drives in the NAS.
 

Danno

Senior Member
Ram is cheap... and it really makes a difference. I bought my laptop with 8 and quickly upgraded to 16 gig. Made a noticeable difference and it was a cheap add. about $40.
 

clairmatin

New member
I have a Lenovo i7 laptop and I built from scratch a Mini ITX desktop with i7 4790K, 16GB, GTX 970, Samsung 512GB 850 Pro SSD in a Fractal Design Node 304 case. The difference between them is night and day.

Build from scratch is definitely the way to go. Mine cost $1100 all delivered free shipping to my door from the various internet sites, Amazon, Newegg, B&H etc. Also use pcpartpicker.com to configure, it will flag incompatibilities in your design, show you the current best price offer from the various sites, and generally keep you organized.

To buy the same would be closer to $2000, that's assuming you could get the same from a manufacturer.
 

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
Be sure to get a laptop with a decent display. Moab Man mentioned this about IP displays in another thread.

It's really going to depend on what your photography output need is. If you have clients that you need to produce images where white is white and skin tones are correct, then you are going to need to drop some money. If you are a hobbyist then you can go cheaper and get a calibrator like Spyder Pro.

Here is an article with tons of info, and at the bottom is a list of various monitors in different price ranges you might consider.

With whatever selection you make, I strongly suggest and IPS monitor. They are made so that from most viewing angles the colors will not shift.

Best Monitor for Photo Editing and Photography (November 2016)

If you are interested, you can read more about that discussion in this thread.

https://nikonites.com/computers-and-software/38053-monitor-questions.html#post590772
 

Glevum Owl

Senior Member
Ram is cheap... and it really makes a difference. I bought my laptop with 8 and quickly upgraded to 16 gig. Made a noticeable difference and it was a cheap add. about $40.
Absolutely. 16GB of RAM in our old i5 (Clarkdale) PC ensures it copes with LR albeit with a little lag here and there.

Build from scratch is definitely the way to go.
Agreed. And thanks for the link. Despite higher prices over here, it's still the cheaper option and the most satisfying one. Any chance of you posting your parts list or at least which motherboard you went for, please?

Be sure to get a laptop with a decent display. Moab Man mentioned this about IP displays in another thread.
Thanks. I 'economised' on the monitor last time and I'm not repeating that mistake!
 

Glevum Owl

Senior Member
MSI Z97I AC (Mini ITX)


And more recently I upgraded to a Benq 32 inch 2560x1440 monitor. Magic!

btw I am an expat Brit

Thank you! I hadn't considered a mini format. I've only ever build towers. Given that I don't need much in the way of expansion cards these days I'll give the smaller form factor a look.

Ex pat? Missing Marmite? ;)


For anyone looking to build their own PC I've come across this site of ready made PC 'recipes'. Even though they're for video editing, the specs can be altered to fit pure photo editing plus it saves the homebrew PC builder a lot of time.
 
Last edited:

clairmatin

New member
Yes those are some very well thought out combos. Go for it, but do not be afraid to substitute.

You may be able to pick up a GTX970 or GTX980 or GTX980ti at a reduced price.

Mini-ITX in a minimal case like the Fractal Node 304 can present some thorny cable management issues, just from space, and check that your Graphics card will fit in whatever case you use, because some Mini-ITX cases shave an inch here and there.

I have Marmite, brought to me by offspring who are still in the UK.
 

Glevum Owl

Senior Member
Go Rouge - ASUS R.O.G.

Love my ROG - but not a budget machine.

I have a relative into gaming and his kit is amazing but too pricey for what it is. I'd discounted both ROG and Alienware due to the premium paid for the brand and the gaming stuff I'd rather not have like the light up cases. Given that I've carefully planned a neutral office with black, white & grey furniture and grey walls the last thing I want is a light show to distract my eye!;)
 

Fortkentdad

Senior Member
I have a relative into gaming and his kit is amazing but too pricey for what it is. I'd discounted both ROG and Alienware due to the premium paid for the brand and the gaming stuff I'd rather not have like the light up cases. Given that I've carefully planned a neutral office with black, white & grey furniture and grey walls the last thing I want is a light show to distract my eye!;)
For sure there is a handsome premium for the R.O..G. label. The lights are controllable. I do game a bit but nothing that begins to use the system capacity. But the gaming capacity means great photo processing capacity too. But there are machines that do as well for photo processing and viewing at much lower price.
 

Glevum Owl

Senior Member
Postscript: Thanks to everyone for your advice & comments. Unfortunately due to the house boiler and the oven breaking down irreparably within days of each other, a PC purchase is postponed until further notice. :sorrow:

On a positive note, there was enough in the budget for a new lens: Nikon AF-P DX Nikkor 70-300 mm f/4.5-6.3G ED VR. I'll put it through its paces as soon as the UK weather turns sunny. :D
 
Top