Laptop spec.

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traceyjj

Senior Member
I think I will need to buy a new laptop to replace my current "poorly" one.

I have not taken any RAW images with the D800 as the laptop seemed to struggle with the sample one a friend sent me.

What sort of spec should I be looking at for a replacement?
Current spec was i5 (original first generation I believe), 6gb RAM, 500gb hard drive, Radion graphics card, 17" screen.

I still want a 17" screen, but beyond that, I havent a clue what I need processor and RAM wise for editing.

Any advice please?
 
Scott Murray

Scott Murray

Senior Member
traceyjj said:
I think I will need to buy a new laptop to replace my current "poorly" one.

I have not taken any RAW images with the D800 as the laptop seemed to struggle with the sample one a friend sent me.

What sort of spec should I be looking at for a replacement?
Current spec was i5 (original first generation I believe), 6gb RAM, 500gb hard drive, Radion graphics card, 17" screen.

I still want a 17" screen, but beyond that, I havent a clue what I need processor and RAM wise for editing.

Any advice please?
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I run numerous laptops and computers and would recommend a SSD for main drive to start with, this is my Imacs config.

Screenshot 2015-01-15 21.33.29.png
 
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RocketCowboy

Senior Member
mikew said:
Scott dont you need better spec with a laptop than you do with a Mac,i thought Macs ran smoother with less.
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Memory is memory, disk is disk. Doesn't matter if it's Windows or Apple.

The two big things for me are memory and disk. Scott's got it right with the SSD. Going SSD has been the best move I've made with any of my laptops, and it's why my 2007 MacBook Pro is still viable for some stuff (but not photo editing). Once you've got a good disk, having enough memory is key. I have at least 8GB of RAM on any of the computers I edit from. My wife has an older MacBook Air with 4GB that I'll use in a pinch, but it's not ideal. I have 16GB on my MacBook Pro and 32GB on my Mac Pro.

Like any other piece of gear, it all comes down to cost/benefit. If you aren't selling pictures for a living, then maybe photo editing doesn't justify the 32GB 6-Core Mac Pro. If you can find it within your price range, I would look for either an i5 of i7 processor (ideally 4 core and not just 2), 6-8GB of RAM minimum, and at least 1GB of RAM on the video card. Most laptops will sacrifice graphics card memory, so that is another tie breaker. Top it off with a 500GB or higher SSD and you should be good.

Screen Shot 2015-01-15 at 1.06.39 PM.png
 
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champagneinhand

New member
I bought a refurbished 15" MBP to replace the 2011 version. The late 2013 version came with 16GB of RAM, 2 graphics mode the Intel which shares RAM and a dedicated 2GB NVIDEA for higher graphic stuff. It uses the second version of SSD in the form of 500GB which really is lightning fast. The retina version is nice. Conversely I found that my older version which is non retina, is actually upgradable to 64GB of RAM and I pulled the show 5400rpm HD and switched it to a Samsung SSD first generation. It's pretty quick too.

I'm a bit worried for the newer one as its all soldered together so no upgrading possible. The older unit can have the optical drive replaced by a fusion drive with a SSD writing and reading to a HDD so best of both worlds. Eventually a 4K monitor for photo editing. Be sure to look at possibility of upgrades. For now the newer unit is great and being able to use the second generation thunderbolt for external drives or monitors is great. Much to think about. I would forget about that 17" monitor and focus on the guts and think external storage and a home external monitor as they are a viable solution like a light board for film used to be.
 
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wornish

Senior Member
In the Mac world
If you are going laptop then 15" is the biggest screen size but the display is retina and it is amazing. Definitely get the SSD option and also go for the i7 processor and ideally 16gb mem.

If you are going desktop iMacs then again go i7 and at least 16gb mem but consider the fusion drives they are just as fast as SSD for everything except heavy duty video editing. If you want to really be blown away then go for the latest 27" retina display It will make your D800 shots look amazing.

In the windows world then i7 processor and 16gb mem minimum is the starting point for todays software with 500gb - 1TB storage.
 
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traceyjj

Senior Member
Not going the mac route, too expensive for me... my son hasnt had the best luck with his iMac either.

I will be "downgrading" to w7 with whatever laptop I get, so all our computers are on the same OS.

So basically it is recommended that I have the best/fastest hard drive, as much memory as I can afford and i7. Is a separate graphics card better for photo editing?

For the past 20+ years, I have used computers all day at work on graphics hungry programs, but I still know nothing about computers and what is needed to make them process data efficiently!
 
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wornish

Senior Member
traceyjj said:
Not going the mac route, too expensive for me... my son hasnt had the best luck with his iMac either.

I will be "downgrading" to w7 with whatever laptop I get, so all our computers are on the same OS.

So basically it is recommended that I have the best/fastest hard drive, as much memory as I can afford and i7. Is a separate graphics card better for photo editing?
For the past 20+ years, I have used computers all day at work on graphics hungry programs, but I still know nothing about computers and what is needed to make them process data efficiently!
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I remember you said you had a bad mac experience.

So yes go for the fastest i7 you can afford + 16gb mem, and at least 500gb drive if you are going for a laptop then there is not much choice of graphics card. If you just want to work on photos the standard graphic cards ones are fine. If you want to do video editing then thats a different story.
 
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RocketCowboy

Senior Member
traceyjj said:
Not going the mac route, too expensive for me... my son hasnt had the best luck with his iMac either.

I will be "downgrading" to w7 with whatever laptop I get, so all our computers are on the same OS.

So basically it is recommended that I have the best/fastest hard drive, as much memory as I can afford and i7. Is a separate graphics card better for photo editing?

For the past 20+ years, I have used computers all day at work on graphics hungry programs, but I still know nothing about computers and what is needed to make them process data efficiently!
Click to expand...

Yes, you want a separate graphics card so that you aren't sharing system memory with graphics.

The i7 isn't required if you can find a quad core i5. Sometimes, that 4-core i5 will be cheaper than the i7, so good to have options. :)
 
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