If you want to save money now, you can go in for a desktop. Get the best MB you can afford, and a 1TB HDD. Start with 4GB ram (single stick) and add more when you have the resources. A single monitor will be fine now, you can upgrade to better graphics card and another monitor later.
The thing about desktops is that they are easily reconfigured and you can add a lot of capacity at a later date, a thing which is either not possible or expensive with a laptop.
For processing 24MP RAW files, you need a lot of CPU horse power, that is where a desktop scores, it gives you raw power and a large monitor at a fraction of the cost. If you know any one who can assemble a desktop for you, that would decrease costs further. I assemble all my desktops.
For extra storage I would recommend external 1TB USB3 HDD for around $100 (that is the sweet spot for size vs cost). You can keep buying them as when you require and they work every where. They also make an excellent off site storage, much faster than using CD or DVD for backups.
The thing about desktops is that they are easily reconfigured and you can add a lot of capacity at a later date, a thing which is either not possible or expensive with a laptop.
For processing 24MP RAW files, you need a lot of CPU horse power, that is where a desktop scores, it gives you raw power and a large monitor at a fraction of the cost. If you know any one who can assemble a desktop for you, that would decrease costs further. I assemble all my desktops.
For extra storage I would recommend external 1TB USB3 HDD for around $100 (that is the sweet spot for size vs cost). You can keep buying them as when you require and they work every where. They also make an excellent off site storage, much faster than using CD or DVD for backups.