New portable computer: Had fire in home and no access to computer now and probably for at least 6 months. Advanced amateur with a camera over 60 years. Not so with computers. Upgrading...

gtwmdo Loc: New Jersey

Had fire in home and no access to computer now and probably for at least 6 months. Advanced amateur with a camera over 60 years. Not so with computers. Upgrading nikon d300s to d500. My joy is “being out there” shooting. Must consider a laptop/not desktop. Want to download my card And use software with an easier learning curve used photoshop 5/Picassa and Lightroom (with some difficulty. What specs for computer with 15-17” screen or ,what computer would you advise
Thanks. Gtwmdo

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

Budget? Windows or Mac?

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

gtwmdo wrote:

Had fire in home and no access to computer now and probably for at least 6 months. Advanced amateur with a camera over 60 years. Not so with computers. Upgrading nikon d300s to d500. My joy is “being out there” shooting. Must consider a laptop/not desktop. Want to download my card And use software with an easier learning curve used photoshop 5/Picassa and Lightroom (with some difficulty. What specs for computer with 15-17” screen or ,what computer would you advise
Thanks. Gtwmdo

https://www.xoticpc.com/gx13-intruder

You can custom configure just about any computer you need at an affordable price.

You haven't stated what software you use, but if you use Adobe software, you can look here for a target configuration, and modify it to suit your budget.

https://www.pugetsystems.com/solutions/content_creation/index.php

Generally speaking - at least 500 gb system drive on an NVMe PCIe m.2 drive (1 TB preferable) and at least 2 tb internal storage - SSD is better but more costly. A 6 or 8 core cpu, a graphics card with at least 4 gb ram, and a minimum of 16 gb system ram. If you do a lot of post processing and make a lot of layers, 32 gb ram would be a better choice.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Dell has good laptops for good prices. You don't need the fastest processor and loads of memory to process pictures. Google "laptops for photo processing."

Memory -
https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/how-much-ram-does-your-p
c-need-probably-less-than-you-think/
http://www.zdnet.com/article/how-much-ram-does-your-pc-need/

Processor -
http://gizmodo.com/dont-waste-money-on-intels-top-processor-1791426602
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2404674,00.asp
https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/intel-core-i5-vs-i7/
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/intel-core-i9-vs-i7-vs-i5-cpu/
https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/intel-core-i5-vs-i7/
http://www.laptopmag.com/articles/core-i5-vs-i7
https://www.extremetech.com/computing/210703-intel-core-i5-vs-core-i7-which-processor-should-you-buy

Processing software -
Free -
https://www.darktable.org/
https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/59324818
https://www.lightstalking.com/how-to-edit-rawtherapee/
https://www.lightstalking.com/free-photography-software/
http://www.techradar.com/news/the-best-free-photo-editor
http://fieldguide.gizmodo.com/the-best-photoshop-alternatives-that-are-totally-free-5974500
http://lightzoneproject.org/

Not free -
Affinity
https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/software-review-affinity-photo-1-5-2
http://www.shutterbug.com/content/affinity-photo-software-review-has-photoshop-met-its-match#d1c5lY5EQ03QoLjh.97
http://www.diyphotography.net/affinity-photo-can-give-adobe-run-money/
https://www.tomsguide.com/us/affinity-photo-1.5,review-4257.html

Others
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/best-lightroom-alternatives
http://digital-photography-school.com/a-beginners-guide-to-choosing-the-right-post-production-software/
https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/photo-editing
https://www.reviews.com/photo-editing-software/
https://www.tomsguide.com/us/best-photo-editing-software,review-1972.html
http://www.redmondpie.com/best-adobe-photoshop-alternatives-for-windows-and-mac-list Affinity
http://www.shutterbug.com/content/affinity-photo-software-review-has-photoshop-met-its-match#d1c5lY5EQ03QoLjh.97
http://www.diyphotography.net/affinity-photo-can-give-adobe-run-money/
https://photographypro.com/photo-editing/

bobmcculloch Loc: NYC, NY

How portable do you want, 17" is a nice desk top replacement, a bit of a bother to carry around, you can get most memory, HD and processor combinations in a 17" I had a HP for years until it overheated, patched it for another 1.5 years, now using a 24" HP, shop around , get what you like.

NCMtnMan Loc: N. Fork New River, Ashe Co., NC

Sorry to hear about the fire. Fearful event for anyone. Regardless of which size laptop you get, make sure you have plenty of memory (suggest 32gb), premium graphics and as large of an SSD drive as you can afford. One other thing to consider is an external monitor so that you could have a large monitor at home to take the strain off your eyes and give you a better size screen for editing and post processing. Make sure your new laptop's graphics are 4K level and find out what type of external video port it has before deciding on the external monitor.

warrenvon Loc: Ellicott City, MD

I use a 2012 MacBook Pro with an I7 processor. It has 2Tb of internal SSD storage and 16Gb of RAM. I then redo my image processing on a 27" second monitor run from the laptop.
I do no have lots of applications running at the same time and I very seldom am post processing with more than two pr three layers. Thus the system running quite fast and never is holding me up.
It sounds like you are not even working your computer to this simplistic level. Thus I'd recommend keeping your proposed system simple and low cost. You can purchase most any laptop in the $900 to $1300 and never have a problem.

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

bsprague wrote:

Budget? Windows or Mac?

Without answers to these questions, it is hard to give useful advice. But I do echo the Dell comment made. I buy through the Dell Outlet and save a lot.

Peteso Loc: Blacks Hills

Dell makes laptops that are highly configurable, including a 4K monitor. Equally important, they support their computers, subject to coverage terms. Be sure to get the longest coverage you can, on-site service, and US-based support. Their online sales reps can be very responsive, but you need to be in control of telling them what features you need for photography processing software. You will get what you pay for, and the features you need might make the costs significantly higher than you expect. A 4K monitor is essential. Lots of RAM and a large hard drive will pay off in the long run. Your specs include a 15 or 17 inch monitor, which is a good idea. Hope this helps…

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

Peteso wrote:

Dell makes laptops that are highly configurable, i... (show quote)

I use a Dell XPS 13. Went with a 512GB SSD for applications, the LR catalog and scratch disk along with an external HD for the actual files.

BrianFlaherty Loc: Wilseyville, CA

Here's a suggestion: I had several hundred thousand frequent flyer miles (on several different airlines) and my traveling is not so much as it used to be. . .So, I "cashed in" miles on Delta; got an Amazon gift card; and, got a brand-new 65 inch 4G HDTV (and, bought a 5 yr extended Square-Trade warranty from Amazon for $25). . .Then, checked what United was offering; and, found about half a dozen HP lap-tops for "prices" ranging from 50,000 miles to 100,000 miles. . .I'm now awaiting delivery of a brand-new 17 inch HP laptop; 2 tgb memory; 8 gb RAM; etc. . .NO cash involved; and, I still have miles left on United; American; etc for travel. . .

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

Gaming computers are set up for graphics and work well with photo and video apps. Gaming computers can be priced lower than "work station" computers but may have similar specs.

(Download)

ecurb1105

gtwmdo wrote:

Had fire in home and no access to computer now and probably for at least 6 months. Advanced amateur with a camera over 60 years. Not so with computers. Upgrading nikon d300s to d500. My joy is “being out there” shooting. Must consider a laptop/not desktop. Want to download my card And use software with an easier learning curve used photoshop 5/Picassa and Lightroom (with some difficulty. What specs for computer with 15-17” screen or ,what computer would you advise
Thanks. Gtwmdo

I'd echo previous comments to look at Dell laptop in 15 inch, my 17 inch laptop is a beast fit only to stay on a desk. I say stay away from Apple as I think they are overrated and overpriced. I'd also suggest a pair of external hard drives for image backups. For software, look at GIMP, if you've used Photoshop you can figure out GIMP, and it's freeware.

Toolking Loc: Pacific Northwest

Money no object... I'd go here
Get a wireless mouse
https://www.costco.com/Dell-XPS-15-Touchscreen-Laptop---Intel-Core-i7---4K-Ultra-HD---GeForce-GTX-1050-Ti.product.100405155.html

I have the 13" version that use when I travel. Desk top at home.

Too bad about your fire.

gtwmdo Loc: New Jersey

Thanks for the great advice. I was just able to access it now. I thank you all. I will review the feedback and return wth more specific details
George