Joexx

1. Consider a laptop with a smaller screen, but with the same high end CPU & video card. The smaller screen should save you money and have the added advantage of easier portability (if that is a plus for you). It is very easy and affordable to later add an external monitor. This also gives you far more screen space for your photo editing.
2. Do not just look at specifications. Make sure the laptop has adequate cooling, both internal and by adding a "cooling stand". Laptops all have heating issues due to their small size and therefore limited space for fans. This means that they can easily overheat and that will result in the CPU being slowed down to protect it.
3. Puget Systems does some real great evaluations on computer systems specifically for Photoshop. I strongly recommend you look at their site. www.pugetsystems.com
4. As for your software conversion, you should list all of the software that you want to convert because the advice really depends upon what software you are converting and you will get more useful info.

jimvanells Loc: Augusta, GA

I looked at a new 17" laptop at Costco last week, 6 GB graphics card and 16 GB memory. I think it was on sale and was well within your price range.

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

That is funny, you have the same name (first and last anyway) as a photographer friend of mine. But he lives in another state. Personally I have had terrible luck with Laptops so now I stick to Desktop Towers.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

I think a 17-foot laptop might be a bit cumbersome. Did you mean 17"?
--Bob

sabfish

If you don't want to pay the price for the XPS, which is undoubtedly an excellent laptop (except for lack of ports), I have been using a Dell G15 that I got in the Spring. They make a 17 inch version. It is a "gaming computer" with a discrete NVIDIA graphic processor, 16 GB Ram and a 1 T SSB. It ably runs both the latest versions of Lightroom and Photoshop. It is heavier than the XPS, but has more ports. I use it with an external monitor.

BebuLamar

HP, Dell, Lenovo all have 17" laptop.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Yeah, but those are all 17". The OP asked for a 17' laptop. Not exactly portable, I should think.
--Bob

r1ch Loc: Colorado

I find my 17 foot laptop quite portable.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

I'd love to see a picture of that.
--Bob

r1ch Loc: Colorado

HP 6.9 foot laptop.

photoman43

I suggest you look at Lenovo 16 inch Think Pad Extreme 1 laptops and Lenovo Legion 16 inch gaming laptops. I do not think they make a 17inch model.

Make sure any laptop you get has a separate video card with enough RAM, 8 GB. And for the motherboard, at least 16 GB RAM but 32 GB RAM would be better. And a 1 TB SSD.

whatdat Loc: Del Valle, Tx.

Where does one put a 17’ (foot) laptop?

markngolf Loc: Bridgewater, NJ

Another way is to copy your downloads folder to a flash drive. Cull through the folder, either before or after, and delete all files except the exe. files for programs loaded onto the older laptop. Or insert the flash drive into the new laptop and double click the exe. files you want to load onto the new laptop. They will install in the new laptop. I've done this several times. It does not take very long and you'll have only those programs (apps) you desire to install on the new laptop.

Good luck in your search for a new laptop. There are many options available to you. Some have already been mentioned. I have an older 17 inch ASUS laptop purchased in 2013. It still works. However, I mainly use my custom desktop for daily use.

Mark

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

I have a 17" laptop (an older HP) and it's fairly large and heavy. A friend had a 20" that was a real beast, so I don't feel too bad! At least mine fits into my backpack.

Regardless of size, I wouldn't recommend a laptop for Photoshop.... unless it's able to run an external monitor that you can calibrate and keep set up in a permanent work station (undocking the laptop to take it with your when you go mobile).

The problem is that critical image editing (as suggested by Photoshop) is near impossible to do with a laptop that you move around to different ambient lighting conditions. If you were to calibrate a laptop, it will only be correct for the site where that was done. As soon as you move it to a different location, a recalibration should be done for anything as demanding as image editing with Photoshop.

I now only use my laptop for "light/temporary" image editing while on location and to safely backup images. I experimented with image evaluation and selection, along with more thorough editing adjustments, but found the results to be far too hit-and-miss due to the changing conditions.

So now if I'm traveling with it I may use the laptop to review images and back them up, but I always do a more thorough "re-edit" of the images on a desktop when I get home. That's done at a permanent work space location with neutral wall colors, indirect lighting, using a monitor fitted with a shade installed and periodic calibration.

Another thing, Photoshop works best with a dedicated "scratch disk". Not all laptops allow you to install a 2nd disk. And even if it does (like mine), you may want to reserve that additional space for image storage (but back it up to another computer, external drive or "cloud" storage). An option is to create a partition on one of the drives that "looks like" a separate drive to the computer and Photoshop.

It's possible to run Photoshop with 8GB of RAM... but a lot better if you have 16GB or more available. Check any laptop can be expanded in this regard.

It may be necessary to install or upgrade a graphics card to efficiently run Photoshop, to run and be able to calibrate an external monitor. Check if this is possible with any laptop being considered.

tripwest Loc: Rochester, NY (Kodakland)

Hello All Y'all!

I glanced through the responses and did not see this particular bit of advice which I think might be the most valuable for you at this time.

Don't buy anything until BLACK FRIDAY or CYBER MONDAY!

This is the best time of year to buy a computer. I bought mine a number of years ago on a Black Friday special. I got a great deal on a decked out computer that I am still using. I like to get a computer as fully loaded as possible so that it will not become outdated any time soon.

Usually the best deals for you would fall under the gaming category. That is a great way to get a maxed out computer for a reasonable price.

The good news is you have a few weeks to figure out what you want. Black Friday ads are already out. Search "Black Friday 2022" and you can look through the various ads, with more to come.

And then one last piece of advice, I always buy an upgraded warranty on a new computer. I do not want to have to worry about it breaking down in the first few years. If it makes it through the extended warranty, it will probably keep going for a long while.

Happy Shopping and Happy HoliDAZE!

-Trip West

BTW...

I like Lenovo and my photo boss likes Dell.

I think of my 17" laptop more as a portable desktop.

I do NOT plan on buying ANYTHING HP ever again.

https://www.gamesradar.com/black-friday-gaming-pc-deals/

https://www.theblackfriday.com/black-friday-laptop-deals.shtml

https://www.pcguide.com/deals/black-friday/computer/

(Overkill, I know, I know)

😁