Need new laptop: I have a Toshiba that is still working well, but the case has cracked next to one hinge! Right now it looks like MacGuiver might be the owner! The duct tape is working...

LolaPL Loc: Richardson, Texas

I have a Toshiba that is still working well, but the case has cracked next to one hinge! Right now it looks like MacGuiver might be the owner! The duct tape is working for the time being, but I'm wondering what kinds of laptops you use for photo editing that will not break the bank. I really don't want to switch to Apple, so what do you recommend?

Thank you for your time to answer me.

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

LolaPL wrote:

I have a Toshiba that is still working well, but the case has cracked next to one hinge! Right now it looks like MacGuiver might be the owner! The duct tape is working for the time being, but I'm wondering what kinds of laptops you use for photo editing that will not break the bank. I really don't want to switch to Apple, so what do you recommend?

Thank you for your time to answer me.

That's a very broad question, and since we don't know any details about your current system or your idea of cost it is hard to answer. I would start by exploring the Dell website, but do perhaps give us a price range and some idea of the software that you use. If you are happy with something that is a bit bigger and heavier they are usually less expensive than the ultra light and trendier looking devices - ie a fashion accessory. The other question is how complex is the editing that you do. If it is fairly simple a lower end machine would suffice. If you are doing 4K video and so on the cost will go up very fast.

Bob Yankle Loc: Burlington, NC

Asus Gaming system ..... it has a high speed graphics card and an SSD drive for very quick processing.

LolaPL Loc: Richardson, Texas

Those are good questions, and I'll try to answer as many as I can.
I have a 64 bit, 6GB system running Windows 8.1. I'd like to have at least as much memory as I currently do, but I do not care about Touch Screen capability.
I use Lightroom and Elements 14. No 4K video.
Don't want a "fashion accessory," but since I do like to carry it on travels, mostly by car, but sometimes by air, I don't want a big, heavy machine, either.
As for price, less expensive is better, (of course).

Thank you, and I hope this is enough info.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

Bob Yankle wrote:

Asus Gaming system ..... it has a high speed graphics card and an SSD drive for very quick processing.

Me too! But, just like me, it is big and heavy.

To the point, B&H has the best feature picker for laptops I've ever seen anywhere. There are checkblocks for everything and you end up with only what you want.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/laptops/ci/18818/N/4110474292

Going through the check boxes, I came up with a Dell at $589. (B&H does not charge sales tax in my state.)

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1218017-REG/dell_i5559_3347slv_15_6_inspiron_15_5000.html

mas24 Loc: Southern CA

I would recommend a Dell laptop first and foremost loaded with Windows 10. Get one with a very good processor, minimum Intel i5, better yet Intel i7. 8gb minimum of RAM and 1TB hard drive, better yet SSD. 15.6" screen. The next best ones are Asus and Lenovo. Be prepared to spend at least $1000.00. I presently have a Lenovo as my primary laptop. My next one will be a Dell. Dell is sold at Costco if you are a member.

Reinaldokool Loc: San Rafael, CA

LolaPL wrote:

I have a Toshiba that is still working well, but the case has cracked next to one hinge! Right now it looks like MacGuiver might be the owner! The duct tape is working for the time being, but I'm wondering what kinds of laptops you use for photo editing that will not break the bank. I really don't want to switch to Apple, so what do you recommend?

Thank you for your time to answer me.

I had an Acer for a few years. It was a good machine, only 8 gb and a small ssd but I stored everything on a plug-in Seagate drive. Now I'm using an HP with 12gb, I7 cpu, but it has a conventional hard drive. I miss the ssd. Asus makes great laptops. Back when my company built computers to order, we considered ASUS motherboards the top of quality. Asus is not cheap (But way less than any Mac, of course.)

SSD makes a big difference because PP programs frequently swap code back to hard drive, also to cache. The SSD is almost instantaneous. SSDused to be expensive, but it has dropped to a third of the cost.

Apple has nothing to offer. They used to be "easy to learn and use" but today, Windows 10 is even more intuitive--except to those who are still running Windows XP. Also they have become the easy target for malware programmers because so many users think they are immune.

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

LolaPL wrote:

Those are good questions, and I'll try to answer a... (show quote)

It helps, but if you are willing to give us a price range it would help. Clearly a 64bit multi-core system would be good, probably 8GB to 16GB would be fine for you, and given your travel description pretty much any modern laptop would do. Something like this perhaps? - http://deals.dell.com/productdetail/323

LolaPL Loc: Richardson, Texas

Wow, these are great ideas! Thanks, Bob, and, bsprague, I'll check B&H. mas24, I am a Costco member, so I'll check there, too. I had an Asus once and liked it. I'll look into SSD, too, not sure what it is! (Showing my ignorance, I know! lol) Reinaldocool, I appreciate your good info, too.
Peterff, that looks like a great deal on the Dell. Thanks to you, too!

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

SSD is a super fast replacement for a HDD (hard disk drive). It is "solid state" so has no delicate moving parts. The problem for photographers is that they don't store a lot because they are small compared to HDDs. That said, if you watch many tutorials people like Julieann Kost and Tim Gray use Apples with SSDs and always have one or two external drives plugged in.

LolaPL Loc: Richardson, Texas

Thanks, bsprague. I did read up on it, probably, no, definitely, more info in that article than what I needed!
Thanks for your translation!

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

LolaPL wrote:

I really don't want to switch to Apple, so what do you recommend?

Thank you for your time to answer me.

Switch to apple.

LolaPL Loc: Richardson, Texas

Nope.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

I've had a Toshiba Satellite for years. I use it when I'm in the family room. Primary editing is done on my desktop.

Jim Bob

mas24 wrote:

I would recommend a Dell laptop first and foremost loaded with Windows 10. Get one with a very good processor, minimum Intel i5, better yet Intel i7. 8gb minimum of RAM and 1TB hard drive, better yet SSD. 15.6" screen. The next best ones are Asus and Lenovo. Be prepared to spend at least $1000.00. I presently have a Lenovo as my primary laptop. My next one will be a Dell. Dell is sold at Costco if you are a member.

Dell customer service sucks big time.