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Jul 28, 2021 09:13:49   #
larryepage Loc: North Texas area
 
Salespro2 wrote:
Hi! Looking to purchase a new laptop w photo storage & photo editing being 2 top needs. Any suggestions ? High school football shoots coming up.


This question is much the same as, "Which camera should I buy." The answer is much the same. Reality is that "it depends, really."

But in general, you should select a laptop that runs the same operating system you are familiar with on other computers you have at home. If that's windows, you want to make sure it is capable of running Windows 11, because it has been announced as the new "current" OS. Windows 10 will be supported for about four more years, then retired.

Make sure whatever you buy has plenty of memory. 32 GB is sort of a minimum benchmark right now. More is probably better looking forward, since requirements continually escalate. Similarly, one terabyte of solid state mass storage is pretty much a bare minimum now. 2 TB is better, and again, more is better if available.

Brand suggestions are tougher. None of them are what we originally learned them to be, due to corporate evolution. Even Dell isn't "Dell" anymore, if you read carefully. They all are pretty much manufactured as throwaway devices, with significant limits on user maintainability and expandability. Even batteries are not user-replaceable in many models.

Look for enhanced graphics processing capabilities, and make sure there is a connection for an external monitor and external disk drives. And there really poor keyboards on some models, so be sure to check for that.

Good luck as you shop and make your selection.

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Jul 28, 2021 10:29:33   #
photoman43
 
I use a Lenovo ThikPad X1 Extreme: 1 tb SSD; 32 GB Ram; 15 inch high res screen with a Video card with its own RAM. Also check out the Lenovo Legion 5 or Legion 7 models.

Make sure that any laptop you are considering has the input and output ports you need--not what the mfgr tries to shove down your throat. And that the video card has enough separate RAM to support your photo programs.

If you get a windows laptop, get win 10 Pro.

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Jul 28, 2021 11:49:32   #
Dikdik Loc: Winnipeg, Canada
 
My latest laptop is a Dell XPS 15, and other than a few issues with the original machine, it's almost as fast as my ASUS Zenbook Pro. You can connect it to a good monitor if you need added screen. Any good gaming laptop is OK. I added a couple of 2 TB M.2 drives to my Dell. If you use the device for more than graphics, I would avoid the Apple machines. The following is a copy of my email to their tech support:

My laptop is up and running; I have a few comments that you can improve on. I've attached benchmarks of a 'after' and 'factor' issue. The current machine is great, and vastly improved.

You should not use the M.2 drive that was supplied... it is inferior. The one benchmark shows the improvement over the factory M.2. I've thrown better stuff out. The improvement on the new M.2 does not rely on it being 'raided' to improve the results.

In addition, you should provide the latest BIOS for both the motherboard and the graphics card. Both supplied BIOS had been updated numerous times.

You should also set the graphics to the default graphics card and not the Intel motherboard processor. You can see the improvements in the attached files.

Your technical guys should be aware of the above. I'm still happy with the computer, but am a little disappointed with the original product.

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Jul 28, 2021 11:51:54   #
burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC
 
Salespro2 wrote:
Hi! Looking to purchase a new laptop w photo storage & photo editing being 2 top needs. Any suggestions ? High school football shoots coming up.


The most popular and most loved laptop on the market today is the Late 2020 M1 MacBook Air. It starts at $999 (8GB Unified Memory, 8-core CPU, 7-core GPU, 256GB storage) to $2049 (fully loaded with 16GB Unified Memory, 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 2TB storage). Discounts are available on the lower end models on Amazon. Apple Refurbished models can save a lot, too.

Watch these videos whether you are at all skeptical or interested.

https://youtu.be/se-7rjV6z0s MaxTech's nine-month review

https://youtu.be/_wFmj1nMd-k Everyday Dad's long-term review

If you search YouTube for M1 MacBook Air reviews, you'll find dozens and dozens. Very few are negative.

Because this is a RISC computer, it is very fast. The System on a Chip (SOC) is a radical design departure from Intel's CISC architecture. All the key processing chips have been integrated into one package, just like the SOCs in the
iPhones and iPads made for the last decade or so.

Apple Silicon systems run much faster for the money, on one third the power. Battery life is spectacular (9 to 12 hours real-world heavy productivity, and up to 18 hours watching web videos).

Personally, I wouldn't get more than 1TB internal storage. Adding external USB-C 3.2 SSDs or Thunderbolt 3 or 4 SSDs is a less costly way to store files.

Unfortunately, this computer has only two data ports and a headphone/microphone jack. You will need a dongle, hub, or dock. That's the bad news. The GOOD news is that both ports are Thunderbolt 3/USB4, and capable of 40Mbps each, using separate controllers. If you want Thunderbolt-level docks or hubs, the good ones are in the $150 to $300 range. If you can use a portable, this is my favorite, and the one I got for my son:

https://www.charjenpro.com/products/ultimatedock

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Jul 28, 2021 13:22:02   #
tgreenhaw
 
I have a number of laptops, both Mac and PC. I find I use my Microsoft Surface and a 4TB external hard drive (for backup) most often - especially when travelling.

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Jul 28, 2021 13:32:09   #
FZ200 Loc: New York
 
RightOnPhotography wrote:
I used Dell XPS 15 for many years, running Photoshop, Lightroom etc. with no problems. Travelling with it is easy, as it is low profile and light. My model's display's resolution was 3200 x 1800, pleasure to post-process images. Today's models even higher, 3400 and 3800.


Same here: DELL XPS 15.

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Jul 28, 2021 13:34:23   #
jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY
 
Some reading for you -

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://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

Graphics cards -
https://helpx.adobe.com/premiere-pro/system-requirements.html
https://helpx.adobe.com/premiere-pro/system-requirements.html#gpu-acceleration
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gpu-buying-guide,5844.html
https://www.techadvisor.co.uk/how-to/pc-components/how-know-if-graphics-card-is-compatible-3588810/
https://nvidia.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/239/~/understanding-system-requirements-for-nvidia-based-graphics-cards.

Setup -
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2861858/computers/7-critical-things-to-do-immediately-with-a-new-pc.html#tk.rss_all
https://www.zdnet.com/article/how-to-set-up-a-new-windows-10-pc-perfectly-in-one-hour-or-less/

Laptops for photo processing -
https://makeawebsitehub.com/best-laptops-for-photo-editing/
https://www.extremetech.com/computing/167185-best-laptops-for-photo-editing
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/askjack/2017/sep/07/which-is-the-best-laptop-for-photo-editing
http://www.techradar.com/news/photography-video-capture/cameras/best-laptops-for-image-editing-2016-1329234
https://laptopunderbudget.com/best-laptops-for-photo-editing/

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Jul 28, 2021 13:41:01   #
Dikdik Loc: Winnipeg, Canada
 
RISC computers because of the reduced instruction set may be problematic with some software...

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Jul 28, 2021 13:42:20   #
Dikdik Loc: Winnipeg, Canada
 
My Dell XPS 15 has one of the nicest displays I've seen on a laptop.

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Jul 28, 2021 14:32:45   #
Ednsb Loc: Santa Barbara
 
M1 MacBook Pro - either 8 or 16 gb as it really doesn’t matter because all the memory of the MacBook is shared between the cpu, gpu and memory. I would get at least 1 tb of SSD. I have a 16 gb /1Tb M1 Mac Mini and it is fantastic.

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Jul 28, 2021 14:50:07   #
AllanC Loc: Austin, TX
 
MacBook Air works great for me, but I’ve been using Apple computers since the mid-80s and I’m very comfortable with them.

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Jul 28, 2021 15:05:23   #
Robg
 
All good suggestions, I'll just add a vote for the Dell XPS15. I've had it for 2 years and it has been very reliable. The configuration includes 16 GB RAM, a 1TB SSD, Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-6700HQ CPU @ 2.60GHz and nVidia GEForce GTX 960M with 4GB VRAM. The 3480 x 2160 resolution is great. I thought that having the touch screen would be useful, but it really isn't. For home desktop use, I added a large high resolution display and a wireless keyboard and mouse. I also added a 2TB external (USB) SSD to hold my photos and to act as a backup for the internal hard drive.

I use the laptop regularly for LRClassic without any issues. I'm also a software developer and this laptop has allowed me to move all of my development efforts from a Window's server to the laptop, greatly simplifying my life.

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Jul 28, 2021 15:27:08   #
10MPlayer Loc: California
 
Like sandiegosteve said, most computers will work for you nowadays. I'd go with the fastest CPU offered and a high resolution screen. You get what you pay for. My main reason for replying is that I would highly recommend a separate drive for storage. If for some reason your SSD or hard drive goes down, and eventually it will, you don't want to lose all your precious photos. Get a RAID type backup drive, the kind of drive with multiple layers of backup built into it. Then when your computer eventually fails you have backup and more backup.

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Jul 28, 2021 15:30:06   #
Dikdik Loc: Winnipeg, Canada
 
as well as the two M.2s in the computer, U use 2 external backup drives... flaw in the approach is that both external drives are 'on site'... I don't have 'off site' storage... not even a fire safe... should pick one up.

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Jul 28, 2021 16:23:53   #
photoman022 Loc: Manchester CT USA
 
Go to your local (not big box chain) computer store and tell them what you're looking for. The sales people (who are usually tech savvy) will be able to make some suggestions that meet your needs and are within your budget.

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