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Buying a new laptop.
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Jan 13, 2020 17:46:50   #
PWA1994DV
 
In response to the desk top PC comment. My wife and I both have desktops each with two very large monitors. Each is an I7 with 16GB memory and 1 TB of internal disk. I also have about 10 TB of external disk and my wife has 1 TB external. I have about 200K photos and around 1000 hours of music. I use Microsoft Image Composite Editor for all my panorama processing and GNU Image processor for editing. Both are about 100 time faster than Adobe and I have run test to verify that. I spent 30 years with IBM doing system performance on the largest systems in the world. I also have a Lenovo laptop for travel and for use in the house with the TV. Desk tops are a great bargain today.

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Jan 13, 2020 18:29:47   #
just.a.guy
 
motes wrote:
I would like to get a new laptop that would allow me to install a program that would allow me use photo shop or another type of editing program. Any suggestions. Price range under $1000.00.

Thanks
Barb M


If you are focused on Photoshop, then you know that this product is by rental only. It use to be a purchased product. Since I don't use it after its conversion, all I can assume is that it is either an internet app via browser, or an app that you down load from an app store.

In the case of an app, you will go to either the Apple or Android webstore
to install it. (assuming you don't buy a Windows laptop).

At a minimum RAM is would shoot for 8Gig or above. For storage, I would choose 128G SSD. The screen size is important, unless you have an external monitor. I would go with an external monitor, it will last a lot longer than the laptop you buy. Laptop system OS software is not like it use to be. In the past 20 years of OS life was not unusual. Today, because of the rapid evolution of hardware, OS vendors do not want to have to maintain compatibility with old hardware. OS update are limited to 6 years or less. And security updates can run from 10 years or less.

I am an Android fan. I don't like MS because it has a legacy customer base that it needs to maintain. Those big Enterprises are not going to shift all of their hardware in one big cost bullet. Only today is Windows 7 ending its support. I don't like Apple because it is a closed system. You buy into Apple and everything should be from that same vendor. They don't like to play with other hardware vendors. Android and Chrome OS from Google, has a large market of vendors from which to buy, competition.

I would do all my photo editing on a very good (large 4K or better) monitor. The screen size of the laptop is not too important (11"+).

I would not spend $600+ for the laptop machine, considering its OS end support date. I would look into the $300-400 range or $500. Realizing that in about 3 or 5 years you are going to replace the laptop. The same goes with smart phones. You also want to buy a smart phone that is compatible with your laptop, so that you can keep both in sync. Therefore if you buy an Apple laptop, be prepared to buy an Apple phone. If you buy a chromebook (chrome os), then buy an Android phone. I don't believe Microsoft has a smartphone that is in market competition, but I could be wrong.

That's my opinion. I know others will disagree. Like I said I am an Android Fan Boy, only because of the competitive market for these products. Always remember "buyer be ware".


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Jan 13, 2020 18:38:44   #
sb Loc: Florida's East Coast
 
You can get Dell 15" laptop with an Intel i7 with 16GB RAM and a 500GB solid-state drive for $900. I have been contemplating getting one now that Windows 7 is being made obsolete.

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Jan 13, 2020 20:20:48   #
Edia Loc: Central New Jersey
 
Apple makes good laptops but for some strange reason known only to Apple, they do not have touch screen. iPads and iphones do but their laptop and iMacs don't. Many PC laptops do have touch screen that makes it easier to zoom in and out while editing. Most modern laptops will run PS without problems. I find Windows 10 to be a stable operating system and so the selection of Apple vs PC comes down to features and cost for me.

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Jan 13, 2020 20:21:22   #
Soul Dr. Loc: Beautiful Shenandoah Valley
 
ljhix wrote:
You get more "bang for the buck" with PC, rather than Apple. That being said, you need to spend significantly more than $1,000 if you want enough memory and a good enough screen to actually accomplish something with any of the photo editing programs. ALSO you should consider what non-photo needs you may have when you shop.


Not necessarily. I bought an Acer Aspire 3, last year with AMD Ryzen 3 2200U processor, AMD Radeon Vega Mobile Graphics, 8 GB DDR memory, 1GB HD, 3 USB ports, an HDMI port, card reader slot, Blue Tooth, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and 15 inch screen. For less than $400 on sale at Staples.
It has handled every PP program I have on it with no problem.
I have Corel Paint Shop Pro, Corel Painter, Luminar 3, Photolemur 3, Corel Aftershot and about 5 other PP programs I use.

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Jan 13, 2020 21:31:45   #
ecurb Loc: Metro Chicago Area
 
motes wrote:
I would like to get a new laptop that would allow me to install a program that would allow me use photo shop or another type of editing program. Any suggestions. Price range under $1000.00.

Thanks
Barb M


Look at Dell, HP, or Lenovo. Lots of choices at your price.
Stay away from Crapple, overpriced and overrated.

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Jan 13, 2020 22:19:58   #
SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA
 
just.a.guy wrote:
If you are focused on Photoshop, then you know that this product is by rental only. It use to be a purchased product. Since I don't use it after its conversion, all I can assume is that it is either an internet app via browser, or an app that you down load from an app store.

In the case of an app, you will go to either the Apple or Android webstore
to install it. (assuming you don't buy a Windows laptop).

At a minimum RAM is would shoot for 8Gig or above. For storage, I would choose 128G SSD. The screen size is important, unless you have an external monitor. I would go with an external monitor, it will last a lot longer than the laptop you buy. Laptop system OS software is not like it use to be. In the past 20 years of OS life was not unusual. Today, because of the rapid evolution of hardware, OS vendors do not want to have to maintain compatibility with old hardware. OS update are limited to 6 years or less. And security updates can run from 10 years or less.

I am an Android fan. I don't like MS because it has a legacy customer base that it needs to maintain. Those big Enterprises are not going to shift all of their hardware in one big cost bullet. Only today is Windows 7 ending its support. I don't like Apple because it is a closed system. You buy into Apple and everything should be from that same vendor. They don't like to play with other hardware vendors. Android and Chrome OS from Google, has a large market of vendors from which to buy, competition.

I would do all my photo editing on a very good (large 4K or better) monitor. The screen size of the laptop is not too important (11"+).

I would not spend $600+ for the laptop machine, considering its OS end support date. I would look into the $300-400 range or $500. Realizing that in about 3 or 5 years you are going to replace the laptop. The same goes with smart phones. You also want to buy a smart phone that is compatible with your laptop, so that you can keep both in sync. Therefore if you buy an Apple laptop, be prepared to buy an Apple phone. If you buy a chromebook (chrome os), then buy an Android phone. I don't believe Microsoft has a smartphone that is in market competition, but I could be wrong.

That's my opinion. I know others will disagree. Like I said I am an Android Fan Boy, only because of the competitive market for these products. Always remember "buyer be ware".

If you are focused on Photoshop, then you know tha... (show quote)


Wow, you have a lot of strong opinions without a lot of knowledge.

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Jan 13, 2020 22:48:06   #
Jeffers
 
Here's some knowledge for SuperflyTNT: I take my Dell XPS 13 everywhere. When travelling, at the end of each day I download my images from camera to the XPS. I use OneDrive, so shortly after downloading to the XPS, they are on my Desktop at home. At 6:00 am Eastern time each day, they are automatically backed up from the Desktop to an external drive, via SyncBackSE. I have two external drives, one in my home and one in our bank safe deposit box. I swap them once a month. I don't delete the images from my camera until I've verified that they are properly backed up. I have never lost an image since going to this system about eight years ago. My wife and I have transitioned to Dell because they offer an extended warranty good until about six to eight years of life. It includes next-business-day in-home service. We have three Dells and this extended warranty has paid for itself on all three of our computers.

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Jan 13, 2020 22:55:18   #
Murray Loc: New Westminster
 
TriX wrote:
I cannot agree with the small screen MacBook Pro, which is really “stripped down”. Way too small SSD (only 128GB - barely enough room for the OS and a few Ps, and very little left for data). A really slow 1.4GHz I-5 CPU, only 8GB memory, and way to small a screen for editing. To get a usable machine for editing, you’ll need to add more memory (only 8 more GB possible), and external drive for image storage and an external display. By that time you’ll be north of $1700 and still have a dog slow CPU, which you cannot fix. The only valid advantage for this machine is size/weight if you travel and just want to temporarily store (a few) images.

Consider instead a Windows I-7 based Laptop with 16GB memory, a decent sized SSD and a larger display or the same specs in a Windows Desktop, either of which can be bought for close to your budget and will be not only MUCH faster with more storage and a better display for less money, it will have adequate performance to last you for a few years. I like Dell and Lenovo, and I recently saw such a laptop as I’ve described for under $1000 at Costco.

And before the Windows haters and Apple lovers scream heresy, let me just state that Apple makes fine machines, BUT, you’re on a tight budget, an Apple laptop has substantially lower performance per $, and in my opinion is just not going to be a satisfactory PP machine for any period of time unless you spend 50% more than your budget, whereas the equivalent Windows machine will.
I cannot agree with the small screen MacBook Pro, ... (show quote)


I have an Asus laptop I-7 based. It does everything I need. I don’t think I’m biased as I also have 3 Apple devices.

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Jan 13, 2020 23:19:00   #
SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA
 
Jeffers wrote:
Here's some knowledge for SuperflyTNT: I take my Dell XPS 13 everywhere. When travelling, at the end of each day I download my images from camera to the XPS. I use OneDrive, so shortly after downloading to the XPS, they are on my Desktop at home. At 6:00 am Eastern time each day, they are automatically backed up from the Desktop to an external drive, via SyncBackSE. I have two external drives, one in my home and one in our bank safe deposit box. I swap them once a month. I don't delete the images from my camera until I've verified that they are properly backed up. I have never lost an image since going to this system about eight years ago. My wife and I have transitioned to Dell because they offer an extended warranty good until about six to eight years of life. It includes next-business-day in-home service. We have three Dells and this extended warranty has paid for itself on all three of our computers.
Here's some knowledge for SuperflyTNT: I take my D... (show quote)


I’m not sure why you’re addressing me with this post.

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Jan 13, 2020 23:35:48   #
Merlin1300 Loc: New England, But Now & Forever SoTX
 
I'm firmly in the PC camp.
Crapple is closed box - - you can't modify ANYTHING
Crapple is more expensive and the free apps for Winblows based machines blows iOS away.
I've had Very good luck with Lenovo. Not so good to fair with HP.
Get a machine with a 3+ GHz i5 or i7, 1TB HDD, WiFi, DVD, Winblows-10, etc

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Jan 14, 2020 00:27:28   #
mjmoly
 
The Apple recommendation at the top of the comments is solid. However, I would recommend looking on the official Apple website and look for their refurbished units. You have to go all the way to the bottom of the first page. I have had several Apple laptops over the years. If I can find the model I want, I always get the refurbished unit. They are units that have been returned for some reason. They are checked, repaired if needed, and sold at a discount--about 15%. It's definitely worth checking out.

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Jan 14, 2020 07:10:19   #
MrMophoto Loc: Rhode Island "The biggest little"
 
The PC v Mac controversy rages on (and on and on and on......)

It's personal preference!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
whatever works for you WORKS!!!!

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Jan 14, 2020 08:32:52   #
dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia
 
motes wrote:
I would like to get a new laptop that would allow me to install a program that would allow me use photo shop or another type of editing program. Any suggestions. Price range under $1000.00.

Thanks
Barb M


In your budget of $1,000

Refurbished Dell XPS 13 from the outlet at $975

Intel Core 8th Generation i5-8365U Processor (Quad Core, Up to 4.10GHz, 6MB Cache, 15W)
Windows 10 Pro
256GB M.2 PCIe NVMe Class 40 Solid State Drive
16GB 2133MHz LPDDR3 Memory
13.3 inch FHD (1920 x 1080) InfinityEdge Touch Display - Patinum Silver
Intel UHD Graphics

https://outlet.us.dell.com/ARBOnlineSales/Online/SecondaryInventorySearch.aspx?c=us&cs=22&l=en&s=dfh&sign=PXhcOSHtr1T4IOw%2fPR7UddAIG%2b8VmuYKJLsmFtW3Mc%2fdncPJp0DU9PmJOwutWS0pISt1qxU6Z5c8pX%2bvoaIxH8k5SEeVHOu1poMDFqQyb25mF%2bqQwTM4cKwSzD%2f9EsP3M%2bXL9FmK%2bA%2fQiKjRa7uLsv%2fxq%2fAWufTPfAt7RE2px9IU5K8Xo4WjkwZHo%2fzd3RkI

Or a Refurbished Dell Alienware m15 at $987 if you do not care about the touch screen but want the 6 core processor an SSD for programs and a hybrid drive for files

Intel Core 8th Generation i7-8750H Processor (6 Core, Up to 4.10GHz, 9MB Cache, 45W)
Windows 10 Home
128GB PCIe M.2 NVMe Solid State Drive
1TB Solid State Hybrid Drive (5400 RPM) with 8 GB Flash
16GB (2x8GB) 2666MHz DDR4 Non-ECC
15.6inch FHD (1920 x 1080) 60Hz IPS 300-nits 72% color gamut, Narrow-Border
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB GDDR5
Epic Silver - LCD Back Cover (Non-Touch)
Dell Outlet Alienware m15 Laptop

https://outlet.us.dell.com/ARBOnlineSales/Online/SecondaryInventorySearch.aspx?c=us&cs=22&l=en&s=dfh&sign=PXhcOSHtr1T4IOw%2fPR7UdfE8Ckz0YH6QX5yApBnpl4J551yLf2EKkPKIi%2fENZu9NF%2fMFouIcJyVpKXejSsjj2FYv3tUNU3ccHY4pax92Y2UL8k%2baic4LGLMGMTS44Ouvoibve0Nj%2fqCPWfJ%2bakuqmcBxTgc1RbCcW0Lt3zXiRYvXAeeM2e4aNeGpEnyo2ZkZJjrRwJkG1b9FI8iMiicpag%3d%3d

Note: I use the XPS 13 but rarely use the touch screen while editing. If I were doing it over, I would be tempted by the Alienware gaming laptop.

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Jan 14, 2020 08:46:08   #
TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC
 
dsmeltz wrote:
In your budget of $1,000

Refurbished Dell XPS 13 from the outlet at $975

Intel Core 8th Generation i5-8365U Processor (Quad Core, Up to 4.10GHz, 6MB Cache, 15W)
Windows 10 Pro
256GB M.2 PCIe NVMe Class 40 Solid State Drive
16GB 2133MHz LPDDR3 Memory
13.3 inch FHD (1920 x 1080) InfinityEdge Touch Display - Patinum Silver
Intel UHD Graphics

https://outlet.us.dell.com/ARBOnlineSales/Online/SecondaryInventorySearch.aspx?c=us&cs=22&l=en&s=dfh&sign=PXhcOSHtr1T4IOw%2fPR7UddAIG%2b8VmuYKJLsmFtW3Mc%2fdncPJp0DU9PmJOwutWS0pISt1qxU6Z5c8pX%2bvoaIxH8k5SEeVHOu1poMDFqQyb25mF%2bqQwTM4cKwSzD%2f9EsP3M%2bXL9FmK%2bA%2fQiKjRa7uLsv%2fxq%2fAWufTPfAt7RE2px9IU5K8Xo4WjkwZHo%2fzd3RkI

Or a Refurbished Dell Alienware m15 at $987 if you do not care about the touch screen but want the 6 core processor an SSD for programs and a hybrid drive for files

Intel Core 8th Generation i7-8750H Processor (6 Core, Up to 4.10GHz, 9MB Cache, 45W)
Windows 10 Home
128GB PCIe M.2 NVMe Solid State Drive
1TB Solid State Hybrid Drive (5400 RPM) with 8 GB Flash
16GB (2x8GB) 2666MHz DDR4 Non-ECC
15.6inch FHD (1920 x 1080) 60Hz IPS 300-nits 72% color gamut, Narrow-Border
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB GDDR5
Epic Silver - LCD Back Cover (Non-Touch)
Dell Outlet Alienware m15 Laptop

https://outlet.us.dell.com/ARBOnlineSales/Online/SecondaryInventorySearch.aspx?c=us&cs=22&l=en&s=dfh&sign=PXhcOSHtr1T4IOw%2fPR7UdfE8Ckz0YH6QX5yApBnpl4J551yLf2EKkPKIi%2fENZu9NF%2fMFouIcJyVpKXejSsjj2FYv3tUNU3ccHY4pax92Y2UL8k%2baic4LGLMGMTS44Ouvoibve0Nj%2fqCPWfJ%2bakuqmcBxTgc1RbCcW0Lt3zXiRYvXAeeM2e4aNeGpEnyo2ZkZJjrRwJkG1b9FI8iMiicpag%3d%3d

Note: I use the XPS 13 but rarely use the touch screen while editing. If I were doing it over, I would be tempted by the Alienware gaming laptop.
In your budget of $1,000 br br Refurbished Dell X... (show quote)


Unfortunately, neither of these links are working for me.

The issue I’d have with the first machine is the Intel graphics. Since it is based on the CPU, it shares CPU resources including memory. A separate graphics card such as the NVIDIA with its own VRAM specified on the second machine would definitely be preferable.

Btw, I just noticed that this was my 10,000th post - I must be talking WAY too much 🙀!

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