Greer Loc: SOUTH GEORGIA

I’m shouting with a D7100 and D750. Got 2/3’s of Nikon’s Holy Trinity. I’m a deacon and the church photographer (amateur). Accumulated 35,000 images over 8-9 years. Currently working with US Senatorial candidate’s campaign and want advice on minimum comfortable requirements in a laptop. Don’t say I need a desktop, just point me toward a brand, RAM requirements, accessories, just any thing would help. Thanks and have a blessed week.

PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago

I am a MAC Apple guy. I switched from windows many years ago to Apple and very pleased. Key parameters are RAM and Harddrive.

Here is a suggestion. If out of your budget IM me.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/802070463-USE/apple_z0ww_mv91_13_bh_15_4_macbook_pro_with.html

markngolf Loc: Bridgewater, NJ

Stan's suggestion is excellent. Many people are happy with Mac's. I would add one suggestion whether you go Windows or Mac. Get an auxiliary/quality large monitor attached to the laptop. Image processing on laptop screens is not the best case scenario. You can purchase many Window laptops that are not as expensive Stan's recommendation. I have a 17inch ASUS laptop I use for travel. I know it is not as good as the suggested Mac. It is 5 years old and only cost $1100. I recommend I7 or i9 processor, 32 GB RAM, M2 SSd Operating Drive and a secondary data drive. At least a 4 GB graphics card.

Good luck.
Mark

Greer Loc: SOUTH GEORGIA

Thanks y’all. Sounds like that third lens will have to wait. Maybe, if I walk softly and carry a big stick, maybe this Christmas.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

I use the Lenovo Ideapad 330s, and no, it is not expensive. I can do all of my work on this, about every three years I buy a new inexpensive computer. Has worked out really well.

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

I just picked up the following computer:

15.6" IPS Matte screen
10th Gen i7-10875H 8 core/16 thread cpu
4 TB NVMe PCIe storage on two drives
1 2.5" drive bay for additional storage
NVidia RTX 2060 with 6gb Vram and support for up to 4 active displays, 10 bit capable
32 gb RAM, user upgradeable to 64 gb
WiFi 6 AX
(3) USB 3.2 ports.

I added overclocking and premium thermal compound on the cpu.

Without the overclocking thermal compound, the price was $2125. I like that both storage and ram are user upgradable, and that I was able to get a system with 4 TB of really fast SSD storage for close to $2000. It's a really fast editing platform for both Photoshop and Lightroom, and I suspect it will be equally fast when I load up Adobe Premiere.

The comparable 16" Macbook Pro can be configured with similar capabilities with some differences (as noted):

Cpu - 2.4 GHz i9 (Apple does not currently offer 10th gen cpus or an i7. The i9 is slightly faster)
32 gb ram
GPU - AMD Radeon Pro 5500M with 8 GB ram - (on paper it is not as fast as the Nvidia RTX2060, but neither Photoshop nor Lightroom rely heavily on gpu performance)
4 TB storage - (I may be wrong here, but I think this may be on a single physical drive - Apple is not really descriptive on stuff like this)

The price for this system is $4500 on the Apple website. I am pretty sure there is not much of a difference in performance between these two machines, however, not opting for an Macbook Pro will let you keep $2375 which will buy you that third lens. Also, I'd rather have a new, current machine than spend more on a year-old used machine with minimal warranty. But this is just a matter of my own personal preference.

larryhav Loc: Charlotte, NC

Hi Gene51, is the PC you just purchased a home built PC? I did not catch the brand name. I am also interested in purchasing a new PC and what you purchased sounds exactly like what I have been researcing. However, the big brand names like Dell and HP will run you closer to $3k for that setup from what I have seen.
P.S. I was born in St. Josephs hospital in Yonkers, NY in 1952. Not sure if it is still there.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Well, you don't mention a budget, but if you want a laptop, and care about the monitor, get a MacBook Pro. Either of the 13" or 16" 2020 models is preferable, because the keyboards and graphics are greatly improved over slightly older models.

Ideally:

500 GB or more SSD or NVMe m.2 storage
16 GB or more RAM
Intel Quad-Core I5, I7, or I9
Any of the advanced graphics adapters from AMD

If you do get a MacBook Pro, get it with all the RAM and storage you can afford, because these are NOT upgradeable later. Apple solders all components to the motherboard. This avoids "loose socket syndrome", and (of course) improves their bottom line. But the reliability boost IS tangible if you fly a lot or move the computer around daily.

Also, with a Mac, you will need either a port dock or an assortment of dongles to connect all your external devices. The MacBook Pros have two or four Thunderbolt 3 ports. These use USB-C connectors, and are compatible with USB-C devices, directly. But they are ALSO compatible with audio in/out, HDMI, VGA/SVGA/XVGA, DisplayPort, Ethernet, FireWire, USB 1.1, 2.0, 3.0, 3.1, all the digital camera card standards, external graphics adapters, and just about any other standard you can name. To use anything without a USB-C cable, you have to supply the adapter dongle or a dock.

Despite all those inconveniences or "gotchas" as some people refer to them, the 2020 MacBook Pros are absolutely excellent machines. They are rugged, run MacOS, can boot into Windows 10, can run Linux or MacOS or Windows via Parallels Desktop... Their monitors display the P3 ICC color space (a much wider color gamut than sRGB monitors), and they run MacOS 10.15 and later operating systems.

Mac OS itself is a HUGE reason to own a Mac. It is far easier to live with than Windows (I know this, as I've used both Macs and DOS/Windows since 1986, having one of each on my desk for decades).

The other huge reason to own a Mac is the relatively low need for support. Typically, Mac users rely on help desks, geek squads, repair shops, etc. about 1/5 as often as Windows users. That's according to IBM, who have installed hundreds of thousands of Apple devices in the past few years.

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

Check out the Dell Gaming laptops on their outlet store site. Many are refurbished and come with a one year next day onsite repair warranty. I'm using one right now that is a G5-15. Came with i7 8th gen Intel processor, 256GB SSDm.2 main drive, 1TB HDD, 16GB memory, 6GB nVidia graphics, Windows 10 Pro, all current external ports such as USB 3.1. I added an additional 2 years of next day onsite warranty. Total cost with tax was $982 and change plus free shipping. I run Adobe Photography plan and all of the Topaz AI products on it with no issues at all.

Stevejayd Loc: Palm Desert Ca

Sounds like the best.

photoman43

I suggest you check out a Lenovo ThinkPad Xtreme 1. If it is to be your main image processor, get as much RAM as possible for the images and for the video card.
32-64 GB RAM
4-6GB Ram for the video card.
Screen size will vary depending if you will be using an additionaal externat monitor. If NO, suggest 15 inch minimum.
Whatever you get make sure it has the ports you need.

BobHartung Loc: Bettendorf, IA

I am also an Apple Guy. At the minimum 15" screen, 32GB RAM if the budget allows. 1TB SSD drive (internal) - 500GB sounds like a savings but with 1TB you will always have scratch disk space.

External storage x 2; one primary and one backup (your choice). This can be either direct connect or networked although direct connect is simpler.
HTH

photoman43

I should have added 1 TB SSD too

repleo Loc: Boston

Go to the B&H site and type in 'Creative Laptops' in the search box. It will bring up a list of recommendations at various pricepoints. I would also call them and ask to speak to one of their 'experts'. They all have a photography background and should be able to guide you to the best solution for your needs.

MJPerini

For Still photography, almost any modern laptop can be spec'd to work just fine, PC or Mac.
I am a Mac person and Just bought the latest 16" MBP and it is the best computer I've had in years.
It can be configured up to near workstation class which I did,( but would be overkill for most folks)
I have an older MacPro with dual displays, but I am finding to my surprise the new MBP Retina display translates perfectly to printing. Since I travel I often edit on the laptop, and results have been so good that I have not yet bought a larger display for home. I maxed out the processor, graphics, 64GB Ram and an 8 TB ssd. I did that with the intention of having it replace my MacPro. But the standard configuration would be more than adequate for Photoshop or any other Photo editing.