maggiemae Loc: North Carolina

Thank you I will definitely have to give that a shot.

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

Today you don't do more than basic editing, but you may want to explore that in the future, especially since the skills required are modest. Also, you don't need a camera that brackets to do HDR. You just set the camera to manual exposure, manual focus and fixed ISO, and manually bracket by adjusting the shutter speed. I suggest you use 2 stop increments - for a -2, 0, and +2 exposure set. I suppose if your shutter speed gets to be too slow, you could adjust the ISO for a shorter shutter speed, but I have never encountered the need to do that.

When considering a large expenditure on a computer, you'll need to anticipate future needs. If you buy one that serves your needs today and can't be upgraded in storage capacity or RAM, you may find yourself in the same situation 12-24 months from now - wanting something more capable to address your new post processing skills, camera that produces larger files, etc.

That's the rationale behind my suggestion to look at the MSI workstation laptop. Not to mention you get 32 gb ram, a 500 gb system drive AND a 2 tb hybrid SSHD internal drive today, for less $$ than you'd pay for the XPS 15 2 in 1 with a slower processor and RAM/internal storage that you cannot upgrade.

I edit on a pair of HD displays, for a total resolution of 3840x1280 - but it is spread across my desk on two 24" displays and I don't have to squint to see the tiny text that would be the case if I were to get that resolution on a 15" screen.

Color accuracy and gamut are far more important than display resolution for still photo editing. I've used up to 5K displays, and still am most comfortable with my setup.

worldcycle Loc: Stateline, Nevada

Check Costco. I just bought a 13 inch (travel computer, small light with big screen. 512 16 gb with i8. $1300. Super fast and powerful. All usb C ports so you’ll need some adapters. Comes with one to get you started. Recommend

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

We live in a connected world, and the networking options with Windows 10 vs Home are quite robust. I've never been happy with the various Home versions of MS, and always use pro

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

I buy as much RAM as I can right out of the box from the OEM. And 8 Mb is not nearly enough. 16 is ok, 32 is a lot better.

taxman Loc: Cleveland, Ohio

I got the computer configured as you are considering. Very happy with it so far. Successfully loaded Photoshop CS6, but haven't done any serious photo editing yet. Display is great, computer is quick, and I like the keyboard.

maggiemae Loc: North Carolina

Thank you for responding. I actually think I have found something else that has the same specs but I can get a 2tb SSD and come out about $500 cheaper. The hp 360 Spectre is great also and it is cheaper.

CGpilot

Maggie Mae,
FYI: My experience with Dell customer sevice is not favorable. A few years back, I purchased a new XPS 13 2-in-1 with Intel Core i7. Within a couple of weeks use, the keyboard wasn't working properly (had to really pound on the individual key for it to recognize the input; couldn't actually type normally) and the screen kept blacking out. Spent hours on the phone on two or three different occasions without resolving either problem. They refused to escalate to have an onsite technician, rather had me send in for repair. After receiving the unit back, both problems continued. To their credit, they finally agreed to replace the unit, after much arguing about what they were doing to repair the unit. When I received the "new" unit, it was not the XPS 13 2-in-1, but the standard XPS 13 Laptop, and it was a refurbished unit at that. Within a few days use, was having other problems. Continued having random problems and back-and-forth with Dell Tech Support with no resolution. Finally, with no fix, and a pending problem, the warranty ran out. They then refused any further support without the purchase of an extended service plan, even though the purchase of a new device, through an authorized retailer, never worked properly. Needless to say, I will never own another Dell product.

maggiemae Loc: North Carolina

Thank you for the heads up. It turns out I'm not going to have the money right now to get a new laptop at all 😒. I had already decided to go with another hp that I found that had better specs and was cheaper.

SteveR Loc: Michigan

Totally opposite of my experience. My Dell XPS-15 had keyboard problems and my plan specifically mentioned having onsite techs during the first year. I had more than one keyboard replaced. The tech would diagnose the problem, order the part and then return to replace the part on the computer.

CGpilot

Yeah, that's what I thought too, except their tech support continually refused to accelerate the repair beyond the phone in tech center, that happens to be in the Philippines, along with the language problems inherent with their heavily accented English. The only reason they agreed to replace it was that the part they thought they needed for repair was on an extended backorder. Try to find a US number to call and continually get routed back to the Philippines call center. Glad your experience was better. I will not give them another chance. I feel that after over 6 months of almost constant calls to repair the device, they ran out the clock on the warranty and held me hostage to further support fees and a $1000 machine that is marginally functional.