Best Laptop for photo editing

[NAKA]

I have a 2009 macbook that is on the end of its life and I'm looking at a replacement. I'm open for switching to PC (namely to save on costs) and the main requirement is to be portable (13" screen is ok) and ability to run adobe lightroom/photoshop smoothly.

Does anyone have any thoughts on where to start? Would you recommend building your own?

cheers

 

[runnah]

The screen is the most important part. Most laptops these days can run lightroom no problem. Got for a laptop with a high resolution screen. Apple is best.

 

[ORourkeK]

Can you give us some more info? What is your price range? You want something with a fast processor, make sure it has USB 3.0 ports for fast file transferring, and something with good screen resolution is a plus (necessary for me).

 

[Tailgunner]

I'm using a Macbook Pro w/ retina screen and highly recommend it.

 

[KmH]

You need to consider more than just display resolution.

You also need to consider the display type. For image editing the IPS display type is preferred.
Another consideration is the type of back lighting the display uses.

Since laptop scan easily be moved around, the ambient light falling on the display changes frequently, making display calibration a hassle because a display needs to be re-calibrated if the ambient light falling on it has changed.
For that reason, many who use a laptop to do image editing have a - stay in one place so the ambient light is constant - desktop display they plug into their laptop to then do critical image editing.
When considering desk top displays many want a wide color gamut display. many of the inexpensive IPS displays cannot display the full color gamut of the sRGB color space, and opt for a display that can not only display 100% of sRGB but that can also display up to 98% of the Adobe RGB color space.

 

[DanielLewis76]

I use a 2013 Macbook Pro with Retina (16GB 1TB Flash) and its nothing short of faultless. It was rather expensive though....

 

[NAKA]

Price range is roughly $800. I have a 27 inch imac at home that I do my editing on now. I am going to be moving away for a 6 month stint and I want something mobile that I can bring with me. I would simply go for the macbook pro w/retina display but that's a bit out of my price range.

I'm thinking something like the asus vivobook 13.3inch touch notebook.

 

[LakeFX]

I am normally not a Mac fan, but in your case a Mac laptop will save you some headache when syncing everything with your desktop.

If you decide to get a PC, Lenovo is making some of the best laptops on the market for reasonable prices. I am on my second one (I do server development and GIS work that requires regular upgrades) and both have been great workhorses.

 

[JClishe]

If you decide to get a PC, Lenovo is making some of the best laptops on the market for reasonable prices. I am on my second one (I do server development and GIS work that requires regular upgrades) and both have been great workhorses.

+1

I have a Lenovo X1 Carbon Touch and it's the best laptop I've ever owned. The v2 that Lenovo introduced at CES looks even awesomer. Problem is they're well out of your price range, but you may be able to find a used one in your budget.

 

[LakeFX]

You don't need to go high end. My current ThinkPad E520 I bought more than 2 years ago with an i5 processor and expanded to 8GB RAM for about $575. It has been a fantastic machine.

 

[Mach0]

You don't need to go high end. My current ThinkPad E520 I bought more than 2 years ago with an i5 processor and expanded to 8GB RAM for about $575. It has been a fantastic machine.

I have the t530 for work and love it

 

[leonardoDing]

I'm using Macbook Pro. Great laptop. Very few experience with other laptops.

 

[IgsEMT]

.....

 

[IgsEMT]

I have a 2009 macbook that is on the end of its life and I'm looking at a replacement. I'm open for switching to PC (namely to save on costs) and the main requirement is to be portable (13" screen is ok) and ability to run adobe lightroom/photoshop smoothly.

Does anyone have any thoughts on where to start? Would you recommend building your own?

cheers

I'm using lenovo t61p in the office - works great for basic editing and client viewing. Its native display is amazing and it is connected to external TV monitor.
At home I'm running lenovo t530 connected to two external calibrated monitors as well as hard drives, blue ray drive etc etc.
Original plan was to retire t61 but ended up using the system in such manner and it works great.
Good luck
Joe

 

[adamqueen]

I have a 2009 macbook that is on the end of its life and I'm looking at a replacement for image editing. I'm open for switching to PC (namely to save on costs) and the main requirement is to be portable (13" screen is ok) and ability to run imaging SDK adobe lightroom/photoshop smoothly.

Does anyone have any thoughts on where to start? Would you recommend building your own?

cheers

It seems that there is a similar poste in other forum and I think it will be better if I connect these two topics.

Best Laptop for Photographers? - Photo.net Digital Darkroom Forum

By the way, I changed Mac to Lenovo and I think it still works great.