Does Dell make anything worth even considering for a portable workstation?

[clanthar]

Back to the OP's original question:
"Does Dell make anything worth even considering for a portable workstation?"

No. And neither does anyone else. I assume portable here means laptop, notebook, etc. For the sake of power efficiency laptops use TN displays. I use laptops in the classroom right now, Dell, Toshiba and Apple. They're OK for running a class demo, but not for serious editing. The displays are inferior as regards color and tone. Assume you're trying to edit a photo with this range of color:

X______________________________________________X
and your laptop can only show this range of color:
X_______________________________X

Assume your photo is an sRGB image. Laptop screens can't display the sRGB color palette -- not even close. How do you edit something you can't see?

Some reading: Problems with small-gamut monitor calibration

Joe

 

[Stradawhovious]

Good to know.

Basically, My intentions are to have a personal station, that the kids can't foul up, that is dedicated to photographs, for about a thousand bucks.....

By the sounds of it, that's tall order.

Really, I only need it to run PP software such as photoshop, lightroom etc. No gaming, no bulk downloading, and only occasional porn surfing.

 

[honoryourlife]

Back to the OP's original question:
"Does Dell make anything worth even considering for a portable workstation?"

No. And neither does anyone else. I assume portable here means laptop, notebook, etc. For the sake of power efficiency laptops use TN displays. I use laptops in the classroom right now, Dell, Toshiba and Apple. They're OK for running a class demo, but not for serious editing. The displays are inferior as regards color and tone. Assume you're trying to edit a photo with this range of color:

X______________________________________________X
and your laptop can only show this range of color:
X_______________________________X

Assume your photo is an sRGB image. Laptop screens can't display the sRGB color palette -- not even close. How do you edit something you can't see?

Some reading: Problems with small-gamut monitor calibration

Joe

Hmm, I wonder how many people actually know this. Thank you, I'm going to get to researching.

 

[JClishe]

For the sake of power efficiency laptops use TN displays.
Joe

Not all of them, there are laptops with IPS displays.

 

[clanthar]

For the sake of power efficiency laptops use TN displays.
Joe

Not all of them, there are laptops with IPS displays.

That's correct; forgive my sloppiness and let me rephrase that: For the sake of power efficiency 99+% of laptops use TN displays.

Joe

 

[CCericola]

My husband's company buys dells. They have found that the business side of dell has better hardware. The consumer level hardware is lacking. They especially see this with referbs. The computers they get through their business solutions are great. The consumer side referbs always have problems. Sounds like you will be ordering through a business solutions account with your company so I would take advantage of the offer. However I would also invest in a good quality external monitor for heavy editing.

 

[Big Mike]

Back to the OP's original question:
"Does Dell make anything worth even considering for a portable workstation?"

No. And neither does anyone else. I assume portable here means laptop, notebook, etc. For the sake of power efficiency laptops use TN displays. I use laptops in the classroom right now, Dell, Toshiba and Apple. They're OK for running a class demo, but not for serious editing. The displays are inferior as regards color and tone. Assume you're trying to edit a photo with this range of color:

X______________________________________________X
and your laptop can only show this range of color:
X_______________________________X

Assume your photo is an sRGB image. Laptop screens can't display the sRGB color palette -- not even close. How do you edit something you can't see?

Some reading: Problems with small-gamut monitor calibration

Joe

:thumbsup:

 

[2WheelPhoto]

And the Ford vs. Chevy vs. Dodge debates linger on

 

[DiskoJoe]

Its not the brand that makes the difference, its the guts. Know your parts or do your research.

 

[Stradawhovious]

And the Ford vs. Chevy vs. Dodge debates linger on

Yeah, wasn't trying to start a brand war, just curious since the Dell is so very convenient for me.

My bad, I should have seen it coming.

 

[sleist]

You can also get a laptop with a decent vid card and just hook up a separate monitor for editing at home.

I have an older Dell laptop that, despite being too underpowered for editing, has a pretty decent monitor that I was able to calibrate pretty close to my desktop monitor.
I take issue with Dell over other things like crappy power supplies and overpriced batteries, but if I were to get another laptop for editing photos it would likely be a Dell if I don't go with Mac.

 

[bazooka]

I do IT at a TV station and our field photogs use latitude 6400's and 6510's... they take a beating but keep running. I like them so much, I bought my wife a 6150. You can get a dock station and a good monitor for home use, but the 6150 is about 30% over your $1k budget.

 

[Trackend]

Sorry to digress a tad specially as a newbie but I thought it may be of relevance. I spoke with an Apple rep in the UK last week and they are toying with the idea of a IPad for in the field Pro photographers so they can edit to a fair degree and send using a unit that is far more camera bag friendly than having lug around a Lap top.
I will be interested to see what happens in the next 12 months or so.

 

[KmH]

"Portable Workstation" is an oxymoron.

 

[KmH]

Sorry to digress a tad specially as a newbie but I thought it may be of relevance. I spoke with an Apple rep in the UK last week and they are toying with the idea of a IPad for in the field Pro photographers so they can edit to a fair degree and send using a unit that is far more camera bag friendly than having lug around a Lap top.
I will be interested to see what happens in the next 12 months or so.

That will be great when they launch the 24" iPad with the pen tablet attachment, and the calibration hardware so the display can be calibrated for the in the field ambient light each time it's used.