Looking to buy a new laptop

[tsabary]

I want to get a new laptop and the only reason is because I'm traveling right now and planning to keep traveling for at least two more years.

So basically al I need from my laptop is to run Photoshop/Lightroom w/ no problems, and not to be to heavy or expensive.

Besides photo editing the only thing I'm going to do w/ it is serf the web and watch movies, no gaming and such.

which model would you recommend?

 

[KmH]

For image editing you'll need a laptop that has a IPS type display, and you'll need a good display calibrator like the X-Rite CMUNDIS ColorMunki Display because each time you open the laptop with different ambient light falling on the display you'll need to re-calibrate.

For Lightroom and Photoshop you'll want a fast multi-core processor (2 or more. 3 GHz or faster), 8 GB of ram and at least 500 GB of storage - but 750 GB would be better.
Photoshop works best if the scratch drive hard disc space is external memory or at least a separate partition in the laptop storage.

You may need to consider a substantial increase in your budget.

 

[JClishe]

"Powerful", "Not heavy", and "not expensive" typically don't go together.

 

[tsabary]

Thank you for your answers. It might not be cheap like I planed at first but I'm considering getting the new surface pro.

any experience?

 

[JClishe]

Since the new Surface Pro (the Pro 2) goes on sale today (10/22), it's pretty safe to say that no one has any experience with it yet

That said, I know a lot of people with the original Pro and they all love it, the biggest drawback is battery life, which is solved with the Pro 2. People like to complain that the Pro is too expensive, but it's actually one of the most powerful laptops on the market (Microsoft said the Pro 2 is more powerful than 95% of the laptops currently on the market, and that includes being more powerful than MacBook Pro's). When you consider the price of other laptops that are in the same performance category as the Pro (and Pro 2), it's actually an excellent price. And, it's a tablet so it's kind of like 2 devices in one.

For what it's worth, I'm heading out get a Surface 2 today (the RT). I've had the original Surface RT for a year and I love it. I also have an iPad 3 and it mostly collects dust, my Surface RT is way more useful.

 

[juicegoose]

What manufactures over an IPS monitor in a laptop? Not to highjack the original posters thread but we seem to be in the same situation. I'm running elements and lightroom off of a hp dv6 thats about 4-5 years old(cure 2 duo 4 gig ram, ssd). I was looking to upgrade but wanted something portable and still able to to do retouching. I have a 24" monitor for series stuff so connecting to it would be nice too.

 

[sashbar]

Thank you for your answers. It might not be cheap like I planed at first but I'm considering getting the new surface pro.

any experience?

I would not use Photoshop+Lightroom on anything with just 2GB of RAM.

 

[Ysarex]

What manufactures over an IPS monitor in a laptop? Not to highjack the original posters thread but we seem to be in the same situation. I'm running elements and lightroom off of a hp dv6 thats about 4-5 years old(cure 2 duo 4 gig ram, ssd). I was looking to upgrade but wanted something portable and still able to to do retouching. I have a 24" monitor for series stuff so connecting to it would be nice too.

Laptop Guide: Advantages of IPS Display Laptops and Where to Find Them - Laptop User Reviews

The Surface tablets/laptops also incorporate an IPS display. All need to be calibrated.

Laptops that use TN technology displays are not suitable for photo editing. You can't edit what you can't see.

Joe

 

[IByte]

Usually gaming laptops/ultrabooks have enough key components do your wallet some justice.

Please look for a I5 processer or better. Make sure the video card is good.

Don't worry about RAM or HDD, you can always upgrade RAM, and upgrade to a SSD if your budget allows it.

If a laptop comes with an SSD, it's not worth your money to pay for a low end SSD at 3xs the price.

 

[JClishe]

Thank you for your answers. It might not be cheap like I planed at first but I'm considering getting the new surface pro.

any experience?

I would not use Photoshop+Lightroom on anything with just 2GB of RAM.

Surface Pro's are configured with either 4 GB or 8 GB of RAM.

 

[Leftyplayer]

I'm also considering a Surface Pro 2. My only concern, honestly, is screen size. I worry that it may be too small when using Photoshop/Lightroom. Can the panel options really be used properly in a screen that size? Since that aspect hasn't changed from the old Surface, would love to hear feedback on those with old models.

 

[JClishe]

I just picked up the Surface 2, which has the same resolution as the Pro 2. I've got scaling enabled so everything isn't quite as tiny (actually it comes this way by default), and it's definitely workable. But yeah, when you leave it at the full 1920 x 1080, text is way tiny. I guess the nice thing is you could use HDMI out to connect it to a full size monitor - or use either the official docking station or a generic USB dock that has video out. The advantage of this is you have a tablet with PS/LR while mobile, and still have a traditional desktop-like setup at home.

BTW my buddy picked up the Pro 2 and said performance is amazing.

 

[Leftyplayer]

Jason, thanks for the feedback. I must admit I'm a bit confused. My understanding was that there is the Surface RT, the Surface and the Surface 2 (same as Surface Pro 2). Am I wrong in lumping those two models together? There are 4 model versions, rather than 3?

 

[JClishe]

There are 4 models, the "RT" was dropped from the RT line. So:

Surface RT => Surface 2
Surface Pro => Surface Pro 2

 

[AceCo55]

The other thing to consider if you want to stretch your $$$$$, is to buy refurbished or demo laptops from manufacturer's websites.
I just bought an ultra book i7 for my daughter and saved about $700
I then bought an i5 for me and saved about $400
Both operating perfectly. YMMV