Beginner Is this Laptop OK for processing?

[Uncle Fester]

Hi

My current elderly laptop is starting to get sluggish; so I'm looking for a replacement.

I've just chanced upon this:

https://www.ebuyer.com/805723-hp-25...MIkai8x5q32QIVRBLTCh3GsQO_EAEYASAAEgL84fD_BwE

I'm a beginner in photography and have never processed any photo's; but at some point I'd like to. I wonder if this laptop is up to it?

I'm aware that built in screens are often not good enough, and if that was case here, I'd probably also consider getting a monitor to use with the laptop.

Other uses would be general internet surfing and e-mailing and a bit of word processing.

All thoughts appreciated.

Cheers.

 

[stupar]

For basic to intermediate processing e.g no excessive use of multiple layers then it will be more than adequate.

Good things to note are the HD screen and the speedy M.2 hard drive.

A couple of things to advise on -

Although its an i7 CPU its only a dual core CPU.
The 8gb of RAM is a single stick (not 2 x4gb) so you wouldnt get the benefit of dual channel memory. Worth checking to see if it has an extra slot to upgrade the RAM to 16gb in the future.

Compared to what you are presently using though this will probably be like night and day in comparison.

 

[Uncle Fester]

For basic to intermediate processing e.g no excessive use of multiple layers then it will be more than adequate.

Good things to note are the HD screen and the speedy M.2 hard drive.

A couple of things to advise on -

Although its an i7 CPU its only a dual core CPU.
The 8gb of RAM is a single stick (not 2 x4gb) so you wouldnt get the benefit of dual channel memory. Worth checking to see if it has an extra slot to upgrade the RAM to 16gb in the future.

Compared to what you are presently using though this will probably be like night and day in comparison.

Thanks; appreciate your comments.

I didn't realise that this was dual core and not quad core. How do you tell whether a processor is dual or quad core? Do you just Google the processor specs?

Is there a significant difference between dual and quad core processors in terms of speed and performance?

As I'm not one to change my laptops every year or so, and like maximise the longevity of the device, I think I may be better off buying a quad core machine.

Thoughts appreciated.

Cheers

 

[stupar]

Thanks; appreciate your comments.

I didn't realise that this was dual core and not quad core. How do you tell whether a processor is dual or quad core? Do you just Google the processor specs?

Is there a significant difference between dual and quad core processors in terms of speed and performance?

As I'm not one to change my laptops every year or so, and like maximise the longevity of the device, I think I may be better off buying a quad core machine.

Thoughts appreciated.

Cheers

The U on the end of i7 7500U denotes ultra low power. Some of these CPUs are dual core only but you do get quad core Us aswell but they usually have a far lower base clock frequency e.g 1.6ghz.

It in doubt the best thing to do is type the CPU model no. Into Google and get it from the intel pages.

What is your budget?

 

[Nawty]

For most things day to day a faster core speed (and burst speed) makes for a snappier experience.

With photo editing software being useless at implementing multicore benefits I would probably opt for a faster clock speed that worry about dual or quad cores. Gaming and video editing are a different matter but I guess that doesn't really matter here.

For editing, you don't actually need that much processing power anyway so the quality of the screen is where I would be looking at hardest.

 

[Uncle Fester]

The U on the end of i7 7500U denotes ultra low power. Some of these CPUs are dual core only but you do get quad core Us aswell but they usually have a far lower base clock frequency e.g 1.6ghz.

It in doubt the best thing to do is type the CPU model no. Into Google and get it from the intel pages.

What is your budget?

Thanks.

I didn't have a particular budget set. I suppose I was thinking of about £500-£600 but I could stretch to maybe £1k. But only if that bought me something significantly faster/better.

For most things day to day a faster core speed (and burst speed) makes for a snappier experience.

With photo editing software being useless at implementing multicore benefits I would probably opt for a faster clock speed that worry about dual or quad cores. Gaming and video editing are a different matter but I guess that doesn't really matter here.

For editing, you don't actually need that much processing power anyway so the quality of the screen is where I would be looking at hardest.

Thanks; appreciate your input.

 

[Uncle Fester]

I've decided that I need to have a better grasp of processors and whatever else makes a affects computer performance before I buy.

As it's a different topic; I've posted another thread here:

https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/t...processors-what-makes-a-fast-computer.673086/

I've also decided that I'll look at desktops as well as laptops as my current laptop has never moved off my desk!

If you see any decent performing well priced machines; please let me know.

If you can help with my questions on the other thread; it would be appreciated.

Cheers