Recommendations on laptop

Jackietheo

Jackietheo

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41
Name
Jacqueline
Edit My Images
No
So I'm looking to upgrade my laptop. I have a £300 hp laptop which is slow and definitely not great for editing. Need top resolution, sharpness, colour etc. Not to mention good memory, fast and good battery life.

Any recommendations?? I've never owned a mac but I have used them before, how recommended are macs for photographers?
 
Just wait a short while until the 8th generation intel CPU`s show up in laptops.

Before Xmas I think.

Rumors are the 8th gen intel CPU`s will be very very good and well worth the wait now.

Intel 8th-generation Core laptops
Intel’s first drip of information on its new 8th-generation chips will be music to the ears of people looking to buy a laptop before the start of 2018. From 7th-generation ‘Kaby Lake’ to 8th-gen ‘Kaby Lake’ (you read that right, we’ll explain later, we promise), Intel is claiming a “once in a decade” performance boost of 40% generation-over-generation.


Read more at http://www.trustedreviews.com/news/...hnology-explained-2952599#5YLfzTuvPMjRyyqU.99
 
neil_g said:
Budget.
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Do you already have Windows programs that you would have to replace if you went for a MAC
To answer one question you raise MAC's are widely used by photographers .
If they are now superior to a high end windows machine some will say yes others no.
Its probably down to aesthetics rather than performance , lets face it a MAC looks rather smart, is it worth the extra ???
 
troutfisher said:
Do you already have Windows programs that you would have to replace if you went for a MAC
To answer one question you raise MAC's are widely used by photographers .
If they are now superior to a high end windows machine some will say yes others no.
Its probably down to aesthetics rather than performance , lets face it a MAC looks rather smart, is it worth the extra ???
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I'll be honest I prefer windows over macs. I've just always preferred it! So no mac isn't essential to me but like you say alot of photographers use them which is why I raised the topic of macs.

I've Googled the topic and the dell xps 15 has come up as a top one?
 
There is no reason to buy a Macbook - they offer a photographer no specific benefits over an equivalent spec windows machine except for longer battery life, and they have significant disadvantages because the hardware cannot be upgraded in any way by the user.

The Dell XPS 15 is a good machine - I'm using one right now, plugged into an external monitor. Check the Dell outlet store for a refurb and save money.
 
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It might also be worth waiting for the mobile version of the new Ryzen chips to start appearing in laptops, see https://www.tweaktown.com/news/59160/amd-ryzen-mobile-apu-leak-90-faster-previous-gen/index.html
They are usually competitively priced compared to intel. Saying that for £300 you won't get a workhorse for a laptop & a good screen unless a chinese maker starts putting the above in their laptops, decent intel chips + a good screen usually start around £400, so there's a chance a cheaper AMD offering could make that price-point £300ish.
 
Nikkorr said:
It might also be worth waiting for the mobile version of the new Ryzen chips to start appearing in laptops, see https://www.tweaktown.com/news/59160/amd-ryzen-mobile-apu-leak-90-faster-previous-gen/index.html
They are usually competitively priced compared to intel. Saying that for £300 you won't get a workhorse for a laptop & a good screen unless a chinese maker starts putting the above in their laptops, decent intel chips + a good screen usually start around £400, so there's a chance a cheaper AMD offering could make that price-point £300ish.
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Oh I don't plan to spend £300 again aha. That was a quick buy for something that would get me through uni. I plan to get a laptop worth 1-2k!
 
Ah, well in that case your XPS 15 will do nicely, although I personally would want something lighter and with a longer battery life.
 
Nikkorr said:
Ah, well in that case your XPS 15 will do nicely, although I personally would want something lighter and with a longer battery life.
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I'd definitely like something that's lighter and longer battery life too, what would you recommend? I'm open to all recommendations. If I'm gonna spend money on it, I want it to have it all really
 
I have and xps13 that I got from Dell outlet. I really like the lightweight, good battery and screen quality.
 
If I were you, I would wait for the new intel chips and the new mobile ryzen chips I mentioned above coming out at the end of the year, they both promise to offer a significant performance improvement in a cooler package - affects both battery and portability. The equivalent dell should be lighter, with a longer battery for comparable performance. Also, unless you game, a dedicated GPU is not needed and will just add weight.
 
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Jackietheo said:
I'll be honest I prefer windows over macs. I've just always preferred it! So no mac isn't essential to me but like you say alot of photographers use them which is why I raised the topic of macs.

I've Googled the topic and the dell xps 15 has come up as a top one?
Click to expand...

I have a desk top PC but for editing most of my images, but for portability and sending images whilst out and about shooting Weddings etc - use the Dell XP 15- it does the job for me

Les
 
For what it's worth, my 3 year old Dell XPS15 weighs almost exactly the same as my 2009 13" unibody Macbook, which was itself a fairly light computer at the time. You won't get much lighter while staying with a powerful machine, and a smaller (13") screen is very restrictive for image editing.

Laptops are about compromises, and you need to decide which compromises are acceptable. I can edit for about 3 hours on the XPS running on battery (and did so last week, though it's not ideal) because having the screen at full brightness uses a lot of power, and that will also be the case on any other laptop.
 
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Do you want super portability or just a laptop format?
some great deals on used dell mobile precision stuff.
big 17.3 HD screen loads of ram and power and a great backlit keyboard.
 
I'm looking at getting an XPS 13, but I want the ability to connect it to an external (bigger) monitor. There is no HDMI on the XPS but there is USB3. Can I buy a generic USB3 to HDMI cable to connect them?
 
Mr Bump said:
Do you want super portability or just a laptop format?
some great deals on used dell mobile precision stuff.
big 17.3 HD screen loads of ram and power and a great backlit keyboard.
Click to expand...
Not necessarily for it to be portable really. I'd rather get the 15" screen as I think 13" is too small to be editing photos. Dell 15 sounds like a good shout though!
 
Lensman Mark said:
I'm looking at getting an XPS 13, but I want the ability to connect it to an external (bigger) monitor. There is no HDMI on the XPS but there is USB3. Can I buy a generic USB3 to HDMI cable to connect them?
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It has a thunderbolt port, so that's what I'd probably use, and look for a monitor with a display port connector.
 
Lensman Mark said:
I'm looking at getting an XPS 13, but I want the ability to connect it to an external (bigger) monitor. There is no HDMI on the XPS but there is USB3. Can I buy a generic USB3 to HDMI cable to connect them?
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Yeah, Amazon and eBay are full of them.
I did very well with my XPS13 from the Dell outlet as there was an extra 10% discount that day and I got a £50 refund when I whined about the service. :)
One thing I would say about the XPS13 is make sure you can cope with microscopic text if you go for the QHD screen. Other than that, it's an excellent little device.
 
Guys is the 4k upgrade worth it or not? There's about £800 differencel
 
Jackietheo said:
Guys is the 4k upgrade worth it or not? There's about £800 differencel
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No. I estimate they will come with 4K as standard in 24 months on high end laptops so get it next time.
 
Jackietheo said:
Guys is the 4k upgrade worth it or not? There's about £800 differencel
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Over 1920X1080 - no, but the Dell QHD is a really nice screen if you can find the cash.

Also make sure you get a proper quad-core processor, rather than a 'mobile' dual core version: many seem listed with i5 dual cores, but with the limited spec hidden.
 
I don't know about the XPS 15s but the i7s used in the XPS 13s are all dual core now. Bloody cheek by Intel to call them i7 IMHO.
 
I would buy the basic xps15 with some extra ram and budget for an external dell 25 inch screen.
 
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