Looking for a laptop for photo processing etc, under $1500

rferk

Honorable
Jan 16, 2014
3
0
10,510
My current laptop (A Sony Vaio purchased in 2010) is in its death throws and I'm looking to replace it, but need advice on what to buy.

Main considerations:

I'm into photography, shoot in raw, and spend time processing photos in AdobeCamera Raw and Photoshop, as well as creating photo books etc from all my many years worth of personal photos. My current hard drive is too small so I am currently often working from an external and it's a pain in the arse - I would rather be able to keep most of my photos on my laptop and use the external just as my backup. I also have a video camera and Adobe Premiere, but my current laptop crashes if I try any video editing at all. I also like listening to Pandora, may soon be streaming tv episodes online when we get rid of cable, and I telecommute once a week, which involves running GIS software over a Remote Desktop connection.


More specifically:

1. What is your budget?
I assume I won't find what I need for less than $1000, but I'm hoping not to have to spend more than $1500. Definately won't spend more than $2000.


2. What is the size of the notebook that you are considering?
Probably 15 - 17". It's essentially a desktop replacement - I don't really plan to travel with it, but I often move around the house and like to work from the couch (so not necessarily at a desk). I assume too small a screen would make editing work more difficult.

3. What screen resolution do you want?
Not exactly sure, but as decent as I can, I guess, since I'll be doing photo and video work.

4. Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop?
See answer 2, above.

5. How much battery life do you need?
I think I can accept a shorter battery life if need be since that tends to be the consequence of more power, and generally I *should* be near an outlet anyway....

6. Do you want to play games with your laptop? If so then please list the games that you want to with the settings that you want for these games. (Low,Medium or High)?
No, I do most my gaming on a Playstation. But there is the video editing requirement...I won't be doing it a LOT, but I do want to be able to do SOME video editing without it being extremely frustrating in it's chopiness.

7. What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo/Video editing, Etc.)
As mentioned above: photo import/export and editing, some video editing, listening to music, streaming tv episodes, using remote desktop to connect to my work desktop computer which will be running GIS software. So good processor and RAM and graphics, SD slot is mandatory, and decent transfer rate from card and too external would be great.

8. How much storage (Hard Drive capacity) do you need?
This is a biggy for me. I really think I need 1Tb+ of storage on my laptop!

9. If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post their links.
Not tied to one specifically, and may even buy in store. The most likely place I would go to "check out" laptops in person would be Best Buy (bc it's convenient). The only online retailer I've really used much has been Amazon.

10. How long do you want to keep your laptop?
As long as possible, of course, although I've come to accept that often they last less than 5 years :( (I've had my current laptop for 4 years).

11. What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc ?
Since it won't be the only computer in the house, and flash drives are so useful, I think an opticle drive is optional for me. Blueray is definately not necessary.

12. Please tell us about the brands that you prefer to buy from them and the brands that you don't like and explain the reasons.
No specific preference other than that it be a windows computer (I have platform-specific copies of office and adobe software and I don't want to buy new copies for a mac - plus mac is too expensive!)

13. What country do you live in?
USA (California)

14. Please tell us any additional information if needed.

I'm assuming I'll be getting something with Windows 8, so I'm thinking maybe I should get a touch screen? I like the idea of a touch screen for digitizing, esp if stylus is an option, but I'm not sure if they're really all that good, and I don't know if I "need" a touch screen.

Also, I've heard good things about getting hybrid drives, ie something with the 1Tb HDD but also some SDD for the OS etc. But I don't know much about this, and not sure if that should be a must-have item or just a bonus?

Opinions about those last two factors (touch screen and SDD) are especially welcome!



So, what do you think?
 
Solution
I would also recommend the Y510p, but since you need the 1tb+ of storage you should configure an additional HDD instead of a graphics card. This way you should be able to get 2tb storage from a sub-$1300 system, and that's being quite generous with additional cost on top. I'm no expert in win8, but i think the OS can handle RAID 0 for you if you want everything consolidated in one place, the only problem being that software RAID configs tend to be quite slow.

vinaykumar5320

Honorable
Nov 2, 2012
229
0
11,210
While SSD will be a very good addition for better performance, Touch screen, IMO, isn't necessary. But, that depends on your personal preference.

The most Budget friendly and Value for money is Lenovo Y510p (The one with dual Graphics - 2*GT755M (SLI)) - 1200$

http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/ideapad/y-series/y510p/

Other options are mainly gaming oriented laptops.

MSI GS70 2OD-229US
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152477

GIGABYTE P35K-CF2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834233022

With i7 4700HQ & GT765M, They will offer you great performance. And, the 128 GB SSD will be great.
 

rferk

Honorable
Jan 16, 2014
3
0
10,510
So would a Lenovo Y510 with just the single graphics card not be good enough, you think?




 

rferk

Honorable
Jan 16, 2014
3
0
10,510
Looks like I could get the Y510 with dual here:

http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/ideapad/y-series/y510p/

for $1200

or here:

http://www.costco.com/Lenovo-IdeaPad-Y510P-Laptop-|-Intel-Core-i7-|-2GB-Graphics-|-1080p-|-Backlit-Keyboard.product.100077311.html

for $1100

The first one has 24GB SSD, the second only 8GB. Is it worth the extra $100 to get the extra 16GB of SSD?




 

LummusMaximus

Honorable
I would also recommend the Y510p, but since you need the 1tb+ of storage you should configure an additional HDD instead of a graphics card. This way you should be able to get 2tb storage from a sub-$1300 system, and that's being quite generous with additional cost on top. I'm no expert in win8, but i think the OS can handle RAID 0 for you if you want everything consolidated in one place, the only problem being that software RAID configs tend to be quite slow.
 
Solution