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actionjc
actionjc
Participant
November 24, 2019
Question

Laptop recommendations

  • November 24, 2019
  • 3 replies
  • 596 views

Hi, my wife currently takes graphic design classes and is looking for a decent laptop. We have a tight budget, so we can't get the best out there. I did find an HP Envy x360 15" that will be onsale Black Friday for $579. It does sound good, got 12 GB RAM 2666 MGHZ, core i5 10th gen, and 256 GB PCIe SSD (she already has a 1 TB external SSD she needed for classes). The only issue is if I were to upgrade the graphics, the only option is NVIDIA mx250.... I heard that Adobe doesn't support it, is this true and if so does this mean it wont work with Illustrator and the integrated UHD would work best. If so, then I could upgrade the RAM to 16GB for $80 and still be within budget as I heard RAM is more important with Adobe programs for lighter work.

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3 replies

actionjc
actionjcAuthor
Participant
November 24, 2019

great to hear from you 2... I know Adobe hasn't updated their requirements on the site. It doesn't show the new lines of GPU coming from NVIDIA that most gaming laptops use, unless they are classed under Titan. Anyway,  going for more RAM seems like a logical solution but when reading all sorts of indepth reviews online, it might be better for illistrator to have a dedicated graphics chip instead. The mx 250 should work as long as it is the 4GB version. This laptop isn't going to be used to play AAA games. I mean my wife currently uses a dell all-in-one from 5 years ago that has an intel core i7 but with just integrated graphics. While it is no spead demon, it gets the job done but internet is bad on it as it doesn't have a wireless card in it and we therefore have to use an usb adaptor (what a pain as it never seems to stay connected) and we don't really have the proper space for a desktop at the moment. While it is a i7, I hear that there isn't as huge of a differents between the i5 and i7 in the 10th gen as there was in previous gens (particularly 7th gen and earlier). I have heard a lot of people using old computers for Photoshop (Core2Duo and earlier) but what about Illustrator. Illustrator is the only reason I am considering a dedicated graphics card. Would there be much of a differents between going with core i5 with 16GB RAM and integrated graphics vs. core i5 with 12GB RAM and NVIDIA mx 250 graphics? How about core i5 with 12GB RAM and NVIDIA mx 250 graphics vs. core i7 with 8GB RAM and integrated graphics? By the way they would all include 16GB Intel Optane Memory (which I know isn't really memory but more of a faster storage option but with SSD it seems just added fluff). Anyway, it seems you either get a half decent screen (51% Adobe and over 60% RGB) or a decent graphics card. The gaming laptops in our price range have terrible screens for graphic design but the graphics are good.

J
jdanek
Inspiring
November 24, 2019

I recommend contacting HP.  The tech support people may be of assistance.  I do kow that they invest in quite a bit of testing.

Tacafy大尉
Tacafy大尉
Legend
November 24, 2019

actionjc, good evening.
See here for recommended conditions for Illustrator.

Illustrator system requirements

Certainly NVIDIA mx250 is not in the list of supported GPUs.

Considering that the recommended RAM capacity is 16GB, it may be better to give priority to RAM expansion.

assause
Community Expert
assauseCommunity Expert
Community Expert
November 24, 2019

GeForce MX 250 can also improve the operation of Illustrator.
Adobe's information is old and has not been tested on all GPUs.

Also, considering cost performance, you can consider adding the HP ENVY x360 Ryzen model to the options.

    actionjc
    actionjcAuthor
    Participant
    November 24, 2019

    Hmm, how does the AMD model compare to the Intel model... I hear that Intel is far superior to AMD in CPU area.

    assause
    Community Expert
    assauseCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    November 25, 2019

    AMD's Ryzen may have less computing power per core than comparable grade Intel CPUs.
    However, AMD has a superior processing speed for CPU built-in graphics.
    When comparing overall cost-effectiveness, AMD is currently superior than Intel.

     

    However, GeForce MX250 is superior in overall calculation speed than RX Vega in Ryzen.
    If there is no problem in terms of cost, we recommend choosing the GeForce model.

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