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Best laptop/tablet for LRC

Forum|Forum|7 months ago
August 21, 2025
7 replies
1790 views

Hi. Can anybody please suggest what might be the best laptop or tablet to use for LRC. I am struggling with a Dell laptop which I use for work too but I want a laptop/tablet just for photo editing. It's probably more than 'light' editing but I'm not a professional. Thank you

Experiment

Correct answer Conrad_C

Looking at the current Lightroom Classic system requirements, my opinion is that what is listed as the “Minimum” should be interpreted as “just enough to get the app going,” and you should think of the “Recommended” level as “the actual minimum for you to not be frustrated.”

If you’re looking for a Windows laptop, then you should be looking for…

CPU: The more recent and the more cores, the better. If you’re not doing professional work, you don’t need the top end CPU, but avoid the bottom.

GPU: Discrete graphics are better than integrated graphics, and aim for 8GB or more of discrete VRAM if you can afford it. Lightroom Classic is relying more and more on GPU acceleration for fast performance, so don’t skimp on this.

RAM: No less than 16GB RAM, 32GB is nice but you can probably get away with less for non-professional work.

Oh, and GoldingD’s advice to avoid ARM-based Windows PCs is a good idea, at least for now. Although Lightroom Classic does run on ARM CPUs, for full compatibility, performance, and feature support stick to Intel/AMD CPUs until ARM support improves.

M

mehmood_9597

Participating Frequently

If you’re looking for a smooth Lightroom Classic experience, the key is getting the right specs rather than just any laptop or tablet. A few essentials make all the difference:

16–32 GB RAM

SSD storage

4–8 GB VRAM GPU

Color-accurate high-res display

Solid options to consider:

MacBook Air M4 → light & fast

MacBook Pro 14 (M4 Pro/Max) → pro power

Asus ProArt P16 → Windows creative beast

Surface Pro 9 → tablet + laptop flexibility

In short, go with the Air for portability, ProArt for Windows performance, or MacBook Pro if you want the best all-rounder for serious editing.

mehmood

dj_paige

Legend

The only quibble I have is that for Windows, Adobe recommends:

8 GB of dedicated GPU memory or 16 GB of shared memory for full GPU acceleration and AI features such as Denoise, Lens Blur, and Reflection Removal

Conrad_C

Correct answer

Community Expert

Looking at the current Lightroom Classic system requirements, my opinion is that what is listed as the “Minimum” should be interpreted as “just enough to get the app going,” and you should think of the “Recommended” level as “the actual minimum for you to not be frustrated.”

If you’re looking for a Windows laptop, then you should be looking for…

CPU: The more recent and the more cores, the better. If you’re not doing professional work, you don’t need the top end CPU, but avoid the bottom.

GPU: Discrete graphics are better than integrated graphics, and aim for 8GB or more of discrete VRAM if you can afford it. Lightroom Classic is relying more and more on GPU acceleration for fast performance, so don’t skimp on this.

RAM: No less than 16GB RAM, 32GB is nice but you can probably get away with less for non-professional work.

Oh, and GoldingD’s advice to avoid ARM-based Windows PCs is a good idea, at least for now. Although Lightroom Classic does run on ARM CPUs, for full compatibility, performance, and feature support stick to Intel/AMD CPUs until ARM support improves.

D

DMH@MiD

Participant

Hi. Am in same situation, my Dell freezes with very little editing in LrC

Wondering if you have made a decision for upgrading and if you would be happy to share your ideas. Thnx

GoldingD

Legend

Also consider laptops designed for creative use. These laptops are designed for such use as LrC, and other applications. BUT, think very big dollars for them. These will be top end Intel CPU units, will have top in GPU, lots of RAM. lots of VRAM.

One product to avoid is any SNAPDRAGON CPU unit. Avoid any WOS/CoPilot/ARM Devices

Big trouble running LrC on those. Searching this website on snapdragon will show you the issues that have been ongoing for a couple of years and not resolved.

B

Bill Sprague

Community Expert

I concur with dj_paige. I've used "gaming" laptops from both Asus and Lenevo. All Adobe programs have run well.

The current crop will have "Ultra 9" CPUs, 32 GB of RAM, a 1 TB SSD a 5000 series Nvidia GPU and a good screen. A common suggestion is to replace the GPU gaming driver with the NVIDIA studio driver. A laptop "workstation" with equivalent specifications can be twice the price.

dj_paige

Legend

I have heard/read that Ultra 9 is not so good for LrC.

dj_paige

Legend

Gen 1 is definitely one that struggles. My former laptop (Lenovo w/ intel Ultra 9 185H, 32Gb 72xx Mhz RAM and a 1 tb SSD) was too much a struggle top sit and edit at. And the fact that that computer struggled that much, sent me to Apple instead.
I cannot say if it's gotten any better with Gen 2 from intel. But they will probably never measure up to apples M-series of chips.

Gen 1 is definitely one that struggles. My former laptop (Lenovo w/ intel Ultra 9 185H, 32Gb 72xx Mhz RAM and a 1 tb SSD) was too much a struggle top sit and edit at. And the fact that that computer struggled that much, sent me to Apple instead.
I cannot say if it's gotten any better with Gen 2 from intel. But they will probably never measure up to apples M-series of chips.

By @DenmarkOne

Thank you for sharing your first-hand experience with Ultra 9 and LrC.

However, you say "But they will probably never measure up to apples M-series of chips." I'm not sure that is relevant. The high end Intel i7 and i9 CPUs and high end AMD CPUs are certainly powerful enough for Lightroom Classic.

dj_paige

Legend

Look at laptops designed for gaming. LrC these days requires a powerful computer. Don't go for a device that has the bare minimum requirements, LrC will probably be quite slow.