Need a new Laptop

[katies68667033]

Hi,

I'm in desperate need of a new laptop mine only has 4gb of RAM and is just not good enough to run Lightroom. My question is what NON MAC laptops do people use, I'm looking for specific models as I am getting so confused looking. I've been recommended Dell and Lenovo but really not sure which ones as they are so many. Ideally I'm looking at spending about £1000 but could push it to £1500 if I really have to.

I have seen Lenovo Thinkpad L590 (but been told not to get anything thinkpad that isn't a T or x series) also seen Yoga 730 15

or Dell Inspiron 17 7000 8th gen intel core. Have also been recommended the Dell XPS 15 but there are so many really don't know which one.

Please can people let me know what models you are using and if you would recommend them. Hoping I can get a deal on Amazon Prime day (fingers crossed)

I look forward to your feedback

[dj_paige]

Well, the problem is that you are looking for specific make and model, whereas my advice is to make sure you get a computer that has specific hardware (and any make and model that has the required hardware will almost certainly work well with Lightroom).

Also, my advice here is for Lightroom only, and if you have additional software, you may need additional hardware.

1. Get the fastest CPU you can afford. This is especially critical if you are taking large RAW photos, lets say 24 megapixels or above.
2. 16 MB RAM, Lightroom almost never needs more (exceptions: HDR and Panorama may need more); some people can get away with 8GB RAM if they're not doing anything other than LR on this computer
3. Get a 1920x1080 or 1920x1200 monitor, don't go for anything bigger (why? because with a bigger screen monitor, you need a powerful graphics card as well; with a 1920x1080 or 1920x1200 monitor, you don't need a powerful graphics card, in fact you can use the motherboard built in graphics, and so you can save money there).

Lastly, most pre-configured computers, that you find on Amazon or elsewhere, are very good computers for general purpose use, but they may not be configured well for Lightroom. They contain the hardware that the manufacturer wants to sell, and Lightroom has very specific needs that sometimes these pre-configured computers don't meet.

[katies68667033]

Thank you for your advice would you be able to advise if any of the attached are OK i think they all have the necessary requirements.

I'm looking at buy from Lenovo or Dell directly.

[dj_paige]

They don't say what size the monitor is, in pixels (not inches, which is useless here)

[Jao vdL]

dj_paige  wrote

1. 16 MB RAM, Lightroom almost never needs more (exceptions: HDR and Panorama may need more); some people can get away with 8GB RAM if they're not doing anything other than LR on this computer

I hope you meant 16GB! In my experience there is a noticeable difference between 16 and 32GB but it is a diminishing return and probably money is better spent on a faster GPU.

1. Get a 1920x1080 or 1920x1200 monitor, don't go for anything bigger (why? because with a bigger screen monitor, you need a powerful graphics card as well; with a 1920x1080 or 1920x1200 monitor, you don't need a powerful graphics card, in fact you can use the motherboard built in graphics, and so you can save money there).

I disagree. I would definitely go for a 2560x1440 HiDPI/retina screen. Lightroom Classic runs really well at that size (I agree 4K is overkill) and most of these screens have wide gamut which is awesome for photo editing. I have a MacBook Pro with a screen like this that has P3 gamut and even using the built-in mobile GPU it is very fast. I can't work on 1920x1080. Those displays are super grainy and have way too little real estate to work on for me.