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cbassett03
Known Participant
February 20, 2017
Answered

Laptop purchase decision: quad core w/ Intel 520/530 video or Dual core w/ dedicated nvidia graphics

  • February 20, 2017
  • 2 replies
  • 1637 views

I'm going to be in the market real soon for a replacement laptop, and my current computer is a quad core 2.7 GHz (Intel) with Quadro K2000M grahics.

I'm wondering which would give me the best performance in terms of Photoshop and Lightroom for moderated editing: a quad core with onboard graphics (Intel HD 520/530), or a Dual core (say a 2.6 GHz) but with a dedicated graphics card (like an Nvidia GeForce GTX 940M or something similar).

Which setup would be I better off with?  Budget is the problem or I would just get a quad core laptop with a nice Quadro video card.  I only have about $1000 to spend on this, so I'm looking for what will give me the best performance from photoshop CC and lightroom for photo editing.

(RAM and HDD is not a factor as I'd be getting at least 8GB--or possibly 16GB--of RAM and at least a 500GB SSD either way).

    This topic has been closed for replies.
    Correct answer Trevor.Dennis

    I wouldn't want to use Photoshop on a dual core system, but a lot of features simply won't work without a minimum standard GPU, and I don't know if Intel onboard HD520/530 meets that minimum spec.  I would also be concerned about onboard graphics using system RAM, so would want to know how much memory these laptops have?   8Gb RAM is a reasonable minimum spec nowadays, and if the onboard graphics is using 2Gb your spec is starting to be compromised.

    Dedicated GPUs use faster memory.  Hmmm  I just checked and the GTX940M uses the same DDR3 as you are likely to find on the notebook, so no advantage there.

    I'd be inclined to have a good read of the relative specs, but from a quick look myself, I am not terribly impressed with HD530

    Intel HD Graphics 530 - NotebookCheck.net Tech

    Intel HD Graphics 530 Review - Performance

    NVIDIA GeForce 940M - NotebookCheck.net Tech

    The bottom line here is that you have put yourself between a rock and a hard place, and there is no good answer either way.

    2 replies

    Chuck Uebele
    Community Expert
    Chuck UebeleCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    February 21, 2017

    I would avoid Intel cards. I've had a lot of issues with them. Best to go with AMD or Nvidia. Avoid integrated card Intel with AMD, for example. The drivers are updates by the computer company and not the card maker. Sometimes you can't get an update.

    Sahil.Chawla
    Adobe Employee
    Sahil.Chawla
    Adobe Employee
    February 21, 2017

    Hi cbassett,

    Please refer to this article Photoshop system requirements

    Regards,

    Sahil

    C
    cbassett03Author
    Known Participant
    February 21, 2017

    Thanks.  I was aware of that page, but wanted to know if getting a better graphics card would help PS and LR perform better versus getting a quad core processor, but slower video card.  Isn't the newer versions of PS and LR more GPU-intensive (meaning they can utilize the GPU more)?

    Trevor.Dennis
    Community Expert
    Trevor.DennisCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
    Community Expert
    February 21, 2017

    I wouldn't want to use Photoshop on a dual core system, but a lot of features simply won't work without a minimum standard GPU, and I don't know if Intel onboard HD520/530 meets that minimum spec.  I would also be concerned about onboard graphics using system RAM, so would want to know how much memory these laptops have?   8Gb RAM is a reasonable minimum spec nowadays, and if the onboard graphics is using 2Gb your spec is starting to be compromised.

    Dedicated GPUs use faster memory.  Hmmm  I just checked and the GTX940M uses the same DDR3 as you are likely to find on the notebook, so no advantage there.

    I'd be inclined to have a good read of the relative specs, but from a quick look myself, I am not terribly impressed with HD530

    Intel HD Graphics 530 - NotebookCheck.net Tech

    Intel HD Graphics 530 Review - Performance

    NVIDIA GeForce 940M - NotebookCheck.net Tech

    The bottom line here is that you have put yourself between a rock and a hard place, and there is no good answer either way.

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