I need help finding a laptop to run Creative Suite.

[Donna_H1]

I need help finding a laptop to run Creative Suite. InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop. I am not tech savvy; I don't understand the specs. I try to compare the list of the specs to website listings of laptops for sale and I can't make things match up. Can anyone tell me some specific laptops I can consider?

[Kat Gilbert]

Donna, if you let us know what platform- Mac or PC that you are use to then I believe there will be many suggestions here! What are the file sizes that you normally work with?

I am MAC based and work with very lg files- 1 GB and larger_ for example.

Any criteria that you can give will help to narrow down the field of suggestions!

[Donna_H1]

PC. My large files are over a gig, but it looks like 30 to 60 meg is the majority. I typically have at least two of the three (InD, Ill, PS) open at once and switch between the two. I plan to be able to dock it to my monitors when I am at home. I'd like to keep it to $1000, but realize that may not be possible (if it is more, I'm not sure what I will do, but I am trying to find out my options). Thank you for any help you can give. I'm finding this very confusing.

[Kat Gilbert]

There are many here that are PC based and since I am on a MAC my answers will not comply with your needs. If no one answers in a day I will ding someone I know that could help you. Sorry that I am not able. Many, many laptops are capable of what you seek but knowing the details is important as I sought a Powerbook to do what I wished but my main system is on a desktop MacPro... until it dies and then I am in the same boat as you!

Please keep me updated!

[artjt]

I love portable computers, the best is MacBook Pro, 2.7GHz dual-core Intel Core i5

Turbo Boost up to 3.1GHz

8GB 1866MHz LPDDR3 memory

128GB PCIe-based flash storage1

Intel Iris Graphics 6100

It fast and it has a beautiful interface. For the designer important that Wednesday was beautiful.

[Kat Gilbert]

Donna, agree with Artjt but knowing that you are looking for a PC I will contact some I know on these forums that use the same system as you. With MAX happening within a week the response might not be super fast. Thanks for your patience!

[Peter Spier]

I'm a PC user. My laptop is an MSI gaming computer that is basically a replacement for my desktop (and you won't find high end machines like this in stores), but there are plenty of good choices out there (and there are things about this MSI that I don't like, so if you can, try out any laptop you are considering).

For running Creative Suite along with other programs, you'll want a high-end processor. Intel Core i7 would be typical, somewhere around 2.8 - 3.1 GHz is fast enough. You don't need the top of the line, and an equivalent AMD processor (NOT a low end AMD chip) will be fine, too. My desktop uses an 8-core AMD and it's great. You should get at least 12 GB RAM, and a dedicated video card with a minimum of 1GB onboard VRAM (2 would be better). This laptop uses an Nvidea card, but brand isn't too important. I'm partial to video cards that are based on the Radeon chips from AMD, but you most likely won't have a choice in the laptop.

The most important things about a laptop, in my opinion, are the screen and the keyboard. make sure you have a large enough screen to be able to see the program interfaces, and that you are comfortable with the keyboard. Read the online reviews about reliability.

I've had good luck in the past with Toshiba laptops, and Dell is a good brand, though I'm not partial to the keyboards. I tend to stay away from HP because of the amount of system customization and extra garbage they load into them that is running in the background all the time and using up resources.

Hope that's some help.

[Kat Gilbert]

Thanks Peter!

[Donna_H1]

Thank you for this much thought and detail with your reply. Whenever I have been asking friends for help, they give me the same sort of answer, so I am asking the question wrong somehow. I know what specs to look for, but I cannot find the specific computer to match them. I went up to look for an MSI gaming computer and there is a whole list of them and I don't know which one to choose because I don't know what I am looking at, the words don't match. I am looking for a SPECIFIC computer, the make and the model. I wish I understood. I really do, but I can't make them match. So I thought I would try some of these forums again. I'll take what you gave me and visit some more sites.

[Benjamin Root]

This should have plenty of power. A 2.7 GHz Core i7, 16 GB DDR3 RAM, GeForce 960M (2 GB GDDR5). It includes a 7200 RPM drive, but could be switched to a SSD I'm sure http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1169919-REG/msi_ge72_apache_235_i7_5700hq_2_7g_16gb_1tb_960_wi...

[Kat Gilbert]

Do you have a friend who can build you a computer to fulfill your specific criteria? I had a PC built some years ago to fit specific need (CAD compliant). This may be the best solution as "off the shelf" may not comply with what you need.

[Peter Spier]

If you want a specific recommendation, The MSI in the link above from Benjamin Root is similar to the laptop I use. The Toshiba Satellite L70-CBT2G22 should also do pretty well for you, though I would upgrade the hard drive, and probably the display: Toshiba Satellite L70-CBT2G22 Laptop. Both of these are heavy machines (17 in displays), in the six pounds and up range.

[Kat Gilbert]

If you wish further input please let me know. The choices are great and so are the opinions. I am running into the same issues in regard to MAC choices as the choices are very varied and limited as to what I need. Best of luck. Just let us know if you have further criteria that needs addressing!

[Dave Merchant]

Agree with Peter - if you're not editing video then you don't need a hardcore machine, so a middle-of-the-road CPU with a large amount of RAM is the most efficient way to go, but the little design differences between brands can make a big difference. For example a 108-key layout with a proper numeric pad is a huge benefit for users that do a lot of typography involving numerals and Unicode, and it gives a bunch more available keyboard shortcuts if you prefer those over menus. Having two drive bays is also a big advantage, as you can run a relatively-small SSD for your operating system and programs, and a very large spinning HDD for your files. Disk read times aren't a problem in the applications you are using, and a single SSD big enough for everything will cost more than the laptop. With Windows 10's love of fingers we're seeing increasing numbers of laptops with touch screens, and CC does support them, but without a Wacom-type stylus they're not much more than a gimmick for drawing and photo editing.

You tend to only get true 'docking' ports on business-class computers these days; consumer models will have HDMI ports or more likely miniDisplay ports. It will certainly be important for the laptop to have a dual graphics processor - a low-power integrated chip (usually from Intel) that runs most of the time and is perfectly adequate for InDesign, and a high-power chip (usually NVIDIA) that can be switched on when Photoshop or Illustrator are active.