# Which laptop would work better for photo/video editing?



## rainking

ASUS G73SW-XT1 Laptop Computer - Intel Core i7-2630QM 2.0GHz, 8GB DDR3, 500GB HDD, Blu-ray/DVDRW, 17.3 Full HD, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, Black, 2-Year Warranty / 1-Year Accidental Damage at TigerDirect.com

Apple - MacBook Pro - The new MacBook Pro. Huge leaps in performance.


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## molested_cow

I'd say anything bigger than 15" isn't a laptop cus it's just too damn big and heavy to be one. I'd recommend getting a smaller one but have the budget for a proper monitor because you will definitely need it.

Apple displays are usually pretty good. I am not an Apple fanatic but have not much against them either. I just know that they are usually more expensive for the performance. Plus, no one needs an uni-body construction. It's like wearing Armani vs banana republic to a job interview. Both get the job done but none is as important as your skills/resume.


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## Fox_Racing_Guy

I would say neither, you could build yourself 1 Hell of alot nicer desktop & monitor for the price of the Asus let alone the MAC. The only thing I use my laptops for is traveling, web browsing, or to dump photo's onto at the track. I know some people can edit with a laptop but I'm much happier using my desktop & 24" monitor.


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## Drake

molested_cow said:


> I'd say anything bigger than 15" isn't a laptop cus it's just too damn big and heavy to be one. I'd recommend getting a smaller one but have the budget for a proper monitor because you will definitely need it.


 Yeah, a 17" laptop seems like a bad idea. Too big to be portable, too small for editing. Well, not too small, but you could definitely go bigger. If you're going to use it only at home, I'd also suggest building a good desktop.


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## molested_cow

Agreed. If it gets too big, you may as well get a nice desktop.

One dilemma on laptops. DVD drives are useful...... Sometimes. Actually, I rarely use it. However it does become handy if you ever need one. Now, it's hard to find a laptop without one unless you are looking at net book-size ones, but I wonder how much smaller a laptop can get without one. Bluray on a laptop is kinda a joke since watching HD on a 17" screen doesn't make much sense, unless you want to hook it to your tv. At that point, your graphics card needs to have the juice to do a good job.

So my point is, if this is going to be your workstation, get just the features that you need to do your job with. Leave all the entertainment or gaming stuff out. There will be less complications and your machine will run happier.

Also, if you are tech savvy, get a PC. If you want to believe that you have a complete package, Apple does a good job telling you that you have been forgiven.


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## J.Kendall

MacBook Pro. But not the 17". Way too big. If you're going to buy editing software for both photo/video, Final Cut and PhotoShop are both cheaper on mac. They charge more for the PC versions because of having to completely refigure the software.


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## molested_cow

What's the source of your claim that Adobe charges windows version more because they have to rewrite the software for windows?

Final Cut pro is NOT available for windows. Again, where is the source of your claims?

Plus, that's a short sighted reason for choosing between platforms. You should be considering the performance of how these platforms, beyond just running adobe software, in the long run. A price difference between the software isn't going to have long term effects on what you can get out of choosing the right platform.

Here's an interesting article:
Running Final Cut Pro on a PC with Windows - Final Cut Pro, Avid, and After Effects Training

So this presents the options into two separate things. OS and hardware.

In terms of OS, you can run windows on Mac hardware. You can find information online about running Mac OS in PC, but it doesn't sound easy. Final Cut isn't the only video editing software in the world. You have many options.
In terms of hardware, PC almost always is bigger bang for the buck. Plus, you get a much wider range of hardware to choose from.

Neither Mac or PC is perfect, you just got to know what you want to know which works better for you.


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## molested_cow

Just took a closer look at the Asus spec..... Holy cow, that thing is PACKED! The price is incredible considering what would be available 3 years ago. It does have things that you don't need, but it has USB3 plug and that's a good thing!

Asus has slower processor than the Mac if you opt for the 2.3GHZ version.

The Mac has thunderbolt which is twice as fast as USB3, but that's provided that you have thunderbolt devices. USB3 devices are also compatible with USB2 devices, which are everywhere.

If you want a really smooth operation with as little disruption as possible due to memory inefficiency, I think you need at least 8GB of RAM, with options to upgrade in the future. The Asus has room to upgrade to 16GB whereas the Mac maxes out at only 8GB. 

Graphics card spec is also important. The memory spec on graphics card will directly affect your work flow. For example, when I apply a large brush over my image, I usually don't see the movement of the cursor and have to wait for a second before the effect appears on the screen. The missing cursor action is because my graphics card can't catch up. The delay in the final effect being shown is the processor speed. When choosing graphics card, you want to get those that are independent, not "integrated" ones. The independent ones have their own processors, which means it helps to lighten the load on the main processor so your computer don't choke and freeze. The Asus graphics card is for hard core gamers, which should be more than enough for your purpose.
The Asus graphics card has 1.5GB RAM vs Mac's 1GB.

The Asus packs MUCH more computing power than the Mac at much lower cost. They are really not in the same class.

I would have to say, if you look at smaller screen size laptops, you won't find the same specs due to size constrain. The mother board on a smaller laptop may not have the space for the extra RAM slots or cooling fans for heavy duty processors or graphics cards. So if you are not looking to be carrying it around, may be you should be looking at a desktop with a nice monitor.


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## Stutterfly

If you plan to never travel with it, I'd for for a Qosmio. They go all the way up to 18" I believe, and all the new ones are built with Core i7. They're not really built for life on the road, not the best battery life plus really heavy. 

Like other have said here and on similar threads though, a laptop really isn't the best machine to do photo editing on. Better off with a desktop. Or a beast like a Qosmio + an external monitor.

For the field though (to dump photos onto and also for a basic idea of how they look on a screen larger than the 3X3 LCDs) I just bought a Dell XPS15. Core i5 (I don't plan to run Photoshop on it, though I used to run CS4 on my Acer Aspire 5920g, core 2Duo - without too much trouble) fairly good battery life, fair price....

Macs look pretty, but are seriously underpowered compared to non-Macs you can get for the same price.


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## andreson

I guess if you want to bring with you always your editing work, laptop is the best. But if not ill choose desktop too..


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## Stutterfly

Keep in mind that the Asus is 8 pounds (3.2kg I think) keep that in mind. No idea what the crApple weighs.


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## Phranquey

I have the Asus G73 (Core i7 & 12Gb ddr3) and, software wise, it's an absolute powerhouse, but the monitor still sucks for high-end editing... OK for basics like web posting, but I wouldn't send anything to the printer.

If you are _all_ about editing, get yourself a good desktop with a proper monitor.  
If you want to remain portable & get a laptop, still plan on getting a good monitor for editing.


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## bottguardo

I am in no way, shape, or form a mactavist. I have a sony vaio laptop and am in the process of building a submerged mineral oil desktop. 

But, if you want to do video editing in the field, you can't beat a macbook. They have sick batteries and they're really stable. 

The school I go to sends us out to shoot video of high school football and basketball for a local TV station and when we have to travel more than 50 miles or so we have to edit our stuff in the car on the way back to the school. They send a macbook with us, and I've never had a problem with it. When I try to run Sony Vegas on my vaio I want to kill myself.


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## King XII

The best Laptop for this Purpose is Samsung. The beauty of this Samsung Laptop is that they are very reliable and it's graphics are outstanding.


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## russ218

I am an Apple loyalista so I will have to go with Macbook Pro


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## Dzone2

I heard many people own a mac and highly rating it. I am still using PC though


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## Drew1992

I wouldn't go with a laptop. I purchased one in January and now have big regrets. I didn't think about the screen having angle issues. If you turn it up or down slightly, then your colors. lighting, etc changes dramatically. I have the HP Pavilion dv7-4285dx with the big screen and it is still too small to properly edit with. I was originally thinking portability. Now, I am thinking of editing and clarity, and true colors, etc. A laptop just doesn't have it. Go for a desktop or use a large monitor with your laptop via HDMI cable. No matter how big I get my image on my laptop, it still isn't big enough to edit with. Hope this helps!


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## FemFugler

PC for life here.


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## Brenda Lee

You really can't edit photos effectively on a laptop with a standard display. I hear that an IPS display is good for editing. Though, I've never used one, and there are very few laptops that have them. I love a laptop, personally. I just ordered a Toshiba today, and I will eventually be getting a separate IPS display to replace my old CRT for editing.


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## CCericola

I have a macbook pro (13in) and can edit on a external monitor. The smaller size makes it easier for travel.


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## iShot

I say it's personal preference...I personally own a Apple Macbook Pro 13'' laptop that I love to use for every day use and use for transferring photographs that I have taken from Nikon Coolpix L110. If you haven't done so try going to a local Apple store in your area or go to Best Buy and see if they have any Apple iMac's or Macbook Pro's for sale in their computer section in the store. I say go for it.


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