# Choosing a laptop for photo editing on a budget



## TonyMontanaSlot (Dec 8, 2013)

My 11.6 inch HP laptop of 2011 just doesn't cut it anymore practically in any area of digital life. And it's not really a laptop, it's a "netbook". It has an AMD-350 processor which was really good for me back then (wasn't playing any games anymore, just browsing the internet and checking my email). 

So long story short, i'm looking into buying new laptop and this time I want it to be able to run Adobe Lightroom and to handle 16mpix files flawlessly. But here's a thing, it's got to be roughly under $600. And i'm not really asking for an exact brands/models but what hardware features I may compromise in favor of price and still get a good photo editing machine. I'm not looking for a gaming laptop. Is there any need for a discrete graphics card? Is there need for SSD drive?

And yeah, I have a very good "23 HDMI monitor with IPS so I think I don't need a really great laptop display.


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## robbins.photo (Dec 8, 2013)

Just curious, since you plan on connecting this to a monitor is there any reason why your thinking laptop over desktop?  You can get a lot more machine for the money if you go desktop.


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## WanderingSol (Dec 8, 2013)

Yes, desktop, more machine for your dollar, if you are tying your laptop to a 23" monitor, it is no longer portable.  Software drives the hardware, what do people say that use the software you want to use?  I suspect memory is number 1, at least 4GB if not 8GB, 64 bit OS, buy hard drive based on size, not speed, your memory will make it seem fast.  Quad core cpu, and decent video card, I assume 1920 x 1080, or more if your monitor will support a higher resolution.  What is your backup solution?  External drives?  What type of work do you do on the machine?


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## TonyMontanaSlot (Dec 8, 2013)

robbins.photo said:


> Just curious, since you plan on connecting this to a monitor is there any reason why your thinking laptop over desktop?  You can get a lot more machine for the money if you go desktop.


Oh no, I can't stand desktops anymore. They're so bulky, collect dust and I don't really have a space for that. I can name alot of other reasons why I don't want a desktop. They aren't THAT much cheaper for the same performance today:meh:
Yes I have attached alot of gear to my laptop but it still preserves it's portability. I can unplug all of that and i'm still able to work on it.


WanderingSol said:


> Yes, desktop, more machine for your dollar, if you are tying your laptop to a 23" monitor, it is no longer portable. Software drives the hardware, what do people say that use the software you want to use? I suspect memory is number 1, at least 4GB if not 8GB, 64 bit OS, buy hard drive based on size, not speed, your memory will make it seem fast. Quad core cpu, and decent video card, I assume 1920 x 1080, or more if your monitor will support a higher resolution. What is your backup solution? External drives? What type of work do you do on the machine?


I have a 2TB usb 2.0 WD external hdd and Google Drive as my backup solutions. I'm planning to be able to browse the Web, watching Youbube, editing photos seamlessly. That's all I need


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## KmH (Dec 8, 2013)

TonyMontanaSlot said:


> i'm looking into buying new laptop and this time I want it to be able to run Adobe Lightroom and to handle 16mpix files flawlessly.


Lightroom Help - Optimize performance

A key for choosing a laptop, because changing the video card in a laptop is not as viable an option as it is with a desktop:





> Lightroom requires a video card that can run the monitor at its native resolution..


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## TonyMontanaSlot (Dec 10, 2013)

Okay, so one more question. What laptop should I choose for the photo editing? And which is better overall?
1)HP Pavilion g6-2316sr (HD) 
AMD A10-4600M(2.3), 
8192 RAM
1TB HDD
AMD HD7660+7670 2Gb Video

2)HP Pavilion 15-e053sr (HD) 
i5 3230M(2.6), 
4096 RAM
500 HDD
AMD HD8670 1Gb Video

Both equally priced


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## Braineack (Dec 10, 2013)

memory memory memory.


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## IByte (Dec 10, 2013)

Braineack said:


> memory memory memory.



W/128-256 SSD attachment.


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