Help

[Mrs Boo]

Hi everyone,

I really need your help please.

My laptop has recently died and I need a replacement for my photography hobby.

All the forums recommend Apple (which I don’t want) then Dell, XPS range . I have read up about it and it ticks all the boxes on internet advice Re screen, sRGB and colour gamet for true colour printing.

However, I have now been advised to avoid Dell XPS due to erratic thermal controls.

I have looked at pcspecialist, but don’t know how to find info re the screen for photo editing via photoshop.

My computer knowledge is poor at best and the more I read, the more my head feels like exploding.

I have been told that the graphic card isn’t so important re photo editing. Then the same person who told me to avoid Dell XPS, said that the Graphic card is the most important decision re the laptop for photoshop.

Please can anyone help and explain in simple terms what is good.

It would be good if anyone can tell me what’s the lowest spec I could buy, but also the top spec. At what point would i be wasting my money on spec I don’t need.

Can the parts be upgraded later if need more memory, power etc?

I would like a 17in screen laptop, that can run photoshop, giving true colours but will have RAM and PROCESSOR to last me a long time, fingers crossed.
( I’m retired ).


Thank you in advance

Mrs Boo

 

[AgentCooper]

Good evening and welcome. We (I say we, I actually know very little about laptops but there are some very knowledgeable people here who do) could do you a bare bones spec and a top end one, but can you let us know what the top end of your budget is so we’re not going too crazy? Ta! 🙂👍

 

[SpyderTracks]

Just a bit of info.

GPU is beneficial these days for effects processing and layer rendering. It's more and more the case than renders are being dealt with by the GPU as well as CPU, so for futureproofing, I'd definitely aim for an RTX NVidia card as a bare minimum.

The 3070ti (which is shortly to be released) will be the optimum for price / performance (currently the 3070). Above that, the performance gains are actually fairly minimal while price increase is substantial.

What software packages do you use?

But as @AgentCooper says, it all depends on your maximum budget, and then we can show some options.

 

[Tron1982]

Hello, someone asked pretty much the same thing this morning, so, i'm allowing myself to copy/paste what i said.
But, we need to know what your budget is ^^
(the budget of this user was 2500£)
and the gpu or the cpu can't be updated on laptop (except for the dtr though)

Hello, as @barlew said, the screen will not be as good as the one apple offer

But, to offer you pcs alternatives, this two laptop could fit your need, except for the screen


Defiance 17" : the screen resolution is smaller, but is pantone validated

Chassis & Display
Defiance Series: 17.3" Matte, Full HD, 144Hz, Pantone Validated 72% NTSC, LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Eight Core Processor 11800H (2.3GHz, 4.6GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair 2933MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 3070 Max-Q - 8.0GB GDDR6 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W)
AC Adaptor
1 x 180W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre Cloverleaf UK Power Cable
Battery
Defiance Series Integrated 3 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (73WH)
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Wireless Network Card
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 (2.4 Gbps) + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
1 x THUNDERBOLT 4 PORT + 3 x USB 3.2 PORTS
Keyboard Language
17" DEFIANCE SERIES UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Keyboard & Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 1MP HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Gold Warranty (2 Year Collect & Return, 2 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Dead Pixel Guarantee
1 Year Dead Pixel Guarantee Inc. Labour & Carriage Costs
Chassis
Clevo PC70HR (8GB RTX-3070 Max-Q, i7-11800H, 144Hz N7 PANTONE, Blank KB)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 4 to 6 working days
Price: £2,034.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/defianceIX-17/SKehfTUV26/

Ionico 17 : the screen resolution is better, but not pantone validated

Chassis & Display
Ionico Series: 17.3" Matte QHD 165Hz sRGB 100% LED Widescreen (2560x1440)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen™ 9 Eight Core Processor 5900HX (3.3GHz, 4.6GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair 3200MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 3070 - 8.0GB GDDR6 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated Micro-SD Memory Card Reader
AC Adaptor
1 x 230W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Battery
Ionico Series Integrated 91WH Lithium Ion Battery
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Wireless Network Card
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 (2.4 Gbps) + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
1 x USB 3.2 PORT (Type C) + 3 x USB 3.2 PORTS
Keyboard Language
IONICO 17 SERIES RGB BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Keyboard & Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 1MP HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Gold Warranty (2 Year Collect & Return, 2 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Dead Pixel Guarantee
1 Year Dead Pixel Guarantee Inc. Labour & Carriage Costs
Chassis
TongFang GM7ZN7P (8GB RTX-3070, R9-5900HX, 165Hz QHD, Blank KB)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 4 to 6 working days
Price: £2,162.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/ionico-II-17/gYEPbBMzCC/





Edit : you may want to do an other combo, buying a "smaller" powerfull laptop without worrying about the screen and buy a "cintiq" (or a pen display) from huion or wacom. with your budget it look like doable ^^
here is a good choice to pair with a 15" laptop (i'm thinking about the destian for example), as on my sys that do 2d animation and photo edition have one of those model (the 22") from this brand and she's really happy with the brand

Kamvas Pro 16

Huion UK: Huion Kamvas Pro 16 Pen Display. 15.6" Full HD Pen Display with 8192 Pressure Levels, Battery-fee Pen. For Windows and Mac.

huion.uk

edit 2 : my sis has this one, because it was on sale when we bough it ^^

Kamvas Pro 22 (2019)

Huion UK: Huion Kamvas Pro 22 (2019) Pen Display. 21.5" Full HD Pen Display with 8192 Pressure Levels, Battery-fee Pen. For Windows and Mac.

huion.uk

 

[Mrs Boo]

Hi
I know to get a laptop it’s going to be expensive, but the price ranges vary vastly and I don’t know whats good.

The Dell assistantI was talking to on line gave a price of £3036.00.

I need ports for two external hard drives and a mouse, she then explained the XPS only had Thunderbolt 4 ports and that I would then have to buy something to make the ports compatible. So the price just kept increasing.

I wo

Good evening and welcome. We (I say we, I actually know very little about laptops but there are some very knowledgeable people here who do) could do you a bare bones spec and a top end one, but can you let us know what the top end of your budget is so we’re not going too crazy? Ta! 🙂👍

Hi, thank you.
The Dell advisor quoted £3036.00. Then said I needed to buy devises to be able to use my two external hard drives & a mouse in the thunderbolt 4 ports. The price then started increasing. I know it’s not going to be cheap. I definitely couldn’t go higher than the quote, but would be happy if it could be less.
Thank you
👍👍👍🙂

 

[SpyderTracks]

Hi
I know to get a laptop it’s going to be expensive, but the price ranges vary vastly and I don’t know whats good.

The Dell assistantI was talking to on line gave a price of £3036.00.

I need ports for two external hard drives and a mouse, she then explained the XPS only had Thunderbolt 4 ports and that I would then have to buy something to make the ports compatible. So the price just kept increasing.

I wo

Hi, thank you.
The Dell advisor quoted £3036.00. Then said I needed to buy devises to be able to use my two external hard drives & a mouse in the thunderbolt 4 ports. The price then started increasing. I know it’s not going to be cheap. I definitely couldn’t go higher than the quote, but would be happy if it could be less.
Thank you
👍👍👍🙂

What external drives do you have? Are they USB? Do you know what version? Or make and model if you're unsure?

Thunderbolt is more prevalent these days as it's an all in one solution, a lot of modern laptops now either have USB C or Thunderbolt, either way, you'll likely need an adapter for the external drives.

 

[Tron1982]

Hi
I know to get a laptop it’s going to be expensive, but the price ranges vary vastly and I don’t know whats good.

The Dell assistantI was talking to on line gave a price of £3036.00.

I need ports for two external hard drives and a mouse, she then explained the XPS only had Thunderbolt 4 ports and that I would then have to buy something to make the ports compatible. So the price just kept increasing.

I wo

Hi, thank you.
The Dell advisor quoted £3036.00. Then said I needed to buy devises to be able to use my two external hard drives & a mouse in the thunderbolt 4 ports. The price then started increasing. I know it’s not going to be cheap. I definitely couldn’t go higher than the quote, but would be happy if it could be less.
Thank you
👍👍👍🙂

Take a look at what i proposed ^^

 

[Mrs Boo]

Take a look at what i proposed ^^

Thank you, just reading now. 👍

 

[Mrs Boo]

Hello, someone asked pretty much the same thing this morning, so, i'm allowing myself to copy/paste what i said.
But, we need to know what your budget is ^^
(the budget of this user was 2500£)
and the gpu or the cpu can't be updated on laptop (except for the dtr though)

Hi Tron 1982
sorry for ignorance, but does this mean that I can’t get a laptop from pcspecialist because the screen isn’t adequate.
Thank you

 

[SpyderTracks]

Hi Trina 1982
sorry for ignorance, but does this mean that I can’t get a laptop from pcspecialist because the screen isn’t adequate.
Thank you

They're gaming chassis, they're not really designed for colour accuracy and editing accuracy. If you're using an external display or something then that's largely irrelevant but depends on your requirements.

 

[Tron1982]

No, of course not.
It's just that the screen will not as good as the apple one or the xps one.
It will be a good one, but not a "super" good one, that's all ^^

That why i proposed the combo "good laptop" with a Huion (with a really good screen)

 

[Mrs Boo]

What external drives do you have? Are they USB? Do you know what version? Or make and model if you're unsure?

Thunderbolt is more prevalent these days as it's an all in one solution, a lot of modern laptops now either have USB C or Thunderbolt, either way, you'll likely need an adapter for the external drives.

Hi Spyder Tracks
i have all external Western Digital Hard drives. All different.

 

[Mrs Boo]

No, of course not.
It's just that the screen will not as good as the apple one or the xps one.
It will be a good one, but not a "super" good one, that's all ^^

That why i proposed the combo "good laptop" with a Huion (with a really good screen)

Thank you

 

[SpyderTracks]

Hi Spyder Tracks
i have all external Western Digital Hard drives. All different.

But what connections?

 

[Tron1982]

I'd say usb ^^"
(all my old, and less old WD external drive are usb 2.0, or 3.0 for the newest)

 

[Mrs Boo]

But what connections?

Hi
my devices are USB

But what connections?

Hi all my hard drives are USB.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Hi
my devices are USB

Hi all my hard drives are USB.

USB 1 / 2 / 3 or C?

Basically which of these connectors?

 

[Mrs Boo]

USB 1 / 2 / 3 or C?

Basically which of these connectors?

View attachment 31701

usb type A

 

[SpyderTracks]

usb type A

So on a lot of high end chassis from mainstream manufacturers you'll have to use adapters or a dock or hub of some sort as most these days are USBC (the second one in) or Thunderbolt 3 (same connector but different protocol).

The limiting factor on a PCS laptop will be the screen, aside from that, they're very competitive, but they're max of 72% NTSC (roughly the same as 100% sRGB) which is fairly low for any colour accurate requirements. I don't believe any of them are IPS either which would be pretty much a requirement for editing work in my opinion.

Again though, if you're factoring in an external display, then the internal one is less relevant.

 

[Mrs Boo]

Thank you Spyder Tracks

I really do appreciate your help. I was really wanting to use the laptop screen.

I’ll have to find equivalent spec to the DELL XPS 17 in laptop.

Thank you once again.

Take care
Mrs Boo