[brettsal]

Im looking for advice onto which device is best for uploading pics/ storage/ and software. I will be in the market for a new pc/ tablet/laptop and my K30 did come with software however my old laptop cant handle it. Basically looking to upload/edit and burn without any distractions...Any suggestions please...

[MarkJerling]

Im looking for advice onto which device is best for uploading pics/ storage/ and software. I will be in the market for a new pc/ tablet/laptop and my K30 did come with software however my old laptop cant handle it. Basically looking to upload/edit and burn without any distractions...Any suggestions please...

Hi
Tablets do not, so far as I'm aware, have optical drives - neither do small notebooks. For sheer value for money, desktops (pc's) will generally allow the cheapest large harddrive space. I prefer a grunty laptop myself because I can sit anywhere in the house with it and take it with to customers/work on it at work. (Assuming you have Wifi)

I use a 2TB external harddrive set up as a Network storage drive and I run a daily backup of that onto an identical 2TB drive which I have in a different location so as to fire-proof my storage. Obviously, depending on your budget, there's many cloud storage options out there too. I find the easiest way of doing this automatically and free is using Macrium Reflect.

My laptop has an Intel i7 processor with a NVIDEA Quatro 4000M video card and I have 8GB RAM. I find that gives me plenty of grunt for most image and video manipulation software. If you can't afford and i7 processor, go i5, but in my view avoid i3. See Intel® Processor Comparison Depending on your other computer needs, other than photography, you may need to consider different options.

I would suggest you make a list of "must haves" and "would like to haves" and then go shopping for the best deal.
Lastly, despite the negative press, I really like Windows 8 64-bit. I find it easy to use and super fast compared with XP, and Windows 7. On and ready, from cold is 22 seconds - but then I have a solid state harddrive as my operating system harddrive. (I have two - one for the operating system and 1 for everything else - I find that gives me the most stability for running graphics hungry software)

Happy shopping!
Regards,
Mark

[Tako Kichi]

Forget tablets as they can't do what you want with regard to running photo editing software and burning DVDs.

For laptop/desktop suggestions there are literally thousands of options out there and without giving us an idea of how much you want to spend it's impossible to recommend anything.

[Canada_Rockies]

I use a laptop I bought for work over 10 years ago - a top of the line IBM/Lenovo with 1400x1050 resolution screen. I'm still using it because retirement income is limited.

Using a laptop allows taking it on trips in the trailer and downloading my images there to a temporary LR catalog until I can get home and move everything onto my two terabyte external drives. If you do not plan to do this sort of traveling, by all means get a desktop. They have much bigger bang for the money.

[mee]

Desktop -- Cheapest for the amount of cpu power and disk space you can get for your money. If a part fails, you can find a new one relatively inexpensively compared to a laptop and nonexistent in a tablet. If you wish to upgrade, you have more options with a desktop too. Only downside (of course) is they aren't nearly as portable as a laptop or even better a tablet.

Then I'd get a nice IPS based monitor and some kind of external backup system.. maybe a NAS raid array.

That is, if I was really gungho into it.

And remember, laptop i5/i7 is not the same as the desktop model. The laptop model is cut down.. slower.. although decent enough for basic photo editing (only would be concerned if you got into video editing)

[pavpen]

Hi,
If I would looking for laptop, I would consider following options:
1. get fastest possible in turbo mode (3.0-3.2 GHz) i5, you don't need 4 cores for still image processing,
2. you will need a good lcd or external monitor
3. you will need at least 8 GBt ram
4. you need SSD only for OS and programs, and keep images on regular HDD, repetitive writing/deleting degrades SSD
5. if you don't plan to play the power thirsty games, you don't need the high end video card
Just my two cents.
Cheers.

[brettsal]

Thanks for all the information. I really appreciate it. I love the option of being able to go mobile with a laptop. Nothing can be any slower than the one I have now. Time to upgrade.

[hnikesch]

I agree with the notebook, just add an external drive for backup. Mine works great for PS Elements but the internal 500gb drive is getting full.

Hans

[Paleo Pete]

I always prefer a desktop, but mine is packed away in a box, nowhere to set it up in the small space where I live, so I'm using my Toshiba laptop and it works very well. It's about 3 years old I think, windows 7 and has more than enough CPU, RAM etc to handle any software I want to use, built in card reader for picture transfer ( the only way to go) and enough hard drive space to handle all the shots I keep till the camera rolls over at 9999 and I start into another folder.

At that point, the entire folder is transferred onto a 1.5TB External hard drive and I start over. It's also portable, has a pretty nice monitor, and i've been doing all my photo editing on it for the past 8 months or so. I have GIMP and Irfan View installed, both work great. I also have a copy of Adobe Paint Shop Pro but never did like it all that well when I used it on my desktop, so I never installed it. Irfan View does everything I need, GIMP adds the watermark for shots I post here.

[Canada_Rockies]

Pete, I think you have a typo. Paint Shop Pro is from Corel. Canadian, eh?

[SteveB]

IPS displays are really what you want if doing any photo editing, for viewing angles and colour accuracy reasons, and they never(?) appear on laptops, so that tends to mean having a separate monitor i.e. usually a desktop PC. IPS monitors are much cheaper than they used to be, my Viewsonic only cost £130 or so and now when I see a laptop LCD it makes me cringe - poor isn't the word. Tablets can have good displays but they're too small and the processing power isn't there or they're made by Apple.

[JimJohnson]

For the most accurate post processing work, I recommend a fixed location desktop type PC monitor that you have calibrated. I have yet to see a notebook that didn't support an external monitor, so you could still have that flexibility for non-critical PP work if desired. The problem with using the built-in LCD panel on a notebook is both the room lighting and especially the viewing angle can make a big change in what you see on the screen.

I happen to have a notebook that becomes a pseudo desktop PC when I am in my home office. I have matching dual monitors, full-size keyboard, mouse, external drives, etc. When I travel, I just pop a few connections and take all my software and data with me leaving the rest of the paraphernalia behind. I have only one PC to maintain (including backups), no worries about violating software licensing agreements, no need to synchronize between PCs, ...

[MarkJerling]

For the most accurate post processing work, I recommend a fixed location desktop type PC monitor that you have calibrated. I have yet to see a notebook that didn't support an external monitor, so you could still have that flexibility for non-critical PP work if desired. The problem with using the built-in LCD panel on a notebook is both the room lighting and especially the viewing angle can make a big change in what you see on the screen.

I happen to have a notebook that becomes a pseudo desktop PC when I am in my home office. I have matching dual monitors, full-size keyboard, mouse, external drives, etc. When I travel, I just pop a few connections and take all my software and data with me leaving the rest of the paraphernalia behind. I have only one PC to maintain (including backups), no worries about violating software licensing agreements, no need to synchronize between PCs, ...

Absolutely agree with Jim.

I have an HP Elitebook 8760w, with docking station and large monitor, wireless mouse and keyboard. So, when I 'dock' the laptop, second screen, full-size keyboard and mouse all become active and I have the benefit of 2 screens. Yes, the colour on the laptop screen is different to the large monitor - nice to have both. When it's time to take the laptop somewhere, it's one button to push and it's off the docking station.

[ScooterMaxi Jim]

I agree that IPS monitors are ideal (whether hooked up to a desktop or laptop). Some folks are insistent that the monitor must also at least cover sRGB, but that can get pricey and isn't as critical as achieving excellent viewing angles.

For those of us who have to do editing on the road, many trade-offs in terms of portability and screen quality on a laptop have to be weighed along with price. If you want IPS and full sRGB you are looking at a $500+ upgrade - and those configurations aren't easy to find. While dual-core can get you by, the cost of quad-core units have come down considerably and will give you headroom for the future when you might need the added processing power.

I had to replace my laptop recently, and went with an HP Envy dv6t (15 inch - which I feel is the minimum needed for photo editing). The key was the $150 upgrade for the 1080 screen with very wide viewing angles (not specified as IPS, but behaves just like one). I am very happy with it right out of the box, although I wish I could have had Windows 7 rather than dealing with the little foibles that come along with Windows 8. The screen, especially, is good enough for serious photo work, and the i7 processor will be more than adequate for many years. At under $850 after sales tax, I feel I got a great deal.

[Paleo Pete]

Pete, I think you have a typo. Paint Shop Pro is from Corel. Canadian, eh?

OK it might be Print Shop Pro...couldn't remember for sure, everything is packed away in boxes right now...

So it's not a typo, it's a bad case of CRS...can't remember... ok stuff...