Laptop For Editing?

[blueboxdoctor]

Hey everyone, I'm looking to replace my laptop (Dell Studio 15 from 2009). Amazingly, I haven't had any issues with it other than hard drives crashing, but honestly, for not being a SSD that's not too uncommon for a laptop.

However, it's time to upgrade. Now that I do photo editing and once in a while light video editing, I'd like something that can handle that. I am really intrigued by these 2-in-1 computers. I have a pretty nice computer at home (off the top of my head I know it has an i7, gtx 760 ti, and 16 gig of ram. I have had no issues with photoshop, premiere elements, fl studio, ableton live, or the trial of capture one pro I had a couple months ago (also no issue running all the latest games, but I don't want to do that on a laptop).

I like the portability and convenience of a tablet, especially the fact that they aren't cumbersome, so I can pull one out of I'm out and about doing photo and they're light enough that walking around with them is no big deal. However, are they powerful enough to actually edit? I don't want a glorified picture viewer.

I am very intrigued by the Surface Book, but it seems the one really worth getting is $2500. A little pricey (only slightly less than my desktop was combined with the price of the monitor, mouse, and keyboard). I was wondering if there are any other legitimate options that would allow me to do what I want to do. (the only brand I really don't have an interest in is Acer)

Not sure if this is the right place for this thread, but whenever I have a question related to photography, it seems everyone here is quick and helpful when responding.

 

[wdwmagic]

My machine of choice is MacBook Pro Retina. Beautiful screen and plenty of horsepower for editing both stills and video.

 

[PhotoDave219]

I highly recommend a MacBook Pro as well.

However for the bargin traveler or those of us who have an old MacBook that just fell the @#^%*&#@% apart..... I have an Acer netbook (it speaks PC) specifically just to dump photos to while traveling (for the moment) and a hard drive to move the photos around later. Its a stopgap measure.

 

[blueboxdoctor]

My machine of choice is MacBook Pro Retina. Beautiful screen and plenty of horsepower for editing both stills and video.

I don't know, I'm not a huge fan of Apple's OS, everything feels sort of odd. I had to use it for while in an editing class and music editing class a few years ago, and I wasn't a fan of it. I think if I were to go with a normal laptop I'd maybe go with a Dell XPS 13. I feel I may be in the minority for editing, but I'd rather go Windows than with Apple.

 

[Jahona]

I read editing and immediately thought video editing. If your just doing retouching then you could make due with a Surface Pro. I've had friends purchase them and use them to do more intensive things from Autodesk Maya to After Effects. Of course your going to hit a cap on maximum performance you get from Intel graphics. If you want discrete graphics then you can look at a lower capacity Surface Book models and offset it with either an external USB HDD or SD cards if you start to run out of storage. Although honestly while I'm not a big fan of OSX I will say that the macbook pro has the price to performance aspect over the surface book. That is something I never thought I would say when talking about a windows pc.

 

[PhotoDave219]

I don't know, I'm not a huge fan of Apple's OS, everything feels sort of odd. I had to use it for while in an editing class and music editing class a few years ago, and I wasn't a fan of it. I think if I were to go with a normal laptop I'd maybe go with a Dell XPS 13. I feel I may be in the minority for editing, but I'd rather go Windows than with Apple.

Windows vs Apple is like Canon vs Nikon. Its what youre used to at this point.

 

[NowInc]

I use both Mac (macbook pro) and a PC (surface pro 3). A few notes:

Macs are (very) expensive. Even getting certified apple refurbs (recommended), its still going to run you way more than the average PC. That being said, however..the longevity of the system is pretty impressive. I currently use the mac as my primary editing system...BUT...with each OS update it gets more and more tedious. El Capitan is just a damn mess in my opinion.

PCs....two words: Touch Screens. Seriously underrated for productivity. I got really used to having one on the surface pro that when I get back on my mac I am frustrated that It has no touch functions. Typically (Surface book not included), they are also WAY more affordable. Just be sure to get a solid state drive...it really does make the difference on Windows 10.

 

[Jahona]

Linus Tech Tips just released their Surface Book review. He overall liked the Surface Book and hated the Surface Pro.

 

[blueboxdoctor]

Linus Tech Tips just released their Surface Book review. He overall liked the Surface Book and hated the Surface Pro.

Thanks for the video, will watch later today. It seems like the Pro isn't very good for anything other than a light workload while the Book seems to be able to handle a wider variety of situations. I know it probably won't be as good as an Apple laptop for editing, but as I said before, I'm not a huge Apple fan and I have my desktop for when I'm home editing and have a lot to work with.

 

[NowInc]

Thanks for the video, will watch later today. It seems like the Pro isn't very good for anything other than a light workload while the Book seems to be able to handle a wider variety of situations. I know it probably won't be as good as an Apple laptop for editing, but as I said before, I'm not a huge Apple fan and I have my desktop for when I'm home editing and have a lot to work with.

I personally love my surface pro 3. I have never had a hiccup running photoshop or lightroom on it (at the same time). I never use it for video editing, BUT..adobe have been optimizing their software suites to match the hardware capabilities of the surface line (including use of touch). You just need to keep the form factor in consideration...the thing is thin..very thin. I don't expect a powerhouse, but it has exceeded what I thought its limits would have been.

The surface BOOK is a beast. A very...very expensive beast. If I didn't already have the macbook, it would be what I would get (as it doubles as a quasi-surface tablet as well). The display on the book (and pro) is actually rated better than the macbook (for now), and as much as you don't think you'll ever use it..the pen is a HUGE advantage.

 

[blueboxdoctor]

I personally love my surface pro 3. I have never had a hiccup running photoshop or lightroom on it (at the same time). I never use it for video editing, BUT..adobe have been optimizing their software suites to match the hardware capabilities of the surface line (including use of touch). You just need to keep the form factor in consideration...the thing is thin..very thin. I don't expect a powerhouse, but it has exceeded what I thought its limits would have been.

The surface BOOK is a beast. A very...very expensive beast. If I didn't already have the macbook, it would be what I would get (as it doubles as a quasi-surface tablet as well). The display on the book (and pro) is actually rated better than the macbook (for now), and as much as you don't think you'll ever use it..the pen is a HUGE advantage.

I figure I'll at least mess around with the pen since it comes with it, the more I use the Book at stores the more I like it. Seems like what I'm looking for. I also like the HP Spectre x360, but am still leaning more towards the Book.