corb
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Registered: 24th Apr 02
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
User status: Online
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I need a new machine which will also be used for photo editing. I want something fast enough so I wont have to wait ages for it to render when Im making adjustments to images. Wont be used for gaming but beyond this it'll be music and internet.
Ive found these two which from what I can tell, the only difference is the processor. One is i5 and the other is i7. Is there anything else different between them Ive missed? Will I notice the benefit for the extra £200?
£779
http://configure.euro.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=n00i1541&s=dhs&c=uk&l=en&cs=ukdhs1
£579
http://configure.euro.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=n00i1542&s=dhs&c=uk&l=en&cs=ukdhs1
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corb
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Registered: 24th Apr 02
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
User status: Online
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Oh, while im at home I will probably connect it to my 42" samsung tv for a monitor and use bluetooth keyboard and mouse. I dont want a new desktop pc as I want the portability of a laptop.... I might be doing a fair bit of travelling in the near future.
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BluKoo
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Registered: 8th Apr 02
Location: Stonehaven (Scotland)
User status: Offline
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You definitely want a laptop?
I just bought a new desktop for photo and video editing and I got this...
http://www.novatech.co.uk/pc/range/novatechblacknti35.html
The big bonus being the twin hard drive. One HDD and one SSD. The SSD is super quick.
I have my OS, CS6 Extended and other software installed on it.
The computer starts up from cold in about 25 seconds.
Photoshop boots and is ready to use in 6 seconds and once it's running it's really quick too.
[Edited on 09-02-2013 by BluKoo]
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BluKoo
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Registered: 8th Apr 02
Location: Stonehaven (Scotland)
User status: Offline
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Doh! Just noticed your justification for a laptop 
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Rob E
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Registered: 1st Jan 06
Location: Madeley, Stafford....I want to live back in Wales!
User status: Offline
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How serious are you about photo editing? I have been researching monitors for photo editing lately and I was advised against using my TV screen.
quote:
"Flat Panel TVs are designed to impress in the showroom and are very good for their intended application - watching videos. However, for photographic editing they are not as good as a good IPS monitor. The first strike against the 720p monitors that you mention is that Photoshop, Lightroom, and Photoshop Elements won't run on them...they need a monitor with a minimum of 768 to 800 pixels in the vertical direction and preferable 1000 or more to allow for sufficient editing space and the tools panels surrounding the image. Thus you'd need a 1080p monitor to begin with. The second strike is that TV sets tend to use less accurate display panels that are designed for low ghosting with moving images rather than high precision still images. You can use a computer monitor for HDTV viewing, but you can't use an HDTV as a computer monitor as well. The third strike is that HDTVs are just simply too big. They are designed to be viewed from at least 4-10 feet away depending on their size. A practical size for a desktop monitor is typically 24" to a maximum of 30", which is huge at the 24" normal viewing distance they are used. Try finding a decent quality HDTV that's less than 30" these days. "
There are very few laptops out on the market with a good IPS screen. For the spec you are thinking about you are looking at over £1000 easily
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BluKoo
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Registered: 8th Apr 02
Location: Stonehaven (Scotland)
User status: Offline
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Rob brings up a valid point.
I have a twin 24" monitor set up and one of the monitors is a newer LED screen and the picture quality difference is massively noticeable. Any editing I do is done on that monitor.
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Rob E
Member
Registered: 1st Jan 06
Location: Madeley, Stafford....I want to live back in Wales!
User status: Offline
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Have you calibrated them Murray?
I have two run of the mill Dell monitors next to each other hooked up to the same PC in work and the difference in colour temp is horrible. One is a lot more warmer than the other and no matter how much I try to tweak them I cant get them to match up with each other  luckily my job has nothing to do with photography though
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corb
Member
Registered: 24th Apr 02
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
User status: Online
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When I'm at home, the TV sits about 7 - 8 feet from me, I'm not right up infront of it like a monitor and its full 1080p. But it does need to be a laptop. Basically I'm looking at working abroad for 5 months the end of this year so to buy a new desktop and not be able to use it while I'm away would be pointless!
Its not for professional use, purely amateur (VERY amateur!) editing!
I'd love a SSD aswell as 1TB HDD for the quick startups but suppose its not entirely essential
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BluKoo
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Registered: 8th Apr 02
Location: Stonehaven (Scotland)
User status: Offline
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It's not just for quick start ups. It also helps with rendering times.
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BluKoo
Member
Registered: 8th Apr 02
Location: Stonehaven (Scotland)
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by Rob E
Have you calibrated them Murray?
I have two run of the mill Dell monitors next to each other hooked up to the same PC in work and the difference in colour temp is horrible. One is a lot more warmer than the other and no matter how much I try to tweak them I cant get them to match up with each other luckily my job has nothing to do with photography though
It's calibrated using my eye and a feature which came with the monitor, but no, I haven't had it calibrated with one of those things you place on the screen.
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