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£1000 to spend on a laptop


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I've been doing some extra work this year and I'm expecting an extra £1000 in December's paycheck. I'm using an old Sony VAIO at the moment running windows 10. The backlight has gone on it and it now only works when linked to an external display so not really a laptop anymore! It runs lightroom OK with a 2GHz processor and 2Gig RAM but I'd like something a bit quicker really.

 

I mostly use my laptop for photo editing, browsing the tinternet and a bit for work usually making PowerPoint's/word/excel documents but not used Microsoft as much since we went Google. I have an unused lightroom licence from my m9 so would be using that for editing.

 

I'd appreciate your views on what you would recommend, Macbook Pro? I'm a teacher so I think I get a discount on Mac products in the UK.

 

Sorry if this has been asked before, I did do a quick look through the archives.

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Robert, I would second the suggestion to try the Apple refurbished store (we have used it several times), though even there your £1000 budget won't allow a great amount of choice, probably 13" MacBook Pro rather than 15". The selection available varies, so if there's nothing when you first look try again a few days or a week later. One other thing to watch is that 'on-board' memory is more and more common, meaning you will be stuck with whatever the computer comes with. More memory is always better, particularly for Photoshop/Lightroom work; we have 16Gb in both our Mac's, I think 8Gb should be a minimum. Also, more of them comes with a SSD rather than the 'old' type spinning disc hard-drives,

which means a faster computer - again, larger capacity is nicer. Finally, I believe the Retina display's are good for image work, though I've no experience of them myself (I prefer a larger Eizo monitor attached to my MacMini).

 

Geoff

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Thanks for the advice I will have a look! As a teacher I get discount too which might help!

 

A couple more questions : is Mac superior? Is there a windows PC which would be as good?

If going for the Mac does the 13" screen rather the 15" seriously hinder me for photo editing?

 

Thanks for all the help so far!

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Ah, the Mac v. Windows question. Mac's have traditionally been the choice of the 'creative world' - graphic designers, photographers etc., but whether it is superior to the Windows PC is really up to the individual to decide. I started out with a PC in the days of Windows 95/98, but moved to a Mac as soon as I could afford to. There is no way I would return to a PC now, but many do use the Windows system for image (& other) work without any problems. I think it comes down to personal preferences (& budget, of course, as Mac's are generally more expensive). One other thing to bear in mind if you are moving from Windows to Mac is the software you might need, and if you can transfer licences etc. 

 

For serious image editing, I think a good monitor (Eizo, NEC etc) is needed. Laptop screens of any size have never been the preferred option for serious photo editing mainly because of the colour calibration, but more modern displays seem better and (as I mentioned) the Retina screens have good reviews for this type of work. Of course, many do use just a laptop for editing images, it all depends on the level of accuracy you require. As far as screen size is concerned, I rarely use a laptop for image work as I use a MacMini/Eizo combination, so I would find either 13" or 15" rather small (I do use my wife's 15" MacBook Pro from time to time, and I think I could get used to it!). The other point to consider is if you will be carrying the laptop around a lot, as even a 15" Mac is quite large and heavy. You could consider a smaller computer (even a MacBook Air) and connect it to a larger monitor at home for image work etc.

 

Geoff

(By all means send me a PM if you want more info)

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I switched to Mac for home use a few years ago now - I use a PC at work. 

 

The Mac is more stable and you don't have to have anti virus software - I know there have been some but they're rare. 

 

The end result is the same though so if a Windows based machine is better for your purposes go with that - you will get a top spec laptop for the budget compared with a bottom spec Mac! 

 

Also if you have never used a Mac before you need to be prepared for a fairly steep learning curve - some things are so frustratingly different! 

 

However, I think a Mac is a better 'long term' buy - they don't seem to get outdated so quickly and even older laptops sell for decent money so when you want to upgrade you won't just be chucking the old one in the bin! 

 

As for screens, I have a Mac Mini (a good option to consider if you don't need the laptop portability) and an older Macbook - the colours on my Macbook screen are spot on to what I get in print - by 'accident' - so I tend to use the laptop more than the Mini. 

 

You should be able to find some offers around now too, or, even consider a pre-owned Macbook - some places offer 12 months warranty on them. 

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James makes a valid point regarding the long-term value of a Mac. I sold my iMac to a friend when I moved to a MacMini (the iMac is still going strong) and my wife's previous MacBook Pro sold very easily via one of the (non-eBay) online sales sites - I think at one point 15 people wanted to buy it! I also 'inherited', from the friend I sold the iMac to, an old G4 PowerPC which is still working and runs some old Imacon scanner software.

 

Geoff

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Thanks for the advice I will have a look! As a teacher I get discount too which might help!

 

A couple more questions : is Mac superior? Is there a windows PC which would be as good?

If going for the Mac does the 13" screen rather the 15" seriously hinder me for photo editing?

 

Thanks for all the help so far!

 

I would book an hour in the "Genius Bar" at the Manchester Apple Store in the Arndale which is fairly handy for you.Tell them what you are thinking of doing and they will put you with someone for a 1 hour session and answer all your questions very honestly . I did this when I changed to Macs 5 years ago and found it very worthwhile. 

Brianp

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