Laptop cpu recommendations for photo editing

[rajendra]

Hi everyone,

Hoping someone can help me with the following. I'm looking for a new laptop to replace my desktop. I will use it for regular stuff (internet, HD video) and of course some photo editing (Lightroom and some CS4). I will keep my Dell 2209WA for the actual editing and thinking about 4GB of RAM.

I am lost in the land of cpu's though. I have no idea what would be a good cpu for my needs. I am looking for normal performance but not too slow(doesn't have to have blinding speed) and I don't want to spend too much (too much for specs I don't need).

I'm really interested in your thoughts.

Thank you in advance!

[MaxxuM]

Budget laptops will come with Core2Duo's which are at the end of their life. i7 laptops will be more expensive but will last you a while longer, but are still a little pricey. Almost anything above 2.9GHz and 4GB RAM will do OK, but with a 5DMKII I would highly recommend an i7 machine, if not a quad desktop. I've worked with files from a 5DMKII to test on my MacBook Pro 2.5GHz w/ 4GB RAM and it wasn't exactly a speed demon. So, what's your budget? I'd plan on spending at least $1,200 with some options for eSATA externals to deal with the large files sizes of your camera.

[rajendra]

Thank you for the repons! That was the answer I was a bit afraid of...

I guess I should up my budget a bit...As is always the case with this hobby ;)

[basroil]

Budget laptops will come with Core2Duo's which are at the end of their life. i7 laptops will be more expensive but will last you a while longer, but are still a little pricey. Almost anything above 2.9GHz and 4GB RAM will do OK, but with a 5DMKII I would highly recommend an i7 machine, if not a quad desktop. I've worked with files from a 5DMKII to test on my MacBook Pro 2.5GHz w/ 4GB RAM and it wasn't exactly a speed demon. So, what's your budget? I'd plan on spending at least $1,200 with some options for eSATA externals to deal with the large files sizes of your camera.

+1, except that many manufacturers already include esata on the laptops, I know dell has a usb/esata port (looks as odd as it sounds) on high end models (the ones that have i7 are all high end). And rather than "externals" OP should probably focus on a "external"(maybe two), since having more than 2 requires a switch (several enclosures for that, offering up to 8 drives on a single esata connection, with hotswap bays to boot... also cost a few hundred though)

Unless you absolutely need a laptop, replace your desktop with a desktop, you can get decent computers for very cheap.

[rajendra]

Thanks Basroil! Am leaning towards a laptop though, tired of sitting behind my desktop monitor all the time ;)

[basroil]

Thanks Basroil! Am leaning towards a laptop though, tired of sitting behind my desktop monitor all the time ;)

You'll lose a lot of color reproduction though... and by a lot, I really do mean a huge chunk of colors. You'll end up plugging into the desktop monitor anyway...

[rajendra]

That what's the Dell 2209WA is for ;)