Photoshop Insider

Searching for the Ultimate PC Laptop For Photoshop Users

By Scott on Wednesday, May 2nd, 2007 at 9:35 am | updates.

A photographer buddy of mine dropped me a line asking which PC laptop should he get for his Photoshop and photography work (he’s a working pro, and shoots in studio and on location). I use both Mac and PC laptops, since I train on both platforms, but when it comes to PCs; I’m strictly a Dell guy (I’m snobby that way). I emailed him back a link to the same laptop I use, the Dell Precision M65 (here’s the link), but I chose that one for a specific set of reasons: (1) I like the way it looks, and how it looks really matters to me. (2) I really like that it’s light, and it’s got a smaller form factor (3) I like the crisp sharp screen (I use a Dell 30″ display in my office at NAPP’s HQ), and (4) for running Photoshop, it hauls butt.

But it may not be “the ultimate” Photoshop PC of all the laptops Dell makes, so I have a contact over at Dell, and I’m going to shoot him a line this morning, and find out which he thinks would be “it,” the ultimate no-hold-barred, screaming Photoshop machine. In the meantime, if you’ve got any suggestions or experience with a PC laptop you love, post it here in the comments section, and I’ll let you know what I find out later today.

UPDATE: Greg Lutke posted a comment calling Dell’s XPS M1710 the “Ultimate Photoshop Laptop.” I just checked it out and he may well be right. Here’s the link to it. More info later.

UPDATE 2: Renown wildlife photographer Moose Peterson (of Moose’s New Blog), has weighted in via email, saying “Dell’s Latitude D620 blows away the M65.” OK, I’m starting to feel like I might need to upgrade my laptop. Thanks for the advice Moose.

Comment form for this post

^#1

I’d be curious to know if Dell has laptops whose video cards support hardware control of display calibration, such as that taken advantage of by ColorEyes Display Pro.

Thanks
Dan Dillo

Dan Dill on May 2nd, 2007 at 10:14 am

^#2

The next technology in lappies is supposed to be coming out later this Summer. I’m waiting ’til then to upgrade.

Bob Muir on May 2nd, 2007 at 10:19 am

^#3

The Dell 1710 XPS is the ultimate Photoshop laptop from Dell.
XP now, Vista 64 bit in 2008 (OK, maybe 2009)

1) T7600G Core 2 Duo processor that you can legally overclock (3.0GHz seems to be the sweet spot) in Dell’s bios!
2) 17 inch, 1920 x 1200 native resolution display - awesome.
3) Nvidia GeForce Go 7950 GTX (512 MB on board) for great speed and even better in 2 years when Dell has real Vista drivers.
4) Eye One Display 2 nails the calibration/ profiling on this display

Greg Lutke on May 2nd, 2007 at 10:44 am

^#4

You have got to be joking at 8.7Lbs (for the 1710).
I have been looking for the perfect laptop since last year without success so far. The Macbook Pro 15″ is the absolute maximum size/weight to carry in the field with a necessary lens complement - but it can’t exchange (read/write) Photoshop files with my Windows network when I get back to base. The Vaios are a better weight but have no real performance in a 15″ size. The promised new Mac technology has been formally now put back way into the future; and the Dells are too heavy.
All in all a very disappointing show from the technology teams.
If you can name a model with the performance, weight and size we all need you will be doing a great service to the photographic community.

Jim on May 2nd, 2007 at 3:32 pm

^#5

Last year or so, ive been using the Sony Vaio VGN-FE550G machine- dual Centrino 1.66 with 2GB of RAM - bout 100GB hard drive. The screen is pretty bright, and the laptop has handled some of the roughest travel work - Creative Suite 2 installed on the machine and its worked very faithfully.

Just thought i’d share.

RC

RC on May 2nd, 2007 at 3:33 pm

^#6

Scott, on P63 of your Photoshop CS2 Book, Step Three discusses resolution. You offer some quick guidelines that seem to contradict everything I’ve ever read on this subject and as a result I’m now confused … more so than normal. You state, “If you’re printing 8×10′ or smallr to an inkjet printer, you can also use 300 ppi (or even 360 if you’re really picky). For larger prints (like 13×19″), you can get away with 240 ppi or less.” I was under the impression that the reverse was true, i.e., if you wanted larger prints (13×19″) then you needed more pixels. Can you point me to a good reference that elaborates on this subject? Thanks.

Steve

Steve Lapidus on May 2nd, 2007 at 4:36 pm

^#7

Since the birth of my 1st baby i,ve been wanting to get rid of my desktop & use a laptop for my Photoshop needs so i can be more mobile with him & just dock it with everything. My problem with all the PC laptops is getting the files in from a card. Mac’s have firewire 800 & 400 built in. So external HD can scream & you can take advantage of the new 800 card readers from Lexar & Sandisk. So im leaning tward the Mac book Pro 17, but im gonna wait & see is they update it at the WWDC

Jared Chapin on May 2nd, 2007 at 8:31 pm

^#8

I use Alienware (which is owned by Dell and is Dell on turbocharged steroids.) I have three of their desktop systems and three laptops. My primary laptop has a Radeon 9600 graphics card. Lighning fast, unbelievable graphics. Have taken it arrond the world twice, to Myanmar (Burma), Costa Rican Rain forest, Peru and Sri Lanka. Alienware is a gaing computer but the specs for gaming are EXACTLY the high level of speed of processor, speed of hardrive and graphics resolution I need for my work. Hope this helps.

V

vincent versace on May 2nd, 2007 at 8:41 pm

^#9