Photo Editing Laptop - $3,000 to Spend

wittyusername on 01/09/2024 - 14:08
Last edited 01/09/2024 - 18:13 by 1 other user

Hello! Hoping the ozb crew can help me max my value!

Work has decided I have a $3k allowance to purchase a laptop. Since the most computationally demanding thing I do at work is =sum and the like, I figure I may as well get one that facilitates my photography hobby. Again, nothing too demanding, basic photoshop and Topaz AI are the most intensive things I do. Maybe a small venture into video editing at some point in the future.

Would like an emphasis on long battery life, bright screen, 14' form factor, SD slot would be nice. Probably doesn't need to be Windows, but I've never used Macs and don't really want to learn a new OS.

Unfortunately, I can't just get a cheapie and pocket the change, so I don't really want to be leaving too much out on the table.

If you have any suggestions would love to hear them!

Many thanks

Computing Computer Laptop

Comments

  • WoodYouLikeSomeCash on 01/09/2024 - 14:11
    +9

    A MacBook would be ideal and isn’t too hard to learn

    • BewareOfThe Dog on 01/09/2024 - 18:06
      +1

      Macbook would be my suggestion, but MacOS is very limited compared to Windows, in terms of flexibility.

      • WoodYouLikeSomeCash on 01/09/2024 - 19:52
        +1

        If you get a good one you can run parallels so you get the best of both worlds.

        • BewareOfThe Dog on 01/09/2024 - 19:53

          1tb Plus

        • wittyusername on 01/09/2024 - 20:30
          +1

          This sounds like more effort than I'm willing to invest to be honest.

          • WoodYouLikeSomeCash on 01/09/2024 - 22:17

            @wittyusername: It’s pretty seamless, you can have it blend in so it’s basically MacOS running Windows applications too without the Windows UI.

        • SteveB00 on 02/09/2024 - 08:29
          +1

          Modern MBs can only run Windows 11 for ARM. There are limitations.

      • orangehead911 on 02/09/2024 - 08:10
        +1

        Specifically how is macOS "very limited" compared to Windows?

      • HeWhoKnows on 02/09/2024 - 15:05
        -2

        Totally to the contrary
        MacOS is custom built for programs like PhotoShop and adobe.
        Every advertsing agency used macOS for good reasons !!!!!!

        However these photo editing programs work fine on any Windows PC these days.
        If OP gets to keep the laptop, may as well get the best one possible.

        In a Windows laptop look for minimum 16GB to 32GB RAM and 1GB SSD.
        1GB graphics is important and the more the merrier eg 2GB graphics.
        Latest High end Core i7 processor.
        These specs will see OP through for many years

  • stickingly on 01/09/2024 - 14:19
    +1

    $3,000 does seem like overkill. Can you get a cheaper laptop and a really nice monitor?

    • wittyusername on 01/09/2024 - 20:31

      Hmm, I'll need to have a closer look. Thanks for the suggestion.

  • geekcohen on 01/09/2024 - 14:39
    +1

    Look at metabox.com.au

    Highly Recommend and can customize the crap out of them with great specs. You could get a great one for $3k.

    • wittyusername on 06/09/2024 - 06:40

      Cheers, I had an old clove? maybe, I think metabox rebranded from them. It was cheap for the spec but died quite quickly, my friend who had an XPS at a similar time ran it for at least double the life, but to be expected at the cost perhaps?

  • theHMASfriendship on 01/09/2024 - 16:14
    +3

    MacBook for resale value or Razer Blade / Dell XPS

    • ldd-mn on 01/09/2024 - 17:00

      Avoid Razer if you want decent battery life. Dell isn't much better.

  • HamBoi69 on 01/09/2024 - 17:06
    +3

    3K for Photoshop? You’ll have a laptop that can edit photos of Mars.

  • JIMB0 on 01/09/2024 - 20:12
    +2

    The LG Gram range has nice IPS screens and long battery life. Expensive enough to use most of your budget as well.

  • OZBargainer in SA on 02/09/2024 - 08:45

    If you can wait, consider the new Windows PCs with Arm CPUs. Light, good battery life without sacrificing (too much?) performance.

  • igeekyayush on 02/09/2024 - 08:53
    +1

    Legion Pro 5i (16", Gen 9)

  • 2025 on 02/09/2024 - 18:27

    Dell XPS 14 with OLED https://www.dell.com/en-au/shop/dell-laptops/xps-14-laptop/s…

  • Dollarsandsense on 03/09/2024 - 23:00

    Something like zenbook s 16 with latest Ryzen processor linked below, 16” screen but its thin and light so I’d consider a larger screen in your use case. I have the vivobook S 16 with similar specs (I just switched in a 2TB drive) and running really well with complex construction pdfs and solidworks, much better than my previous Razer with i7-10700H

    https://www.harveynorman.com.au/asus-zenbook-s-16-inch-oled-…

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