Is there a new ROG recommendation?

[Yvette J]

Hi Brian,

Thank you for all of the help you provide here!  I am in the market for a new laptop.  I know laptops are NOT ideal for editing, but I need the portability.  I plan to only edit photos on the laptop (using Photoshop CC).  I looked through lots of threads here and I see you recommend the ASUS ROG line of laptops.  I clicked a couple of links but the laptops were no longer available.  Is there a current ROG laptop you are recommending these days.  My budget is $1200-1500.  Of course I would love to stay on the lower end of that if possible and I would also like to buy my calibrator within that budget.  Is that realistic?

 

Thanks!

[Brian]

The two things that the ROG have is

1. Horsepower

2. An IPS-based Display

Well, at least the ones I recommend. It’s tough to find a laptop that has a IPS screen, most of the time, they have TN screens, which are not ideal for photo editing. Also, laptops usually only last about 3 months or so before they are replaced with a newer model. It doesn’t surprise me that my links go to discontinued models.

Long gone are the days where you have a Spring / Fall line of laptops, well at least when it comes to Windows Laptops. Apple still sorta/kinda still does this. Let me poke around. 

[Brian]

Here is an Asus:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1398212-REG

Here is a Dell Laptop:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1367633-REG

Both models are $999 as I type this. Both models also have 128GB SSD drives for the C Drive. That’s really just meant for the Operating System, meaning your programs and files go on the D: Drive. So when you install things, you will need to do a custom install and have those programs go to the D: Drive. Otherwise, you’ll fill up that 128GB drive real quick and you will post here asking why your brand new laptop is “too slow” or is crashing a lot. A full HD is an unhappy HD. 

Edit: I just noticed that the Asus Laptop only has 8GB of RAM. Fortunately, you can upgrade this to 32GB of RAM. These days, you will want 16GB at a minimum for photo editing. More if you edit video. 

[Brian]

This Asus ROG looks decent and it has 16GB:

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/questions/asus-rog-strix-scar-edition-17-3-laptop-intel-core-i7-16gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-gtx-1050-ti-1tb-sshd-128gb-ssd-black/6233136

At $1249, that’s what you would pay if you purchased that Asus from B&H and upgraded the RAM. 

[Yvette J]

Thank you.  I really appreciate your help because I am clueless.  So...if I went for the $1249 laptop should I still upgrade the RAM to 32gb?  Is that something that I would/could do myself.  I know you helped me with this years ago with my current laptop.  Do I still need to do the D drive custom install?  That sounds scary and like something I could mess up lol!  Is that something I should have the Geek Squad folks at Best Buy do?  What calibrator works best for this laptop?

I am in a local photography group and they ALL use Macs/Macbooks and were giving me a hard time about not going that route. In your honest opinion...is that the route I should be going?  I have no desire to change over but I want to make the right purchase as money is tight for my photography business.

[Brian]

Today’s laptops seem to have a 128GB SSD Drive, which is microscopic by today’s standards...plus a larger D drive. After all, the only way you are going to get 15 second boot times is via SSD. Or manufactures have a glut of 128GB drives and are looking to get rid of them; which then results in putting them in all sorts of things. So yes, regardless of manufacture / model, if it has a 128GB / 1TB combo, you will need to be cognizant of WHAT gets installed on the C (Main) HD. You will not be able to go “next-next-next-OK-next-next-OK-finish...” blindly anymore when installing stuff. You will have to do a custom install and tell the software where to go; it’s not THAT hard, you just have to pay more attention. 

As far as getting a MacBook, and this is coming from a Mac user, is that Apple is expensive when it comes to that sort of thing. I would tell you to get a 27” iMac before telling you to get a MacBook. 

Why? For a MacBook Pro configured to edit photos, is about $3600 plus tax / shipping / AppleCare. A regular MacBook? About $2000. 

If you plan on doing lots of moving around and taking your laptop from place to place, on a consistent basis, plan on only having the thing last 3-4 years, or less. That includes Mac Laptops. There is no way that I would have a person blow $3600+ on a friggin’ laptop that you will get 3-4 years out of. 

Now, I’d you were a full time professional photographer in say, New York and you were meeting with Marketing Dept. Heads and Art Directors on a daily basis, you’d better have a Mac Laptop under your arm or in your bag. I have friends in the industry, one of which used to work for Nickelodeon Studios, and they have a Mac-Only policy; which means that NO file is to touch a Windows Computer. At least for the dept that she worked in. Yes, I know...it’s dumb but that’s the reality of things in certain industries. Especially the Art / Music World in Corp Environments. 

As for your group, there is a reason that I left all Photography Groups, both online and Facebook. LOL!! You know your finances, you know what you are comfortable spending, you have a routine, so who cares what they say?

Sure it’s easy to tell you to spend $3600 on a MBP, but are those folks on-the-books and paying taxes? Do they have real overhead? Or is it “Lemonade Stand” kind-of money? 

Personally, if you ask me, buy what gets the freaking job done. If you are a Mac Person and only buys Macs and wants to stay in their eco-system? Then buy a Mac. Remember, when it comes to computers these days, Macs are not better, they are just different. 

Why do I have a Mac? Because I fix Windows Computers and Windows Server’s all day. I don’t want to screw around with my computer when I get home. LMAO. That’s why I have a Mac. 

So again, purchase what you are comfortable with. As far as 32GB, you should be able to upgrade it yourself, provided that there is a access panel that can be removed. I would start with 16GB and see how that works for you. Then head to Crucial.com and run their scanning tool. We need to get the correct memory type for your laptop. 

[Brian]

Geek Squad can do it for you...for a overpriced up-sell. They will also try to sell you a bunch of services that you do not need. Geek Squad is almost pure profit for Best Buy. 

It’s your money to waste.  

Now if you really have to rip apart the Laptop, then it makes sense to have them do it. But for a simple access cover on the bottom and a couple of clicks with new memory sticks? I’d pass and do it yourself.