Nvidia 4080 is good, but what about the 5000 series?

[Linda Wilson]

Hi i all the sudden need to buy both a laptop and a desktop. So many choices but seems 4080 isnt popular now as they all seem to be 5060 or 5070 etc. Which one is better? Thank you!

[Brian]

RTX 5070 or 5080, with at least 8GB of dedicated Video RAM, using the NVIDIA Studio Drivers. (The more VRAM the better, like 12GB or 16GB+.)  The "Studio Drivers" are meant for programs like Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom. The default Drivers are meant for Video Games / General Computing. 

I have never been a fan of the "60" or "50" of NVIDIA's lineup. (i.e. 3060 / 4050, etc.)  

[Linda Wilson]

Thank you! And so sorry for the delay in replying, things were crazy. I got my computer temporarily fixed to get me through the Christmas rush but now computer shopping again. I'm looking at a few computers and wondering your input if you have time. For a Laptop (I need a good one for photo editing) I feel like I'm confusing myself with so many different kinds and I was hoping for a good one to last a long time. also I'd love it to have an sd card reader. And so many are oled now, and I know you said make sure to get an IPS. So I was considering either Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 6 or 7, or p16 gen2?  *Is nvidia rtx 2000 bad? rather than a 4070 or 5070? and the display I want the higher 2560 x 1600 and not the 1920x1200, right? It seems like if I get a better display, the graphic card is worse, Or I was looking at a dell laptop but not sure if I need premium or pro or plus, lol. Also was looking at HP ZBook Studio 16 inch G11 Mobile Workstation (except I heard the fan was loud, lol) These are some recommended but do you have another recommendation?  Sorry for all the questions. And thank you!

[Brian]

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13 hours ago, Linda Wilson said:

Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 6 or 7, or p16 gen2?  *Is nvidia rtx 2000 bad? rather than a 4070 or 5070?

The main thing with laptops, is they are designed to be portable and have long battery life. When you throw in a powerful video card, that requires A LOT more power and cuts down on battery life. Why is this important? Because of all of the fancy tools and other AI Crap that Adobe keeps putting in their software, and it's these features / tools that require a high-end video card in order to function. Even things like the ACR module, primarily use the VIDEO GPU in order to function; while the CPU is still important, when it comes to Adobe's current products, the choice of Video Card GPU and having dedicated Video Memory is more important than the CPU!!!

This is not CS6 where it really didn't matter what Video Card you were running. Photoshop is a professional program, and Adobe expects you to have current "Professional Grade Hardware" to support it. The "Consumer" version of Photoshop is Photoshop Elements, but most people run Photoshop. As far as brands, I've had the best luck with Lenovo Laptops. Avoid HP / Hewlett Packard Laptops at all cost, they are JUNK. Avoid Laptops that only list "Intel Graphics" or "Intel Integrated Graphics" for Video Cards. Photoshop will flat-out refuse to work with them and give you error message after error message. 

Right now, things are in a state of flux; with AI Data Centers being the "Gold Rush of 2026," RAM prices are triple of what they used to be a year ago. Plus some manufacturers, like Micron, are switching to the AI Data Center Market only and are closing the consumer lines, like Crucial RAM. This limits supply and  drives up the cost of RAM, which then gets passed down to the consumer. Now enter all of the people who want their laptops to be desktop replacement, combine that with the stupid choices that Adobe is making, and I'm finding recommending things to be nearly impossible. Especially when it comes to Laptops. People with their damn Laptops; I hate Laptops for Photo Editing, I always have...I've just given up arguing. 

13 hours ago, Linda Wilson said:

Is nvidia rtx 2000 bad? rather than a 4070 or 5070?

Yes.

People have problems with RTX 3070 Video Cards and the current versions of Photoshop. A 2000 series is even worse. Expect LAG when sorting/culling photos. OMG! THE. LAG. The RTX 3000 Series cards were released around 2020, and that was a solid 5 years ago technology-wise. Why do they offer 2000 in current laptops? Because they are cheap. I call it "Shrink-flation;" Manufacturers don't want to charge more, so they give you less for your money. Take Ice Cream for example, you don't get a Gallon anymore, but "Almost a Gallon." 

At the very least, headed into 2026, I would invest in a RTX 4060 with 8GB of dedicated Video RAM, not shared. That is the bare minimum that I will recommend in 2026 and not lie to you. Personally, I'm still saying a RTX 4070/4080 with 8GB-16GB Dedicated Video Memory is still preferred by me and gives you more wiggle-room. "But Laptops don't offer that!!" Yes I know. I hate laptops for Photo Editing. The Lenovo Laptops that did, are no longer sold. Well, that's not completely true...HERE IS A LENOVO LAPTOP THAT CHECKS ALL OF MY BOXES.  Yes, it's a special order. Yes it's expensive. A year ago, that Laptop would be around $2499 in price, with prices as they are, they are closer to $3500!! 

Bottom Line: That Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 7 that you were talking about is what I would buy with my own money  to be used for Photoshop CC, and not Bullshit you.