Help with New Laptop Purchase? (2 Viewers)

[TheBirdGarden]

Hi,

I am currently eyeing up a new laptop, it would be for Uni and work, and hopefully also photoshop.

I need to know however if this would be good enough for photoshop as in, is the screen any good and will it be able to run it.

The laptop I am looking is the Lenovo S20-30

The specs are as follows:

Processor
Intel Celeron N2830 processor( 2.16GHz 1333MHz 1MB)
Operating system
Windows 8.1 with Bing 64
Display type
11.6" HD AntiGlare with integrated camera 1366x768
System Graphics
Intel HD Graphics
Total memory
2.0GB PC3-10600 DDR3L SDRAM 1333 MHz
Hard drive device
320GB 5400 rpm
Network card
Lenovo BGN Wireless
Bluetooth
Bluetooth Version 4.0
Warranty
One year
Battery
3 Cell Li-Cylindrical

The reviews for this are great, and not a bad point but under performance in these reviews the saying "good for office and internet surfing but not much else" I don't know if this would mean things such as photoshop or this is on about gaming. This wouldn't replace my desktop computer but it would be something decent to carry around. The laptop I currently have is an eMachines E525 and its a chunky thing.

Any help would be great.

 

[Toirealach]

That's a small screen for Photoshop work I'd have thought, far better to do it on your desktop.
2GB of RAM is a bit light too, 4 GB would be my minimum for a Laptop.

 

[Mono]

Again a vote for more RAM. Especially for Photoshop and it will add longevity to the machine. A big screen is better for graphics work but then it is also important to get the viewing angle right, which can be hard on a laptop. Big screen laptops also reduce the portability. Does your existing desktop have a decent monitor? A good solution is to get a smaller screened laptop for portability and then use a bigger external monitor for graphics work, but you must be sure that your laptop has the "guts" to actually do the job. I would look at a minimum of 6gb and an i5.

 

[TheBirdGarden]

I am surprised you say more ram, the laptop I have now is 2gb ram, and it operates photoshop just fine. I should perhaps reiterate the use then, many of you use a laptop in the field for viewing photos on, and seeing if they are keeps or not, hence the screen quality I am most concerned off. I cannot tell by the information if that would be any good...plus I can't afford a mac, which many use.

 

[Pinewood]

Hello TheBirdGarden,

Does the computer allow you to you update the RAM? The way things are trending 2 GB may let you get by, today, but not tomorrow.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur Pinewood :hi:

 

[njlarsen]

I am very much on the same page as Mono, the laptop I have has 6gb ram and an i5 processor. It is a windows model, which would be my preference anyway.

I have just made a small upgrade to my desktop, which has 4gb of ram -- it is able to edit photos, but not as smoothly as the laptop. It is probably living on borrowed time, until I decide to move up decidedly on the desktop side.

An 11 inch screen is good for portability but not great for the photo work. Anti glare tends to be a no-no for photo work as well. A combo of your old monitor for the photo work and a smaller laptop for at-school other work might do fine for your purposes.

Niels

 

[etudiant]

Would strongly second the various responses suggesting more RAM, it is a cheap way to keep the system current when the systems grow. In that context, Windows 8 is not frugal with memory, so more is really helpful.
Separately, do consider using a Solid State Drive (SSD) instead of the hard drive specified in your configuration. Even if it is materially smaller, it will transform the performance of the laptop. You can always add a cheap USB 3 external hard drive if you need storage for your photos, they currently sell for under $100 for a 2 terabyte drive.

 

[TheBirdGarden]

To answer a few with your help, in the manual it lists this

The following table lists the specifications of the Lenovo S20-30 / S20-30 Touch:
Table 1. Specifications
Feature Description
Processor See the system properties of your computer, you can do
this as follows:
Click Control Panel, then click Hardware and Sound,
click Device Manager under Devices and Printers and
double click Processors.
Core Chipset Intel N2830, N2930, or N3530
Graphic Chipset Intel Integrated
Display 16:9 (1,366 × 768 pixels)
Onboard
memory
DDR3L-1333
Up to 8GB
CMOS RAM 256 bytes
Hard disk drive 2.5-inch, 7.0 mm
Optical drive NA
SSD (optional) 32G eMMC

Now from the first bolded, this would mean I can upgrade the RAM, up to 8gb, this is what this means right?

Etudiant mentioned an SSD drive, the second bold says this, it has been years since my IT diploma and I haven't caught up with the times from gamer to photographer so I know little of SSDs and would need this bit of information explained i.e how is it optional?

Thank you for the help so far.

 

[etudiant]

To answer a few with your help, in the manual it lists this
Onboard
memory
DDR3L-1333
Up to 8GB
CMOS RAM 256 bytes
Hard disk drive 2.5-inch, 7.0 mm
Optical drive NA
SSD (optional) 32G eMMC

Now from the first bolded, this would mean I can upgrade the RAM, up to 8gb, this is what this means right?

Etudiant mentioned an SSD drive, the second bold says this, it has been years since my IT diploma and I haven't caught up with the times from gamer to photographer so I know little of SSDs and would need this bit of information explained i.e how is it optional?

Thank you for the help so far.

Unfortunately eMMC is a less attractive option than an SSD.
The eMMC is essentially a small circuit card hard wired to the motherboard, so not easily upgraded or changed. At 32GB max, it is too small to hold all of Windows, so you do not get the speed of an SSD and you have no growth potential. Plus I suspect the price for the eMMC will be relatively high.
You might want to ask how much the full up system with 8GB RAM and the eMMC would cost, it would in all likelihood be painfully more than the base price.
All told, this is an entry level laptop, with Intel's most basic processor and the slowest RAM in the mainstream market. It may serve your turn, but in this market, it is usually better to get a lower spec version of a mid range machine than an uprated low end unit.
Of course, your location may be an issue. Locally, NYC stores and Amazon together make computer shopping a breeze. It is a lot harder to buy something sight unseen. Still, perhaps something like this Dell might work for you:
http://www.dell.com/us/p/inspiron-15-3531-laptop/pd?oc=fndoc3001hod&model_id=inspiron-15-3531-laptop

 

[dantheman]

The laptop I am looking is the Lenovo S20-30

From the reviews as I read them -

'the 2gb of ram is embedded on the motherboard, and so not uprateable'

and

' glossy screen (highly reflective)'

 

[TheBirdGarden]

Okay guys, thanks for the help and information, I will continue looking about : )