Question Budget Laptop for Astrophotography Processing (+Gaming)?

Aquarian76

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Aug 6, 2010
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18,510
Hi Ya'll.

Sooo I was, past tense was, gonna get a new gaming desktop. Until the lightbulb came on and I was like wait, I need it to be mobile so I can potentially use it for travel blogging inside of a travel trailer. But before any of that happens I need it to act like a desktop, probably powered on everyday for long hours ect.

I also want to get into astrophotography which requires image processing. And finally, throw in a little gaming session here and there. I'm not a heavy gamer but still enjoy it casually. I figured the need of image processing will supersede its gaming ability. But I dunno to what degree that's true.

Please copy and paste these questions into the thread you post, and we can help you find the laptop that suits you.

1. What is your budget? $950-1300

2. What is the size of the notebook that you are considering? Full 17+ or large screen.

3. What screen resolution do you want? 4K Ultra HD or if not possible, pretty close to it.

4. Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop? Desktop replacement laptop

5. How much battery life do you need? Full day would be great but not necessary, will be plugged in constantly.

6. Do you want to play games with your laptop? If so then please list the games that you want to with the settings that you want for these games. (Low,Medium or High)? Ultra High is fantastic, but not necessary. Happy with just high I think. I play LOTRO which loves using a single core processor. I don't overclock.

7. What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo/Video editing, Etc.) Astrophotography image processing.

8. How much storage (Hard Drive capacity) do you need? 1TB SSD

9. If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post their links. Don't know, any.

10. How long do you want to keep your laptop? As long as possible, like forever.

11. What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc ? None.

12. Please tell us about the brands that you prefer to buy from them and the brands that you don't like and explain the reasons. No preference, any brand.

13. What country do you live in? U.S.

14. Please tell us any additional information if needed. There is... something special I wanted. A comet lake CPU or equivalent, that has a base clock of 4 GHz or more.

And I wanted a black or dark color.
Also ready to buy it now--this week, or do I wait for a sale?
 
Last edited:

Ralston18

Titan
Moderator
This:

"I also want to get into astrophotography which requires image processing. And finally, throw in a little gaming session here and there "

What, if any, software applications and games do you have in mind?

Most software manufacturers provide some listing of hardware requirements in the form of "minimal", "recommended", and "best".

You do not want "minimal" and you do want as much "best" as you can afford within your $950-1,300 budget. (USD - correct?)

Key is to create your own personal checklist based on the requirements. Identify some quantifiable measurements that will help you choose. For example, you did so by specifying a 1 TB SSD.

Use the checklist to compare laptops. Hopefully one or two laptops will prove suitable to meet your requirements. Be prepared to make trade-offs.

Read laptop User Guides/Manuals.

Visit Manufacturer's websites, read through Support pages, Forums, and FAQs as may or may not be available. Pay attention to both what is said and what is not said.

And, of course, read online reviews.

For example:

https://www.tomsguide.com/best-picks/best-laptops

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-gaming-laptops,4828.html
 
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Aquarian76

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Aug 6, 2010
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18,510
What are some examples in the 'desktop replacement' category? I've never really heard of that. Does it mean the laptop will be the biggest of big?

Sometimes I like checking for sale deals on Newegg.com. But I have no idea what brands are good anymore... it's been a decade since last shopped.
 
Desktop replacements are laptops that are very big and designed for people that wants max performance rather than portability. An example of this is MSI titan or Alienware area 51 I think it's called. You could look at custom made laptops like from xotic pc as they won't be as expensive are branded laptops and you can customise it the way you want.