Laptop for photo editing 2020

[lesvic57]

Trying to sort this all out. I need a laptop for photo editing - Lightroom and Photoshop for fine art photography. Here is what I think I want and don't want:

Want:

1. Factory calibrated 100% RGB
2. Best graphics card to do the job

Don't want (I think)

1. A ton of storage as I work out of an external hd
2. Top of the line monitor as I use an external monitor for editing

Question: since the price difference between an i5 and and i7 is significant, would an i5 be good enough?

My thought is that I would have a combo of a good laptop and a great monitor to do the work. I don't game, stream movies or do video editing. I have been all over the internet trying to figure this out. Many thanks, in advance, for any sort of direction someone can give me.

 

[tennis2]

100% sRGB is top of the line for laptop screens. So that can't really be in your want and don't want categories at the same time.

Do you need the laptop screen to have the 100% sRGB (assuming not AdobeRGB) or could that requirement be handled by the external monitor?
Aka, when you're actually doing editing, will you primarily be plugged into the external monitor?

Needing 100% sRGB on a laptop screen pretty much throws you into the >$1,000 category, whereas the underlying hardware (CPU/GPU/etc) can be had without the 100% sRGB requirement for around $700.

Do you have a budget range for us? Are we assuming you're in the USA?

Also, pick two from below.
Performance / Thin&Light / Cheap

 

[lesvic57]

So, I'm not really sure how this works. I'm assuming that the laptop needs to be able to push the rgb to the monitor. Or, does an rgb monitor take whatever the laptop gives it and converts it to rgb?

I'm in the USA, I can handle $1000 (not want to do 2K) and I pick performance and cheap

 

[tennis2]

sRGB isn't an issue for output. AdobeRGB could be. Do you know the difference and/or which one you NEED? (not being offensive, just asking).

Oh, and any laptop screen size preferences? (14-15.6" or 17"?)

Have a look at this $700 laptop and tell me/us what you think. Here's a thicker option for $750 that gets you more CPU. And lastly, a $950 option to consider.

 

[lesvic57]

I print my work so I definitely want 100% RGB. These are all great recommendations, I'm going to look into them further.

 

[tennis2]

Ok, please say sRGB or AdobeRGB, there's a BIG difference.

Last I checked, only Quadro and FirePro GPUs can output 10-bit for AdobeRGB. Of course you'll then need to make sure that whatever place you're printing at has an AdobeRGB capable printer.

Are you aware and knowledgeable of these things? Like I said, we're talking about large differences in hardware pricing here, so you need to be ABSOLUTELY sure you need and will be using it.

This is coming from personal experience where I bought a graphic designer friend a $500 99% AdobeRGB monitor because he said he needed that color space, only for him to realize later that sRGB was all he uses/ needs. A $250 monitor would've satisfied that requirement.

 

[tennis2]

https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpad-p/P53/p/22WS2WPWP53
^that's the AdobeRGB tier stuff. As you can see compared to the listings I linked earlier, you're talking 2x the price now.