What sort of laptop spec will be best for image processing?

[xtobymc]

Hey Guys,

I have a relative of mine who has asked me to find him a laptop he can use for hooking up to his telescope and processing/controlling the images taken from it.

The budget is presumably low as he already has another desktop computer, but I'm just trying to consider what hardware I should prioritise when picking a laptop. I assume a decent amount of RAM is important as he will need Photoshop and a few other similar programs. However, when I find a laptop with at least 8GB RAM on a budget the CPU ends up being an Intel i3 to compensate price, and with i5 and i7 having been released in the meantime this CPU gen seems a bit old.

What would be your recommendations for hardware in this situation?

Thanks

 

[naturesninja]

An actual budget number would help us to find you the best deals. Ram is cheap and usually always upgradeable so you can usually add 4GB to 4GB or an 8GB stick if there is only one slot. I would recommend an i5 4210u or 5200u as the lowest CPU to go with. Also a 1080p screen is important for details in visual applications.

 

[penguintech]

Stay away from i3, it's like the celeron of the i core processors, not good for multi-tasking really. i5 with 8gb would be ideal, you could buy an i5 with 4gb and upgrade it yourself pretty cheaply. It would be best to check the system requirements for the software that you are wanting to run and use that as a base.

 

[sreilly24590]

You are trying to do two very different things with one computer. Depending on his level of involvement and telescope equipment I would focus on operating and connecting to the equipment and leave post processing to the desktop. In my observatory I have my self built desktop that controls the entire process of collecting the data as well as operating the roof automatically. From the very basic point of imaging with a telescope you need to be able to connect to the camera. If he is using a digital camera dSLR or dedicated CCD he wil likely be connecting the camera to a program to control exposure length and series images. As an example I have 13 different programs running anytime I am imaging. Connections are made to the mount, focuser, cloud sensor, rotator, flat panel, sometimes a planetarium program, and so on. One program directs all these programs to take series of images and different targets throughout the night. In the world of astronomy equipment most use either a serial or USB connection. Most mounts, focusers, roof controllers, and so on still use serial connections. On my desktop I have 4 serial connections via an add-on card and 6 USB connections, not all used.

I assume that because you are looking for a laptop that this will be a portable setup so you'll need to know all the equipment that will be needed when imaging. USB to Serial converters will work but you need to be careful as not all work well. I understand the Prolific chip set ones do better. Using USB hubs proves to be somewhat troublesome if you don't have enough native ports especially if they aren't powered hubs and many simply fail in colder weather.

As you can see there are way many variables in finding the right laptop. I'd leave the processing to another machine altogether. Another bit of news, while Photoshop is a great program, PixInsight was built from the ground up for image processing by astronomers and will take full advantage of multi-core processors using all available threads. Hope this doesn't throw a wrench into your search but connecting and using the equipment needs to be the first priority.