Photoshop is one of the most popular photo editing software that every photographer should have on his or her laptop. With Photoshop we have been able to bring life to our imagination by allowing the everyday photographer to add a professional touch to just about any image. However if you want to use Photoshop you will need a laptop which is powerful enough to process the images using the software.

Every photographer should have a professional laptop to edit their photos in Photoshop or using other photo editing software. Finding the best laptop for Photoshop is not always an easy task, especially if you’re working with a limited budget. Choosing the right laptop largely depends on the type of software that you will use to edit your photos. The latest photo editing programs, like Photoshop will require that your laptop has a fast processor, a large amount of RAM, a strong video card and enough storage space.

Best laptop for Photoshop

 

In my opinion, desktop computers are more suitable for processing photos as they will tend to be much more powerful than laptops and are more affordable. Moreover with a desktop you can attach professional IPS monitors such as a Dell U2412m or the Dell U2415, which will provide you with more natural and vivid colors than offered by a laptop screen. You can find the positive and negative aspects of these monitors in our previous articles.

However for the professional photographer today being able to process images while on the go using a laptop which is highly portable and easy to use is important because the photographer would not be limited to the office but instead would be able to use it just about anywhere to get the job done. Moreover some of the latest model laptops today are manufactures with IPS screens.

When you’re looking for the best laptop for Photoshop should keep in mind some key factors such as cost, performance, portability, weight and battery life. All these features should fit your budget. Below I have included a few pointers for you to use as a guide to help you choose the best laptop for Photoshop.

1. MacBook Pro 15.4 Inch with Retina Display 

 MacBook Pro 15.4 takes the first place on our best laptop for Photoshop guide. I must admit I’m an Apple fan and have preferred the MacBook Pro as the best available laptop in many of my “best laptop” articles. In my opinion there are very few laptops which can compare in, design, build and power for running Photoshop. Not only is the MacBook Pro able to run the Adobe Photoshop software flawlessly, it also has a Retina Display which makes it perfect for viewing high resolution photos. Although a bit pricey I would say that this laptop is perfect for any photographer who isn’t worried about a budget.

MacBook Pro 15.4 Inch with Retina Display Specifications:

• 2.6 GHz Intel Core i7 Quad-Core
• 16 GB RAM DDR3
• 512 GB Storage
• Intel Iris Pro and NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M Graphics
• 15.4″ IPS Widescreen
• 2880 x 1800 Native Resolution
• Integrated Stereo Speakers
• HD Camera

2. ASUS G75VW  

Close behind the Macbook Pre, a17-inch large screen and powerful specs of this laptop makes the ASUS G75VW a great laptop for running Photoshop. Some photographers have even been known to prefer this model instead of the MacBook Pro.

Having a Nvidia GTX 660m video card, 16 GB RAM, and 750 GB storage space and an Intel Core i7-3610QM Quad-core 2.4 GHz Processor, the ASUS G75VW runs Photoshop CS6 quite smoothly.

Its large 17 inch widescreen makes it perfect for editing photos. Although it is considered a bit large for some users, the notebook is incredibly light and can be easily carried around when used on location. If you want almost the same power but much cheaper you can take a look at ASUS K501LX-EB71

ASUS G75VW Specifications

• 2.4 GHz Intel Core i7 Quad-Core
• 16 GB RAM DDR3
• 750 GB Storage
• Nvidia GTX 660M 2G GDDR5 Graphics
• 17.3″ Full HD LED Screen
• 1920 x 1080 Resolution
• Integrated Stereo Speakers

3. HP Envy 17 Leap Motion i7

If you are looking for a great and best laptop for Photoshop to edit your photos you might want to consider getting yourself an HP laptop and especially the model HP Envy 17 Leap Motion i7. Judging from its appearance and specifications perfect for photo editing, one can only conclude that this laptop was designed specifically for photographers. A large screen of 17.3 inches, a powerful 2.2 Ghz Intel Core i7 Processor, 16 GB DD3 SDRAM, 1TB memory capacity and an Intel HD 4600 graphics card says it all. It is no wonder that this laptop has been rated as one of the best laptops available today.

HP Envy 17 Leap Motion i7 Specifications

• 2.2 GHz Intel Core i7 Quad-Core up to 3.2 GHz
• 16 GB RAM DDR3
• 1 TB Storage
• Intel HD 4600 graphics
• 17.3″ Touch Screen

4. Asus Zenbook UX303LN-DB71T

Coming in at fourth place for the best laptops for running Photoshop is the Asus Zenbook UX303LN-DB71T. This ultrabook has a very slick and slim design with only 3 mm at the front. It has a 13.3 inch Quad HD display with a resolution of 3200×1800 which provides a phenomenal viewing experience for the user and perfect for the professional photographer. The Asus Zenbook UX303LN-DB71T features a 2 GHz Intel Core i7 Haswell Processor, NVIDIA GT840M 2GB VRAM video card, 12 GB RAM and 256 GB of available storage space.

Asus Zenbook UX303LN-DB71T Specifications

• 2 GHz Intel Core i7 Quad-Core
• 16 GB RAM DDR3
• 256 GB Storage
• NVIDIA GT840M 2GB VRAM video card
• 13.3″ Quad HD Display
• 3200×1800 Resolution
• Integrated Stereo Speakers

5. Lenovo ThinkPad W530

Lenovo ThinkPad W530 is another powerful laptop to keep in mind when looking for the best laptop for Photoshop. This laptop however sacrifices its portability for its powerful specifications. If you want to work faster in Photoshop but do not care so much about portability then this laptop is the perfect choice for you. Weighing in at a hefty 5.8 pounds, this laptop is neither thin nor light, yet is portable enough to be carried around without becoming a burden for the owner. Its 15.6 inch screen with a resolution of 1600×900 and good viewing angles allows this laptop to produce high quality images for photo editing. Using this laptop I was able to view several images at an angle of 90 degrees without much difficulty.

Lenovo ThinkPad W530 Specifications:

• 2.7 GHz Intel Core i7 Quad-Core
• 8 GB RAM DDR3
• 500 GB Storage
• 15.6″
• 1600×900 Resolution

Conclusion:

If your budget allows and you’re able to buy a MacBook Pro with the Retina Display then I would strongly suggest that you make that choice. However if you’re not too keen on Apple then you might want to go for the 17-inch screen laptop ASUS G75VW with its strong specifications capable of running any version of Photoshop smoothly. These are undoubtedly some of the best recommended laptops for photo editing, but whatever your choice is, I would like to thank you for reading and I hope that this guide at techwarn.com has helped you in making the perfect choice for the best laptop for Photoshop.

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