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Re: [OM] Thoughts on Computers

Subject: Re: [OM] Thoughts on Computers
From: Jez Cunningham <jez@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 7 Nov 2016 21:58:47 +0000
Hmm, I've been going through the same machinations recently.  I've had an
HP i5-core touchscreen laptop for 3 years but I use it exclusively on the
desk and with an external 23" monitor.  That's not touchscreen so in
practice I NEVER use the touch features of the laptop.  In fact they just
get in the way. (A pain with my Wacom tablet until I found the cause of the
strange rings and random menus in PS when you hold the pen down.)  But I
digress.  Also this laptop is in an almost-sealed case so upping the RAM or
HDD for example is just not an option.  I had to send it back under (3-yr)
warranty for a dying keyboard and luckily they replaced the battery while
they had it on the operating table with its chest wide-open.  That's
another simple thing I couldn't even do myself.

So I have been gravitating back towards a desktop.  Also the laptop has
Intel integrated graphics and in a desktop I can choose a decent graphics
card that will actually do some good in Lightroom and not just cause
problems.  And will drive a pair of external monitors (the laptop is
limited to one external display plus its internal - and the internal isn't
even full-HD).  And I want an SSD and a decent-sized HDD - again, just not
an option in most laptops.  And I want a DVD drive - not often - but the
external one is yet another box and cable - and, with a (very) limited
number of USB ports, another device plugged into a hub.  And oh yes, the
bloody keyboard - a) it's not got a numeric keypad, and b) it's got a
touchpad right under my palm so I have to disable that too.

If you read the regular photo blogs (TOP, Ken Rockwell...) one of them has
just been bemoaning the slimmed-down sexiness of recent laptops which no
longer have full-size socketry for USB, HDMI, SD-slots, etc and you end up
with a small sexy laptop and a giant box of power bricks, spaghetti and
dongles.  He's targeting the Jobs/Ive school of industrial design but it's
copied by a lot of other (Windows) laptops.  Sigh.  Everytime I see an
advert with an empty desk and just a Macbook sitting demurely on it I shout
out loud "where are all the cables and boxes?"

Look what you've made me do.  It's been one of those days where a load of
crap things came together, including a funeral of a nice neighbour struck
down by cancer - 5 weeks from diagnosis to the end - and whose young
daughters performed admirably reading their eulogies.  And there was nary a
dry eye in the house when they played 'Golden' by Cliff Richard.

So I vote DESKTOP.

cheers
Jez



On 7 November 2016 at 19:42, Ken Norton <ken@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> It's getting about time for me to consider a new computer. My laptops
> are essentially end-of-life and I've been using an all-in-one for my
> primary machine for several years and it's just not keeping up with
> the latest photography editing needs. I also have a custom
> built-computer that is configured with Adobe Premier Pro on it that
> could also stand to have some additional oomph.
>
> So, several options are presenting themselves:
>
> 1. New Laptop powerhouse with a big screen plugged in for the desktop.
> Advantages are that it can go with my anywhere and has a built-in
> touch screen. Disadvantages are the lower average lifespan, higher
> costs and typically, slightly lower performance.
>
> 2. New Desktop. Advantages are lower cost, higher performance and
> longer lifespan. Disadvantages would include the lack of touch screen
> and no portability.
>
> 3. New custom built computer reusing a few of the components of the
> previous one. The case and power-supply are high-quality, the video
> card is high-end, there is a firewire card, and numerous other
> features. I would swap out the motherboard, processor, hard-drives
> (and also install an SSD) and monitors. But it's about a half-dozen
> years old. It has had remarkably little use as it's primary function
> was for editing a weekly broadcast. If I don't rebuild this, I'll just
> repurpose it as a server. But it was built for video editing and
> sizzles along pretty good.
>
> With the right laptop, I could go from three computers to one for
> everything I do. With an intense photography trip planned for next
> August, there is a part of me that is leaning this direction. It would
> be nice to have a robust laptop again. My budget for computer, monitor
> and mass-storage device is around $1500 USD. I can go more than that
> in a pinch, but would like to have a reasonable cutoff point in there.
> No, Apple is NOT an option.
>
> I still keep an old gateway laptop around as it has XP on it and can
> be used for upgrading E-1 firmware. HINT HINT HINT.
>
> Thoughts?
>
> AG Schnozz
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