# Best Laptop for LR/PS for Tether Capture



## TexasPilot (May 26, 2016)

Good Morning:

Your advice and recommendations would be most helpful.

I am thoroughly enjoying tether-capturing and find the opportunities for delightful experiences to be boundless.  At the moment I am using the Camranger wireless to my iPad and a laptop.

I am able to remote capture directly into LR on the laptop using the TetherTools USB cable to a low-end laptop I have been borrowing.

_*Problem:  It is excruciatingly slow to capture and "pop up" the photo as well as when I try to do some basic PR post-processing "in the field."* _(I don't know the specs of the laptop - but it pretty basic, previously used by an office for email, Word and XL. I can see the label:  Dell Ultrabook, Intel Core 15 vPro). 

*Request:  Your recommendations as to a specific laptop, or what I should specify if I have options as to the spec and features:  RAM, Processing speed, memory, USB ports, etc?  *I don't "do" videos and I am not a "gamer." 

I am going shopping for one (or via online) this weekend.

Please know that I before bothering this form I really tried to search this forum and other online sources using search terms:

_Best laptop for Adobe
Best laptop for LightRoom
Best laptop for Photoshop
Best laptop for photography
Best laptop for photo processing
Etc._

Yes there were suggestions - with no two alike.  The result is now "deer-in-the-headlights" confusion.  

Regards from tech-challenged San Antonio.

Ed


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## tspear (May 26, 2016)

Start with budget.
Next, what do you plan to do in the field? As in, do you want 1 hour or 8 hours of battery? Screen size?
Third, is this going to be primary editor? Temporary storage of the images?

These all play a factor in which Laptop to get.


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## TexasPilot (May 26, 2016)

tspear said:


> Start with budget.
> Next, what do you plan to do in the field? As in, do you want 1 hour or 8 hours of battery? Screen size?
> Third, is this going to be primary editor? Temporary storage of the images?
> 
> These all play a factor in which Laptop to get.



Thank you for helping me formulate the right questions. 

Budget $1000 +/-.  Maybe more.
15" screen should be fine.
Long battery life.  I go to remote stretches of West Texas and SW states.
Secondary editor.  Using it primarily for initial look with some light editing.
Temp storage.  Everything will stay on my SD cards until I get home to download and back up.
Use in the field:  Let others (and myself) see the photos as I take them.  "Immediate gratification" of seeing the images larger than on the camera monitor or the iPad.
Non-commercial.  This is my retirement avocation.

I am a Windows/PC users.  Never learned MAC/Apple.


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## tspear (May 26, 2016)

Get a Microsoft Surface.

Tim


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## TexasPilot (May 26, 2016)

tspear said:


> Get a Microsoft Surface.
> 
> Tim


 Thanks, Tim.  4 - 8 -16 GB RAM?   Don't want to overbuy but don't want to skimp on performance?

Ed


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## tspear (May 26, 2016)

16GB of ram. I find Lr consistently uses 2-4GB of ram. So 16 will give you room to run other applications as needed.


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## TexasPilot (May 26, 2016)

tspear said:


> 16GB of ram. I find Lr consistently uses 2-4GB of ram. So 16 will give you room to run other applications as needed.


Thanks, Tim.  Our local Costco has a "bundle" on sale now with the typing cover and other accessories.


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## TexasPilot (May 26, 2016)

tspear said:


> 16GB of ram. I find Lr consistently uses 2-4GB of ram. So 16 will give you room to run other applications as needed.



Tim.  Sorry to bother you but if I may . . . . the final item I need to know.  It seems to come with our without an Nvidia Graphics card.  Do I need it?   Thanks for your patience.  Ed


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## tspear (May 27, 2016)

No you do not need it. However, if you have the cash. shrug.
I do not recall the model/shipset and even if it is supported by Adobe.
Also, the amount of items supported by Adobe for the GPU acceleration is fairly limited and all I believe are still limited to the develop module. Since the majority of functions you are discussing will be completed in the Library module, I doubt it is worth the additional cost.


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## TexasPilot (May 27, 2016)

Thanks again, Tim for the responses
. Be well.


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