Choosing a Budget Laptop for Adobe Creative Suite

[hockeywarrior]

Hi all,

I am on a tight budget for a new laptop that will be capable on some level of working with Photoshop, Premiere, and other Adobe software. Gaming is not a priority, since that's what I have my desktop for. $300-$500 is my budget, but obviously cheaper is better as long as I get what I need out of it.

Here are some of my biggest questions:

1) AMD vs Intel? My options range from the i5 3210M to the AMD A-8 4600M. Which would be better for Creative Suite stuff?

2) Graphics, for using these programs. How does the integrated Intel HD 4000 chip vs the integrated AMD 7640 chip matter in terms of running these programs? Would a dedicated 610M card impact performance much in these programs? Remember, gaming performance isn't important.

Here are some of the contenders. Please give your feedback.

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834131518

VS

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834231087

OR, for $100 more ...

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834257160

VS

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834230988

Remember that I'm trying to save as much money as possible. One of those models has an i5 processor + a dedicated graphics card, but is also 17.3" and I'd prefer a 15" model. Also, if that dedicated card isn't absolutely necessary or helpful for running Adobe stuff, then I don't care about it! In other words, if I can save $100 by losing the graphics card (and it has no impact on my ability to use photoshop, premiere, etc) then I prefer that.

Thanks!

 

[ACTechy]

I use Adobe CS6 and here's what you want to capitalize on, in terms of hardware:

- dedicated nVidia graphics card (Adobe can utilize nvidia CUDA cores to speed up renders) - so I would steer clear of any integrated graphics if your focus is on Adobe performance
- more RAM is better (RAM previews in After Effects, etc)
- faster HDD/SSD is better (all adobe video programs, at least, use a cache space on your drive to help access times)
- the higher the CPU the better, because whatever the GPU can't process, your CPU will...that being said, I use an i5 and it's quite fast enough for me

I'd have to look at all your options later, but maybe that will help you narrow down what you're looking for.

Cheers!