I need recommendations!!!

[cooperlaine123]

Hi everyone! I need some help.

What you should know first: I’m in search of a computer that can handles LOTS of tabs (20-40) at a time and that can run photoshop very smoothly. I have fast internet (130\25). I’m thinking a laptop because I want to do these things on the go. As far as OS, I really would like MacOS... However I don’t feel like apple’s laptops are as innovative compared to some windows machines and I’m not sure if I can afford the ‘Apple tax’. My priorities, in addition to the ones above, are solid build quality, a good display (at least 1080p), and at least 8 hours of battery. I’m not too concerned with the size of the display as long as it’s atleast 13”.

The machine I’m looking at right now is the surface book 2 13 with Intel core i7, 8 gigs of ram, 256 gigs of storage. I, as a photographer, find the detachable display and 2-in-1 form factor very appealing. This would cost $1850. This the ABSOLUTE top of my budget.

Will this machine work for what I’m wanting? Is there any Mac or Windows alternatives that I should be checking out?

I don’t know too much about this and would really appreciate as much input as possible.

Thanks,
Cooper

 

[falcryx]

If you're trying to handle a lot of tabs at a time as well as run photoshop. You might want to find something with a high RAM capacity such as 16GB or 32GB. 8GB is already sufficient, but for intense photoshop uses, it may not hold up for your purposes. As for the 256GB of storage, It's fine but I'd recommend that you get an external hard rive if you do not have one already for data that you don't really need to be saved in the laptop.
TL;DR: You should look for something with 16GB of RAM if possible. It'll be very beneficial for photoshop uses and also multi-tasking.

Update: Check out the Dell XPS 13 (Intel i7-8550U, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD). According to amazon pricing it is much cheaper than the surface book however you'll just be missing out on the detachable display and 2-in-1 form factor.

Update #2: The HP Spectre x360-13t has pretty much similar specs to the XPS 13, however it has a 2-in-1 form factor + stylus which you might be interested in.