Laptop advice wanted

Hardware Hub Build a PC
1

Hey guys,

I thought this would be the best subforum for this, but feel free to call me names if you disagree.

I'm in need of some advice when it comes to purchasing a laptop, as I'm starting to get a bit confused as there are just too many to choose from.

 

To make it a bit easier, here's some more info about what it'll be used for etc.:

Main use:

Photo editing (Adobe Ps + Lr)

Secondary uses:

Graphic design (Adobe Ai), watching movies & tv-shows (stored on external harddrive)

Usage and other info:

This laptop will basically replace my current PC, as the PC is getting old and wants to retire and move to Florida. The laptop needs to be portable but sturdy, as I have to take it with me on assignments, which will require me to get on an airplane. I'll use it to edit photos on location or when I'm back at the hotel. At home I'm planning to connect it up to my 22" monitor for more screen real estate while editing. For the viewing of movies and tv-show, I'll connect it to my 32" TV. If possible, I'd like to connect it to both the monitor and the TV at the same time using a Displayport-hub.

I'm not loyal to a brand, but Apple is not an option. My girlfriend owns an Asus and it seems like a nice solid product. It was basically the reason I started looking at the Asus Zenbooks, so perhaps those are a nice option? They also look extremely nice and high quality, which is something I value more than I should.

Needless to say I'd prefer a high resolution screen, so atleast 1920x1080. Doesn't have to be a touch-screen, but it can be no bigger than 15,6 inch, as bigger will not fit my bag and might get too heavy as well. For portability sake perhaps 13,3 inch is my best option? I'd also prefer an SSD, which doesn't even have to be big as I'll be storing my images and other files on external harddrives. It should be able to run Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom smoothly and able to handle the 30MB+ files that are coming out of my camera like a champ.

The longer I can use this laptop, the better. Is 4 years reasonable?

Budget:

My budget is €1300,- and I don't have much wiggle room there at the moment. The absolute maximum would be €1500,- but it'll take some convincing as I have some other stuff I need to invest in as well. I live in the Netherlands by the way and since prices here are quite a bit higher than in the USA the budget in dollars would pretty much equate be around $1500,-. I'd be more than happy to check the price/availability in the Netherlands for any of the suggestions you make.

 

I hope this all makes sense, and I'm hoping you guys can help me out. For the moment I've taken a strong liking in the Asus Zenbooks, so I'd love to hear what you guys have to say about them and what model would be a good choice. Please feel free to suggest other brands as well.

Thanks in advance!

2

Hey man, you might want to take a look at Lenovo they make some amazing laptops! http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/t-series/ the T-series might be what you are looking for, alternatively like you said the Asus Zenbooks are pretty nice :)

3

http://shop.lenovo.com/nl/nl/laptops/thinkpad/t-series/ there is the link to the netherlands page, sorry I linked the US one before!

4

Thanks Floppybawls! I went ahead and had a look at that line-up. The T-Series does look to be on the expensive side, when configured with an i7 and a SSD though, but I've added it to the list of candidates :P The Yoga 2 Pro looks like an interesting option as well!

 

I was also looking at these two:

1. ASUS ZenBook UX31LA-C4026H

2. ASUS ZenBook UX301LA-C4006H

Both near identical specs, with the latter of the two having a 256gb SSD as opposed to 128GB. If anyone has any thoughts on these two, I'd love to hear them.

Or would it be wiser to save up some more and just go all out on an Asus Zenbook UX301LA-DE022H?

Other options are still very much welcome as well!

 

5

In your price range this is what I would suggest.

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100025325%2050001312&IsNodeId=1&Description=msi&name=MSI&Order=PRICED&Pagesize=20

Or

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152622&cm_re=msi-_-34-152-622-_-Product

 

And here is a work station laptop which is a little above your price range

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152493&cm_re=msi-_-34-152-493-_-Product

6

Thanks for the suggestions Detroilen. Unfortunately the first link seems to be not working for me. The second one looks like a really nice option but over here it's well over my budget, as the price is €1.666,- and not available in the Netherlands either.