Laptop/Notebook advice (1 Viewer)

I'm considering getting a notebook (preferable) or laptop. I would use it mainly for storing photos and to a lesser extent editing. i have probably got c20,000 on my current laptop. It's quite slow now, could be a deflagging issue and too heavy to cart about. I would like to get one that is preferably fairly lightweight with the option to take away on travels and will last me a good few years. Budget wise, not looking to spend too much, say around £500. Does anyone have any suggestions?

I am a bit confused about what exactly you expect this notebook to do for you. Storage of photos (ideally with backup) is typically best achieved by external hard drives, unless you really want to have all those 20,000 photos with you all the time. (And hard drives are so small now that carrying one wouldn't be a big deal for most people.)

Storing photos when travelling is again a hard drive issue. (And indeed it is possible to buy effectively a hard drive with a built-in card reader, but that would mean you couldn't look at your photos while travelling.)

Photo-editing is something I personally leave until I get back home - I'm too busy on holiday to want to bother then, and I want a big screen for that.

So the real question becomes: What software do you want to run on this machine, and is it vital that it has enough storage that you can store all your photos for some time to come?

I don't think that otherwise your stated requirements narrow it down too much. If you want something that you don't get frustrated with too quickly then buy something with as much computing poewr as possible, and definitely consider moving some of your photos to external drives.

Andrea

Kitefarrago is giving good advice.
You have two distinct requests.
One is for a good performing lightweight notebook in the 500 pound region that will serve you on your travels.
Second is for a way to store your photo collection so they are easily accessible.

A rough guess is that 20,000 photos at say 5 megabytes each will take 100 gigabytes of storage. So a 2-4 terabyte portable external drive should be ample for some years and these are cheap, maybe $100 on Amazon or Newegg. Get one to unburden your laptop, maybe that is all you need.

The portable notebook issue is much more challenging, there are so many available but no obviously superior choices. Apple hardware is overpriced and proprietary, a walled garden cut off from the outside, but they offer good quality and decent support. Alternatives from Dell or Lenovo will be cheaper, but Windows or Chrome oriented. Would a tablet perhaps be a satisfactory solution?

Whatever you decide, I'd suggest you don't ditch your old Laptop - the sluggishness is probably due to Windows not the Laptop. If you do a bit of research, you'll find a version of Linux that runs better than Windows ever did... or at least more responsive and using less resources/cpu. (If you have a Smartphone, you likely use Linux already, Android is a version of Linux)

Unless your Laptop is old, have a look at Linux Mint. If it's low on RAM with a slow CPU, have a look at MX Linux. There are 100s of other Linux versions (called Distros), I'd guess most importantly for many people, Linux is free There are a number of ways of getting Linux, like I said, do a bit of research and decide for yourself - there are many helpful forums with people willing to advise you on your choice.

(Yes, I use Linux... not used Windows for ages. )

A side benefit of getting a separate hard drive is that it gives you a backup.
While you probably already have some arrangement to ensure that your photos remain even if your laptop dies, a separate hard drive is cheap insurance.
Download your photos and important records, check that all is properly stored and then put that drive aside. That way all is not lost when there is a glitch.

Thank you to all for your helpful comments. I haver ordered a couple of external hard drives to start with, so hopeully that will fix the problem.

Got for a laptop with a high resolution screen. Apple is best. I use a MacBook air

Here are the some models.http://cvc2.org/best-laptop-for-college-students/

We travel with a Mac Pro which is probably a bit heavy to be honest and an external drive.

I use it to write a daily account of trips and my wife has Lightroom installed to process her photos though that's usually done at home on our return but the option's there if we have down time. As has been said, a hard drive is essential backup, my wife transfers her pics nightly.

It's become a bit of a ritual on our trips now, we lay in bed and go through the days pictures on the Mac, it actually extends your birding day!

On a practical note, apart from the weight, we will go for something cheaper next time. The Mac is now six years old and has suffered several, expensive failures recently. The cost of repairs would have bought 2-3 cheap laptops.


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