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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Could anyone recommend a laptop?

14 replies

letsjog · 06/03/2021 21:33

Hoping for AIBU traffic. I really need to get one within the next couple of weeks.

I'm not very good at understanding the specifications.

I have up to 1500.00 to get a laptop.
Im looking for large storage, good screen resolution/quality and able to comfortably run the Adobe Photoshop package. I will be using it for work so PowerPoint / excel, emails, image editing and occasional short video edits.

In addition I am looking at learning to draw digitally and have seen some laptops that have the touch screen feature which allows you to draw on the screen with a stylus and it would be amazing if I could find a laptop within my budget that would allow for this feature as well.

I'd hate to spend all this money on a laptop that's not quite capable of what I need it to do as I will be relying on it everyday so I would really appreciate if I could get some recommendations from people who know what they're talking about.

OP posts:
CounsellorTroi · 06/03/2021 21:41

I got a HP Pavilion just before first lockdown and am very happy with it. It cost about £650. It's a touch screen.

fabulousspider · 06/03/2021 21:45

If you're looking to draw digitally then it might be worth getting some specialist advice from illustrator types. I'm a graphic designer and illustrator and use a Macbook pro with a Wacom Cintiq separately (this is a drawing tablet thingy) but both together are quite expensive and may be out of your range. However you could go second hand for both, there are a lot of reasonably priced ones out there and I am sure your budget could cover both (an older Macbook pro would be fine for Photoshop and a hell of a lot cheaper, even something from around 2014 provided the RAM etc was good). I'm not sure what ones are great for onscreen drawing as an all in one though.

1Morewineplease · 06/03/2021 21:48

HP is the way to go.

Fozzleyplum · 06/03/2021 22:06

After initial of trial and error with other brands , I am also an HP devotee, for reasons of value, security and build quality. Having said that, I use mine primarily in my legal practice, so I can't vouch for its artistic potential!

I have an HP Elitebook, which is high spec and is, I understand, the HP answer to the Macbook.

BrigitsBigKnickers · 06/03/2021 22:08

My DD bought a touchscreen Dell laptop- do not recommend as it went wrong after a few weeks and the customer service was diabolical! She had to fight for ages until they agreed to replace it .
However I bought a dell 15 recently for £650 and really like it!

HundredMilesAnHour · 06/03/2021 22:18

Have a look at the Asus Zenbook Duo. Should just scrape in your budget and comes with a stylus for drawing plus touchscreens etc. Excellent spec. I've been using Zenbooks for years and they are way better than my work-provided laptops so definitely good for work.

tttigress · 06/03/2021 22:18

I am assuming Windows laptop? In which case quite a big budget.

I would make sure you get 16GB RAM and SSD storage.

I like the look of the Microsoft Surface Book, but it might not be quite what you are looking for, and it will use all the budget!!

tttigress · 06/03/2021 22:20

@HundredMilesAnHour

Have a look at the Asus Zenbook Duo. Should just scrape in your budget and comes with a stylus for drawing plus touchscreens etc. Excellent spec. I've been using Zenbooks for years and they are way better than my work-provided laptops so definitely good for work.
I'm also a fan of Asus, not sure if they are touch screen though?
ILoveTeeeeeea · 06/03/2021 22:39

I love my Dell XPS

saffire · 06/03/2021 22:51

TopCashback/Currys have a decent 15% cash back on certain hp laptops.

And some have £50 off too. I just brought one that should've been £899 (with £200 off) for £649.

But you really need at least 16gb ram (or the capability to add more), to handle the Adobe programs.

HundredMilesAnHour · 06/03/2021 23:07

I'm also a fan of Asus, not sure if they are touch screen though?

Depends on the model. The Asus Zenbook Duo I'm typing this on right now has 2 touchscreens.

www.asus.com/uk/Laptops/For-Home/ZenBook/ZenBook-Pro-Duo-UX581/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_adgroup=&utm_content=495354050855&utm_term=zenbook%20pro%20duo&gclid=Cj0KCQiA7YyCBhD_ARIsALkj54r1VF1FLe1qeTYvH7T8EpS8vKYZ7aW0CMTHWoEKiu_PaIlfgqdZjLQaAmecEALw_wcB

TrickorTreacle · 06/03/2021 23:09

The OP will need to come back with more specifics, but as already said, £1500 is a big enough budget if Windows.

For Adobe packages, the graphics card is equally as important as the 16GB RAM.

A few years ago, £1000 (so only two-thirds of the OP's budget) got me an i7 laptop with 16GB, a Geforce 1660 Ti (graphics card) and a 1 terabyte SSD. It's still going strong now. The only caveat is that it doesn't have a CD-ROM drive, so I used an external drive to install Adobe, Office etc.

VanGoghsDog · 06/03/2021 23:14

Personally, I'm not a fan of HP, having had a few.

I recently got a Lenovo Legion - not the spec you want but they have various models - I'm very impressed with it.

letsjog · 07/03/2021 17:10

What specifics do I need to come back with @TrickorTreacle ?

Thankyou for all the recommendations so far. It's such a minefield for me and could be an expensive mistake if I go for the wrong one which worries me.

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