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Very Good
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Just Right
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15 Inches
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Pro Photo Editing
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Alienware Laptops for Photo Editing

Here's a great selection of alienware laptops for photo editing.

If it’s high-performance gaming you’re after, look no further than Alienware. Its purpose-built desktops and laptops are world-renowned for offering the hardware that keepers gamers gaming for longer. 

In fact, the Alienware brand has proved so popular that it was eventually bought by Dell in 2006. However, it hasn’t changed the speciality of the brand as it is still considered the ‘Rolls Royce of gaming computers’. What’s great about Alienware gaming laptops is that you can customise your hardware and software to your heart’s content, without voiding the warranty. It’s the little innovations like liquid cooling for CPUs that put Alienware in a different league to its competitors. 

It wasn’t until 2009 that Alienware launched the first of its now world-renowned Alienware gaming laptops. The 17” M17x was the first, followed by the M15x and M14x; with the latter incorporating support for Nvidia GeForce 500 Series graphics and Intel i5 and i7 processors. It has very much been an upward curve since then for Alienware, with serious gamers looking to an Alienware gaming laptop to deliver the performance, reliability and precision needed to excel.

Most run of the mill blogs and articles opining about “the best laptop for photo editing” give a cursory introduction to photo editing requirements and usually break these down by laptop specification.

At Choosist, whilst we love our products, what we’re about is you. What follows is an explanation of what you’ll need from your investment of time as well as money.

(If this all still seems daunting, you can take the stress and time away and still find the most suitable device via our laptop AI laptop finder service. You’ll get a specific recommendation, an explanation as to why it's the best option for you, where you can find it at the best price and best of all its totally free!)

1. Visual accuracy and clarity

At the risk of stating the obvious, these are paramount as you’ll be making fine detail judgements, often down to a pixel. If the rendering and colours are off, so will your hours of hard work be!

Therefore, look out for the following key items in a laptop screen.

Firstly the screen technology. Commonly the options are TN (twisted nematic) VA (vertically aligned), IPS (in-plane switching) and OLED. The latter two are the best, the OLED proving greater contrasts too, but the VA and TN (often not stated) are getting better and better. IPS and OLED offer the best colour accuracy and viewing angles. If you can afford the premium then go for it.

Resolution. Generally speaking the higher the better as it provides more detail in the same space. But bear in mind that the smaller the screen, the less difference that extra resolution can make, as the eye can only perceive so much at the same scale.

Similarly, size, arguably, also works on the “more is better” principle. The greater the screen ‘real estate’ the more you can see at any one time. This also means space to accommodate the image alongside the tools and palettes without a cramped and cluttered screen. But size comes at several costs - price, portability by dimension and weight but also requirement. The bigger the screen, the higher the resolution screen you’ll need to view at the same level of detail.

2. The ability to run demanding software

Whether you’re a photoshop fanatic or a GIMP user, working with image files, especially in RAW format, a laptop for photo editing requires some grunt under the hood. The following areas will need your attention

The processor sometimes referred to as the CPU, has to perform some serious computations to convert your thoughts and ideas into visual reality.

Whether you buy AMD or Intel, you’ll want to get 4 cores (a core is a processing unit) and above, the latest generation of processor. For example, an Intel i7 - 8550 which is 8th gen will be better than intel i7 - 7500 which is 7th gen. Thereafter its the speed, usually written as GHz, that you’ll want to maximize.

Don't forget to look out for the suffix. Processors that end in Y should be avoided, whilst U will indicate a lower powered version, although top end varieties of U processors will manage. Those ending in H or K will be high performers but will usually be bigger and bulkier affairs.

RAM is equally critical to ensuring a smooth uninterrupted experience when editing your prize-winning portraits or awesome action shots.

Your processor computes batches of data (image details, commands to alter the image etc) and the size it can work on at any one time is determined in large part by the RAM which is the space in which the work can be done. To do this RAM is very fast memory but this makes it expensive hence there's less of it than in your hard drive.

8GB will handle it, but if you want to ensure avoiding lag 16GB or above will be better.

Hard drive choice is not just about storage space. With excellent cloud storage and cheap external devices, long-term storage is cheap.

Graphics cards have hitherto been the first go to spec when searching for the best laptop for photographers. Graphics cards ensure that whatever the processor makes happen to the image is delivered quickly and accurately to the screen.

As such discrete or separate graphics cards, usually by NVIDIA or AMD, have been insisted upon, but modern integrated cards are catching up fast and can save you some serious pennies.

If you want a laptop for photo editing, the laptop’s operating system will need to be compatible with the software package you’re after.

We’ve mentioned photoshop, GIMP and Sketch but there are other software that may be important. From Affinity Photo to the oddly named Alien Skin Exposure, from Lightroom to Luminar 3, most are available on both Windows and Mac.

However, Apple’s more than basic ‘Photos’ is exclusively macOS and Microsoft’s Photo Editor 10 is Windows only.

And let’s not forget ChromeOS. Whilst these tend to be lighter weight laptops, we’re starting to see beefier models hit the market. Whilst these will not compare with MacBook Pros or Lenovo Thinkpad workstations, they can be great for lightweight work on the move. But, they won’t be running full Adobe Photo without laggy and complicated streaming / remote desktop set-ups. Can a Chromebook ever be the best laptop for photographers? One day maybe, but for now, if you’re serious and you can afford it, probably not.

3. Compatibility with your other devices

Nowadays there are wireless options available for nearly every type of peripheral. Wacom style tablets, multifunction mice as well as 3D mice are all available as wire-free. So the best laptop for photo editing on the market no longer needs to be the laptop with the most ports on it!

Where wireless options do not exist hubs and adapters abound aplenty which may be fine if your laptop will be parked permanently on your desk. However, if you might be using it more than one location or if you do not want to use an external hub, the number and speed of ports may be an issue. This is even more important as the number of ports on laptops seem to be reducing, with one of them often doubling as the power input.

So, to put it simply, when you’re looking for the best laptop for photo editing for ‘you’, you’ll need to establish your connectivity needs in advance.

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Alienware 15 R3

$1,399.99
Very Good
for your needs

This is a stunning powerhouse of a gaming laptop. Not only does it come with a very useful next-gen graphics card that lets you play some of the most demanding games available, but has already been set up to tackle VR gaming as well. If Oculus or Vive are your parameters, then you should know that the Alienware 15 R3 comes with certification of optimization for those. This beast goes above and beyond what you might expect. It's very sturdy as well, with magnesium alloy finish and reinforced steel on the body and copper touches for cooler running. The 15-inch LCD screen supports FHD, FHD 120Hz and UHD resolutions, and comes with a nice anti-glare finish too. An upgraded sound system means that audio is a pleasure that can improve your gaming response times, and the almost silent SSD means you won't get distracted when mid-battle. Power, design, and portability make this a gaming laptop that should make you salivate.

Very Good
for your needs

A next level gaming laptop with a punch, this Alienware laptop comes fully loaded with everything you need for a quality gaming experience and skips over the unnecessary detritus of other models. As with most Alienware laptops, the R3 (Silver) has a beautiful and futuristic design that'll turn heads with its notable alien symbol on the lid and neon pink additions. As for gaming, you'll be able to play AAA titles effortlessly, meaning you can sit back and enjoy games like Star Wars: The Old Republic with no problems whatsoever. Under the hood you'll be blessed with next-generation NVIDIA GeForce GTX 10-series GPU, a powerful 100W graphics card as well as overclocked i7 K-series processors - making 4K gaming and VR easily accessible. What's more, with the optional NVIDIA 3060-degree image capture technology, you can fully immerse yourself in the action and become part and parcel with the game. What's not to love?

Very Good
for your needs

The DELL Alienware transports you to the worlds of your gaming, with its crystal-clear display technology allowing the graphics to leap from the screen and giving your games an extra sense of realism. DELL Alienware 15 understands the rigors of gaming and the pressure which your laptop must withstand, and its combination of HDD and SSD gives this laptop both the speed, reliability and hardiness that will allow you to smash the keys to your heart's desire. The combination also means that your games will run as smoothly as possible, without the stuttering of older and less developed devices. Additionally, this laptop's clamshell shape helps to protect it against damage, which is important when playing the many new releases stored on your laptop, with 16 GB of memory allowing you to delve instantly into the latest games instantly. Save tiny worlds, defeat villains in style; your gaming choices are unlimited.

Alienware

Portable Alienware gaming laptops

Alienware’s newest laptops are some of the thinnest designs ever. They offer exceptional portability and unrivalled battery life for gamers. They support the latest Nvidia graphics cards and have up to 32GB of DDR4 RAM available for super-fast performance. The Alienware 13” range is also ideal for easy transportation, with a 13.3” screen and lightweight design. Laptops in this range were the first to feature quad-core, H-class processors.

Alienware laptops with overclocked processors

The Alienware 15 laptops are engineered with high-performance graphics and the dynamic overclocked processors help to immerse you in your gameplay better than ever before. The Max-Q technology within the Alienware 15 also allows you to get every last drop out of the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 graphics card.

Alienware laptops suitable for VR gaming

The rapid emergence of virtual reality (VR) gaming on laptop and desktop has seen Alienware seek to blaze a trail for immersive VR gaming experiences. The Alienware 17 range incorporates industry-leading Tobii technology that offers revolutionary eye control and eye tracking for refined controls within any kind of VR gaming environment. The 17” screen is also impressive and the laptop is designed to house the 8th generation Intel Core i9.

Hand-pick the right Alienware laptop for you

At Choosist, we specialise in being able to recommend an Alienware laptop that meets the ever-increasing demands of serious laptop gamers. If you are looking for an Alienware-built laptop, you’ll discover a comprehensive range here. With gaming laptops built for transportability, as well as state-of-the-art visuals and virtual reality gaming, Alienware remains the number-one gaming brand for laptop owners. Just let us know what you want from your new Alienware laptop and we’ll display the best available price for the laptop that fits your needs. It really is that simple! Whatever your needs and whatever your budget, let Choosist source the perfect Alienware laptop for you and your family.