Help with GFX component choices

Hi all,

I have long had a desktop PC but am making the switch to a laptop and retiring my old desktop. I've picked out a Sony Vaio E-series laptop, and have a few questions about component choices when custom spec'ing one.

My xbox is my gaming rig, so this laptop does NOT need to be able to play any modern games (although old non-3D games like Baldur's Gate might be nice once in a while)... What it DOES need to be able to do is edit my photographs with Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3, Photoshop CS4/5 and other editing programs like Photomatix. I do a lot of photo editing, so it needs to do this well and not be struggling to load large albums/images in Lightroom etc (RAW files from a D300 etc). I also want to be able to watch DVD's when away on work without any stuttering or other issues.

I've spec'ed out an E-series 15" Vaio with:

- Intel i5-450M 2.40 GHz processor
- 4GB DDR3 RAM
- 500 GB 5,400 RPM HDD
- DVD R/W Optical drive
- Intel HD Graphics

This spec comes to £608.99 on the UK Sony website, and I'm happy with that price.

The real question is, are the Intel HD Graphics (I believe this is actually part of the i5 processor?) enough to handle my photography and DVD watching needs, or should I upgrade to the ATI Mobility Radeon HD5470 512MB for an extra £30? If I did that, I could also (and would probably want to) then upgrade the screen to the true 1080p HD version for another £40 more.

£70 isn't a lot more for both upgrades, but I want to know if that Radeon upgrade is actually going to help with what this laptop is for, or if those dedicated graphics units really are just for modern gaming.

By the way, I'm also open to suggestions of alternative brands/models of a similar spec/price. I've done some research but there are so many slightly different models of laptop that it's hard not to get lost!

Cheers in advance!

 

Intel HD graphics is fine for what you plan to do. Nothing you are doing is going to be graphics intensive whatsoever. I do the exact same thing with my laptop and it has the previous generation Intel graphics.

The only thing upgrading the graphics can do is allow you to utilize the gpu to speed up processing in photoshop, but the 5470 isn't going to do much and that is really mostly useful with decent desktop cards and higher end mobile cards. For your laptop later on if you end up wanting more speed in photoshop you should probably upgrade the processor and ram.

 

My take:

RAM: to 6 or 8GB for ease of manipulating large files.

Screen: Up to 1080 if you need to see granularity whilst zoomed out.

Storage: HDD to SSD if you've got cash left, but if you're manipulating large quantities of RAWs, you might prioritize capacity over speed.

Graphics: Integrated should suffice for PS. GPU-accelerated functions exist, but AFAIK they don't help with the slower operations, just the snappy quick ops. Going discrete also leads to lower battery life, more heat (and therefore noise), but slightly better multi-display options.


As far as other models, I'd check out keyboards and touchapds on other laptops if you can. I've narrowed down my laptops at certain times only to try out the keyboard and find it disgustingly flexible or clacky, or that the touchpad buttons are mushy/the touchpad itself doesn't glide well.

 

For watching video and basic work the intel Hd Graphics should be fine. BUT if you plan on doing large album work such as what you have listed in your post, the dedicated gpu would be a benefit as it would help with rendering... the screen resolution would be a personal choice but I would no matter what get the higher res screen....

 

You probably wouldnt need the HD5470 altohugh the full HD screen is well worth the money as it is better quality as well as a higher resolution. If this is the EB (15"6 inch) model which oyu are looking at the icons etc can look very small in full hd but you get lots of working space which can be important when doing things like editing photos. You can change the DPI setting so that you can see thing slightly larger.

 

err just have to say this title is confusing and makes it sound like your getting ready for manufacturing... i mean its just a graphics card.

 

It's a shame you have to take the GPU to get the 1080p screen. How much better would you say the 1080 one is? Is it a better build quality too? Yes it's EB, the code it shows is VPCEB3X5E.

I don't mind things being small - will deal with it, better to have the working space I think.

Do these laptops have that thing where they switch between using the processor on board graphics (Intel GMA) and the dedicated GPU as and when it's needed? Or is the GPU always in use (and thus extra heat, noise, fans, battery reduction etc)?