As stated in my other topic, I’m swtiching to linux from OS X. see my software needs over there.
I figured I need a new laptop
current setup/specs:
Macbook pro 13’ mid 2012 (macbook 9.2)
I7 (ivy bridge) 2.9 ghz
8 gb ram
internal 256gb SSD (samsung drive going to look for the exact specs if needed)
internal 7200 rpm 750 GB HD
external 24’ eizo screen with dvi connector.
Main reason I’m switching is the hardware lockdown of the macbook pros of apple and the very high prices.
First I’m wondering do I need to change hardware if I’m going with linux and ditching the memory leaks of adobe. I’m counting on updating in about a year or 2 in any way.
Secondly, what would be a good system under 1000 euro to buy and have possibilities to upgrade on a later date, so good processor, graphics card and battery life are important, initial ram, hd are less important.
Off course linux compatibility without exotic drivers, ability to connect external monitor without color management (without losing a data port/usb) are needed.
Even though I mentioned that I don’t know anything about hardware I DO know that you can install Linux on a Mac Book. So even with a relatively old system like yours it might still be worth trying if Linux with a not-too heavy desktop environment (XFCE comes to mind, for example int he form of Xubuntu) can keep your hardware running for a while.
IIRC @patdavid has Linux installed on a Mac Book, maybe he can give some insight.
As I’ve read you are based in Belgium, so perhaps Tuxedo based in Germany would be an alternative.
Well this side in german only, but they do some good job there and no, I’m not related to them I just know some people who bought their Linux comps there completely finished … a little bit like Mac but way cheaper.
Fortunately, he’s already running it on his MBP. fwiw, I switched to Ubuntu GNOME full time on that MBA (OS X is still there on a small partition, but I really like my Ubuntu install).
No, if the current hardware performs well for you, there shouldn’t be a need to update. If you want to update, though…
Honestly, these days ram is so cheap that it barely warrants the effort to not get it pre-installed by the factory…
I happened to be looking recently as well, but my requirements might be slightly different than yours (I prefer an ultraportable machine vs. power).
If you wanted to go the supported/pre-installed linux route, Dell has a few machines that they sell and support:
In particular the XPS machines look fantastic and have good looking specs overall. Even if you buy the Win version, you can always install *nix later (and in the case of Ubuntu there may be supported drivers available more easily?).
I was personally looking at the XPS 13", though lately I’ve been leaning towards one of the Precisions (we recently got some at my work and they are very nice machines - that infinity edge display is awesome).
For me, the specs do not sound too dated. Only the
may be a bit low for a fluent raw and retouching workflow.
You did not give information on the graphics card used. With the right graphics card some image processing software (e.g. darktable) can be much faster.
Nevertheless, to me it sounds like you could just try it without new hardware, since you already have a parallel installation of ubuntu why not work 4 weeks with it and decide then?
I actually have already 3 distro’s running to figure out which one I like the most. Xubuntu, Arch (still setting this one up) and Fedora 24. So going to test what I like the most.
I can still upgrade my ram if it is too slow, but I can honestly say that my mbp is already faster with all of the above distros then in OS X
btw the video card:
Intel HD Graphics 4000
It is anyway great news that my hardware is still quite up to the task on my 4 year old laptop.
Just from my experience, so maybe collect some more opinions. I change my notebooks about every 6 years, and I do not own a desktop computer. So the notebook is my only computer, and besides private use (including photography) it is partially used professionally as well. The main reason for exchanging my old notebook 2 years ago was not the performance but the 1024×768 resolution that is not compatible with darktable.
It seems we are looking a bit in the same range, I was also looking at the dell range, but the thing is that they are not that much cheaper then apple.
My biggest concern is not upgrading ram, but more being able to replace a hard drive when there is faster and/or it does crash. When using your HD as intensely as I do, it is bound to happen.
But for now I’ll stay with my current system and see how it holds up.
Sorry, I meant it does not help with the speedup. I have a similar one. You need some higher class card, e.g. from AMD or Nvidia, and not every card works, so especially for notebooks I find it hard to find out if a given card will work. The intel range of “display adapters”, as a former colleague calls these (opposed to “real” graphics cards) will not be used for computation.
Which isn’t that big of a deal. I only have had notebooks for many years, too, with this one being a few years old by now and not supporting OpenCL either. It still works great for darktable. Final exports may take a little longer, but I can live with that.
Just to make this clear, I have no comparison since I only own the notebook and I am a very happy darktable user without OpenCL. But, with the OP thinking about buying a new computer, this is something which should at least be considered.
@houz: it can be a problem, on my previous macbook I had 2 cards and there is a noticeable difference in using the higher end card when dealing with a lot of photos and actions on those photos and have the subsequent rendering of those actions be fluent. As I’m working a lot of times with a few hunderd of raw photos at the same time and doing 3 resizing exports simultaneously, this can indeed play an important role in my consideration of a new notebook.
However, for now I’m staying with my current system and am in the process of setting up and tweaking the for now winning distro of fedora to test during a couple of months.
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