Minimum CPU for effective Lightroom 3?

<p>This is another "what computer" question, but with a slightly different slant (at least so far as I could find in the archives...).<br /> I'm looking for a replacement laptop. The primary things it will do is transfer files from CF cards to disk and process images in LR3 (with some work in CS5).<br /> I'm trying to keep the budget low so I have cash leftover for some lenses and/or a new desktop computer.<br /> Currently, I'm leaning toward a Dell Inspiron15R. The main reason is that it's the only low-end laptop I've found with both eSata and USB 3.0 ports (important for fast card-to-disk transfers).<br /> I'm a little worried that the CPU (an Intel Core i3-380M) may be a bit underpowered (?). I can upgrade to a Core i5-2410M, but it bumps the cost up about $100 (~20%).<br /> Thoughts, suggestions?</p>

<p>Of more concern should be the screen. Low-end laptop screens are notorious for narrow viewing angle, color shifts, and lack of calibration ability. And it's not just the cheapies, my Dell XPS of a couple of years ago has an awful screen, even having been a top-of-the-line laptop at the time.</p>

<p><Chas></p>

<p>You can add a USB 3.0 card to almost any PC for <$30.00.</p>

<p>Henry Posner<br /><strong>B&H Photo-Video</strong></p>

<p>Besides an accurate screen (which hopefully you can use an external monitor?), I would be far more worried about Ram. I'll take a slower processor with more Ram any day of the week. The very minimum I would consider is 4GB. 8GB would be better. I would rather have 8GB and an i3 than 2GB and an i5.</p>

<p>Thanks for all the comments.</p>

<p><strong>Charles:</strong> Yes, the screen will be a problem. I don't plan to use this machine as my primary photo-editor, just something to work-up photos for quick release while I'm on the road. My old laptop has an almost perfect sRGB screen (I think it may be an IPS panel), but the processor just isn't up to the task anymore... (and I use a calibrated CRT in the office).<br /> <strong> </strong></p>

<p><strong>Henry: </strong>I did look at getting a laptop with an ExpressCard slot (they are somewhat rare on low-end machines), but I'm a little worried about the effective bandwidth through the card and the laptop's interface/drivers.<br /> <strong> </strong></p>

<p><strong>John: </strong>Yes, the one upgrade I plan on is maxing out the memory (6 Gb for most i3 and i5 machines).</p>

<p>FWIW, I did stop by Staples and look at the Dell 15R yesterday. The screen looks OK (at least compared to the horrible screens on two newer HP laptops I use occasionally).</p>

<p>Geoff, I'm using an HP DV7, Windows 7 64-bit with the LR3 30-day demo and no problems. It works very well with external esata or internal esata to a SSD used for layer processing in PS7. Backups are done on a 750 GB USB 3.0 external HDD with no worries.</p>

<p>I paid about $859 USD last August at Costco in Livermore CA, USA. This one can handle the load, but I upgraded from the 4GB RAM to 8GB now that it's getting cheap. (memorystore.com).</p>

<p>Regards,</p>

<p>TH</p>

<p>For LR to operate efficiently (in other words, for you not to have to stare at a thumbnails screen for 5 mins before the previews are loaded and before LR can switch to a full preview for editing), you need 2 things and 2 things only: RAM and a fast hard drive (at least 7200rpm). RAM to enable LR to operate more efficiently and hard drive speed to allow LR to read information fast enough. Without these two, you could be waiting for accumulated hours staring at your perfect pixelated display to load properly.</p>

<p>Make no mistake, stick a slow drive on the worlds perfectest display and you will suffer ALOT more than if you had a slightly substandard display. Same with RAM. Also beware that RAM accessibility has to do with the version of Windows you'll be using, as not all can access the full amount of RAM you may have. You need a 64bit version and chances are your i3 may indeed struggle with this...</p>

<p>So, considerations are more than just single-level...</p>

<p>Thanks for all the comments/suggestions.</p>

<p>I kind of wimped out on my low-cost criteria when I was ordering and ended up getting the Core i5 and the AMD Radeon HD 6470M video card (to preserve memory for applications) - that bumped the price up by about $150...<br>

I also ordered a Lexar USB 3.0 card-reader this morning, so hopefully I'll be able to dump cards to my external eSata disk way faster than I can now, and also have a chance at using LR when I'm away from home.</p>