Which is the best laptop for photo editing? | Ask Jack

Aileen is going to study photography and needs a powerful laptop for editing photos. It's a job that any laptop can do, but perhaps not to the high level required

I need a new laptop. I have a high-spec but old Toshiba Porti(C)gi(C) that has served me well, but I'm starting an art course and will study photography so need a top-notch screen (perhaps touch screen?) and more processing power. Do I have to get a Mac or is Windows a good option? Aileen

Last week's column covered the needs of a history student, who wanted a laptop costing up to 500. Professional photo and video editors typically go for the most powerful machines they can afford, with prices ranging from about 1,500 to 3,000. Cheaper machines can do the job, but reducing processing times from, say, 30 minutes to three minutes makes a huge difference to workflows. In providing more time for experiments, fast PCs can actually lead to better results.