Processing platform

Some will know that I have been posting pretty poor images in Avian of late, to put it mildly.
A lot of the problem relates to the monitors that I use running through a KVM switch so I can't recognize poor IQ caused by over cropping.
The current dual 27" Dells are an essential work configuration so I can't change them.
A possible consideration would be the new 16" MacBook Pro as a starter to which I could add a larger Mac monitor later if necessary.

Thoughts and suggestions please.

Thanks

Colin

Hi Colin .... sounds like a dilemma .
For me all a question of money what you are looking after ....

When it comes to a monitor ....the best way to go is one that can be hardware calibrated !!!! And no Apple monitor has that option ....!!!
I would suggest Eizo or NEC .... not having any favorite though . In the past I preferred Quato Intelli .... but does not longer exist .

When it comes to the platform .... well I prefer Mac ... but not a must I think . Again a question of budget .
Next question will be laptop or workstation .... laptop is difficult without a large screen , so if laptop is your way .... no way around for a screen .
Laptop is also limited in terms of additional expansions .... internal and external .
RAM .... mostly somehow limited in laptops . I run my machine ( Mac Pro 2013 ) with 64 GB of RAM and its coming sometimes to its limits ( in terms of speed ) when I do a lot of editing with lots if pixel layers . Just depending on your workflow !!!
Mac users who want to upgrade to the new Mac Pro 2019 .... need a big wallet !!!!
Sooner or later I do also have to make a decision where my way is going in terms of a new machine .... as the support for my Mac Pro 2013 ... will be limited by OS and PS very soon I think .

Workstation ... well cheaper solution would be going the windows route and create your machine by your needs .

Just my thoughts , hope this helps .

Cheers Andreas

I agree with Andreas. a laptop monitor is going to be worse than what you have right now. A laptop isn't the best option for processing RAW files unless you must process your files while traveling. the hardware is generally weak and designed for low power consumption rather than performance , overheating and battery life is an issue and is also not up gradable. I have a 15.4" macbook pro and I've got to say it was a big waste of money, it doesn't do much more than my $800 work dell laptop.

I recommend a desktop workstation, I use PC. If you want Mac, you need to look at the top of the line iMacs. Apple doesn't have a pro workstation right now, the new 2019 mac pro costs as much as car if you want to configure it with competitive hardware, word is that it was a flop and there aren't selling many of those....

Here my PC specs

Core i9 12 core CPU 4.2 GHz
64GB DDR4 quad channel RAM
Nvidia GTX 1080 8GB video card
2 x 2TB PCI-E NVMe SSD
4 x 2 TB SATA SSD
Windows 10 Pro

I use 100% solid state storage (SSD) which makes my workflow very fast and efficient


hope this helps

Thanks for your comments/advice. I actually run three HP workstations with single or dual Xeon and quadro cards, and from 24 to 128GB ram. My problem is needing access to these three through the KVM (one keyboard and mouse) for work. So I was hoping the MacBook idea would free me from that. I have been digesting the reviews of the new 16" MacBook and it does come up substantially better than the 15" it replaces. The Retina screen is supposed to be pretty good too but it should be able to drive an external monitor. Unfortunately at present i can't go take a look at one with all Apple retail stores closed.

It seems a bad idea to spend $ on a laptop with a small screen. Just take the KVM switch off when editing photos. If you have a quadro card it supports multi monitors simply connect your monitors directly to the video card.