Shared v Dedicated graphics memory for large photo processing

[GPHIsto]

Hello,

I'm about to buy a new laptop for processing some large images (~2-3GB each) and am unsure which route to go for graphics memory - shared or dedicated.

I understand the usual caveats about the different memory types (i.e. shared is better for battery life and fine for everyday use; dedicated is typically better for graphics intensive gaming). I will be doing no gaming of any kind, just processing images 2-3GB in size in photoshop and ArcGIS. The largest GPU I can find with dedicated memory in my price range is 2GB, which sounds pretty good but I am unsure how this will handle images of such size. I'm planning on upgrading the laptop to 16GB of RAM, so would having shared memory be better, since there would so much memory available?

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

 

[GPHIsto]

Just a little more information: I'm looking to buy within a week - total budget for machine <$1000, screen resolution likely to be 1366x768.

 

[toyftw]

Hello,

I'm about to buy a new laptop for processing some large images (~2-3GB each) and am unsure which route to go for graphics memory - shared or dedicated.

I understand the usual caveats about the different memory types (i.e. shared is better for battery life and fine for everyday use; dedicated is typically better for graphics intensive gaming). I will be doing no gaming of any kind, just processing images 2-3GB in size in photoshop and ArcGIS. The largest GPU I can find with dedicated memory in my price range is 2GB, which sounds pretty good but I am unsure how this will handle images of such size. I'm planning on upgrading the laptop to 16GB of RAM, so would having shared memory be better, since there would so much memory available?

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Hi - honestly, I can't say for sure. However, for
photo processing you need to get the best cpu in your
budget range. The cpu is key in photo processing.

Tom