Laptop recommendations under $1,200?

Hey there!

I’m looking to pick up a laptop for my sole proprietorship by $2667. It would be a huge plus if it came with Windows 10 Professional pre-installed.

Main use: Graphic design work, specifically using Photoshop.
Display: I really need something decent—nothing like those cheap screens where half the image looks washed out if you tilt it just a little bit. I'm thinking somewhere between 15 and 17 inches, but definitely nothing smaller than 15".
Where to buy: Anywhere here in the US, though having Windows 10 Professional included would be a nice bonus.
Brands: I’d prefer Dell, Lenovo, Asus, or Acer, in that order.
Specs: I’m hoping for something that at least matches or beats my current setup: a Ryzen 5 1600, a GTX 1050Ti 4GB, and 8GB of RAM—though 16GB would be ideal. For storage, a smaller SSD paired with a 1TB HDD, or maybe some kind of combo, should work fine.

Hunting for a laptop specifically for Photoshop is a bit of a headache. You can't just rely on the spec sheet; an screen that rocks for gaming isn't always what you want for PS.

Why do you even need Windows 10 Pro?

wiredotter14 said:It’s actually a bit tricky trying to hunt down a laptop for Photoshop—it's tough to tell what an actual screen is like just from the spec sheet. You know, screens that are great for gaming aren't necessarily any good for PS.

What do you even need Windows 10 Pro for?

The laptop is going to be for my sole proprietorship. I honestly just prefer the Pro version over Home, even if we ignore the whole ongoing debate about whether Home is technically allowed for commercial use or not.

Yeah, I get that it's hard to judge a screen without seeing it, but I don't need anything crazy specialized for design—just a decent, standard monitor. Even the BenQ I'm using now is kind of crap, but it works perfectly fine for graphic design, so I haven't had any issues. If the laptop has a screen like that, I'd be happy. My main worry is that I've seen some Acer monitors where the colors look washed out—like, if you look at the top half, it looks pale, or if you tilt it slightly, the bottom half goes dim. There isn't really one specific angle where you can see how bad it actually is... I just hope it isn't catastrophically bad like yours, and I'll be satisfied.

Pro offers extra networking features and stuff, but that’s got nothing to do with whether you can use it for business.
Even Microsoft doesn't claim that.

A few years back, I called Microsoft support while reactivating a system. They had no clue about any requirement for it to be Pro.

When you're buying a license separately, the price gap isn't massive, though laptops that come pre-installed with Pro tend to be way more expensive.

If an auditor ever shows up, you'd better have a receipt showing you bought the license or a machine that comes with one included.

wiredotter14 said:Pro offers extra features for things like networking and stuff—it’s got nothing to do with whether you can use it for business.
Even Microsoft doesn't actually claim that.

A few years back, I called Microsoft HR while reactivating a system and asked them about it. They didn't have any clue that it had to be Pro.

When you're buying a license separately, the price gap isn't huge, but laptops that come pre-installed with Pro tend to be way more expensive.

If you ever run into an audit, you really need to have a receipt showing you bought the license or a machine that comes with one included.

I'm with you—Home could probably be used for work, but plenty of people say otherwise, and when you Google it, I don't see ANYWHERE where Microsoft explicitly states you can't use it for commercial purposes. They don't say you *can't*, either, but that's not much comfort, so I'd rather just play it safe. To me, the price difference isn't worth the headache of trying to explain myself to an IRS agent who might see things differently—whether they're technically right or not. But honestly, Windows isn't even the main point here.

I've been looking around, and I'll probably end up going with one of these two:
DELL G3 17 gaming 3779 273050419 (17.3 FHD Intel ® Core ™ i7-8750H Processor up to 4.1GHz 16GB 1TB+SSD128GB GTX1050Ti-4GB LNX)

ACER Predator Helios 300 NH.Q3EEX.015 / Core i7 8750H, 8GB, 2000GB + 128GB SSD, GeForce GTX 1050Ti 4GB, 17.3" IPS FHD