Buying a machine is mostly one question: what do I actually need? Tell the adviser what you do on it, how long you want to keep it and how much you carry it, and it returns a specification with the reasoning on every line — so you can argue with it rather than take it on trust.
- Processor
- 8+ core current-generation H-series, or Apple M-series ProRaw conversion and denoise are the slow steps, and both use every core you give them.
- Memory
- 32 GB
- Storage
- 2 TB SSD
- Graphics
- Entry discrete GPU with 6–8 GB, or Apple M-series Pro graphics
- Screen
- 16", 2560×1600 or better, 100% sRGB and near-full DCI-P3, factory-calibrated
- Battery
- 70–80 Wh, 8 hours of real workUnder 1.8 kg with the charger in the bag
These are rules of thumb, not benchmarks. They are the levels below which people usually regret the purchase, worked out from what the software of the moment asks for — not measurements of any particular machine, and no substitute for reading a review of the exact model you are considering. Prices, model names and generations change constantly; the reasoning on each line is the part meant to last. Nothing you enter leaves your browser.
Where the numbers come from
Two of the lines are arithmetic rather than opinion. Storage is 120 GB for the system and applications, plus the files you say you add each month over the years you plan to keep the machine, plus a third again as headroom — a full SSD slows down, and most people run out of space a year before they meant to replace the laptop. Memory starts from what the work needs today and goes up one step for every two extra years you plan to keep it, because that is what the last decade of software has done, and because memory is usually the one component you cannot add later.
Processor, graphics, screen and battery are stated as classes, never as model numbers. Model numbers are out of date within months; “eight or more current-generation performance cores” is still true a year from now.
What it does not do
It does not know about prices, sales or the specific machine in front of you, and it is not a benchmark. Treat it as the floor below which people usually regret the purchase, then read a review of the exact model — including its cooling, its keyboard and how loud it gets, none of which appear on a spec sheet. Nothing you enter into it leaves your browser.