I'm debating on getting the Wacom C2 - standard, and whan to know if it lags during heavy / long sessions of PS/Corel Painter ect. I'm also curious to know if the standard version can handle PS just fine or if the expensive 17 is really that necessary..
When it comes to performance, I find the standard i5 model satisfying. It can’t do much in energy saving mode, but on performance mode I’ve been able to draw in Photoshop (in a HD format 300 dpi file, seven normal layers plus two additional adjustment layers) without hitches. An i7 will obviously perform better, especially on heavier sessions, but from what I’ve experienced it does the job well. I do expect to complete heavier sessions on a desk computer, using the CC2 as a passive Cintiq, so I might not have pushed it very far yet.
On a personal note, instead of performance, my main issue with the CC2 (and to be entirely honest, the reason I’ve actually contacted Wacom to send it back), is the fan noise. I’ve seen a windows Surface 3 model at (light) work, and I don’t know how they make it so silent without it over-heating, but if they can do, then I wish the CC2 didn’t roar quite so hard just because I have a dozen of tabs in google chrome and nothing more. Hopefully generation 3 will be The One!
If you don’t think the fanning sound will bother you (it’s soft enough at rest, I guess), I think it’s a nice computer. Not one whose praises I’d sing, but it’s been efficient so far and boy does it start and stop incredibly fast! SSD is a gift, it’s amazing!
