<p>Alright guys, </p>
<p>I know almost nothing about computers. Tax returns are coming, as well as graduation and dads & grads sales. I'm starting to look at the laptop I want for the next few years. I'm generally looking at Dell because I prefer to self-design, but I will consider others. My budget is between $1000 and $1500. Since I won't be able to buy another laptop for at LEAST the next four years, I want a relatively good piece of equipment. </p>
<p>So here's my question: there's a new processor out called the Intel Core i7 which everyone is raving about. If I get a Core i7 machine, I can only get 4GB of RAM. I was looking at 6 or 8 on the non-Core i7 machines. I would consider myself a medium-level computer user not interested in the gaming experience. I want my computer to be fast - very fast. Should I go for the processor or the extra RAM (given that I need Windows Ultimate 64-bit)?</p>
<p>applicannot</p>
<p>You don’t need more than 4gb of RAM no matter what processor you go with. No program requires that much RAM, go with the i7 with 4gb of RAM, it will be your best bet.</p>
<p>You need more than 4GB RAM if you have Vista/W7 since it’s more ideal. However, the i7 Processor is pretty bad ass. If your not into gaming it doesn’t even matter what graphics card you have. However, I would recommend you customizing a Sager computer instead of Dell. Dell computers are horrible imo. If you can’t get i7 then just get a mediocre processor with 8GB+ RAM</p>
<p>4 Gb RAM is more than enough… If you want to go faster, get a bigger processor. If you ask me though. Given that you’re running Vista or 7, anything beyond ~2.2Ghz 4Gb is strictly redundant.</p>
<p>Besides, if you want to play games, get a desktop…</p>
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<p>I have Windows 7 and it’s almost never over 2 GB of RAM (and I only have 3). Getting more than 4 is overkill. An i7 may be overkill atm too, but it will extend the life more than the increase in RAM.</p>
<p>FWIW, HP has better student discounts than Dell and has a similar customization system.</p>
<p>These are great ideas. The idea is that no, nothing on the market now - that I use, as I’m no gamer or graphic design major - needs that much computing power, but I’m hoping that it will still be in decent shape after four years (obviously obsolete, but at least still functional - my sister’s 512MB from four years ago is, for example, a $1500 paper weight these days). Also, thanks for the tips on Sager and HP. I have never heard of Sager. The website says gaming laptops. I know they can obviously be used for anything, but it seems a little odd. I’ll check it out. HP gets really mixed reviews but I didn’t realize they had customization. Customization helps me get more bang for my buck since I can upgrade the features I actually use (i.e., not the video or sound card).</p>
<p>you’ll need both for your computer to work</p>
<p>Go with the processor. You can immediately see a tangible benefit with a faster processor, but more RAM provides <em>no benefit</em> unless you can use it.</p>
<p>Even 2GB is more than enough for most things today, and 4GB will be plenty for now. Unlike processors, RAM is cheap and easily upgradable. By the time you will conceivably need more than 4GB, you can probably upgrade to 8GB for $50. Meanwhile, in laptops, processor upgrades are usually next to impossible.</p>
<p>To be honest though, your laptop might get lost/stolen/damaged before four years, so I suggest that you don’t spend too much on it. It’ll be a pretty crappy laptop by four years because technology evolves so fast, within 2yr, you can probably get an equivalent laptop for $500.</p>
<p>Oh yeah, Windows 7 Ultimate will provide <em>no speed benefit</em> over Windows 7 Basic. It just has more features, and it’d probably actually be slower than Windows 7 Basic due to the extra stuff that’s running. If you want fast, I’d suggest an efficient operating system that does the bare minimum of what you need it to do, but still support all the features of the processor. Honestly speaking, that would be some Linux distro or BSD, but Windows 7 Professional is what I’d recommend if you’re not too adventurous.</p>
<p>Well, Stanford requires Windows Professional or Windows Ultimate, so I can get Windows Professional (there was a promotion at the time, so for some reason I thought Ultimate was cheaper).</p>
<p>The thing is, in two years, I probably won’t have $500 or $750 to spend on a computer. I’m very careful, and my sister kept hers in beautiful condition for four years (and if you saw the way she takes care of her things…!). I’d love not to buy a great laptop and then reinvest in two or three years, but I highly doubt that will be economically feasible. I need something that will last. I actually have a $450 laptop right now (a Compaq) that works like a charm. I could hardly ask for a faster, cleaner machine.</p>
<p>I really liked the HP Pavilion dv6t Quad. It’s cheaper than the Dell Studio (and gets better reviews) but it looks like a great piece of equipment. I’m thinking $1200 to $1400. It’s my graduation gift, so $1000 of it will be subsidized and it will only cost me $200 to $400 (less if our tax return is good).</p>
<p>See if Stanford has a program store on campus of some sort. Purdue has contracts with software companies which makes the price of different software CD’s including operating systems such as Windows 7 cheaper. If you can get it cheaper than might as well wait till you get on campus or visit the campus as a registered/future student. Purdue sells Ultimate for the market price of Professional so yeah… </p>
<p>Even though Sagers are used for gaming you can just have a nice,fast computer and you never know if you want to get into gaming. Gaming computers are always a plus since they have an amazing/great graphics card and are fast. However the negatives are its weight due to the stuff inside it and the battery life. I currently am using my Sager atm and it works like a charm. Great computer and great products.</p>
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<p>Really?? core i7 is a processor that supports triple channel memory. 4gb, which I am guessing is two 2gb RAM, is not gonna be as efficient as using all three channels.</p>
<p>A processor sorts the data and tasks that is occurring when you are working on stuff. RAM is used to store things temporarily for tasks.</p>
<p>If you want fast, a strong processor (CPU) definitely helps. It’s like the brain of the system. More RAM helps if you are doing heavy duty tasks. I guess you can say the same of the CPU. If you haven’t thought/heard of it, a solid state drive(SSD) can help speed up your system, but they are pretty expensive now.</p>
<p>All in all:
-Stay with 4GB of RAM. You can always upgrade later; it’s the easiest
-Get an i7-720QM if you are constantly in the need of power for things such as video/audio encoding or other such multi-threaded tasks.
-The next best option would be an i5-520M. It’s more efficient with power consumption and heat. Also, it’s adequate for multi-threading tasks should you occasionally need that.
-Hard drive you can go with 5400 RPM or 7200 RPM. The difference, I hear/read, is not so much except for booting. A SSD is a large investment, but good because without moving parts they are likely to outlive a standard hard drive (HDD).
-If you are doing video or media stuff, a dedicated graphics card helps with that. Since you don’t game, you may not need this.</p>
<p>Lots of info, but research never hurts for such an expensive choice when it comes time to buy.</p>