An i3 with 4 gb of RAM should definitely suffice basic usage previously stated (youtube, watching movies, microsoft office, and basic flashgames on the inet). But anything like video games, or video editing would be out of the question for anything under an i5 without a dedicated video card

Thanks, I was really hoping someone would make a post like this!

I have a four year old Toshiba laptop (with pentium dual core) that's nearing the end of it's life since it overheats like mad and its battery life has significantly gone down.
I'm looking into getting a new laptop or ultrabook, something that's really light because I've gotten really sick of lugging this huge laptop around with me. I'm just confused on what requirements I'll need for the new laptop. I'm going into electrical engineering so I'm not sure what programs I'll be using and whether or not they really require a lot of power. It was a real pain for me when I had to use Inventor last year since it was so slow and I downloaded netbeans and the thing takes forever to load.
Do I have to have something with i7 and lots of RAM or will a normal i5 do? Maybe an ASUS Zenbook? Or a Samsung?
Also, I'm really liking the Surface Pro that's coming out in January. Is it powerful enough to completely replace a laptop or desktop? Does it have enough memory or am I gonna have to upgrade it somehow? What do ya thing?

i think you guys should delete any mac vs. pc posts
before this turns from an actual informative thread and into a giantpisshitvomitfest

@freija I'll watch out for it for sure
@spark to my knowledge the biggest problem you will probably run in electrical engineering is matlab (second year math for all eng and further for electrical eng) for the programming courses. You will probably use other coding software but I believe this is the most taxing one. For sure you don't need an i-7. An i-5 or maybe even an i-3 will suffice (someone else who knows more about processors enlighten the specifics).

In regards to what you are looking at already, any computer with an i-5 and 4gb of ram will do. For your needs I don't think you need to spend more than $600-700 for a laptop in that range. Giving a quick search I found one but it seems more expensive than it needs to be probably cause of the solid state drive. http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...509&CatId=3989

Giving a quick google search shows that the surface pro is a tablet. I don't know much about tablets other than people with ipads don't have complains and people with the google nexus (I think that's the Asus tablet) like it a lot. Imo, tablets can't replace a computer (lap/desktop itself) in terms of full daily functionality. I see it as merely a substitute for taking notes and on the go access to information. Perhaps other users will share their inputs on using tablets.

Originally Posted by Allan

Will there be a lot of laptops with touch screens come October, due to the release of Windows 8? I haven't seen any confirmed products that will be on the market yet :(

Needless to say I will be getting by on an iPad + desktop until I can get my hands on a windows 8 laptop

edit: came across these gems, holy :O

Originally Posted by *spark*

Thanks, I was really hoping someone would make a post like this!

I have a four year old Toshiba laptop (with pentium dual core) that's nearing the end of it's life since it overheats like mad and its battery life has significantly gone down.
I'm looking into getting a new laptop or ultrabook, something that's really light because I've gotten really sick of lugging this huge laptop around with me. I'm just confused on what requirements I'll need for the new laptop. I'm going into electrical engineering so I'm not sure what programs I'll be using and whether or not they really require a lot of power. It was a real pain for me when I had to use Inventor last year since it was so slow and I downloaded netbeans and the thing takes forever to load.
Do I have to have something with i7 and lots of RAM or will a normal i5 do? Maybe an ASUS Zenbook? Or a Samsung?
Also, I'm really liking the Surface Pro that's coming out in January. Is it powerful enough to completely replace a laptop or desktop? Does it have enough memory or am I gonna have to upgrade it somehow? What do ya thing?

Anything running an i5 or i7 with Intel HD 4000 graphics and at least 2GB of ram (Ram is so cheap these days that basically all computers come with at least 4GB so it'll never be a problem for you) should be more than enough for your needs. You'll probably want to aim for a computer with an SSD as well. The Asus Zenbook Prime and the Samsung series 5 are amazing ultrabooks with good construction that should last you a while, but they are on the pricier side (you have to pay for build quality). You can get a computer that meets all your needs for for a bit cheaper ($600-ish) if you're willing to get something made of cheap plastic.

The Surface Pro + a Keyboard Dock is basically a Windows 8 ultrabook. There are no released specs yet, but things like SSD storage, Ivy Bridge ULV i3/i5 CPUs, and high-res screens can all be assumed (Windows 8 also uses very little memory, so the possibility of the Surface having only 1GB or 2GB ram is something to worry about). And you can expect all of this at a premium price vs a laptop/ultrabook with similar specs. I wouldn't buy a first gen product though, there are almost always issues that crop up that are fixed in the second gen release (Windows Vista vs Vista SP1, iPhone vs iPhone 3G, Asus Zenbook vs Zenbook Prime). You'll be better off going with an Ultrabook or just waiting for the next generation of Windows 8 tablets.

For laptops, I have always strongly recommended a desktop and a laptop, since with all the syncing programs available I have not had an issue. I have a cheap laptop, and then use my desktop for gaming/studying/media since I have a much larger screen, while the laptop is super handy for school. Plus unless you want to sacrifice weight, battery life and more difficult to upgrade a gaming laptop, it makes more sense and is in some cases cheaper to buy both.

Originally Posted by qwerty91

T
[3]: Ivy Bridge
These processors were first introduced in Jan 2012. They use a different architecture entirely over Sandy Bridge. They use 3D trigate transistors and have an upgraded integrated graphics HD4000. the die has also been reduced to 22nm. The actual processor has little performance upgraded (5% roughly). However due to the more "3D" nature of the transistor technology, this generation uses noticeably less power (ie more battery life) for the same performance. Where the biggest difference is though is the integrated graphics. Some benchmarks show up to a 70% increase in GPU performance over 2nd gen Sandy Bridge models.

So do you upgrade to 3rd generation processors? IF you want a desktop and are putting in a dedicated graphics card then dont bother. If you are getting a laptop with a dedicated card then it depends on a cost to battery life ratio which is up to you. If using a laptop with integrated graphics or an ultrabook then i would recommend getting third generation. A final thing to consider is that Ivy bridge processors use a new motherboard socket that will have better support for usb 3.0 which is a nice benefit.

I actually just upgraded my desktop processor to a 3rd gen, i5 (from a amd athlon 2) but you said something about GPU. Is this for the integrated or added on ones? I have a good graphics card so I have never run into issues, but just curious what you meant.

Originally Posted by Allan

Will there be a lot of laptops with touch screens come October, due to the release of Windows 8? I haven't seen any confirmed products that will be on the market yet :(

http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/08/u...computex-2012/

Looks like all the future PC's are gonna have touch screens
I'm definitely waiting until these come out and I get to see and compare

I'm considering getting a samsung 13.3" laptop that runs on a AMD Dual-core A6. A lot of info is on intel processors, but what is the difference in performance level between intel and AMDs? Will A6 be sufficient to do light tasks (youtube, word, pdfs, email etc.)?

Thanks for any comments!

Originally Posted by boeyyy

I'm considering getting a samsung 13.3" laptop that runs on a AMD Dual-core A6. A lot of info is on intel processors, but what is the difference in performance level between intel and AMDs? Will A6 be sufficient to do light tasks (youtube, word, pdfs, email etc.)?

Thanks for any comments!

From with what I am familiar with, Intel has more efficient and faster processors, but AMD's are MUCH cheaper. Most AMD processors don't go higher then $200 for eight cores, but i5's start at $200+, and i7's are at least $300.

For small laptops that aren't used for gaming, you won't notice much of a difference since they have a long battery life anyways. If you are using them for gaming or high requirement applications, they will likely run hotter and use a bit more energy

If you have a 13.3 inch screen, chances are you are more focused at battery life and price, so you are fine

Originally Posted by guerilla

Needless to say I will be getting by on an iPad + desktop until I can get my hands on a windows 8 laptop

edit: came across these gems, holy :O

Nice! Are these confirmed for Canada?

Originally Posted by Snowman

I actually just upgraded my desktop processor to a 3rd gen, i5 (from a amd athlon 2) but you said something about GPU. Is this for the integrated or added on ones? I have a good graphics card so I have never run into issues, but just curious what you meant.

Integrated graphics. The HD4000 is much better than the HD3000 (2nd gen). If you have dedicated GPU then the only increase you would see would be strictly CPU

Originally Posted by MiguelSMinnic

thanx

Thread made in 2012 was made in 2012.