Spec'ing a new computer from Dell or?
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It's a very user-specific thing. I've found I can't even stand to work on 4c/8t i7's anymore, the lag is very palpable when just using a computer normally for me. If you think you're the type of person who gets annoyed, or worse, tripped up while working when you're waiting on your computer, the best investment you can make is a 6 or 8 core CPU and a very high-end NVME SSD. If you'll be using a 4k or higher resolution monitor or multiple monitors that are 2560x1440 or higher resolution, you'll also want to invest in a decent GPU. The money is very worth it. If you can afford it, also opt for a CPU w/ the highest base clock you can afford as that'll actually affect how fast it feels in many use cases including web browsing.
- Written from my 5.2 Ghz octacore i9-9900KF 2080TI workstation
- Written from my 5.2 Ghz octacore i9-9900KF 2080TI workstation
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Two pretty insane deals:
17.3" i7-8750H ( hexacore ) , 16GB DDR4, GTX 1050 TI, 128GB SSD, 1TB HDD, mini display port, hdmi, rj-45 out
$636.75 after $ back promotion15.6" thin-bezels, i7-8750H ( hexacore ), 8GB DDR4, GTX 1050 TI, 512GB SSD, USB-C, mini display port, hdmi, rj-45
$562.74 after $ back promotion -
@Pete-S said in Spec'ing a new computer from Dell or?:
The whole i5/i7 is just a bunch of marketing that creates confusion. There is no real difference between i5 and i7 on mobile CPUs. Usually the i7 can run on a slightly higher clock frequency so it's about 10-15% faster when pushed. Which is not enough for the user to actually notice.
So it's better to take the i5, save a bunch of $$$ and buy memory for that instead. Seeing Dell selling new laptops in 2019 with spinning rust and 4GB RAM - that should be criminal.
BTW, if you truly need speed you should go with one of the workstation or gaming laptops. They have a different, faster category of CPU. Higher TDP compared to the everyday laptops (45W versus 15W). But still slow compared to the desktop CPUs, which should be the choice for speed.
Respectfully disagree. But I will agree that for many people the difference between i7 and i5s ( generally speaking ) will never be perceived/valued, so in many cases it makes sense to go w/ an i5 for the $ savings.
For many other users and specific workloads, the difference is huge. Walking from my bedroom where I have a 2019 hexacore i5 Mac Mini running Windows 10 Pro hooked up to a 43" 4k monitor to my office across the hall where there's an octacore i9 it's like night and day. Each keystroke, click, and task-switch I do on the i9 feels VERY OBVIOUSLY faster than the Mac Mini. The Mac Mini feels ok, great for its size, until I hop onto the i9. When I get into serious workloads the difference becomes even more obvious, thread-dependent or not ( and honestly I don't have many workloads that use the surplus of cores, but I do multitask hard ).
The first time I went from an i5 to an i7-7700HQ it was a similar experience.
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@creayt said in Spec'ing a new computer from Dell or?:
9900K
Uninstall Teams if it's there and see if the lag goes away.
My go-to right now is a Core i7 Extreme 3000 series with 64GB RAM and a bunch of Intel SSDs in RAID 1 and RAID 0 along with a few Intel NVMe Add-in-Cards for extra speed.
I'm on the fence as far as a replacement as it's been pushed well beyond its shelf life with the SSD RAID 0 helping to extend and then the NVMe PCIe AiC also pushing things out yet another year.
The CPU has become a bottleneck. :S
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@PhlipElder What's Teams?
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@black3dynamite said in Spec'ing a new computer from Dell or?:
@creayt said in Spec'ing a new computer from Dell or?:
@PhlipElder What's Teams?
Microsoft Teams
Ah, I think I've maybe heard of that. I don't use it though and have confirmed it's not installed. I do use Slack though, but it's running identically on all my devices so I don't think it'd be the cause for performance differences.
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@creayt said in Spec'ing a new computer from Dell or?:
@black3dynamite said in Spec'ing a new computer from Dell or?:
@creayt said in Spec'ing a new computer from Dell or?:
@PhlipElder What's Teams?
Microsoft Teams
Ah, I think I've maybe heard of that. I don't use it though and have confirmed it's not installed. I do use Slack though, but it's running identically on all my devices so I don't think it'd be the cause for performance differences.
ProcessExplorer or ProcessMonitor digs right in to give you a direct eye on all services that can be seen and in the background. That may be the next step to see what's soaking up those CPU cycles.
EDIT: Unless you already know the culprit?
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@PhlipElder If you're referring to what I think you're referring to, the culprit would just be the relatively slower processor on the slower machine being constrasted.
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Sadly - sometimes it's due to the fact that they are trying for SUPER thin and SUPER light.. so making things modular costs both thickness and weight.
Hell no it's not because of the "lightweight" and "thin size". That is cost-driven to make you purchase the same model that adds one frigging slot. If you look at the PCB, it's got the solder points there already! I hate to say it, this is the same effect and the same thing as what Apple does in certain scenarios.
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@krisleslie said in Spec'ing a new computer from Dell or?:
Sadly - sometimes it's due to the fact that they are trying for SUPER thin and SUPER light.. so making things modular costs both thickness and weight.
Hell no it's not because of the "lightweight" and "thin size". That is cost-driven to make you purchase the same model that adds one frigging slot. If you look at the PCB, it's got the solder points there already! I hate to say it, this is the same effect and the same thing as what Apple does in certain scenarios.
I did mention reduced SKUs also - which is basically what you're talking about.
