Best Processor for Productivity?

Hi everyone

I'm a student and I use my laptop A LOT, Its typically on for 16 hours a day, but I'm usually close to a charger.

I typically use it for heavy productivity; I will almost always have 10+ Google Chrome tabs open, multiple Word Documents, PowerPoints, spreadsheets etc… when I am researching and writing reports, preparing presentations etc...

When I’m not doing this, I’m typically chilling in bed watching Netflix/YouTube and browsing the web (again, lots of tabs open)

The thing is, I HATE slow, laggy technology that freezes and takes longer than it should to do a task, so I want something that handles what I throw at it like a champ. Especially given that a rely on my laptop so much and I get a lot of use out of it.

I'm looking at i5/i7s, but there is so much variety and I'm not sure what processor will best suit needs?

I'm currently looking at the i5-5200U vs the i7-5500U in the Lenovo Thinkpad series E range (will these be powerful enough?), but thoughts on any other processors are more than welcome! It would be paired with 6-8GB RAM and a SSHD or a SSD.

Also, would I see a difference in performance if I went with a quad core processor? I'm also not sure what generation to look at. As mentioned earlier, I'm usually close to a charger so power consumption is of less importance.

Any thoughts and advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

 

cjbeech, no point paying premium for dual-core i7 over i5, they perform pretty much the same. Given your usage scenario, I see no point in getting a quad core either, however, I would advise a convertible since they are much more comfortable to use when in bed or on the coach. Something like Lenovo Yoga/Thinkpad Yoga or HP Spectre x360 will do. Oh, and make sure you get 8GB of RAM and an SSD, or will be able to upgrade to SSD yourself in near future.

 

Looking at your typical usage this is what I gleam from your post:

Writing a lot? ThinkPad w/TrackPoint is a must. Most desirable keyboard/pointing devices made by far on any mobile system I've ever used (and no; other brands poor copies are simply not at the same level... especially the trackpoint implementations, but even the keyboards are a joke compared to a TP too).

(Note: I still use an older TP E450 w/16GB RAM and a 1TB SSD and as long as you don't physically abuse the chassis, it is a great system (try to order one with at least a 1920x1080 screen)).

Chilling in bed? A notebook cooler that raises the notebook above the bedding/sheets and keeps the airflow clear is a non-negotiable requirement (I use it during extended desktop use too).

See:
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834998686


I too hate slow, laggy systems. Assuming this notebook will be used for longer than 18 months and at least 36-48 months or more (and without knowing your budget or timeframe) nothing beats an i7 QC (non 'u') on the latest platform (Haswell today, by September; Skylake) with the most RAM you can install on it (CPU+RAM=Work done (i.e. productivity):

These are in the order of importance:
1) Quad Core i7 (non-'U' models need only apply) on the latest available platform (if you can wait for Skylake models; wait).

2) 16GB RAM or more in Dual Channel configuration (basically; you want to max out the RAM the system can hold). RAM is to multitasking as Water is to fish. More is always better.

3) Windows 8.1 x64 Pro (and follow with a clean install of Windows 10 x64 Pro as soon as it proves itself stable - my expectations are in the September time frame for Win10x64Pro...).

4) Matte Screen with 1920x1080 resolution or higher (touch isn't important - but Wacom style pen support would be very desirable, if available).

5) SSD:
- Minimum ~500GB 2.5" SATA3 model or larger (at this point (today) an SanDisk Extreme Pro
480GB/960GB is recommended).
- Along with proper partitioning (C:\Drive 150GB+ for O/S + Programs and Z:\Drive for your DATA and User folders (163GB or 475GB, depending on the capacity of the drive).
- To keep the performance and snappiness of the system as high as possible; OP (Over Provision) by at least 30% or more. This is accomplished simply by leaving unallocated space on the drive and allows the SSD to always be ready to respond to user input, vs. needing to do internal GC (Garbage Collection) routines to clean and prepare the nand while the user is expecting things to happen 'now'.
-Not only does this minimize the WA (Write Acceleration) factor for the SSD... it also ensures that the SSD offers the most performance it can after it reaches steady state (which all SSD's reach - in as little as a few hours, days or a couple of weeks, depending on the workflows they are subjected to).
- OP'ing does not increase the performance an SSD offers. Rather, it makes all the performance it inherently has available to the user as they need it because the SSD is always ready... (instead of waiting for the internal routines to finish as they compete with the O/S, Program(s) and the Users requests).

What the above optimally configured system would offer is a balanced platform that will have the most 'snap' and raw HP to satisfy almost any student workflow almost indefinitely; including intense multi-tasking sessions right through the end of college or university too. This is what the i7 QC based on Haswell or higher platforms, plus 16GB RAM or higher, can offer (CPU+RAM=Work done, after all - and Work done is Productivity).

The Broadwell chips you mention are offering about half the performance of a true QC, but they do offer more 'snap' than even a Haswell based i7 QC has (at least for today's O/S and workflows). This relative snappiness may remain evident for a few months/years, but the low raw HP they offer will rear it's ugly head much sooner and with more immediate consequences for a user needing real power in the near future. Don't forget O/S's get updated/upgraded all the time as do Programs. Data sets always get bigger, not smaller. Even users change over the course of ownership; they find new/higher demanding programs or workflows, they always need to do more than they originally thought they would with the system, etc. Even web browsers can bring a system to it's knees (with enough tabs open) and even a simple youtube session is not lessening the load on our systems with each passing year (rather the opposite).

As long as you have the budget; buy as much computer (RAW HP = CPU+RAM) as outlined above. Save longer if possible to buy it once and buy it right. But know that any deviation from the above recommendations will greatly decrease the usable lifespan of the system (if smooth, snappy and immediate performance is as valued as you state - and as I value too).

Saving a couple of hundred dollars on a CPU (say an i5 vs. an i7) and another hundred on RAM may seem significant today. But it is usually a small percentage of the total cost of a new system anyways. Spending that today may save you from having to do this all again and having to buy a new system in the near (very near) future (~18 months or so).

You can think that you'll just upgrade the RAM and maybe even the CPU and SSD at that time... but, from experience, it won't be worth it (at the end of their life). Sure, it will make the computer faster. But the options available at that time for a new system/platform will effectively make any of today's systems obsolete and upgrading them... (the 'not worth it part'), for the $$$ and time spent.


One last piece of advice:
Buy the base system with as little RAM and as small a HDD as makes ($$$) sense. After you receive it and verify that the hardware works flawlessly; max out the RAM and do a clean Windows install on an SSD you've purchased separately. This will give you the fastest, least expensive and best configured system to enjoy for as long as possible without needing to constantly tweak it going forward.

I hope that the above helps a little and I hope where I've assumed things, I've been at least in the ballpark.

Good luck.

 

Yeah.. that's not "heavy production" usage Imo, it's kind of a toss-up between picking a quad-core that you lock on low frequency, and going for a dual-core in the 17w range that you can boost once in a while. The second option tends to last longer. The first is sometimes more reliable. But for those tasks you list, ram and ssd is more important. ..then again, practically any newer setup can run stuff like that well if windows is tweaked well

 

Thanks so much for the info! Give me a lot to think about. I do have a budget though, ideally £600-£700. It seems like if I'm going to get a QC i7 and decent RAM for that price, I need to sacrifice screen resolution, a SSD, build quality etc... so I need to strike a balance.

And you're exactly right, I do value performance highly and I want a solid system that will last me. I currently have Acer V3-571 with i7-3632QM and 8GB RAM, brought for about £500 2 years ago. Performance is fine but the screen is poor and it's overheating and shutting down randomly.

 

You're welcome.

For the Acer; did you clean out the dust bunnies inside the chassis? Blow out the fans and vents of the accumulated gunk? Did you consider re-pasting the TIM? The core hardware should be enough if these additional suggestions bring it back to life, especially if you can upgrade the RAM to 16GB and add an SSD and Win8.1/10 x64Pro too (yeah; seems like I'm backpedaling here, but really, I'm not). The platform you have is the dot one above the TP I mentioned in my previous post - so I know the performance should be good. However, the chassis/keyboard/mouse is definitely not at the level of a ThinkPad, even if the platform itself is good enough.

Hmm... Okay, now I'm backpedalling; maybe a new system is still the way to go... fix up the Acer as good as you can for $0.00 and sell it to finance your next platform.

Like I mentioned; buy the cheapest base system with the platform (Haswell, Broadwell or Skylake) and QC i7 installed and things like the O/S, RAM and SSD can be done in the next few months while you're still saving.

The screen is important, of course, and a 1920x1080 screen is highly preferable to a 1366x768 model. But I would sacrifice the screen in a heartbeat to have the platform optimized though (remember; you can always add an external screen easily and it can be way better, way bigger and way cheaper than what you can configure in a built in monitor for a notebook).

The E series TP's do sacrifice build quality, but they are still above many other consumer systems of even twice their MSRP.