Looking to buy a new laptop, but undecided on the processor, i5 or i7? Windows based is preferred by the way. I, like most(I guess), use my computer for a number of things, from gaming to entertainment, some video and web work, along with regular work(excel and Office suite mostly), and as a hyper user, I may have 5-10 windows open(or more) at any given time, unnecessarily(to most tech heads I think), always buying an i7 is a waste of money since an i5 would be just fine. Thoughts, opinions? All would be appreciated, cheers.

tldr: Looking to buy a new laptop and undecided on the processor, I already have a couple 17" i7's, I need something smaller that is relatively powerful that I can travel with(or carry around town), and that can run most programs. Money really isn't a problem, but I already have enough invested in these non-appreciating assets, lol. Thus, something reasonably priced(if possible) would be appreciated. Not sure if it exists, but maybe a 10-13".

Picking a chassis size and style you like, plus functionality you want or need, i.e. touch vs non., glossy or matte screen, 1080p or 4k, convertible or classic laptop, storage needed,etc. matter as much or more as i5 vs i7. Unfortunately, some manufacturers tie the RAM config of the laptop to which processor is installed, so you may have to go i7 if you want max RAM.
Gaming is one of the most challenging asks for a thin and light laptop at a reasonable price. For the most part you're looking at a 15" chassis and fairly thick for systems with a solid GPU. Razer Blade 15" is thin, but still 4.5lbs and pretty pricey
https://www.razer.com/gaming-laptops/razer-blade

If you're leaning towards something on the lighter side, and willing to give up gaming on the smaller laptop, consider the Lenovo X1 Carbon, Surface Pro and Surface laptop. I've used a Thinkpad X1 Carbon 3rd gen and a Surface Pro 4 in the past year at work. The Surface was nice for screen quality and low bulk, but I preferred the traditional laptop hinge of the Carbon for the ways I most frequently use laptops. X1 Carbons and Surfaces are not going to be among the less expensive options, but fit and finish are generally pretty nice.

Very true, I have a tendency to get all hung up on the chip sets, much like engines in cars.


I figured that's about as small as I could go, which is fine, it's not too bad on an airplane, but was hoping maybe something else was out there that I wasn't aware of.

Thank you for your response and your time, it's appreciated!

I found these reviews to be helpful: https://thewirecutter.com/electronics/laptops/

Always go with the fastest processor you can afford, everything else comes after that, e.g. ram, ssd, etc.

Picked this up a few months ago and have been pretty happy with it. Convertible touch-screen with both fingerprint and facial recognition. I7, 16 gigs ram, 512 SSD
https://store.hp.com/us/en/pdp/hp-sp...360-13-ae052nr

The HP store is currently sold out but you might be able to find it elsewhere.

Downside is only 1 USB3 and 2 USB C ports so I carry a USBC hub that includes HDMI out.

Short Derail. Apologies in advance.

I'm looking for a new laptop too and don't find my question worthy of a new thread. I'm mainly going to be using this laptop to play poker while traveling. Do I need a gaming laptop? I've been using a Macbook Pro for the last 8 years and its on its last legs now and I'm ready to try a windows product.

This

I appreciate the response Josem and I did check the link before posting. Looking back my question is not very clear.

In order to play multi-site online poker, is it necessary to buy a gaming laptop or will most new laptops perform well enough?

Most new laptops will perform more than adequately. Hell, even old laptops will.

The key difference between a "normal" laptop and a "gaming" laptop is the graphics card. The graphics card is (for your purposes) only useful for 3D gaming. It offers no meaningful benefit for poker clients.

Depending on your budget, the XPS 13 from the Ultrabook article is likely going to be excellent for you.

Thanks Josem. Appreciate it.

Thinking a little more about this - if I were to optimise for a poker laptop, I'd prioritise these features:
a) hard disk speed (get a SSD)
b) processor speed (get a faster one)
c) more RAM (some laptops allow you to install more after purchase)

I'd de-prioritize these features:
a) battery life (you're probably going to be plugged in while playing)
b) graphics cards (not a concern)
c) touchscreen (you're not going to be tapping on the screen much to play if you're reading 2p2)

I too am looking at getting a new laptop and wanted to get some feedback. My main uses for the laptop are pretty minimal. Basic e-mail, videos, web surfing. I have a large external where I run it and the laptop screen split. My wife's laptop is ancient and she doesn't ever use it, so the new one will keep both of our files on it with different logins. I typically by close to top of the line just so it will last as long as possible. My current HP is about 7 years old and still operates fine, but is getting slower and slower.

So, I'm currently looking at a Dell XPS 15. Thoughts?

I'm also trying to decide if I should go with a 1T hard drive, since all of my wife's files are coming over, or should I go with a smaller SSD and use the cloud?

Thanks

Have you tried running a utility like CCleaner on your HP to see if that helps the speed? You probably have years of clutter and a ton of no longer valid entries in your registry.

If you are determined to upgrade, I love the boot speed of an SSD. Figure out what size you need to comfortably hold your files and go for it.

I do use Microsoft OneDrive to backup my documents and sync them with my office PC. Also have DropBox for other business needs.

I just ran CCleaner and it got rid of a bunch of stuff. I'll see how this helps.

Thanks for the tip.

Assuming you are getting the current model (2019) then this is going to be an outstanding device far and above your required standard.

Though, this looks to sell for around $1,500+ in USA (looking at Amazon briefly).

If you just want to do what you describe, it seems like you could spend under $500 and save a chunk of money: https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/be...top-under-500/

Yeah, the one I was looking at was 1,000-1,250. Like I said, I tend to buy higher end so it will stay relevant longer, but I will consider what you're talking about. I mean it's not like I'm doing lots of high end work on it.

Have a look at Dell Outlet.

Thanks, oki. They have some sweet deals.

Hey guys, could someone help me out here, absolute Windows noob (have only used Macs all my life), but need a PC for basic solver work and want to use Starshelper. Sorry if this is redundant with the original poster, just tell me if it is, and the recommendations are appropriate for me, too.

I'm ideally looking for a laptop that I can 4 table Zoom with + PT4 + Starshelper and watch some Youtube/listen to Spotify at the same time. I would like to connect the laptop with two 4k 27inch displays via USBC or HDMI. What specs/price range am I looking for?

Compared to the answer to my question above, how much money would I save (/performance would I gain) going with a desktop PC instead of a laptop?

THANKS in advance.

Mo$,

A desktop is going to be much cheaper, 'cause you don't need to cram everything into a very small space.

Your described usage is not likely to be very taxing: any of the laptops described above are likely to be fine. Anything with an eighth generation (or later) Intel core processor is likely to be fine, ideally with as much RAM as possible.

You don't need a fancy graphics card.

I am in the market for a new (refurbished) laptop. The last time I bought a laptop Ned Stark was still alive. What I'm looking specifically for is a laptop that will function as a PC for poker play. If I want the capability to hook up a 2nd monitor will I need a special graphics card to support this and what sort of video specs should I be looking for? One thing I miss with a laptop is the screen space of a 2nd monitor.

The XPS13 and XPS15 looks decent enough if it could handle another monitor.

How would you rank these processors? OR what should I specifically be looking for. Is there a speed threshold where everything below should be ignored? Thanks in advance.

**Intel Core 8th Generation i7-8550U Processor (Quad Core,1.8GHz,8MB Cache,15W)
**Intel Core 7th Generation i5-7200U Processor (Dual Core, up to 3.10 GHz, 3M Cache, 7.5W)

Puravid,

All modern laptops will serve two monitors.

The 8th gen processor is significantly more powerful.,

Thanks Josem! That's a small relief. Looking at the XPS15's I have two options for hard disk,

**1TB Solid State Hybrid Drive (5400 RPM) with 8 GB Flash
**256GB PCIe M.2 NVMe Class 40 Solid State Drive

Roughly the same in price ($60 difference) so I'll go with the superior option. Ram looks to be "8GB (2x4GB) 2666MHz DDR4 Non-ECC" which is the standard for this model as far as I can see. What are the practical differences between the two?

256GB NVME is way faster than 1TB Hybrid drive. That's a somewhat deceptive name for the 1TB option. Its a slow 1TB spinning drive with only 8GB of SSD cache. Basically a slightly faster spinning disk drive that I wouldn't pick for a boot drive for anything other than a bargain basement system.