I found the difference between an i3 and i5 is massive whereas the difference from a i5 to i5 is not that great, unless of course you have software that can really use the additional cores.
As I have said on a few occasions on here, I wouldn't swap my 13" i7 Macbook Pro with 16Gb for anything as a development machine (running Win 7 on a VM using VxFusion). I love the backlit keyboard and the intuitive touchpad gestures that make standard laptops feel antiquated by comparison. My only gripe is that you can't update the internal memory like the old Macbook pro's so if you buy one then you are stuck with the memory you inherit forever! Having said that, 16Gb of Mac memory still performs like 32Gb of regular PC memory - or at least it feels like it. Also, in FxFusion, the graphics performance in the VM has come on leaps and bounds in version 10 from that in V6 which wasn't that long ago. Damnit ... I think I'm becoming a Fanboi! How sad! Yes it was expensive, but the applecare warranty means that in 2 years it will still be a saleable machine should I want to get rid of it. Only retrospective change I would make would be the 15" screen as opposed to the 13" model, but seeing as how I run an external monitor on it most of the time, then it isn't an issue. Also the switching between virtual screens/sessions is seamless and makes the smaller screen workable with lots of concurrent apps. Dave -----Original Message----- From: ProFox [mailto:profox-boun...@leafe.com] On Behalf Of Kurt Wendt Sent: 18 May 2015 14:29 To: profox@leafe.com Subject: RE: [NF] Recomendations for a developer laptop Hey Ted, I made it thru - although I wouldn't consider it a Rant. You made me chuckle with the Contestants reference. I'm also looking for a laptop - and I am even considering a Refurb, as you mentioned. Although - yeah - I need decent 3D - since I'm mainly doing 3D on it - and e-mails. So, keyboard has to be decent for doing e-mails. But, even the 3D graphics doesn't have to be Super-horse power. My 3D these days is all for prototyping - which doesn't get as Hi-Poly as regular 3D design for animation. I hadn't heard about a Dell Outlet before. Is it a physical store - or an extension of their regular website? I'd also be interested in getting people's feedback on the Intel i3 vs. i5 vs. i7! I know i7 is top-of-the-line chips, for the most part. But, are i3's that bad - vs. say an i5? I know in the old days - they cut or don't connect a single circuit on a regular Intel chip to make it a Celeron vs. regular Intel chip. I've even seen new Celerons for sale. Is an i3 like that - basically cut down and less power than an i5? Sorry if I am hi-jacking your Thread too much Ted - but, since I'm also in the market for a new laptop - I figured a couple extra Q's on here wouldn't hurt too much... -K- -----Original Message----- ...Contestants: typical machines I'm considering include: Lenovo Thinkpad T540p: 4th gen i5, 500 Gb HDD keyboard, trackpad are problemmatic. Refurb, $660, plus I'd add $100 worth of memory. The 550 has a better trackpad, but only available new, at at $400 additional premium. Dell Latitude E5540: 4th Gen i5, 16 Gb RAM, $890 at Dell Outlet System 76 gazelle: i5, 16Gb, 500 HDD, $1033 - Ubuntu pre-installed, would need to get Win7 license, likely ActionPack or OEM. Or $1082 with their discounted i7. So, congrats on making it to the end of my rant. Tell me what you look for in a development machine, what I might have missed, and what you recommend. -- Ted Roche [excessive quoting removed by server] _______________________________________________ Post Messages to: ProFox@leafe.com Subscription Maintenance: http://mail.leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profox OT-free version of this list: http://mail.leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profoxtech Searchable Archive: http://leafe.com/archives/search/profox This message: http://leafe.com/archives/byMID/profox/18725b8cd2d5d247873a2baf401d4ab25970d...@ex2010-a-fpl.fpl.LOCAL ** All postings, unless explicitly stated otherwise, are the opinions of the author, and do not constitute legal or medical advice. This statement is added to the messages for those lawyers who are too stupid to see the obvious.
