Question Looking for a good CPU for my school laptop.

[Reivilo]

My study for graphical design is starting in a month, and I still need a laptop, they told me I need a i7,
allthough I think an i5 does the job just fine. (It also needs atleast 8GB)

So my question is if you guys have any good recommendations. My budget is max €700

 

[Ralston18]

What must be considered is the graphical design software you will be using.

Most software applications list the necessary hardware and OS requirements.

Likely in some form of "minimal", "recommended", and "best".

You do not want "minimal" and you do want as much "best" as you can afford.

An i5 may "do the job" but performance could be slow. The same holds true for other components as well.

Slow performance is not helpful when trying to crunch through an important lesson or project.

Who is "they"? If instructors, advanced students, technical support, then I would purchase an i7 with at least 8 GB.

If your budget is tight, ask around: you may be able to get the laptop and/or software via a student discount. Or maybe purchase from another student who is graduating or otherwise no longer in the program.

 

[kiss-method]

what could also be an option is building a mini ITX computer. It's a lot more work as far as getting geared up, and organized. But I've seen some people over the years here building a system that just fits in a bag and it's portable in that way.

 

[Andrew Fox]

If you get a 9th or 10th generation i5 laptop they will be fine for the job as they are proper quad core chips.

what could also be an option is building a mini ITX computer. It's a lot more work as far as getting geared up, and organized. But I've seen some people over the years here building a system that just fits in a bag and it's portable in that way.

Good luck finding a portable battery that will power your mini ITX system for a 6hr school day in addition to a monitor, will be a huge pain to take between classes and to study session too haha. This can't be a real suggestion? No teacher is going to let you set that up on your desk.

I would suggest this laptop for your needs - https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-VivoBook-i5-10210U-Windows-S433FA-DS51-WH/dp/B07YY11XL6/

If you compare the i5-10210U to the i7-8665U you can see it's better than the previous generation i7s (well, basically identical performance) so will be perfect for your schooling.

https://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i7-8665U-vs-Intel-Core-i5-10210U/m740553vsm819403

 

[kiss-method]

If you get a 9th or 10th generation i5 laptop they will be fine for the job as they are proper quad core chips.



Good luck finding a portable battery that will power your mini ITX system for a 6hr school day in addition to a monitor, will be a huge pain to take between classes and to study session too haha. This can't be a real suggestion? No teacher is going to let you set that up on your desk.

I would suggest this laptop for your needs - https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-VivoBook-i5-10210U-Windows-S433FA-DS51-WH/dp/B07YY11XL6/

If you compare the i5-10210U to the i7-8665U you can see it's better than the previous generation i7s (well, basically identical performance) so will be perfect for your schooling.

https://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i7-8665U-vs-Intel-Core-i5-10210U/m740553vsm819403

Closed minded sure, you can say that. I would not take that as a first suggestion either I'll give you that.

Open your mind a little and try and adapt yourself as well. There are many settings and classrooms with power plugs. I didn't say anything about a BATTERY. It would ultimately depend on the setting of OP's classroom, I am simply giving an option that could be viable in certain situations. However, I can tell you that there are such rigs around, and people DO make them. They do require more work and effort, as I mentioned. Just because it takes you a few minutes to set yourself up, doesn't mean that it's a "BAD" option. We do what we can, and a suggestion is an extra option that someone can have. That's the bottom line.

 

[Andrew Fox]

I know most schools do not provide any power points to desks in the room, mostly only schools with computer labs would have that sort of power on demand. Modern laptops have really caught up a lot and are powerful enough that it's pretty unrealistic to require the inconvenience of taking a whole desktop computer around with you

When you compare a modern CPU to a modern laptop you see that it's within 15% of the power of a desktop processor
https://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i7-6700-vs-Intel-Core-i5-10210U/3515vsm819403

I don't think it's closed minded to dismiss the idea so much as it just doesn't warrant the impracticability of it compared to just buying a cheaper laptop that does the job and can just throw in your backpack and take out anywhere without a lengthy setup process.

With modern laptops having USB-C graphics support you can even bring a full-class PC graphics card to connect up to it when required (which unfortunately requires external power). I think you are underestimating the power of a modern laptop

 

[kiss-method]

I stand by what I said, it's a suggestion that may work. No lengthy set up if you arrange yourself. I didn't say that a laptop was a bad option.

and just so we're clear, a 2000 Lexus 300 gets an average 20MPG while a 2020 Honda Civic gets an average 32MPG .

Best of luck to you my friend 🤝