Laptop spec Question

[theFijian]

Should I go for :

a) i5 + 1 GB dedicated graphics
or
b) i7 + integrated graphics

Same RAM, same SSD, similar clock speed. I'm not a gamer and I'll be mainly doing software development so generally hammering the disk with lots of writes.

Any opinions?

 

[theFijian]

Went for the i7 if anyone's interested

 

[DaisyDay]

Went for the i7 if anyone's interested

I don't know enough to understand the difference. My computer is very old.

 

[pgp_protector]

Went for the i7 if anyone's interested

Just replaced my older laptop this month also.

Not a screamer, but it works for my coding needs
6G Ram
1/2 TB HD
17" Monitor
AMD A6-5200
Slow point is the Graphics (4.3 Desktop subscore)
under $400

Though I do have to get used to Windows 8 for now.

 

[theFijian]

Just replaced my older laptop this month also.

Not a screamer, but it works for my coding needs
6G Ram
1/2 TB HD
17" Monitor
AMD A6-5200
Slow point is the Graphics (4.3 Desktop subscore)
under $400

Though I do have to get used to Windows 8 for now.

Is it Win 8 pro? If so I believe you can downgrade to Win 7 if you prefer.

Understanding downgrade rights

 

[CodeforChrist]

i wouldnt down grade. there were changes done to make transfer rates on the computer faster. in my mind it was worth the dealing with the new layout.

 

[theFijian]

i wouldnt down grade. there were changes done to make transfer rates on the computer faster. in my mind it was worth the dealing with the new layout.

There are two issues I've come up against with Win 8:

* Driver support - I've an old (6+ years) Compaq laptop and couldn't get Win 8 drivers for the display
* Windows Media Centre - is now a paid-for add on, for which you must have Win 8 pro edition, where as in Win 7 it was free (apart from the Basic edition I think)

Other than that, if you don't like the tiles then just install a Shell to give you a Win 7-like desktop.