topic Re: Ram and processing power in Tech Help - Software/Hardware etc

Ram and processing power

the_groundsman — Wed, 18 Oct 2023 08:43:41 GMT

My laptop's on the way out. Webcam not working since it was dropped, power socket doesn't always charge due to a damaged pin, cracked case. It's an HP pavilion with a 7th gen Intel i5 and 8GB of ram.

I'm looking at a dell inspiron to replace it as they are quite robust for laptops in the £400-600 price range. I'm inclined to go for an AMD processor. Not sure about Ryzen 5 or 7. I do a bit of photo editing but nothing too demanding so think the Ryzen 5 will be a big enough improvement

8GB seems fine at the moment in the old machine. Is it worthwhile upgrading to 16GB - not sure.

Would value your thoughts on current RAM and processing power performance if you have recently upgraded.

Re: Ram and processing power

Baldrick1 — Wed, 18 Oct 2023 09:59:16 GMT

@the_groundsman
I think that it’s all about getting the best balance between the internal components. I would not consider a machine that did not have a NVME SSD, I would then want 16GB min of RAM and a decent CPU. However very often you will find that it is drive speed (especially when having to use the drive as a cache to compensate for insufficient RAM) and insufficient RAM that has a major impact on performance.
Multi cored processors are only of use if the running software can use all the cores. The only time I have seen my computer fully using all cores is when converting movie camera output to a different format.

Re: Ram and processing power

the_groundsman — Wed, 18 Oct 2023 10:04:50 GMT

Hi @Baldrick1 very helpful. My current machine has a 7th gen intel i5 and it's fine most of the time so I don't think I'm a hugely demanding user, given that's almost a museum piece now. That said its best to future proof as much as you can. I hadn't really looked into drive speed so thanks for the useful pointer.

Re: Ram and processing power

Baldrick1 — Wed, 18 Oct 2023 10:13:13 GMT

@the_groundsman

An upgrade will also allow you to run Windows 11.

Re: Ram and processing power

Smith7 — Wed, 18 Oct 2023 11:18:23 GMT

Just a thought I think it's very hard to upgrade the RAM on the latest laptops as they are now soldered in.

In older laptops there used to be two slots then that was reduced to one now no slots.

I would defiantly buy a 16GB Ram and a SSD hard drive

Has anyone upgraded a RAM on a modern laptop how did you do it ?

Re: Ram and processing power

Baldrick1 — Wed, 18 Oct 2023 11:38:39 GMT

@the_groundsman

I have an old laptop which I had written off. The battery is dead so was removed years ago, it only ran Win 10.

I have turned this into a very decent back up computer by fitting an SSD and installing Linux Mint. It works fine on the mains.

I see from a quick Google search that replacement charging jacks are available for little money. If it was mine and I was scrapping it I would take the line that I had nothing to lose by trying, or getting a dexterous mate, to have a go at taking it apart and swapping the charging jack assembly.

Re: Ram and processing power

the_groundsman — Wed, 18 Oct 2023 11:45:19 GMT

Oops.

I can't bring myself to dispose of any hardware. I've got a netbook with puppy Linux, an ancient dell running lubuntu and a backup Samsung windows 10 machine that's really good for nothing. I'm thinking of trying chromeOS flex on one of them. My family all think I need some therapy to get over the obsession 😔

Re: Ram and processing power

Mav — Wed, 18 Oct 2023 18:17:29 GMT

I definitely wouldn't go with a screen size smaller that 15" and agree that 16GB RAM should be a minimum along with 1TB SSD.

Something like https://www.dell.com/en-uk/shop/laptops-2-in-1-pcs/inspiron-16-laptop/spd/inspiron-16-5635-laptop/cn56309sc seems to meet your criteria although it is a little higher than your stated £600 budget.

Re: Ram and processing power

shutter — Wed, 18 Oct 2023 19:19:24 GMT

@the_groundsman

Using Google Shopping search and basic info stated. 16GB RAM and 1TB SSD, on th s page

https://www.google.co.uk/search?sca_esv=574494873&tbm=shop&q=Inspiron+16+Laptop&tbs=mr:1,price:1,ppr_max:500,pdtr0:703981%7C764396,pdtr1:960913%7C960915,pdtr2:703936%7C703937,pdtr3:1020720%7C16.0%2416.0,pdtr4:1020484%7C1000.0%241000.0&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjk9ujvpoCCAxXv_7sIHSibBmYQvSsIyAIoAg&biw=1485&bih=865&dpr=1#spd=10833450097256736530

Resulted in this machine. For £380.00 including free delivery from AMAZON !

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fsjun%E3%80%90Win-Display-N5105-Full-Size-Keyboard/dp/B0C7CJJQ42?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=A1L8N6CC7FTMGB

Of course, you could "narrow it down" to specific manufacturer, or be more specific about other qualities of your choice, by selection in the relevant areas of the search queries.

Re: Ram and processing power

ghamilton123 — Wed, 18 Oct 2023 19:29:07 GMT

Would like to add though its a Celeron processor

But realistically you could get something preowned with a decent CPU and ram for about £200-400, I picked up a dell with a i5 9th gen and 16gb ram for around £175, and slapped a SSD in it myself, last month from eBay and it does pretty well.

16GB ram is a minimum now in my opinion

My personal opinion, I'd grab a refurbished M1 MacBook Air with 8GB ram you can grab one with your budget, one thing I have noticed with the M1 macs is the ram usage is significantly lower than what I'd be using on my windows rig, but macs aren't to everyone's liking

Re: Ram and processing power

the_groundsman — Wed, 18 Oct 2023 19:29:20 GMT

Hmmm. That processor looks a little bit rubbish though.

And it's green 🤢

Re: Ram and processing power

dvorak — Wed, 18 Oct 2023 19:31:18 GMT

I would steer very clear of no-brand laptops on Amazon.

Re: Ram and processing power

ghamilton123 — Wed, 18 Oct 2023 19:32:12 GMT

I do believe this should do you pretty well:

https://store.chuwi.com/products/corebook-x-i5-1235u especially for the price (i5-1235u, 16GB, and 512GB SSD)
Comparison vs a regular HP laptop:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwnrIWJoxk4

Re: Ram and processing power

ghamilton123 — Wed, 18 Oct 2023 19:32:40 GMT

I would steer clear of amazon for anything of value

Re: Ram and processing power

the_groundsman — Wed, 18 Oct 2023 19:33:10 GMT

Not going there

Re: Ram and processing power

the_groundsman — Wed, 18 Oct 2023 19:35:47 GMT

The chuwi's get mixed reviews. The core components and build quality are well regarded I believe. Hard to ignore 😉

Re: Ram and processing power

ghamilton123 — Wed, 18 Oct 2023 19:37:42 GMT

Especially for the price aswell, you really cant go wrong though

Re: Ram and processing power

TheRoadCrew — Thu, 19 Oct 2023 06:33:13 GMT

@the_groundsman wrote:
The chuwi's get mixed reviews. The core components and build quality are well regarded I believe. Hard to ignore 😉

https://store.chuwi.com/pages/warranty-policy

"To avail warranty service, you would need to send the device to our service centers in Hong Kong or Spain bearing the shipping costs."

That's enough to discourage me.

Re: Ram and processing power

Baldrick1 — Fri, 20 Oct 2023 08:10:11 GMT

If you have the space and do not really need something portable then go for a 'proper' PC with upgradeable components and a decent sized screen. They have far better performance for the money.

Re: Ram and processing power

the_groundsman — Fri, 20 Oct 2023 08:51:38 GMT

We do have a desktop. My wife's the main user but you are right. I've added ram, upgraded the storage and it's running really well despite its age. TBH I can't see us without a little tower PC here.