Processor and RAM Question

Hi all, I've decided on a CTO notebook but am not sure about some of the components. It gives me processor choices of i3-2310, i5-2410, i5-2520, i5-2540, and i7-2620. As you can see, due to the fact that there are so many choices I don't know which one would be best for me?

As for RAM, how much should I get that will be enough for my needs? Should I get 2, 4, 6, or 8GB? (I'm aware these can be aftermarket upgrades.)

I'm a university student and will use this notebook for software development.

Because I'm not well informed on the field of computer hardware, I would like some you more computer savvy enthusiasts to help me make the right choice that fits me needs.

Really appreciate your input. Thanks.

 

To be honest I wonder how much software development you would need to do when you have no idea what you need as hardware )

4GB might be enough for you. I would start with 4 and you could always upgrade if you feel it is bottle-necking you

 

Which laptop are we talking about?

Those are just faster Core i5 processors with faster out of the box speeds and obviously higher turbo frequencies.

I would get the most RAM, seeing as it is dirt cheap now (~10 dollars per GB).

 

What kind of software development? If you mean for coursework, then 4GB is enough. If you mean for working with industrial or scientific software as part of the lab, you may want 8GB if it's at a reasonable price (RAM should be pretty cheap right now).

 

Yes, it would be helpful to know what of development work you're doing to better assist you. If you don't know, check your school website. It usually has course outlines.

 

For software development, you don't need to be too concerned with CPU and RAM.

You do want to make sure you get a screen with a resolution of at least 1600x900 or 1440x900, not 1366x768.

Which notebook is it? Someone might even be able to recommend a better notebook, or recommend other upgrades on the one you're looking at.

 

Depending on what languages and what kind of software you are working with CPU and RAM are VERY important. I have no idea why anyone is saying otherwise... compiling is a pain on an old computer, especially if you have to run a VM to get it done.

Anyways, if you're a student... 4GB is almost definitely enough and I suggest you stick to that.

 

This, I found a pain to develop and to see if it runs on 2 VMs with a core 2 duo cpu and 4g of ram.

 

Max out ram, as long as the chips are an affordable type. Then, go as far up the food chain on proc chip as your budget allows.

Anything else for software development is gonna end up wasting your time. Compiles take time...speed is addictive

 

Keep in mind that upgrading your RAM is super easy, it takes at maximum 4 screws to unscrew, and less than 1 minute to swap it out. There is little to no risk of you accidentally damaging the system by trying to add more RAM

If the base option, 2 GB, is just 1 stick of RAM (2GB x 1), then leave it as is. This way, I would order a 4GB stick for $40 and end up with 6GB of RAM. It's a $40 upgrade versus $100 (or more) that they are probably trying to charge you. This way you save more money, which you can put towards a faster processor.

 

Not all software development requires CPU-intensive compiling.
Personally I'd rather have a larger workspace to work on my code (screen upgrade) instead of having my code compile 10-20% faster with a CPU upgrade.
A CPU upgrade from i5 dual core to i7 dual core won't make much of a difference (maybe 20% speed increase at most), and many compilers aren't able to be multithreaded due to the nature of how compiling works. Go for an i3->i5 upgrade, and possibly an i5 dual -> i7 quad upgrade if the turbo speeds are similar so you can benefit from the multithreading in other apps.

In terms of turbo speed, an i5-2410M -> i5-2520M will be a 10% increase, and an upgrade from i5-2520m -> i7-2620M will be a 6% increase from that point (not taking larger cache into account)
I'd take the upgrade from the i3 to the i5-2410M (estimated 39% increase since i3 has no Turbo), or to the i5-2520M (~52% increase), but from that point on save your money.
Again, these speed differences are just estimates based on clock speed and turbo speed.

It'd still be helpful to know which computer you're looking at.

 

a university student and software development, then the question to ask is what kind of software development your course requires/covers.

ROR/Python/javascript etc. don't even need compilation. I can work on these things on my VPS(256M RAM) using vi.

But if you are going to build linux kernel, google chrome/firefox because you have changed a line or two of them, you need very fast machine.

 

Also curious, those are all dual cores. Why dual core and not quad core? Looking for best battery life? What laptop is it... feed us!

 

Configure To Order... duh.

Dozens of online vendors offer users the option to configure to order.

 

Correct! Thus, there are dozens of configurations possible to choose from, too. Which makes your original inquiry about dual cores, quad cores, battery life etc. very relevant.

 

I work as a software dev and I think getting a fast CPU is the best thing. Ram can be added easy later, adding a faster CPU is more difficult. My laptop had 4GB DDR3 when I got it. Most of the time when using VS 2010, MS SQL server, RAD Studio 2007, Firefox and office 4 GB was plenty. I Upgraded to 8 GB about 3 Weeks ago and have not noticed any big difference.

 

Right, all depends on your usage which OP hasn't delivered, nor the type of laptop OP's considering.

I have 16GB, well, because it was cheap and great for running VM's. Otherwise 4GB is really adequate for the normal user.

 

It seems he is going to take a software development course. For tutorial cases and most didactic tasks it won't take much of CPU and RAM...

I would go for the greatest screen resolution you could get, as it is a pain to develop and debug on tight screens.

On a second priority, just get the best processor and RAM (if it's not overpriced) that fit your budget. I would prefer quad cores, but that's not the greatest deal.

 

Sorry all, been busy lately. Anyways, I'm a university student taking a software development course that includes: C++, VB.Net, and Java.

Now going back to my original question; which processor and how much ram?

PS. I'm looking at the Thinkpad T420.

Thanks a lot.

 

My university generally recommends 4GB of RAM for all of its students, and all the laptops it sells have 4GB.

On the T420, I'd probably recommend going with the i5-2410M or i5-2520M, 4GB of RAM (you can get 2GB and buy an 8GB upgrade kit on NewEgg.com for the same price though), and of course get the 1600x900 screen upgrade.

However, the T420 is known to have screen quality issues. You might want to check out the Dell Latitude E6420 if you want a screen with a brighter backlight and a better contrast ratio.
The Dell Latitude E6420 has a similar choice of processors, with the addition of the quad-core i7-2720QM. RAM - it's the same deal, and LCD - get the 1600x900.