Worth waiting for Skylake?

Hi everyone

I currently have an Acer Aspire V3-571 (i7-3632QM, 8GB RAM), but it's starting to have some issues so I'm looking to get a new laptop.

I typically use my laptop for fairly heavy productivity. I will frequently have 10+ chrome tabs open, multiple Word documents, PDFs, spreadsheets etc open at the same time when I'm researching and writing reports. Otherwise, I'm just chilling on Netflix (no gaming). Also, I really hate it when things are slow and unresponsive so I need something that handles my needs very well

My question is this: should I buy a new laptop now and probably settle with a 4th or 5th generation i5/i7 'U' processor, or wait until Christmas (next possible time to get a new laptop) when the new Skylake processors will be available?

Note: I don't really care for battery life, much more interested in performance!

I suppose I could summarise my query by asking how much better will the Skylake processors be compared to Intel's current U series, and how widely available will they be in 4 months?

Thanks, any thoughts greatly appreciated

 

How much better the Skylake processors are is irrelevant vs. when they'll be available in a platform and budget you would consider possible for you.

As usual; if you can wait, do so. At the very least even if you bought the exact same system you might have bought today; it would usually be at a better price, you would be making a more informed decision with regards to actual vs. assumed performance benefits and it would also let you look into the issues (we can help, if you tell us) with your current setup.

For your usage (multitasking environment) I would be looking to upgrade to 16GB of RAM and possibly an SSD too if you don't have one already.

In any event, I would recommend you upgrade to Windows 8.1 x64 Pro, with a clean install to verify the issues you're having is either hardware or O/S / software related.

You can also read the following article about the presumed benefits at this time of the new platform and about the status of the current (Broadwell) platform too.

See:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/9482/intel-broadwell-pt2-overclocking-ipc


(In a nutshell; if the absolute clocks combined with the IPC increases and the expected lower latency of all subsystems of Skylake come to fruition - waiting is a must - if you want the most powerful and efficient platform possible for the next few years - and to possibly miss this by a few weeks/months would be tragic, imo).

Good luck.

 

You want to upgrade from a quad core that can run over 3GHz to a dual core "U"? Doesn't make sense.

 

I didn't mention that I wanted to upgrade anywhere, just get a new laptop. But, I'm not sure I will be able to afford another quad core (would rather put the money towards an SSD and better display). However, I am aware that the duel core (particularly U processors) are a lot less powerful, which concerns me (as I said I'm not to bothered about battery life). Hence I'm wondering if I should wait for Skylake!

If you're wondering why I'm looking at U processors they seem to be in the vast majority of laptops in my local stores!

 

Skylake U CPUs will never be as good as Sandy Bridge QM CPUs, far less your 3632QM Ivy Bridge.

You're not ever going to get more power out of it. Maybe in 2025 you might finally get equal power out of it... but not more.

 

I know that duel core U processors are far behind quad core QM processors, but would a decent U processor with 8GB of RAM and a SSD suit my needs? Or would it be worth waiting for Skylake to come out and see what they offer?

 

Local stores are usually packed with U processors.
The 'good stuff' is predominantly found online, sometimes with an option to also customize the system... depending on which company you buy from (and where you're located).

 

I suppose it may... what's your budget even? If you've enough for a decent laptop with a ULV chip then a Clevo N150SD or N155SD might be within your budget.

 

cjbeech, what you described ain't heavy workflow, and an ULV with SSD and enough RAM will handle it. So will your notebook if you put an SSD inside, by the way. If you want to solve the productivity problem, SSD and clean Windows install is the best way. On the other hand, if you grow tired of your notebook and just want something new, it is worth waiting even if Skylake doesn't meet your expectations - in that case you can get some decent Haswell- or even Broadwell-based machine cheaper.

 

Yeah that's all I can seem to find in PC world, usually look there because of the insurance plan you can buy with the laptop. I live in the UK and would be willing to buy online if I can get a decent insurance plan/warranty (don't want to pay a fortune if something fails after a year)! Any suggestions?

 

Good question, my budget is about £750 maximum, really don't want to pay much more than that but I want a decent machine that will last longer than a couple of years!

 

I'll repeat as it seems to have gotten lost...

In order of importance:
Install (clean install) Windows 8.1 x64 Pro on your system on a new/different HDD or SSD - if anything goes wrong, simply drop your current drive back and continue off where you were.

Install 16GB RAM on your current machine if possible.

See if you have any of the issues you are keeping secret now. If not; you don't need a new machine.

The CPU+RAM combo will give you the most boost for the least cost in a multitasking scenario.

The SSD (480GB or larger and 30% OP'ing) will add years to your platform - simply because the maintenance of the system will happen in real time, more or less vs. any mechanical drive.

A clean install with proper driver installation will remove any doubt of the software glitching on you. The only thing left is the hardware that could be at fault.

With the above done, you are then in a position to properly decide if you need a new system 0r, just want one.

With your workflow though, getting (0r using) a system with less than 16GB of RAM is the worst decision you're living. And having anything less than the latest (stable) version of Windows Pro is a very, very close second.

 

I'm in the UK too.
There are two relatively reasonable websites you can go to which seem to offer customizations and better overall specs (depending on what you're looking for and what your price range is), etc.
www.pcspecialist.com
www.scan.co.uk/3xs/custom/laptop/laptop

Considering your current system, I don't think you will see much/any benefit by going with Haswell or possibly even Skylake if raw performance is what you're after (at least CPU-wise).
The workload you described is something that MY (almost 7 years old) laptop (in signature) handles fine.
Heck, I have over 20 Chrome tabs open most of the time and I read up on various scientific studies online, and also use it for 3d Studio Max.

What are the current issues you have with your laptop?
Is it just a feeling of having a relatively slower system, or something else?

Starlight5 was accurate in stating you'd be better off upgrading your current system with an SSD (120 too 250 GB) and double RAM - unless you want a more powerful GPU for gaming and potential 3d programs (though you mentioned 'no gaming' for Netflix, so I wouldn't know how the concept of gaming or a more powerful GPU factors into your workload)?

There's another thing you can do:
When was the last time you opened your laptop and gave it thorough cleaning?
If it was some time ago, I would suggest you open it up and clean the internals thoroughly from dust (goes double for the fan and the area between the fan and the air vent).

You could also apply a new thermal paste such as Liquid Ultra or Gelid Extreme (though Liquid Ultra seems to be touted as a lot better paste overall) to the CPU and GPU to ensure better operational temperatures.

 

Thanks I'll look into these. The issues I'm having currently include my laptop randomly freezing and restarting, getting the BSOD with the error 'critical process died', is there an easy fix?

Also, what does 30% OP'ing mean any why is it important? I really have no technical experience with upgrading ram, doing clean installs on operating systems or upgrading to SSDs, but if this is as beneficial as it seems now may be a good time to start.

 

Yeah tbh I only really went for the quad core i7 because it was a very good deal at the time (£499), not because I necessarily needed the power.

The problems I'm having are BSODs with error messages such as 'Kernel data inpage error' or 'critical process died'. I took it into PC World (I have an insurance plan with them) and they completed a 'full quality assurance check' and assured me it was fine, but the error messages are becoming more frequent, I've tried a few things online and they don't seem to have worked. Any ideas?

Also, I've never given it a clean inside! I will try this though, thanks.

 

See:
https://www.google.ca/#q=OP'ing+tilleroftheearth+notebookreview.com+site:forum.notebookreview.com

Changing RAM is easy:

• Remove all power from computer (including battery).
• Remove old SoDimm
• Replace with new SoDimm
• Done in 5 minutes

The SSD is almost as easy - except for needing to do a clean install of the O/S, Programs and your data (this is also where it is ideal to OP the SSD - at first install time under the Advanced Windows setup dialogue box).

The above is so important - they should be teaching it in schools.

 

Could be bad OS install
Could be bad HDD (paging file)
Could be bad RAM

I doubt it's anything more serious... why not try reinstalling your OS and see if it fixes from there? You can also use HD Tune Pro's trial and see if that detects any hard drive errors.
Finally, memtest86 is good for testing RAM (make sure it runs all teh tests)

 

Thanks I'll give it a go!

 

I've downloaded memtest86, how do I actually test my RAM?

 

burn it to a disc or USB drive and boot into it.

 

cjbeech, 99% it's software problem, not hardware. Check HDD's SMART attributes, if they're OK - don't waste your time and go ahead with clean Windows install.

 

Ok thanks a lot

 

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...d/b67ae41a-9228-4462-9c53-d1f5d115f784?auth=1

 

Yeah I think you're right, I've tested my hard drive and it seems OK. I've looked at doing a clean Windows install and it seems complicated Had absolutely no technical experience with laptops before. What's the worst thing that can happen if I mess it up?

 

Worst that can happen is that you need to ask the geek squad to fix it for you.

I highly recommend to leave the drive as is. Use (buy/borrow) another drive to do a clean install on. If you find that the O/S install was in fact okay, you will have hosed your working install if you use the same drive.