i3+8GB or i5+4GB? (Ultrabook)

Hi,

This is my first post here, so if I am re-asking a question that has been posted before I apologise.

I am currently shopping around for a new ultrabook, in fact I think I've already made my decision and going for the new LG Z360. The main reason I chose this is that the screen resolution is highly important to me, and I didn't want a 1366x768 screen as it's main use will be for processing photos in Lightroom and Photoshop whilst travelling. Also, I live in South Korea so prices are very good here.

But, here lies my problem. By chosing the better screen I am seriously over budget from my initial figure of $750. However to meet my needs I have to spend a little more. So...

For $920 I can get the i3 3217u with 8GB of Ram
For $1090 I can get an i5 3337u with 4GB of Ram

So my question is, given my needs (Photoshop), will the i3, with that much RAM, be sufficient? I really don't want to spend an extra $200 bucks on the i5 but, if it means not being frustrated by my equipment I will. But, as said, I would much prefer to spend the lower figure if possible.

I also should add that the availablity of other brands is limited here in Korea, well not limited, but the prices are much higher than back home due to Korea's insane import laws!

Any advice is highly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

Matthew.

 

Sorry to tell you... but you want the i5 with 8GB RAM too... if not 16GB if you can. (Win8x64 and Lightroom 5 and/or PS CS6 can use 8GB by itself - any additional memory will be used for your photo editing tasks to make them more 'real time').

Sure, LR/PS will work on an AMD 350 'platform' with 2GB RAM - but the faster processor and as much RAM as you can throw at it has always been what PS thrives on.


Spend the money on the fastest cpu you can and then, max out the RAM too (and now, not in a year...) - you will never regret doing this.

Nor will you regret putting in a 480GB or larger SSD (LR especially will get an instant boost - even with 16GB RAM installed).

If these are your work tools - don't hand cuff yourself to a sub-par set for the next few years...


Good luck.

 

I have to agree with tiller here, an Ultrabook of any type isn't a good platform for CS6 work. Considering that they only weigh maybe a pound or two less than a traditional notebook, you're making a lot of sacrifice for your work just for a not-so-much weigh loss.

For your price range, it would be a better idea to find something with some sort of full-voltage Intel CPU and AMD Radeon GPU, and then add on more RAM and a SSD aftermarket (cheaper to do that than through an OEM, plus you can ensure that you have quality parts).

 

Thanks for all the useful advice guys.

I should have added that the ultrabook will not be my main computer. It's purely for travel purposes, which is about 2 months out of every year. For the rest of the year my trusty 'old' desktop is my main tool for processing photos. And that just does fine with PS/LR

Not sure if that changes any of your previous answers, but I should have mentioned that in my original post.

Maybe I should haven't have mentioned what I used it for and just asked i3+8 or i5+4!

 

Ah, well that's good. In that case, I suppose that it depends on if you're doing more CPU-intensive work or more memory-hogging work.

 

It doesn't change my answer: you need an i5 (or higher) with RAM maxed out on the platform you're on for LR + PS.

Unless of course for those two months you don't mind aging at an order of magnitude faster than the rest of the year (waiting for the system to catch up to your artistic intentions and/or experimentations).

 

I'm with tilleroftheearth on this one. If I do any renderings, whether in PS or 3DSMax, i remember how my i5 used to conform compared to an overclocked i7, and it reminds me why I'll never touch low-power pc's again. For that price range you can build a much stronger machine, while still staying prett portable (let's say 2-2.5kg). And I have trouble even waiting for the i7, the i5 would be just horrendous. (and they are full-power CPU's).