More RAM vs More Processing Power?

[AmirThePersian]

Hi, I'm looking at getting the Optimus VII, but as I'm on a budget I have to choose between an extra 8GB of RAM (bringing the total to 16GB) OR the i7 over the i5. The i7 has hyperthreading and has 2.6 GHz typically with 3.5 on boost. The i5 is 2.3 and 3.2.

Now: for a future proof, decent at gaming laptop, which would be better?

 

[Flo]

Although for gaming you don't really need the i7, I'd still go with it over the RAM. You can always add 8GB at a later date if you feel that it's needed.

 

[Stephen M]

I would stick with the i5 and 8GB RAM if it is only for gaming. What is your budget, what other uses for the laptop and have you completed a spec yet, if yes perhaps you could post it.

 

[djsubtronic]

When on a budget, always go with the non-upgradeable component. RAM can be upgraded easily later on but your CPU will need to last until you get a new PC.

 

[AmirThePersian]

I would stick with the i5 and 8GB RAM if it is only for gaming. What is your budget, what other uses for the laptop and have you completed a spec yet, if yes perhaps you could post it.

Budget is £800-ish. The below spec is one option, the other option would be exactly the same except 16 gb of hyper X ram and the i5. Hoping for this laptop to last me 4-5 years, and with uni coming up I want it to do some gaming and work on.

This chassis is probably the one I'm going for, since I don't want the over flashy protheus.

Chassis & Display
Optimus Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Quad Core Processor 6700HQ (2.6GHz, 3.5GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
8GB KINGSTON HYPER-X IMPACT 1600MHz SODIMM DDR3 (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 960M - 2.0GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12
Memory - Hard Disk
500GB SERIAL ATA II 2.5" HARD DRIVE WITH 8MB CACHE (5,400rpm)
mSATA/M.2 SSD Drive
120GB KINGSTON SSDNow M.2 2280, SATA 6Gb/s (550MB/R, 520MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
Ultra Slim 8x SATA DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer (+ 24x CD-RW)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND (£9)
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Def. Audio + SoundBlaster™ Cinema 2
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® N-7265 M.2 (300Mbps, 802.11BGN) + BLUETOOTH
USB Options
4 x USB 3.0 PORTS AS STANDARD
Battery
Optimus Series 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (62.16WH)
Power Lead & Adaptor
1 x UK Power Lead & 120W AC Adaptor
Keyboard Language
OPTIMUS SERIES BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 2.0 MP FULL HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)
Dead Pixel Guarantee
30 Day Dead Pixel Guarantee Inc. Labour & Carriage Costs (£12)
Insurance
1 Month Free Laptop Insurance inc. Accidental Damage & Theft
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 4 to 6 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £853.00 including VAT and delivery

 

[Stephen M]

I would stick with 8GB RAM. For another 13 you could change the HDD to the WD Black 7200rpm, it is a great drive and you would notice a lot of difference. You will also get more performance from a 240GB SSD but that is 41 more. One option would be those two drives and drop to the i5 CPU.

 

[GeorgeHillier]

You'd be best off with the i5, 8GB of RAM and a better SSD and HDD, like so:

Chassis & Display Optimus Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU) Intel® Core™ i5 Quad Core Processor 6300HQ (2.3GHz, 3.2GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM) 8GB KINGSTON SODIMM DDR3 1600MHz (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 960M - 2.0GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12
2nd Graphics Card NONE
Memory - Hard Disk 750GB WD BLACK 2.5" WD7500BPKX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 16MB CACHE (7200 rpm)
2nd Hard Disk NONE
mSATA/M.2 SSD Drive 250GB Crucial MX200 M.2 2280 SSD (upto 555MB/sR | 500MB/sW)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive Ultra Slim 8x SATA DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer (+ 24x CD-RW)
Memory Card Reader Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
Thermal Paste ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card Intel 2 Channel High Def. Audio + SoundBlaster™ Cinema 2
Bluetooth & Wireless GIGABIT LAN & KILLER™ 1525-AC M.2 WIRELESS GAMING 802.11N + BLUETOOTH 4.0
Wireless Router/HomePlugs NONE
USB Options 4 x USB 3.0 PORTS AS STANDARD
3G/4G Module NONE
Battery Optimus Series 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (62.16WH)
Power Lead & Adaptor 1 x UK Power Lead & 120W AC Adaptor
Keyboard Language OPTIMUS SERIES BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD
Operating System Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence
DVD Recovery Media Windows 10 (64-bit) DVD with paper sleeve
Office Software NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Carry Case NONE
Laptop Cooling Stands NONE
Stand-Alone Monitor NONE
Additional Keyboard NONE
Notebook Mouse INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Game Streaming NONE
Gaming Mouse Pad NONE
Games Controller NONE
External Speakers NONE
Webcam INTEGRATED 2.0 MP FULL HD WEBCAM
Headsets NONE
Surge Protection NONE
Printer NONE
External Hard Drive NONE
Warranty 3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Home Installation NONE
Dead Pixel Guarantee NONE
Insurance 1 Month Free Laptop Insurance inc. Accidental Damage & Theft
Delivery STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time Standard Build - Approximately 4 to 6 working days
Pricing Information
Price (excluding VAT) £687.50
Price £825.00

 

[AmirThePersian]

Is a 7200 rpm really necessary? I'm thinking of putting the OS and some programs on the SSD for fast boots etc., and just have the HDD for bulk storage - documents and such.

 

[GeorgeHillier]

Is a 7200 rpm really necessary? I'm thinking of putting the OS and some programs on the SSD for fast boots etc., and just have the HDD for bulk storage - documents and such.

You'll probably end up using the HDD for putting your games on, which benefit from the 7200rpm drive as it's much faster, 5400 rpm isn't that great

 

[Stephen M]

You will notice a good performance increase with it, even for storage, file moving and loading docs they are well worth having.

 

[AmirThePersian]

You will notice a good performance increase with it, even for storage, file moving and loading docs they are well worth having.

If I want speed, why not ditch the SSD entirely and go for the 7200 rpm HDD on its own? Still enough speed while maintaining large storage space, and saving money.

My preference is still kind of to the SSD + 5400 RPM HDD combo. I'm only going to store games and key programs on the SSD, so if you discount the OS and a couple of built in programs like chrome etc. that's 100 GB left for gaming, and I'm not the sort who wastes storage space.

 

[GeorgeHillier]

If I want speed, why not ditch the SSD entirely and go for the 7200 rpm HDD on its own? Still enough speed while maintaining large storage space, and saving money.

The SSD is much faster than the 7200rpm HDD. And the 7200rpm HDD is much better than a 5400rpm HDD. The idea of getting both is that the SSD significantly increases boot times and the HDD is used for documents and games. It works very well. I'd advise a small SSD and a 7200rpm drive myself

 

[SpyderTracks]

I'm only going to store games and key programs on the SSD, so if you discount the OS and a couple of built in programs like chrome etc. that's 100 GB left for gaming, and I'm not the sort who wastes storage space.

If you're going by last 3 years, most games are around the 30Gb mark, so that's only 3 games.

 

[AmirThePersian]

If you're going by last 3 years, most games are around the 30Gb mark, so that's only 3 games.

30 GB 0.0

I enjoy newer early released indie games like robocraft and am soon to play from the depths. These are much smaller. Though I think I have to get out of this blocky mindset.

The big "blockbuster" games like dota (hate hatebhate hate hate hate hate hate hate... You get the point) and cod are games I am less keen on. Hence I don't require that much space. Especially since my play habit tends to be: play one game obsessively for 1-2 years until I get addicted to something else. I don't have a massive variety of games, just one addictive massive hours game and 2 or 3 on the side to play with friends or while I'm bored etc.