What Laptop / Comp Do you have?

[adamholt1]

So what specs does everyone have currently for their work laptop/desktop?

 

I currently have an i5 4gb RAM laptop but my technician could do with a new laptop and wondering what specs to get for him.

 

Do I get a massively high spec one to futureproof?

 

What's the 'norm' for yourself / technician spec wise?

 

Thanks as always!

Edited May 31, 2015 by adamholt1

[FN-GM]

No staff at ours have laptops.

 

IT staff use the standard machines used across the academy trust. The older ones are i5, 4GB Ram & 320GB HDD. The newer are i5, 8GB and 500GB hdd. Personal I see no need for IT staff to need more powerful machines.

 

We do have test VM's but they run on a old dell server running ESXi.

[6Foot2]

Currently using a Dell Latitude E5520: i3, 4 GB RAM at home. Works well enough for what I need.

[pow]

I'm using a 128GB i5 4GB Surface Pro at the moment, I did have a i7 8GB Alienware M11x and I do miss the extra couple of gigs of RAM

[witch]

I have one of ICT-Directs refurb Lenovo T410

Core i5, lots of RAM, nice and cheap

[sted]

work don't provide it (I work for a contractor rather than direct for the school) though it is subsidised ive got either a surface pro 128gb my daily machine (though I tend to use whatever spare pc in the suite I can find) or when I need more oomph my dell xps17(3d) 16gb ram 500gb evo 850 boot drive and 750gb d drive often with a secondary 24" screen plugged in when working at home

[pow]

I can't handle more than one work machine.... I went from a personal and work machine to just one. Bliss!

[pantscat]

An old Lenovo X201 i5, with 4GB RAM and a 256GB SSD... does the job!

[X-13]

I have a VeryPC Broadleaf pimpdaddyextreme. [Can't remember the actual name...]

 

i7-3770, 8GB RAM, 120GB SSD, 500GB HDD running 8.1 Pro.

 

With a 27" 1080p and 19" 900p display. [Actual area 3360x1080, minus blank spots.]

[aleach2]

We use the same spec computers as the rest of the School. Core i5, 4GB RAM and 120GB SSD. We do have a couple of departmental laptops that we use of satellite working or lending out when a teacher laptop is down the swanee. But again these are no better than what teachers use on a daily basis.

[bald_pig]

I have a Zoostorm with an i7-4790, 16Gb RAM, Kingston 240Gb SSD and 1Tb WD, and AMD HD6450, running 8.1 Pro. 3 22" AOC Monitors.

I also have a Mac Mini, i7 2.3GHz, 4Gb RAM, 2 1Tb HDD's, running Yosemite, 2 22" AOC monitors, and sharing a keyboard and mouse via Synergy

[ICTDirect_Dave]

I have a HP 8000 Elite SFF with Q9650 3.0GHz Quad Core CPU, 16GB RAM, 120GB SSD, 320GB HDD, 2 x Quadro NVS300 GFX powering 3 x Dell 23" 1080p Screens.

 

It copes with everything I can throw at it

[LeMarchand]

The only change from the last time I posted this is that I spent a fiver on a better mouse for site 2!

 

Site 1:

OS Name Microsoft Windows 10 Enterprise Insider Preview

Version 10.0.10074 Build 10074

System Manufacturer Dell Inc.

System Model OptiPlex 740

System Type x64-based PC

Processor AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 4800+, 2500 Mhz, 2 Core(s), 2 Logical Processor(s)

Installed Physical Memory (RAM) 4.00 GB

 

Rejected by the office as "too slow". Added RAM, Lightscribe drive, NVIDIA Quadro FX 550 card, 1x80GB HDD (as installed), 1x 250GB HDD, 2xDell monitors <20"

 

Site 2:

OS Name Microsoft Windows 8.1 Enterprise

Version 6.3.9600 Build 9600

System Manufacturer Acer

System Model Aspire 5736Z

System Type x64-based PC

Processor Pentium® Dual-Core CPU T4500 @ 2.30GHz, 2300 Mhz, 2 Core(s), 2 Logical Processor(s)

Installed Physical Memory (RAM) 4.00 GB

 

Rejected by staff member as "too slow". Added cheap keyboard/mouse, larger HDD, RAM and a <20" Fujitsu monitor

 

Both the above basically frankensteined from kit that was due to be binned, no new parts at all.

 

Site 3:

OS Name Microsoft Windows 8.1 Enterprise

Version 6.3.9600 Build 9600

System Manufacturer Acer

System Model ICONIA W510

System Type X86-based PC

Processor Intel® Atom™ CPU Z2760 @ 1.80GHz, 1800 Mhz, 2 Core(s), 4 Logical Processor(s)

Installed Physical Memory (RAM) 2.00 GB

 

Actually provided by Site 2 and the only school computer I have ever had from new!

[Sagima]

I usually use a mac mini, i5, 16gb 256ssd but the motherboard broke a couple of weeks ago and so I am using a 64gb/4gb surface pro 1 connected to a usb hub and my 27" monitor. I miss my trackpad (it works so badly in windows I've dug a mouse out of the drawer)

 

Out of the other 4 IT people - 2 have i3 dell 780 towers with 64gbsdd + 320gb hdd and 8gb ram, one has a mac mini specced like mine and one a nuc with an i5, 16gb ram and a 256gb drive.

 

Staff get a cheap i3 64gb/4gb USFF or SFF desktop in their office or classroom, the IT suites get something similar but with double the ram and disk. (staff also have £400-£500 tablet)

Edited June 1, 2015 by Sagima

[mikkydoos]

I'm speccing up new PC's for staff that are classroom based.

 

i3, 8gb RAM, etc etc etc

 

The main thing to remember is what they're going to be used for.

 

With Intel the i5 is a bit of an oddity.

 

They're mostly quad core without hyperthreading.

 

i3's - Mostly dual core with hyperthreading.

 

i7's - Quad core with hyperthreading.

 

Do you need more cores? Will hyperthreading do when you do.

 

I've come to the conclusion that (mainly to save thousands of pounds) a dual core i3 @ 3.8Ghz that supports hyperthreading will do just fine in place of an i5 where two/three of the cores are just going to do nothing most of the time.

 

Plenty of RAM, a decent CPU speed and an SSD will be valid for a few years and will be quick now.

 

Unless you're gaming, doing loads of number crunching or heavy excel calculations, compiling, running tons of system intensive processes at the same time.. you don't need an i5 or i7.

 

TBH, a decent Celeron will handle much of what you throw at it without any performance loss.

 

i7's will be redundant in not too many years.

 

 

Personally on my desk I have an 8 core AMD, 32gb RAM, 750 mb read/write SSD and a £300 gaming mobo. But I can...

 

 

Oh. I'd avoid Atoms or AMD.

Edited June 1, 2015 by mikkydoos

[jonathon28]

I have a Apple Mac Book Pro i5 Retina 8GB RAM, 512GB ssd and Very PC Broadleaf i5 8GB 120GB SSD on my desk with 2x 22inch monitors.

[yugo]

Laptop: Dell Latitude E5520, i5-2430M, 4 GB RAM, 256GB SSD, Windows 7 64bit

Desktop: Dell Optiplex 7010, i5-3470, 8 GB RAM, 500GB, Windows 7 64bit with a nice Dell u2412m monitor