New Laptop - Snapdragon V Intel
Discussion
I am looking for a new laptop - probably be a Dell as I have always had Dells and they have served me well. It’s undoubtedly going to be over specced for what I need but I am looking at the XPS range - mainly due to weight. I often find myself taking my work and personal laptops on work trips so saving weight is handy.
However things have moved on a lot since I last bought a laptop so what’s the difference between Snapdragon And Intel. Why should I choose one against the other?
However things have moved on a lot since I last bought a laptop so what’s the difference between Snapdragon And Intel. Why should I choose one against the other?
Go Intel. Snapdragon is more like Apples M series, based on ARM.
While Windows on ARM has improved massively since the Surface RT disaster it is still not smooth sailing. If you only run a web browser and office with no external peripherals then it will be fine but running x86 apps is still sub par and getting drivers for stuff isn’t always possible.
While Windows on ARM has improved massively since the Surface RT disaster it is still not smooth sailing. If you only run a web browser and office with no external peripherals then it will be fine but running x86 apps is still sub par and getting drivers for stuff isn’t always possible.
The big question with this first Windows on ARM iteration of "proper" PCs would be this:
What software do you need to work seamlessly?
If your answer is mostly Office work and browsing, you might take the chance.
If you have some funky, bespoke software that needs a hardware compatibility layer, I'd go Intel for this cycle, just in case.
It's early days for WoA but it looks good in both performance and battery life. I have a Surface Pro 7 which will be 5 years old soon; it still works a treat but I could expect that I will take a gen2/3 ARM device afterwards.
What software do you need to work seamlessly?
If your answer is mostly Office work and browsing, you might take the chance.
If you have some funky, bespoke software that needs a hardware compatibility layer, I'd go Intel for this cycle, just in case.
It's early days for WoA but it looks good in both performance and battery life. I have a Surface Pro 7 which will be 5 years old soon; it still works a treat but I could expect that I will take a gen2/3 ARM device afterwards.
I think that is the right choice. I’d like to see how much support ARM gets on Windows before committing cash to it.
With Apple, it was clear the company was going all in on Apple Silicon and was going to put all their weight behind it. Not so sure with Microsoft.
I’m definitely getting a Macbook Air 15 for my next personal machine. The advantages of ARM plus the latest process nodes for battery life and performance over Intel’s efforts can’t be overstated.
With Apple, it was clear the company was going all in on Apple Silicon and was going to put all their weight behind it. Not so sure with Microsoft.
I’m definitely getting a Macbook Air 15 for my next personal machine. The advantages of ARM plus the latest process nodes for battery life and performance over Intel’s efforts can’t be overstated.
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