New laptop - processor query

[QuietTime]

Hi all, I’m looking to buy a new personal laptop for what will be the first time in about twenty years (work laptops have filled the gap well enough in the intervening years so it hasn’t been an issue until now). I’ve been trying to get myself somewhat up to speed as to current processors and it seems that things have become more complicated than back in the day when ‘more = better’ was the rule of thumb. Given my budget, I think I’ve narrowed it down to either an Intel Core i7 or an Intel Ultra 7, but then I’m getting caught up in talk of multiple threads and higher clock speeds. If my aim is to future proof the laptop, am I right in assuming I’m better off going for the Ultra 7 as it seems to be a newer model and offers improved graphics, or are there disadvantages to choosing it (other than price)?

More generally, are there particular manufacturers which are well/poorly regarded these days? Back in the day, Acer, Asus and HP seemed to be thought of as okay and I’ve had machines from each of them without any trouble. Are they still okay? Reading various reviews I’ve noticed Dell seem to come in for a bit of a kicking, are there any others I should look to avoid?

Many thanks.

[Lefty]

I’ve bought Lenovo ThinkPads the last few times and been very happy with them.

[Mr E]

What do you need the machine to do?

[QuietTime]

Mr E said:

What do you need the machine to do?

A bit of a mixed back - general office related stuff, excel, data analysis etc including learning SQL and Python. I’d also like to use it for at least some gaming - think Skyrim and Witcher 3 rather than sim racing.