The relevance of processors in 2017 proves divisive
“DOES ANYONE CARE THESE DAYS?” asked listener Martin Hazell on mixlr.com/pcpro during our fortnightly live podcast. “For the majority of people, aren’t processors fast enough?” This wasn’t Martin throwing out random thoughts. Associate editor Darien had been explaining what Intel’s eighth-generation Core processors ( see p12) had to offer the world, and I suspect Martin was echoing what many listeners were thinking.
In answer, I can only resort to my GCSE Biology class, where the teacher was gamely attempting to explain what mitosis means. This, as I’m sure every PC Pro reader remembers, is when single-celled amoeba split into two new, single-celled amoebae. The nucleus divides and then the cytoplasm splits in half, with two new cells created.
That’s me, as I struggle to cope with my feelings about processors. On the one hand, Martin’s right that the vast majority of people couldn’t give a monkey’s peanut about processors. Beyond having a vague idea that a Core i7 might be faster than a Core i3, and that will mean “things” run more quickly, for most buyers it’s a matter of picking the nicest-looking box for the highest price they can afford.
Which is as it should be. If I was buying a family laptop then I’d pay less attention to the processor than I would the memory, type of storage and the machine’s ergonomics.
Things are different when I’m buying for myself – as I think they would be if I was choosing a batch of machines for a business rollout. Whether formal or informal, you need to take an audit of what you use your computer for, and what you might do in the future.
I’m currently giving the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 a spin, a beautiful little laptop that still only made mid-table in our laptops Labs ( see p76). I love the design, but I’m put off by its limited processing power. The XPS 13 2-in-1 scored only 31 in our benchmarks, 50% lower than the HP EliteBook x360 I’ve also got my eye on, and that makes a difference. Even if I’m only using demanding applications such as InDesign a few times a month, the thought of waiting, waiting, waiting for things to happen drives me insane.
If I was just browsing the internet or using basic web applications, then my reasoning would be different. Indeed, Jon Honeyball espouses the view that every business should seriously consider switching to Chromebooks in this month’s Business Question, “Should I roll out Chrome OS across my business?” ( see p106)
For me, though, the question isn’t Chromebook or laptop. Like vinyl and Rick Astley, desktop PCs seem to be back in fashion among tech aficionados, and you only need to glance at this month’s Reviews section – it contains a first review of AMD’s new Threadripper CPU in a graphics workstation, plus two powerful Ryzen-based PCs – to see there’s a wealth of options beyond Intel’s Core range.
I’m even tempted by the Surface Studio on p50. But, like all the Surface products, the specification I want kicks it into the thousands of pounds. So, here I am, wondering: 2-in-1 laptop or heavy-duty workstation? Or perhaps a compact Ryzen system plus a lightweight XPS 13 2-in-1 for my travels? Or should I bite the bullet and get the cuttingedge Surface Studio? Scchlpp. That’s the sound of mitosis happening again, as my two decision paths split into four. And I still don’t have an answer.
Tim Danton Editor-in-chief