Which Laptop

Whilst it's true most user programs don't exploit threads much, the operating system does. My Ubuntu laptop, not doing much for me other than browsing and email, is running 1058 threads. (Windows 10 even more.) Most of them are waiting for something to happen, but multiple cores and hyper-threading pay off when events hit the machine in parallel. Say the browser is playing an online radio station, whilst the owner edits and prints photographs and watches his email inbox fill up.

Tasks queue one behind the other for processor time on a single processor machine and response times suffer when the computer is heavily loaded by the user or several things happen at once. On a multi-core machine, processor bottlenecks are minimised because tasks can run in parallel - printing doesn't falter whilst a film is downloaded and the hard-drive is backed up.

For ordinary purposes, 2 to 4 cores is fine, but nonetheless my lightly loaded laptop is using all eight cores at the moment. Strictly speaking I don't need the power, but it's like driving a responsive motor car - quick getaway when the lights change.

Servers benefit most from multi-processing - hundreds of multicore CPUs in the same box servicing tens of thousands of users, every one of them ready to dial 999 if the poor computer takes a few seconds too long!

Dave

Edited By SillyOldDuffer on 22/12/2020 22:36:08

Peter, I see your delima, I have recently installed Lubuntu, light weight ubuntu, on my aged desktop and it is performing very well. I have ran varieties of Linux for 15 plus years.

May first car at 17 was year old was eight years old, my present car a Yeti is now 10 years old ?? Fancy a new one, as you say not a problem, but it has only done 60,000 miles and performing well, not to mention nowhere to go these days?

I did recently splash out on a Chromebook, for the wifes shopping? and a big 23 inch for qcad on the desktop.

Justs bought two pairs of Dickies trousers spending 85 notes, probably wont get to wear them out?

Just bought a new Makita angle grinder, much nicer to use than my failed Aldi one? Did go for two Aldi drills at £100 though?

Sending on a toilet next to the workshop,....... it gets more use these days?

I have been spurred on to spend due do to no holiday for over a year and not likely to have one for quite a while?

I think I am getting into Retail Therapy

I am considered a frugal spender, by some, but I am trying really hard to spend and enjoy.

Just decided to go up market and through money at my Series Landrover rebuild? Ongoing for 10 years, wont live to drive it if I don't ?

I have gone up market on the wine I drink?

Bit of a mixed message there I think?

Pete

Edited By Pete White on 23/12/2020 08:35:00

Hello All,

Thanks for all your comments, especially those which made the obvious point that I can't take it with me. (Not being sarcastic, by the way, merely admitting something I hadn't really considered.)

So, what's the verdict? It seems that the laptop I referred to would probably have been satisfactory so at least now I have an idea about modern performance. The not so obvious result is that the April/May date still stands because although we do indeed have sufficient resources to not to have to worry about affordability, those resources are slightly difficult to get hold of (ISA's/Stock Market), and in fact our readily available cash has just taken a battering from having to pay for a new oven, and a new roof. But, famous last words coming up, the next 3 months shouldn't hold any financial surprises, so I'll be looking out to see what transpires.

However, just a few more thoughts about my usage based on some of the comments made above. Spreadsheet usage is limited, in effect, to a very simple, but large (define large), database holding weekly/monthly savings/stock market records going back perhaps 30-40 years. Other than the occasional line graph, there is no calculation whatsover. The CAD program is used purely for 2D drawing. It can be used for 3D drawings but I have no interest in 3D. Esoteric functions such as ray trace rendering, whatever that is, just don't appear. In respect of Gimp, I did spend some considerable time a few years ago using various functions to convert my 35mm slides to digital, but that has all finished so all I do with it now is to correct, usually by altering the contrast, stuff copied via the ageing scanner. Probably the biggest usage I can currently envisage is if I get back to genealogical research where I found it was quite easy to have six or more windows open at the same time. The big problem there was human - remembering why each window was open with the result that every so often I ended up closing most of them.

Ideally, having had very good service from the two Toshiba's I have in addition to the clapped out Advent, I would have liked Toshiba, but as I understand that Sharp now make the Toshiba laptops, and that Lenovo, a make I hadn't heard of until two or three years ago, appears to enjoy a reasonably good reputation along with an ability to run Linux without problems, that is why I will most likely be buying Lenovo.

So there we are, a little further along the road. And again, thanks to all who have contributed. This, of course, is one of the things I miss most of all in retirement - the ability to go and talk to other people.

Peter G. Shaw

Peter,

As you stated that you are a solid, unrepentant Yorkshireman and need to get VFM out of your purchases have you considered buying re-cycled business laptops? Usually businesses replace laptops every 3 to 4 years and so there is quite a large 'churn' in moderately modern equipment available at exceptionally reasonable prices.

Lenovo are the old IBM products, bought out by the Chinese State, so are probably going to be spying on your browsing (ha ha - they will think 2-6-0 is a cunning coded message!). There are ample HP and Toshiba units available which are all trusty and competent. I've personally not got much time for Dell's as they seem to be built to a price with end of line silicon and questionable porting This probably stems from an incident a number of years ago when I joined a company and was sent on the very first day of work to the States. "What do I do about a laptop?" I asked the MD, "Get one when you are over there and we will reimburse you - but you better check with IT department for the make and model you need to get to fall into line with our IT policy". Now I was going to work in Detroit on a liaison project with Motorola, so after being instructed by the IT department that I must get a Dell to align with the companies IT policy I approached the IT dept at Motorola to ask if they could assist in getting me a Dell laptop at a suitable discount - Sharp intake of breathe from the Motorola IT guy - "You don't want a Dell" "We cannot guarantee our software will run on a Dell platform due to porting issues" "Oh! What do you recommend then?" I asked - "Well top of our list is IBM, next is Toshiba and HP are a very close third" was his reply. I finished up with an IBM Think Pad (just shy of $5000).

When I returned to the UK the IT department went 'ape' over the fact I'd bought an IBM. The next employee to work on the project was given a new Dell - which, guess what! - failed to work with the Motorola software, despite 3 rebuilds and being replaced by Dell with another unit which still failed to work with the software!!! IT relented and grudingly bought him a Toshiba (so much for their standardisation!!). Always makes me smile whenever I meet an IT expert, often referred at work as IT stands for 'Incompetent Twit'. Apologies to any competent IT'ers.