Notebook specifications for 4 years at least

[FelipeVaz]

Hi guys,

I started studying MOS this year, but my pc does not work fine as always... So, I must buy another one!

I know that the way we make calculations might slowing down things, as volatile functions, but the pc specifications could do as well. So, is this specs good for 4 years at least:

• Office 64Bit
• 5th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-5500U Processor (4M Cache, up to 3.00 GHz) --> i7 or i5?
• 16GB Dual Channel DDR3L 1600MHz --> 8gb or 16gb?

Which pc/notebook or specs are you using at home or work?
Someone using DAX having troubles with performance?
What do I have considering when buy a notebook for Excel use?

Note I would like to buy: Notebook Inspiron 15 5000 Series disponível com touchscreen | Dell Brasil

Thanks in advance, sorry my bad english!
Felipe

 

[ranman256]

I found that a 64bit OS, running Excel 32 bit, can cause crashes for no #$@ reason. It is a known bug.
So you might consider matching the bits.

 

[FelipeVaz]

I found that a 64bit OS, running Excel 32 bit, can cause crashes for no #$@ reason. It is a known bug.
So you might consider matching the bits.

Sure, I will match Windows 8.1 64bits with Office 64bits. Thanks ranman256!

 

[FelipeVaz]

Hi guys,

I started studying MOS this year, but my pc does not work fine as always... So, I must buy another one!

I know that the way we make calculations might slowing down things, as volatile functions, but the pc specifications could do as well. So, is this specs good for 4 years at least:

• Office 64Bit
• 5th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-5500U Processor (4M Cache, up to 3.00 GHz) --> i7 or i5?
• 16GB Dual Channel DDR3L 1600MHz --> 8gb or 16gb?

Which pc/notebook or specs are you using at home or work?
Someone using DAX having troubles with performance?
What do I have considering when buy a notebook for Excel use?

Note I would like to buy: Notebook Inspiron 15 5000 Series disponível com touchscreen | Dell Brasil

Thanks in advance, sorry my bad english!
Felipe

Anyone else?

 

[Macropod]

I found that a 64bit OS, running Excel 32 bit, can cause crashes for no #$@ reason. It is a known bug.

I have always run Win7 as a 64-bit OS with Office as a 32-bit suite and have never had an Excel crash. I suspect your problem has more to do with the state of your system or corrupt workbooks than a supposed 'known bug' when running a 64-bit OS with 32-bit suite. Indeed, MS recommends running Office as a 32-bit suite on a 64-bit Win OS unless you really need the extra capacity of 64-bit Excel, because there are so many 3rd-party addins that don't work properly (or at all) with the 64-bit version...

 

[FelipeVaz]

I have always run Win7 as a 64-bit OS with Office as a 32-bit suite and have never had an Excel crash. I suspect your problem has more to do with the state of your system or corrupt workbooks than a supposed 'known bug' when running a 64-bit OS with 32-bit suite. Indeed, MS recommends running Office as a 32-bit suite on a 64-bit Win OS unless you really need the extra capacity of 64-bit Excel, because there are so many 3rd-party addins that don't work properly (or at all) with the 64-bit version...

Thanks Macropod!

And about the pc specifications? Do you think running Excel with that configurations above might be a good choice, using DAX, Powerview and large datasets? I really want to buy a notebook which worthwhile for a long period.

 

[Macropod]

Almost any mid-range or higher laptop designed for Win 8 should work well for at least 4 years. The real question is how much performance you need.

My current 5yo Toshiba laptop runs just fine with Win7 as a 64-bit OS and Office as a 32-bit suite and is equipped with an Intel i5 CPU and 4GB RAM. Its performance far exceeds that of an HP laptop with Win8.1 as a 64-bit OS and Office as a 32-bit suite and is equipped with an AMD A4 CPU and 2GB RAM that I recently took on an extended trip overseas. The HP's advantage was its much smaller size & weight.

IMHO, though, you'd do better not to buy the Dell locally, as the Brazilian prices are way too high. Check out Amazon, for example: Amazon.com : Dell Inspiron 15 5000 Series 15.6-Inch Touchscreen Laptop (i5548-3335SLV) : Computers & Accessories. I know the laptop in the link isn't quite the same as the one in your link but, given the current exchange rates, you'll soon see how much better the foreign pricing is... Besides, do you really need 16GB RAM right now? If not, consider buying a PC with less RAM now and upgrading it later on when the prices drop - which they do quite quickly and dramatically.

 

[FelipeVaz]

Almost any mid-range or higher laptop designed for Win 8 should work well for at least 4 years. The real question is how much performance you need.

My current 5yo Toshiba laptop runs just fine with Win7 as a 64-bit OS and Office as a 32-bit suite and is equipped with an Intel i5 CPU and 4GB RAM. Its performance far exceeds that of an HP laptop with Win8.1 as a 64-bit OS and Office as a 32-bit suite and is equipped with an AMD A4 CPU and 2GB RAM that I recently took on an extended trip overseas. The HP's advantage was its much smaller size & weight.

IMHO, though, you'd do better not to buy the Dell locally, as the Brazilian prices are way too high. Check out Amazon, for example: Amazon.com : Dell Inspiron 15 5000 Series 15.6-Inch Touchscreen Laptop (i5548-3335SLV) : Computers & Accessories. I know the laptop in the link isn't quite the same as the one in your link but, given the current exchange rates, you'll soon see how much better the foreign pricing is... Besides, do you really need 16GB RAM right now? If not, consider buying a PC with less RAM now and upgrading it later on when the prices drop - which they do quite quickly and dramatically.

Sure, it may be a choice as well! Thanks.