i7-4900MQ Workstation vs Black Friday Deals?

[beastykato]

So, I'm not very familiar with workstation computers and how they compare to what's currently mainstream right now.

I can get the refurbished Dell M4800 laptop w/ 1 Year warranty for $616 with the following specs:

Processor 1x Core i7 Quad (i7-4900MQ) 2.80 GHz
Memory 32GB (4x 8GB)
Hard Drive 500GB (1x 500GB)
Optical Drive DVDRW
Video Nvidia Quadro K2100M (2048 MB)
Display 15.6" FHD UltraSharp Anti-Glare (1920 x 1080)

Or Dell has the Insprion 14 7000 (7460) for $599.99 New with the following specs:

Processor
7th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-7500U Processor (4MB Cache, up to 3.5 GHz)
Operating System
Windows 10 Pro 64-bit English
Memoryi
8GB, 2400MHz, DDR4; up to 32GB (additional memory sold separately)
Hard Drive
1TB 5400 rpm Hard Drive
Display
14.0-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS Truelife LED-Backlit Display, Non-touch



Now I'm just looking for a general use laptop and the Insprion is certainly a lot prettier than the brick-like workstation. I've never bought refurbished computers before so some of my reservation comes from that. It's kinda stupid of me to not go for the workstation though spec wise right?

I've got no idea what I'd really use that much RAM for. I do have a go-pro and recently got into basic editing of some mountain bike and scuba diving videos that we take while out or on vacation. So, I suppose it would come into use there at least occasionally.

I'm also not sure how this processor compares to these newer models in the mainstream machines.

 

[IEC]

i7-7500U is a 2 core, 4 thread CPU (15W TDP):
https://ark.intel.com/products/95451/Intel-Core-i7-7500U-Processor-4M-Cache-up-to-3_50-GHz-

You would be taking a substantial downgrade in work performance versus the 4c/8t CPU (47W TDP).
https://ark.intel.com/products/75131/Intel-Core-i7-4900MQ-Processor-8M-Cache-up-to-3_80-GHz

With RAM prices the way they are, a full upgrade would cost a pretty penny, and any of the 4c/8t mobile processors available today will only be a small upgrade over the 4700MQ. With all the new 8 core options on the way in the medium term (Intel + AMD) and 6 core options coming short term, waiting a year or so should yield drastically different options that would actually be an upgrade. But they will all cost $$$$.

I have a factory refurbished Dell Inspiron 15" 7559 I bought ~2 years ago. It was indistinguishable from new and came with same warranty as new. Also cost around $600 and came with 6700HQ (4c/8t), 8GB RAM, and GTX 960M. I added 8GB RAM and SSD for not much money ($25 for 8GB... I miss that pricing).

I wouldn't hesitate to buy refurbished again from the Dell outlet.

 

[WhoBeDaPlaya]

No comparison, the U processors are crap when compared to the real muscle MQs.
It's why I'm holding on to my work-issued Thinkpad T540p. The Tx50 and newer are all slimmed down, and use the U CPUs.

In my book, a 2c/4t chip does NOT deserve an i7 moniker!

 

[Ranulf]

I've had decent luck (a bad tablet soured me on cheap refurb tablets ) with Dell outlet refurbs/returns/scratch n' dent stuff over the years and the 7500U is not better than the refurb. Smaller, uses less battery and lighter but far less cpu power.

 

[cfenton]

To me this comes down to portability. How often do you intend to carry this thing around and use it away from an outlet? The old Dell is definitely a much faster computer, but it's also enormous, heavy, and has terrible battery life (about 3.5 hours of browsing if the battery is new). Personally, I'd never carry something like that around day-to-day, but it might be OK if you only move it from one desk to another a few times per month.

It also sounds like you don't really need the power of the refurb workstation. The i5 will be more than enough for basic use and occasional video editing.

 

[Ratman6161]

You say general purpose laptop. For most people the "U" cups are fine for that. In fact, if you are going the "U" route, ditch the i7 and save some money by going with the i5. Both are 2c 4t and You really have to look hard at the specs to tell the difference other than a small bump in clock speed.

So its really an easy choice. If your priority is on performance and you don't mid the refurbished idea, go with the 4900MQ. If your priority is portability and battery life, then go the then other choice but with an i5u instead of the i7u.

Or, let me suggest a third alternative. There are systems out with the new 8th gen cups where even the U CPU's 4c 8t and can be had for little if any more money. Check out the i5 8250u .

 

[AMDisTheBEST]

U ain’t that bad, especially now both intel and amd u series meant they are quad cores.