Which of these systems would you use?

[nageov3t]

So, I've got the option at work of either using a Dell desktop PC or a Surface Pro 3 + dock... either way I'd have 2 x 24" monitors and my keyboard/mouse of choice (logitech marathon mouse + wireless solar keyboard)

can't decide which I should go with based purely on the specs.

desktop: windows 7, core i5 3.4GHz CPU, but only 4 gb RAM
surface pro: windows 8.1, core i5 2.5GHz CPU, but 8 gb RAM

both are pegged to be upgraded to Windows 10 (whether I want them to be or not) once my company certifies it and starts pushing it out.

I'd say about 80% of the work I do involves SSH'ing into unix servers via putty or interacting with Flash and Java gui's in Chrome (the other 20% being generic Outlook/Excel/Word crap and hosting webex meetings)

regardless of which I chose, I'd still be getting the Surface for use when remote or in meetings (so part of the appeal in the Surface would also be only having 1 desktop to think about and my random local files not being spread between two computers, though obviously anything important is saved to a network drive)

edit: the desktop itself is non-upgradable unless I went to spend my own money out-of-pocket to do so.

 

[corkyg]

My choice would be the Surface.

 

[Termie]

Take note: those CPUs aren't even remotely similar. You're comparing a quad-core desktop chip to a dual-core ULV laptop chip. The desktop is about twice as fast for processor-intensive applications.

That might matter for the GUIs you refer to, but not for SSH'ing, it doesn't. If you use a lot of big spreadsheets with a lot of formulas, the CPU power is very important.

The RAM does favor the surface, but unless you routinely have lots of applications open (more than 10), you probably won't need more than 4GB, due to the nature of your particular applications. Putty could run on a phone.

I think the only argument in favor of the surface is not having to switch between systems. Whether that's worth it to you is a matter of personal preference.

 

[corkyg]

I think the only argument in favor of the surface is not having to switch between systems. Whether that's worth it to you is a matter of personal preference.

That is exactly why I would choose the Surface.

 

[nageov3t]

The RAM does favor the surface, but unless you routinely have lots of applications open (more than 10), you probably won't need more than 4GB, due to the nature of your particular applications. Putty could run on a phone.

thanks for the feedback!

for what it's worth, today's a typical workday... right now I've got 15 Firefox tabs open, 2 Chrome tabs, 2 IE tabs (stupid legacy app that doesn't work well in Chrome or FF), 1 webex window, 2 excel spreadsheets (not super large, 200-300 rows), 1 RDP connection, 4 Putty sessions, Word, and Outlook.

Physical Memory Usage: 82%
CPU Usage: 10%

thinking I may give the Surface a trial run for a week, and if it doesn't pan out, stick with the desktop.

 

[LTC8K6]

It's going to be cheap to get the desktop to 8gb of ram, or more.

 

[Denithor]

for what it's worth, today's a typical workday... right now I've got 15 Firefox tabs open, 2 Chrome tabs, 2 IE tabs (stupid legacy app that doesn't work well in Chrome or FF), 1 webex window, 2 excel spreadsheets (not super large, 200-300 rows), 1 RDP connection, 4 Putty sessions, Word, and Outlook.

Just a suggestion, at my last job we had an ancient app that also 'required' IE to run properly. Until I discovered IE Tab (www.ietab.net) for Chrome.

 

[nageov3t]

Just a suggestion, at my last job we had an ancient app that also 'required' IE to run properly. Until I discovered IE Tab (www.ietab.net) for Chrome.

that's a good suggestion!

fortunately, via a code upgrade last weekend, we discovered that after upgrading the legacy app to a newer version the gui now works in Chrome :thumbsup:

 

[myocardia]

It's going to be cheap to get the desktop to 8gb of ram, or more.

Hey, maybe the guy doesn't have $16-17, including shipping, to spare.

 

[mvbighead]

I am a desktop guy myself. I do not like the Surface as it is too small for me and is not at all conducive to computing from a couch (the kickstand makes lap placement annoying, for me).

If either option sees you with the Surface for remote work, I'd keep the desktop. If something happens to either one, you have a backup plan.