Looking for purchase advise

[jojo93]

Hi,
I'm kind of stuck in between two computers at the moment and not sure which would be the best for my needs. I'm an interior design student so I will be using Auto Cad and other various design software for my schooling/career. I'm currently looking at the Microsoft Surface Laptop. I'm not sure if I should purchase the Surface 13.5" Intel Core i5 or the Surface 13.5" Intel Core i7. Is there really a big difference between the two? The i7 is about 300 dollars more. Thank you for your help!

 

[gaius_iulius]

The i7 model doesn't only have a slightly better graphics chip (not unimportant for somebody who wants to use CAD applications), but the smaller i5 only offers 8GB of RAM, no matter which model you choose.
While that might be sufficient to run a CAD program, I wouldn't feel very comfortable about it.

The smallest i7 model with 16GB of RAM costs 2,200 dollars ... for that money you can get something way better, with a dedicated graphics card.

My advice would be to buy neither, but to shop for a laptop with at least:
- Dual Core CPU @ 2.5GHz;
- 16GB RAM (more won't hurt ... CAD, actually any applications rendering images, gobbles memory;
- a dedicated graphics card with at least 3 (better 4) GB of VRAM ... that will greatly support your main RAM and ensure a smooth working experience rendering graphical designs.

Cheers,
Gaius