Laptop/PC Advice for Financial modelling
Will be leaving my current job (BB Credit Risk) after recently accepting a job at a fund. I will have to do a lot more modelling. I have about a month till I start and wanted to get practicing. I only have a Mac so far, but want to get a Windows now (Mac sucks for financial modelling).
Would appreciate any advice as to what PC/Laptop I should get.. my budget is not too high (like $1000-1200). I don't need exact model names, but if you guys could advise me on what specs I should look to 'prioritise' that would be great...
I'm particularly keen (for some reason) on All-in-one PCs. Does any one have a strong opinion on them? Are they much less powerful than PCs/Laptops?
Thanks a tonne in advance!
Make sure you take a look at the keyboard. If you have to press a function button to use the function keys, that can be a headache. Also look to see if any other keys are in strange places. It can make it hard to memorize the strokes and then transfer it to your office computer.
I'll let others comment on the computer specifics, but I don't think it matters all that much for your purposes. Just pick what you like, although I'm not an all-in-one fan.
Thanks - may I ask why you're not an "all-in-one" fan? Do you find them a bit pointless.. like neither here nor there? or is their performance actually significantly inferior to that of a regular desktop.
I would definitely check out Dell XPS laptops.. I use it for modelling and it's also great for videos/entertainment stuff since the screen is so clear. It was the best decision ive ever made going from a mac to a dell, but it's all about preference
I have a Dell XPS. Love it, but would not recommend it for modeling due to a lack of a numpad.
OP, if you do end up buying the XPS, make sure to invert the function keys so that you don't have to press FN+F2 to actually use the F2 button. You'll see what I mean if you do get the laptop.
I have a Dell xps too (last year's 13 inch model) and did not have to invert the keys to use F2. I also don't really view the lack of numpad as an issue - just get a usb one. That does bring up my main gripe(s) though, which is that there is not enough usb ports and no ethernet port.
In general I'm pretty happy with it.
I really like to use Lenovo Thinkpads, feel those are kind of the go to in IB.
Try this. https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-E5-575G-53VG-15-6-Inch-Windows/dp/B0…
For only $600, it more than worth it!
Dude if you're doing it to practice in the next month just Bootcamp your mac and use the windows version of excel and you'll be set. You can keep the mac aesthetic, durability, great keyboard and trackpad, etc. And you don't have to buy another laptop.
If you do want to buy a PC though, I would recommend some of the higher end Dell XPS/Inspiron ones, actually the slim 13 inch Razer gaming laptop is a beast if you want to multi-task and can game/do great multimedia if it's doubling as a personal laptop
Using bootcamp on a mac is working really well for me. I'm on a 2011 macbook pro for my personal machine so will likely get a new one soon, debating getting another mac or going with a PC.
Unless you travel a LOT, just use a full USB keyboard. That's what I do and, the worst fullsize keyboard will be better than the best laptop keyboard.
I think in terms of specs I would focus on: - min 8GB RAM - SSD Hard drive instead of HDD (get flash, not spinning disc) - Any newish computer that's remotely close to your price range should have a decent processor in the gen-6 or newer intel i7 range
Personally, portability would be a big focus for me if you have to travel or bring it back and forth from work/home frequently.
You should be able to get a very solid ultrabook in your price range; just google "best ultrabooks 2017" and there should be plenty under $1200. I've got my eyes on a Dell XPS13 but a thinkpad could be really solid as well. I've used an HP ultrabook for work and it's a fine performer as well.
If I wasn't going to have access to a monitor 90-95%+ of the time I was using the machine, I would think about getting a larger screen laptop (15" vs. 13") so you can see more of excel. If you use a monitor at work and can get one at home though, probably not a big need.
Thinkpad great keyboard yes but you guys are missing the point guessing you want laptop that runs Excel smoothly.
The first criteria is Quad-Core CPU,
Most of todays laptop run low voltage U series CPU like 7th generation i7-7600U its a bloody dual core with virtual "quad-core" Thinkpads X1 Carbon and Yoga runs U series processor.
So what are the quad-core laptops available :
XPS 15 i7-7700HQ Macbook Pro 15
Of course all of that was until 2018 by Spring the new laptops will come with 8th generation i7 and i5 processors that will be Quad-Core even though it might still lack the performance of a real quad-core like the ones you find in XPS 15 its no more dual core. I would recommend LG Gram 15 2018 as well as the new Thinkpads and even XPS 13 because its good to have a quad core but you don't want it to be too heavy. Concerning a laptop with numpad the HP Spectre X360 15 have it but the HP is famous for overheating and fan noise. I would wait to see some actual review before buying it.
The upcoming 8th Generation i7-8550U, 8560U are quad core but still lacks the power of the i7-7700HQ.
At the end of the day how heavy is ur excel spreadsheets and formulas.
My biggest issue with all-in-one PCs is that they tend to be grossly overpriced compared to the prices individual parts go for
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