Which Specifications Do I Need?

[Hephaist]

Hello everyone,

I am planning to buy HP Spectre X360 after returned my first one due to the faulty. I need a ultrabook (slim, light) for my daily use but especially for my academic studies. I mostly use Microsoft Office Words along with sometimes 8-9 tabs of Acrobat PDF Reader (For E-Pdf literatur) and Opera Browser. Normally I would go for a 16gigs version with i5 and 256gb ssd but there is no such option. I am stucked with these three models:

Model 1: i5 8265u - 8gb Ram - 256gb SSD + Pen = 1099 Euro

Model 2: i7 8565u - 16gb Ram - 256gb SSD (No Pencil) = 1199 Euro

Model: 3 i7 8565u - 8gb Ram -  512gb SSD (No Pencil) = 1499 Euro

Actually due to the fact that I will not be rendering anything i5 would be more than enough for me but 8gb RAM seems a bit low to me as I want to use my laptop for around 6-8 years. Actually RAM itself is the only reason why I created this topic. In addition extra 256gb SSD does mean nothing for me actually. At that point which model should be price/performance wise for next 5-8 years? Is extra 8gb ram on Model 3 really worth 300 Euro or Model 2 better choice? Or should I directly go for Model 1? Price tag between Model 1 and Model 3 is nearly 30% percent.

I willl be waiting for your answer,

Best Regards...

[Huffer]

Memory and SSD are upgradeable so buy the model with the processor you want. The street price of an 8 gig DDR4-2400 SO-DIMM is maybe $35. I would go with option 2, use it until you need more space and then upgrade the SSD, and buy a pen if you think you need a pen. 

[Hephaist]

Huffer,

thank you very much for your help! I am a bit confused but are you really sure that these two components are upgradable? Because I have read many forums and it is being said that it is not upgradable? Or it was so for older versions but not for 2019? By the way Model 2 refers to HP Spectre x360 13-ap0017ng. Why would people then buy Model 3 version if other ones are already upgradable for much cheaper price?

And last question please... What does really pen do? Is it just a luxury option instead of using fingers for touch screen?

Kind Regards...

[Huffer]

I would need your exact model you are looking at to be sure but except on a very few models there is removable memory and SSD even in 2019. The model will also tell me if you have an active or passive screen. With a passive screen the pen is just a substitute for finger touch without leaving fingerprints but if its an active screen the pen actually becomes a very flexible content creation tool in skilled hands...kind of like a paintbrush. If you are not a content creator type then you do not need a pen. 

[Hephaist]

Hello Huffer,

I leave the model numbers below:

Model 1: HP Spectre x360 13-ap0050ng

Model 2: HP Spectre x360 13-ap0017ng

Model 3:  HP Spectre x360 13-ap0110ng

Kind Regards.

[Hephaist]

As far as I researched SSD is upgradable but RAM is not. Except extra 256gb SSD capacity, they literally demand 200 Euro just for 8GB more RAM.

[Huffer]

You are right. RAM is soldered SSD is removable and upgradeable.

Manual

See p. 43

[Hephaist]

At that point which one would you still offer? 256GB SSD is more than enough for me. So basically is 300 more Euro than Model 2 for 16GB (8GB more RAM) worth it for the next 7-8 years of using?

Also what is the use of pen on these models? Active or passive?

[Huffer]

These models are compatible with active pen...

$300 for just an extra 8 gigs of RAM is excessive but you have to ask yourself whether you can get by with 8 gigs? 16 gigs is needed in my opinion for any kind of content creation or editing like Photoshop, video editing, document manipulation such as OCR'ing large .pdf files. 8 gigs is plenty for basic Office work and even for gaming. 

[Hephaist]

Today there was a deal for Model 2. The price was 1149€ instead of 1199€. So I went for it. 350€ just for extra 8GB Ram seems utterly robbery to me. Actually 30% more than Model 2. I think it was a good choice. I won't do any rendering. And I do OCRing PDF files on my main desktop stations and then use these pdf on laptop. So it was the best choice I hope.