Spec Check for Ubuntu 18.04 and office work with large docs

Hi All,

I'm intending loading Ubuntu 18.04 on this build and using it as a fast office machine.
it will be Browsing the web, Email, Storing photos, and writing up to 300 page documents with pictures.

I don't want to wait around for start-up - shut-down or opening - closing documents hence the M.2 SSD
The HDD is for archive storage.

Any comments on the general build or especially compatibly with Ubuntu 18.04 gratefully received

See spec below

Total cost £598.00
Budget was about £600

Ibod



Chassis & Display
UltraNote Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD 60Hz 45% NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i3 Dual Core Processor i3-8130U (2.20GHz) 4MB Cache
Memory (RAM)
8GB Corsair 2400MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
INTEL® HD GRAPHICS (CPU Dependant) - 1.7GB Max DDR4 Video RAM - DirectX® 12
1st Storage Drive
500GB SERIAL ATA III 2.5" HARD DRIVE WITH 8MB CACHE (5,400rpm)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
128GB ADATA SU800 M.2 2280 (560 MB/R, 300 MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
Ultra Slim 8x SATA DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer (+ 24x CD-RW)
Memory Card Reader
Internal 9 in 1 Card Reader (MMC/RSMMC/SD: Mini, XC & HC/MS: Pro & Duo)
AC Adaptor
1 x 40W AC Adaptor
Battery
UltraNote V Series 44WH Lithium Ion Battery
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre Cloverleaf UK Power Cable
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-9260 M.2 (1.73Gbps, 802.11AC) +BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
1 x USB 3.0 PORT (Type C) + 1 x USB 3.0 PORT + 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS
Keyboard Language
SINGLE COLOUR BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Firefox™
Carry Case
Tech Air 15.6 Classic Toploading Case
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 1MP HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Gold Warranty (2 Year Collect & Return, 2 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Dead Pixel Guarantee
1 Year Dead Pixel Guarantee Inc. Labour & Carriage Costs
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 5 to 7 working days
Welcome Book
PCSpecialist Welcome Book - United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland
Quantity
1

What did that come to and what's your max budget?

The SSD you've picked is ok but not that outstanding. A faster NVMe M.2 SSD will provide much faster startup and a snappier running system. Size-wise it's probably about right for what you want to use the laptop for.

The hard disk you've selected is small by today's standards, it's also slow. You'll be much happier with a 7200rpm drive, and if your budget will allow a 1TB drive will mean you won't be running out of space anytime soon.

A 1TB HDD will also be faster, and I strongly agree with the SSD recommendation.

You may also want to give serious consideration to the i5 CPU, which has double the cores and threads.

Hi Ubuysa,

Total cost £598.00
Budget was about £600

Ibod

Hmm.. don't suppose you can drop the HDD to help afford improvements to the other components? Perhaps get by with a 250gb SSD and cloud storage, and add a TB HDD yourself down the line if desired?

Hi Oussebon.

The HDD is needed for the very large picture library used in creation of the documents

A picture library is something that could benefit from being on an SSD.

You could drop the HDD and get a 512gb SU800 for £13 less than the 120gb SU800 + 500gb HDD.

You could get a 1TB SU800 for £39 more than the 120gb Su800 + 500gb SSD. So that's much more and much faster storage.

A 1TB 660p Intel drive would be only a further £11 and is even faster.

I'd also still recommend the i5 CPU.

My concern is that you will spend around £600 on the laptop spec you posted above but be very disappointed with the performance versus spending, as a proportion of the total price, a little more.

That makes a lot of sense if i can find another £110

Double the CPU and Storage and significant speed increase on the 120gb SSD not to mention the HDD

Anyone got any thoughts on Ubuntu 18.04 compatibility with this build ?

I expect it'll be fine. Check out the links in this topic: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?60811-Linux-Laptop-Compatibility

I'm in full agreement with Oussebon on a large SSD and no HDD for your needs. High res images are one of the few types of user data that benefit greatly from being on an SSD (the fast load avoids the screen paint wait you'll get from a 5400rpm HDD).

You have to ask yourself whether it's worth spending £600 on something that's nearly what you need, or spending £700 on something that's exactly what you need.