Advice needed - i5 or i7?

[Andycam]

Guys, I need some advice here. I already own a SP3 i5 128 which I soon will replace as I will be handed a SP4 at work (lucky me!).

I am very happy with the SP3 and it does everything I need.

I have to options for my new SP4:
i5 - 256 - 8GB
i7 - 512 - 16GB
(the other HW-options are not on the menu)

Reasons why I am considering the i5:
It is basically all I need.

Reasons why I am considering the i7:
The usual urge for more. 16GB is nice for an occasional WM which can be handy in my work.

It will have to last for work and personal use for three years, so I try to plan a little bit ahead here.
The plan was to get the i7, but I am a little bit hesitant as I am aware of the SP3 down throttling issues for the i7 version. I am not a gamer so game performance is irrelevant, I just need a fairly powerful laptop that will last me three years. Will downthrottling make the i7 useless or is this issue mainly solved now?

Any advice and thoughts are highly appreciated.

 

[leeshor]

It's nice you have options. I would go for the i7 under those circumstances. Throttle or not it's more powerful overall. If it was a matter of my own money I would think twice.

 

[hughlle]

If you're not paying, then why not go i7. Never hurts to have the extra power when you need it. As per leeshor, if it was your own money, then than would be a different thing.

If you went i7, would you be required to justify the choice to a boss?

 

[GreyFox7]

16gb for VMs that's a +8 512 gb Storage also a plus if you're doing VMs ... and even if throttled it's more powerful but most of the time it wont be. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, unless there are strings attached, just say thank you.

 

[Andycam]

Thanks for your responses, guys!

Well, I do have to pay something extra myself for upgrading to the i7, but I can justify it as the RAM is handy and as GreyFox7 says - nice to have some space for VM's. My biggest concern is really the CPU. I just dont want a slower device than the i5. If the i7 is generally faster even with the downthrottling, then I think I have the answer I need.