Laptop for University (Info Sec)

[kupori]

Hey,

 

I'll be pursuing a degree in information security. Based on the summary of modules I will be taking - I'll be doing coding, pentesting, malware analysis, forensics.
I'm guessing that I'll have to run VMs for those kind of stuff. I'm looking for an ultrabook as l want something lightweight and fast for what I'll be doing. 
I have a few questions regarding specs:

• i5 or i7? I read that i7 has more threads which is important for running VM smoothly. Unsure if there will be a noticeable performance difference on laptop CPUs.
• 8 or 16gb RAM for running 2+ VMs?
• Does a dedicated gpu help run VMs smoother? (eg. nvidia mx150)

 

Right now I'm leaning towards the i7/16GB RAM/512GB SSD variants of:

• ASUS Zenbook 13 UX331
• ASUS Zenbook UX430

 

Those 2 models are reasonably price for their specs unlike the XPS 13. Other recommendations are appreciated.

 

I live in Singapore, I don't really have a budget as I'll be on a scholarship which will cover $1.1k USD of the laptop cost, I can pick up the remaining.

 

[SupaKomputa]

for vms, get as many threads you can get so you can assign each threads as a virtual cpu.

bigger memory means you can allocate more memory to the vms. check the minimum requirements for each os, for linux around 2gb is fine.

consumer vm applications doesn't support hardware gpu, so it will not help.

[Death Hawk]

Assuming you're talking about virtual box, that program uses it's own virtual GPU, so a graphics card won't make a difference. 16gb is handy if you're running a VM or 2 all the time (and like using chrome). 8 should be fine if you're only running them when needed. More threads will improve VM performance. If possible try run your VM's on either a D: partition or external drive, The virtual disks used can hog storage (assuming you're assigning 20-50gb per Windows VM, linux is ligher on storage needs) 

[genexis_x]

3 hours ago, 64bits said:

• i5 or i7? I read that i7 has more threads which is important for running VM smoothly. Unsure if there will be a noticeable performance difference on laptop CPUs.
• 8 or 16gb RAM for running 2+ VMs?
• Does a dedicated gpu help run VMs smoother? (eg. nvidia mx150)

1. 8250U is enough. Same cores and threads.

2. 16GB

3. No idea

 

What are your preferred max weight and minimum battery life?

[kupori]

Thanks for your input on VM @Death Hawk and @SupaKomputa

1 hour ago, ZM Fong said:

1. 8250U is enough. Same cores and threads.

2. 16GB

3. No idea

 

What are your preferred max weight and minimum battery life?

I'm looking at 1.2kg or lighter, most new ultrabooks can last 7-8hours on normal usage, thats more than enough for me. If I were running VMs, I would be plugged in.

[genexis_x]

Any other 13/14 inch laptops with 8250U/8550U CPU besides the ones you listed?