Since I would like to work paperless in the future, I wanted to know which would be better for a study (practical computer science) a laptop / ultrabook or a surface with an i5 and 8GB Ram? I don't know how far I would need a strong PC on site but if it was important I would have a very potent computer at home.
Do you mean a covertible with Ultrabook? I guess handwriting will be pretty much a must, so you wouldn't be well served with a classic notebook / ultrabook.
With convertibles, the question would be how much the corresponding part is good for. I know someone who has something from Lenovo (I don't know the model) and in my eyes the part is hardly suitable for handwritten writing. The pen is junk and the palm recognition does not work reliably. Since the Surface should be the "more complete" device and in case of doubt you can also use a keyboard and have practically no disadvantage to a normal notebook, except maybe for the price.
I happened to answer a similar question a few days ago. Therefore I try to respond slightly modified here.
In my view, there's nothing better than a Surface Pro for paperless work during your studies.
OneNote offers you the paperless folder system for structuring your transcripts and learning arrangements, with Drawbord you can work through PDF scripts excellently and with Office under the "Draw" tab you have an excellent editor for formulas (if you need it), when they are converted to print should be. The computing power can be adjusted as required using a slider (sometimes persistent, sometimes with a lot of power).
Since you have another powerful computer, you will probably not need the function described below. But maybe it is still good to know: With the dock you could convert the tablet into a multi-monitor PC system with all peripheral devices such as hard disk, stick, mouse, printer, DVD etc. With one click and with the app "Your smartphone" you slide your photos from your smartphone directly into your OneNote (e.g. Lecture slides from a projector) or wherever you need them ("your smartphone" is only possible with Android and is not only usable with the Surface, but with any PC ).
If everything from a greeting should fit together (i.e. Home PC, smartphone, Surface), you need the OneNote app, Office 365, OneDrive and the Edge browser based on Chromium and a standardized Microsoft account on all devices should already be used when registering the device (i.e. As with Apple and Android).
The user-friendliness of the hardware also has some advantages of the Surface, which apparently result from many years of experience in developing the devices. The pen lasts about 1.5 years until it needs a new battery (so no annoying charging) and the eraser, the lasso function and the remote control of PPPs are very helpful. The kickstand allows the device to tilt continuously, which enables a comfortable angle when writing and eliminates reflections (sometimes it is the windows that are annoying, sometimes it is the skylights) (a few degrees are usually sufficient here). Other convertibles mostly give way slightly when writing or can't be adjusted so dynamically and are not really good for handwriting. The keyboard can be described very comfortably with the additional angle of attack, is illuminated and deactivates when you swing it under the tablet. The virtual cursive keyboard is also very sophisticated and often makes typing unnecessary. Apparently, the Pro 7 finally has the instant-on function.
If you only had to use the device for the lecture, I can even recommend the Pro X. Paperless work on OneNote, Drawboard and Co work well with it, the larger screen beguiles, the runtime is 6-9 hours and the pen is more comfortable to hold. 64-bit programs are not yet running on it. It is of course also a matter of taste and a question of the wallet / financing options.
