Cpu for laptop. suggestions?

[laxbumb198]

I'm planning on getting a core i5 processor because it falls in my price range.

I will use my laptop for downloading large files, burning music/videos, web design (dreamweaver/flash), and maybe some light gaming. I tend to run 3-4 programs at once.

some processors I am interested are
i5-430M 2.26GHz Turbo Boost up to 2.53GHz
i5-450M 2.40GHz Turbo Boost up to 2.66GHz
i5-520M 2.40GHz Turbo Boost up to 2.93GHz

will it be worth spending the extra $100 to get the 520m? and will i see a noticeable difference between them?

or should I not go with the i5 and chose another type?

any suggestions are appreciated.

 

[dr_dream]

Pick the cheapest one, i assure you that you won't notice any difference between them, except if you are into benchmark I am using a Core i3 330 and I am more than happy with it. The only difference between the Core i3 and Core i5 CPUs is the lack of Turbo Boost, they are all the same, the only difference is the frequency.

 

[laxbumb198]

so would I be better off with a core i3 with 2.4ghz as opposed to a core i5 with 2.26GHz Turbo Boost up to 2.53GHz

 

[Depth]

Yeah, you will not notice 130MHz on a laptop. So your savings will be much better out.

 

[Timonthy]

Yeah get the cheapest one, 130Mhz isnt noticeable in real life apps, maybe only in synthetic benchmarks.
Actually you could consider the Mobile Phenom X3/X4s also, decent performance for the price.

 

[laxbumb198]

ive herd bad things about amd. are these newer cpu's?

 

[Fourstaff]

ive herd bad things about amd. are these newer cpu's?

Well, I am using an AMD mobile processor, and I can comfortably say that the processor is quite good. Battery lasts about 1.5-2 hours with "light" use and just under an hour with heavy gaming, so battery is not an issue. It does everything I throw at it, except newer games where its gpu limited. The mobile ix processors eat quite a lot of battery according to an Anandtech article (cant find it) but should improve over the year.

 

[Timonthy]

ive herd bad things about amd. are these newer cpu's?

They're the newest actually, just came out last month

The older 65nm Turions do lack abit compared to their Intel counterparts back then, But the newer 45nm mobile Phenoms uses same die as the Athlon II X3/X4s which has a pretty good performance/power ratio and reputation.

About what sized laptops for how much $ are you looking for if I may ask?

 

[laxbumb198]

anything under $800, size isn't too much of a problem, although I would like something i could take to class with me next year.

 

[dr_dream]

you could go for a Core i7. For example, look on ebay for Dell Studio 15 i7 720qm. But if you are not in need of a super performant notebook, take a laptop with Core i3 / i5.

 

[laxbumb198]

I can't find any core i7 laptop for under $800 do you have a link?

 

[dr_dream]

MSI MS-1656-ID1 15.4", Lenovo IdeaPad Y550p (on ebay.com)

Of course I would go for the first option (MSI)

Later Edit: Sorry, my fault with the MSI. So it is Lenovo or you push your buget a bit up and think about a Toshiba Satellite A665-S6065 (which I recommend)

 

[laxbumb198]

well to buy the components for the barebone would put me way over my budget

 

[Timonthy]

ASUS: Acer Aspire AS7551G-5407 NoteBook AMD Phenom II N8...
HP: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/HP+-+Pa...inum/9980207.p?id=1218204947083&skuId=9980207
Samsung: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Samsung...inum/9973019.p?id=1218202949239&skuId=9973019
Sony: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Sony+-+...hite/9705355.p?id=1218154377521&skuId=9705355
The VAIO CW with the i5 and the GT330M for $850 is great also.

 

[laxbumb198]

ASUS: Acer Aspire AS7551G-5407 NoteBook AMD Phenom II N8...
HP: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/HP+-+Pa...inum/9980207.p?id=1218204947083&skuId=9980207
Samsung: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Samsung...inum/9973019.p?id=1218202949239&skuId=9973019
Sony: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Sony+-+...hite/9705355.p?id=1218154377521&skuId=9705355
The VAIO CW with the i5 and the GT330M for $850 is great also.

these are all great suggestions but isn't the 5400rpm hdd's almost obsolete? i herd the new standard is 7200rpm

 

[dr_dream]

I also had doubts before buying my Acer 8942G with the WD 640GB 5400rpm drive, but now I can say that the drive satisfies me, it's a good HDD.

You can take a look at this review of 2.5" drives to see the differences

 

[blkhogan]

Its not a i3 or i5, but I have an Asus laptop for sale. P8600 2.4GHz duel core and 7200 rpm HDD. It will take anything you throw at it and plays games quite well. Just throwing it out there. http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=111345 Save you a big chunk of cash also.

 

[Timonthy]

these are all great suggestions but isn't the 5400rpm hdd's almost obsolete? i herd the new standard is 7200rpm

Its not obsolete, its just newer techs are able to cram 7200RPM that's quiet enough to use in a laptop. 5400RPM isnt that much slower and a 7200RPM harddrive is only about $50 if you one separately.