CPU for low budget laptop

[sDGam]

I was recently asked to buy a low budget laptop just for internet browsing, movies and music.
GPU isn't much of a concern since the integrated graphics are pretty good these days
My only problem is what kind of cpu i should choose since i dont know how good laptop cpus can perform. Can a dual core @1GHz, 512KB Cache, 28nm do the job or should i go for higher clocks?

 

[IInuyasha74]

What laptop are you looking at?
I would think you should not go with the system you are looking at. I don't know any CPU with 512MB of cache not even the really expensive Intel ones, so I would take it you meant RAM.

As for the 24nm architecture, I would think you must be either miss reading the information or its an ARM CPU, which if it is an ARM CPU it is a lot closer to a tablet than a laptop and the performance will be little better than most smart phones.

What is your price limit?

 

[sDGam]

i typed some things wrong there
512KB cache and 28nm *

It's not about the max budget. I just want to know what kind of cpu is going to be needed to perform normally the actions mentioned

 

[IInuyasha74]

Oh I see, that makes a lot more sense.

Well I would recommend at least a Pentium CPU from Intel.

With AMD I would say any of the Athlon series or the APU series will do it.
I would probably go with an APU personally on this. It will not perform well on games, but if you get a cheaper quad core APU it should work well for what you need. The cores they use are very energy efficent and only run at about 1Ghz also, but there are four of them. For having a bunch of tabs open on the internet this is an advantage. The graphics willbe enough for movies, but will only do older games on medium settings maybe, if they are before 2010.

The audio all depends on the laptop you pick, not the CPU.

Main reason I would go with this over Intel though is it gives the best battery life and does strictly what you want it for at the cheapest price, compared to a Pentium which would be a little more capable in other situations, but use more power and cost more.

 

[jaguarskx]

I recommend the following Toshiba laptop from BestBuy for $330 + tax. It seems to be a model that they actually do carry in the store... at least where I live based on what the website is telling me.

http/www.bestbuy.com/site/toshiba-satellite-15-6-34-laptop-6gb-memory-500gb-hard-drive-satin-black/1689182.p?id=1219060352357&skuId=1689182&st=1689021,%201689182_&cp=1&lp=2

Sure there are more options to choose from online, but at least it seems you can physically check it out. Plus if you do end up buying it and you don't like it, you can simply bring it into the store for a refund (15 days I think) rather than mailing it back to whatever online store.

 

[IInuyasha74]

If you decide to go with an Intel based processor that one will work well for you.

I still think you will get better batter life if you go with AMD and maybe have better multi threaded performance, but really either system will work for you.

 

[jaguarskx]

Actually, I am wrong. Looking at the site again, it is shipped from the warehouse to the store of your choice.

If you prefer a laptop with a larger screen, then consider the following 17.3" HP laptop with a 1600x900 resolution screen for $400. It comes with a quad core AMD A8 APU (AMD's name for CPU + integrated graphics), but no specific model is provided. The graphics core is likely better than the above laptop with the Intel Pentium CPU.

http/www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-pavilion-17-3-34-laptop-4gb-memory-750gb-hard-drive-anodized-silver/2287004.p?id=1219071221794&skuId=2287004#tab=specifications


EDIT:

The graphics core is actually the AMD Radeon HD 8550G so it's actually pretty decent even for games at 1366x768 taking into consideration that it is an integrated graphics core we are talking about.

 

[IInuyasha74]

Unless I am mistaken, the AMD based laptop he listed has either an A8-5550M or an A8-5557M. Practically the same chip, just one is soldered on board, the other is not. They are a fast quad core series that turbo's up to 3.1Ghz, and is actually one of the best mobile CPU's sold by AMD. I would think that quite a good deal, and the graphics are actually good enough to play some games.

 

[sDGam]

i forgot to mention that i live in greece and prices are alot different here. For example, the hp pavilion 17.3'' costs 400$ in the link above, which is about 300euros. Although in greece it costs 550euros. That's why i only asked about the cpus' performance.
Anyway, i will check the cpus' those laptops use and i'll decide what kind i need