General Laptop Advice From An Old Pro.

[Avro Arrow]

Great article! Iv been shopping for a new Gaming laptop to replace my desktop and all of whats posted has been a huge help in sorting out whats what and what to look at. http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152205 im looking at this laptop it looks like it can handle "just about every game under the sun" whats your take on it? iv already made a thread sorry for posting here to

Yeah, that will do it. That Mobility Radeon HD 5870 is a monster as far as laptops is concerned. Just don't be expecting it to perform like a desktop HD 5870. Desktop cards weigh as much as netbooks...lol

 

[Avro Arrow]

Thank you for all the information, I have found it very useful to read through these comments. I'm trying to buy a laptop for my inlaws (in their 80's) and have found the following at John Lewis (a very reputable store that my mother-in-law loves!). I would really appreciate you opinion on whether there is any difference between the following laptops and if the price is reasonable. I feel quite nervous buying this as it is a lot of money for them to spend and I'm NOT a computer expert. They want to do basic business/surfing/talking to their son in Australia, so I'll have to add a webcam. Thanks in advance - off now to find out how much a replacement battery costs! Thanks again for the top tips.

Toshiba Satellite C660D-10W Laptop, AMD Sempron, 250GB, 2.3GHz, 2GB RAM with 15.6 Inch Display
£319.95
Toshiba Satellite C660-15 Laptop, Intel Celeron Dual, 320GB, 2.1GHz, 2GB RAM with 15.6 Inch Display
£339.95
p.s there is a timing issue as VAT will go up in the new year so they are anxious to buy now.

Well, if they're in their 80s, I think that for their uses, either laptop will do the job and make them happy. Having said that however, I think that this laptop would be more suitable because it has a webcam for only £10 more. A separate webcam would cost you at least that anyway and this one is integrated so they won't have to install drivers or worry about where the webcam is located. The extra GB of RAM won't hurt either:
http/www.johnlewis.com/231050652/Product.aspx
I hope this aids you well.

 

[Saga Lout]

http/www.johnlewis.com/231049345/Product.aspx

I wonder if they might not get confused with all the junk that comes courtesy of Toshiba - don't get me wrong, I'm on my third one and their great machines but all the Easy this and Config that which comes with them are mighty resource hogs.

The HP looks good but an Acer or Advent would suit their purposes - either from John Lewis or Staples - would come in at less that £320 and still include a webcam.

All that said, some of my 80 something year old customers are on their PCs and laptops day and night, flying all over the world on Google Earth, sharing music and pictures and chatting for hours on Skype or Logitech Vid.

 

[Avro Arrow]

I wonder if they might not get confused with all the junk that comes courtesy of Toshiba - don't get me wrong, I'm on my third one and their great machines but all the Easy this and Config that which comes with them are mighty resource hogs.

The HP looks good but an Acer or Advent would suit their purposes - either from John Lewis or Staples - would come in at less that £320 and still include a webcam.

All that said, some of my 80 something year old customers are on their PCs and laptops day and night, flying all over the world on Google Earth, sharing music and pictures and chatting for hours on Skype or Logitech Vid.

I had put the wrong link, you answered it before I could fix it. It's an Acer, not an HP. And that said, Jacks2011 was very specific about what it would be used for, or did you not read his post? Also, bloatware is not restricted to Toshiba. This is why I generally spend an hour with a new laptop getting rid of the crap regardless of what brand it is.

 

[Saga Lout]

did you not read his post?

I think it's fairly plain to see that I read it. My point was to show how expectations change once someone gets their first computer - however old they may be perceived to be. I build cheap computers for people even older than I am and to keep costs down, install Linux. It isn't unusual to get an e-mail a few months later asking questions about Command Line work and other Terminal functions outside the GUI.

Age is not a barrier to anything and Jacks2011's relatives may well surprise him.

 

[Avro Arrow]

I think it's fairly plain to see that I read it. My point was to show how expectations change once someone gets their first computer - however old they may be perceived to be. I build cheap computers for people even older than I am and to keep costs down, install Linux. It isn't unusual to get an e-mail a few months later asking questions about Command Line work and other Terminal functions outside the GUI.

Age is not a barrier to anything and Jacks2011's relatives may well surprise him.

Oh I agree totally. Computers are some of the most interesting and addictive things on the planet. I'm a walking result of it! LOL When people start to realise that there is literally nothing that an x86-based machine cannot do these days, they get interested VERY quickly. The thing is, this guy wanted a cheap laptop and of course, I don't like the fact that laptops can't be upgraded but I can see that they're very useful for a lot of people, especially seniors for whom a big heavy tower might be too cumbersome. I don't believe in sinking any real money into a laptop because I'd rather buy more desktop components and throw them in my tower.

 

[Jacks2011]

Well, if they're in their 80s, I think that for their uses, either laptop will do the job and make them happy. Having said that however, I think that this laptop would be more suitable because it has a webcam for only £10 more. A separate webcam would cost you at least that anyway and this one is integrated so they won't have to install drivers or worry about where the webcam is located. The extra GB of RAM won't hurt either:
http/www.johnlewis.com/231050652/Product.aspx
I hope this aids you well.

Thanks for your replies and for the extra comments from Saga Lout, they have all been very useful (i'm their daughter-in-law by the way). I am completely open to them become major Internet surfers but they live in a small house packed with furniture and no room for the box and screen etc. On top of this they can only heat one room efficiently and that doesn't have a table or room for one!
The reason I went for the Toshiba was that it came out as the least likely to break down, I have read your opener and appreciate they are all the same under the skin but still cling to a thread that it might be better. I need to since I live 60 miles away and would be the only person to help if it breaks down. Perhaps I will try Staple as I've just read they offer a telephone help option and if that's rubbish at least I could deal with it on the phone.
Sorry I couldn't reply sooner but the urgency was taken out of my hands and I've been laid out with flu for 3 days so Vat no longer an issue.
Thanks again for all your help. I'll continue to read the thread as it seems to be most intelligent discussions I've encountered so far. Happy new year.

 

[Jacks2011]

One final comment, I know that for some computers are easy but I have to say that for others they remain cussed and arbitrary e.g. why does my laptop connect to my mums wireless effortlessly and yet refuses to do so to mine! I have a a job and children that take up all my time and sorting these things out becomes secondary and never seems to get done. Although as the children get older I will have to do it at some point! I have two laptops neither of which works perfectly and I have neither the time or energy to make them perfect so I have to deal with them and all their foibles. Still once again thank you for the clear advice and help.

 

[Jacks2011]

Hi again, so much for final comments! I've just been to Staples and found this http/www.staples.co.uk/technology/pcs-and-laptops/laptops/presario-cq56-101sa-15-6-hd-led-brightview-display-intel-celeron-900-2gb-ddr2-250gb-sata-5400-rpm-intel-graphics-4500-sata-optical-drive----includes-free-mcafee-internet-security-software. What do you think? I'm a little worried that it's not covered by their 30 day returns policy.
Cheers.

 

[Saga Lout]

Hi again, so much for final comments! I've just been to Staples and found this http/www.staples.co.uk/technology/pcs-and-laptops/laptops/presario-cq56-101sa-15-6-hd-led-brightview-display-intel-celeron-900-2gb-ddr2-250gb-sata-5400-rpm-intel-graphics-4500-sata-optical-drive----includes-free-mcafee-internet-security-software. What do you think? I'm a little worried that it's not covered by their 30 day returns policy.
Cheers.

I can't make that link work but I saw enough of the make and model to say it's a good one - sadly I couldn't find Staples' price but I can assure you that VAT doesn't go up in Britain until tomorrow so today would be a good day to shop.

Opinions on this will vary but I would ditch that free McAfee on day one and replace it with the equally free Microsoft Security Essentials and make sur ethe Windows firewall is turned on. McAfee is a resource hog which isn't worth the space it occupies.

As to returns policy, surely that's only for changes of mind. The warranty is unaffected and everything in the EU with an electric plug on it has a two year guarantee. Hard disks usually have three years - some have five.

Without wishing to appear patronising (I'm 64 myself) older people will find a conventional mouse easier than the built-in touchpad so while you're there, a fiver should buy a decent one - a little more for the wireless variety.

 

[Avro Arrow]

This is true. Older people tend to hate the touchpad, I know that everyone in my family who are baby boomers or older always use a mouse and complain about the touchpad (I honestly don't care either way)

As for Toshiba being the best... Walmart sells Toshiba. That doesn't mean that they're bad, but it sure doesn't make them the best. I've heard people say that they're high-maintenance (but I've heard people say that about all names). If you are set on getting a Toshiba, that's up to you. They are the same as everyone else but if you think that they are superior, you do so at your own risk. Remember that even if you've owned 10 laptops in our life, those experiences are a drop in the bucket as far as the laptop market is concerned and any experience you've had with laptops more than 2 years ago is completely irrelevant to today.

 

[Martin27]

Great post. If buying a laptop for work (no gaming etc.) but I plan on connecting it to an external display w/ HDMI does it make a difference in clarity or resolution if it has an intergrated Intel HD graphics card or an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650? And if the laptop specs say 1366 x 768 is that all I'm gonna get on the external display as well?

 

[cpatel1987]

Avro Arrow, I agree with literally 100% of everything you said. I work at Best Buy, and you and I think alike and that's word for word exactly how I recommend laptops. Brand is irrelevant, hardware depends on the person's needs, all of it. Good job sir.

 

[slimshady_raj]

WOW! nice! Thats a great post....I am looking to buy a laptop myself and am from India...The biggest problem is that these things cost a bomb here and we dont get to choose from as many models as customers in the US, UK or Australia do!

Anyways, i want a laptop for gaming, and as u've said, i'l just look for the power of the GPU...

But since prices are really prohibitive here,
I was looking at two options:

1.Lenovo y560p @ around 57000INR
2.ASUS n53sv (price unknown)

Are they good? I would like to play the recent games at med settings atleast!
Thanx!

 

[fayorzrz]

This is a great post. I am thinking to buy a laptop and i mostly use it for mathematical calculations. So, if i haven't misunderstood, it would be better to buy a laptop with a intel processor, a lot of ram, and a fast hard drive. I am rigth? i would appreciate your advice.

Thanx!!!

 

[travelingedit]

Alright, you've made up your mind to get a craptop, errr.... laptop and you're looking at all the different brands and configurations, scratching your head and wondering "WTH have I gotten myself into?" FEAR NOT DEAR FRIENDS! As a former salesman at tigerdirect.ca I can give you completely unbiased and truthful information, hopefully I can dispel a lot of myths surrounding laptop purchases.

Myth #1 - Processing power is all-important.

Actually, as with everything else, it completely depends on the application. Most people who buy laptops buy them for school or for work. Some buy them as their primary computer because they don't have a lot of room at home and so they assume that they need a powerful processor in order to do the everyday tasks they bought the laptop to do. The fact is, 90% of what people do on computers hasn't really changed since the days of Windows 95. Hardware has advanced much faster than software has. I was browsing with netscape and internet exploder back when I had a Pentium-I. You can't tell me that office applications need much either. I was using WordPerfect with an original IBM PC! LOL

Myth #2 - Brand matters

This is one of my favourites because it REALLY shows just how ignorant human beings can be. As someone who sold these things for a living at one of the largest computer retailers in Canada (hell, in North America) I can tell you a few things about the marketing behind the laptops and help you cut through all the BS.

The only difference between one brand and another is appearance (and sometimes quirky features that few people, if any, ever use). Laptops are like people, under the skin we're all pretty much the same. No matter what brand the laptop is, whether it's Acer, HP, Dell, Gateway, Lenovo, Compaq, ASUS, eMachines, Alienware, MSI, Toshiba or Packard-Bell, they're all made with the same internals from Intel, AMD, VIA, ARM, nVidia, ATi, Seagate, Hitachi, Western Digital, Foxconn, etc. They're also ALL MADE IN CHINA which means that most likely that they didn't even design the thing to begin with, they just bought the rights to a Chinese design, threw their name on it and marketed the hell out of it in North America. Also keep in mind that Acer owns Gateway, eMachines and Packard-Bell while HP owns Compaq and Dell owns Alienware. If you think they don't try to keep as many common parts as possible to keep costs down and profits up, you really should give your head a shake. Specs such as Hard Drive Space, RAM, Operating System, WiFi type, Bluetooth Compatibility, LED vs. Fluorescent backlighting and display size are the specs you should be looking at. Battery life is also a consideration but be sure to check how much a replacement battery will cost because you will most likely be replacing the battery at least once in the lifetime of your laptop. A battery with double the life might cost 5x the price to replace. No battery lives forever. Typically, eBay is the best source for replacement batteries.

Myth #3 - School home/laptops should be expensive to make sure they don't become obsolete.

This is the biggest pile of crap I've ever heard. I attend university and I use an eMachines E620-5885. Here's the specs:

CPU: Athlon 64 2650e 1.6GHz Single-Core
RAM: 2GB DDR2
Hard Drive: 160GB SATA
Graphics: ATi Radeon X1200
WiFi: Wireless-G
OS: Originally Vista Home Basic (gasp!), downgraded to XP Professional (Thank god!)
Optical: Dual-Layer DVD-RW

This machine (which I am typing on as we speak), from a specs perspective is rather primitive. The question is, since it runs everything I want it to (including most online games), why do I need to worry? Word and Powerpoint both work perfectly and probably would on an old Pentium-1. Programs like that, along with Firefox and other browsers were originally designed for much older machines and so even a machine like mine will be perfect for the average user who surfs the net, plays light games and does schoolwork. Even my old Pentium-3 laptop does these things. (I upgraded because after 9 years, it was physically falling apart but I use it for my magic jack now.) Believe me, my ATi X1200 is one of the LOWEST-scoring GPUs in benchmark tests but it's still fine.

Myth #4 - You should periodically drain your laptop battery completely and charge it up again

Hell no, you don't want to do that. Lithium-Ion batteries are not like the old Nickel-Cadmium rechargeables. They do not develop a memory from unscheduled charging and do NOT respond well to deep-cycling (draining completely and then recharging). That will kill a Lithium-Ion cell almost as fast as too much heat. Ideally, you would keep it plugged in all the time and the battery would last forever (which would defeat the purpose of having a laptop) but as long as you never drain it completely it will last for years. There isn't a huge difference between running it down to 10% as opposed to charging it from 90% from a battery life standpoint but keeping it as fully charged as possible at all times will make the battery more or less immortal.

Myth #5 - Intel is better than AMD / AMD is better than Intel

Again, your application makes all the difference here. If you do actual heavy-duty computing like video encoding, etc. Then yes, Intel is the way to go. If, on the other hand, you want it for simple purposes or for gaming, then AMD is the way to go. Here's my explanation:

Intel's mobile CPUs are superior in processing power to AMD's in the same price range. That means that they are better for heavy multitasking (I mean a LOT of tasks because all CPUs can multitask reasonably well, even single-cores, remember the Pentium-4?) but they have a serious thorn in their side, namely, the Intel GMA series graphics processors. Intel offsets this with outstanding battery life by using their Centrino technology but not all Intel-based laptops have this feature. If all you do is simple tasks at home like banking, surfing the web, playing music and watching movies, well, we were doing those exact things back in the days of Windows 95 with our Pentium I's and 486DX4-100's! You don't need serious power for that. Hell, my OLD Dell Latitude C610 with an ORIGINAL Mobility Radeon having only 16MB of dedicated video RAM and 512MB of PC100 SDRAM plays NHL games streamed from cbc.ca FLAWLESSLY! Keep in mind that 2D graphics such as movies and photo editing are a snap for even the old ATi Rage and nVidia TNT2 series cards. Modern notebook GPUs are far more powerful than that. I'll compare two like-priced 15.6" laptops, one that is Intel-based, and one that is AMD-based, both at around the $500USD mark:

Lenovo G550 - $500
CPU: Intel Pentium Dual-Core T4400 2.2GHz
RAM: 4GB DDR3
Hard Drive: 250GB SATA
Graphics: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
WiFi: Wireless-G
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Optical: Dual-Layer DVD-RW

Acer Aspire AS5517-5358 - $500
CPU: AMD Athlon 64x2 TK-42 1.6GHz
RAM: 4GB DDR2
Hard Drive: 320GB SATA
Graphics: ATi Mobility Radeon HD 3200
WiFi: Wireless-G
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Optical: Dual-Layer DVD-RW

Now in this case, the T4400 is considerably more powerful than the TK-42 and DDR3 is superior to DDR2 so the processing speed advantage is clearly Lenovo's . On the other hand, the Acer has a 70GB advantage in hard drive space and the HD 3200 blows the GMA 4500MHD clear out of the water as far as graphics performance is concerned, which means faster gaming. According to notebookcheck.net, the T4400 has a front side bus of 1GHz while the TK-42 only has a front-side bus of 800MHz. Coupled with the fact that the T4400 alone is 72% faster than the TK-42, we can expect to see almost double the speed out of the Intel chip compared to the AMD chip. One would think that this would make it an easy decision, think again. The reason for this is that the HD 3200 GPU has almost triple the 3DMark06 score (1294) compared to the GMA 4500MHD(483). Couple that with the 62% frame rate advantage it enjoys in World of Warcraft and you immediately realise that if you want to do anything graphically-intensive (like gaming), the power of the GPU will make a much bigger difference, especially when you consider that some games do not run AT ALL with Intel graphics. ATi or nVidia graphics ensure game compatibility. While CPU speed is always nice, when a game won't run AT ALL because you have Intel graphics, it means it will NEVER run on that laptop until the software company makes a patch to support Intel graphics. Since laptops are a tiny percentage of computers used for gaming of any kind, the odds of the developer putting the time and/or money into developing said patch is remote at best. (They're probably never going to make one.)

Netbooks:

Netbooks are almost all essentially the same with the Intel Atom 1.6GHz CPU,1GB RAM, 160GB HD, XP Home and Intel graphics. The only way to distinguish one from the other is through battery life and warranty. In the same price category you can expect them all to have the same specs. If there's one you like the look of better than the rest, then go for it but don't expect a performance difference between them unless you're willing to cough up extra $$$ for an SSD or faster CPU. Make sure you know what battery you're getting because some manufacturers bundle a 3-cell Lithium-Ion battery and some bundle a 6-cell Lithium-Ion battery. As before, be sure to find out what the price is for a replacement. Again, eBay is the best source for that.

Laptops vs. Desktops:

If you're thinking of buying a super-powerful laptop, I implore you not to. Laptops cannot be upgraded and are therefore technological dead-ends. For the price of a super-powerful laptop, you could pick up a desktop that is equal to or more powerful than the super-powerful laptop you're looking at AND get a $500 laptop for the same price. If you just need the laptop for mobility, then this combo is the way to go.

I hope this helps you wade through the sea of marketing BS and expensive sparkly glitter. Remember, a laptop is NOT a fashion statement unless you have money to burn. I know I don't and you probably don't either, take care.

If you have any questions about Laptops (or desktops for that matter), you can send me a pvt message or laptop questions can go here.

SOURCES: notebookcheck.net, cpubenchmark.net

If you like what you read here, please post a reply so that this thread doesn't get buried. I'd like it to be stickied but nobody answers me.

Hello,
I have reviewed and researched advice about notebooks, and I like what you have to say. So, with that said, please help me select a notebook that will allow me to manage multi-file processing with Adobe CS5 Master edition with all features on. A desktop will not do, I have to travel and collect my data at its source. I don't care about the brand, I just want it to work. But, I am concerned about overheating, so I prefer something with a good warranty. Also, how important are compounds; silver vs diamond, are they worth the extra costs. I have less than $1,000 to spend.

 

[UncleBean]

Hello there,
Was thinking of getting my niece (9yrs old) a laptop for her birthday this June. I'm looking at Tigerdirect atm and see some refurbished or off-lease books. Are they worth it or am I better of going for a brand new one?

 

[sreenivas]

Very good & helpful points.

Keep posting.

Srinivas

Alright, you've made up your mind to get a craptop, errr.... laptop and you're looking at all the different brands and configurations, scratching your head and wondering "WTH have I gotten myself into?" FEAR NOT DEAR FRIENDS! As a former salesman at tigerdirect.ca I can give you completely unbiased and truthful information, hopefully I can dispel a lot of myths surrounding laptop purchases.

Myth #1 - Processing power is all-important.

Actually, as with everything else, it completely depends on the application. Most people who buy laptops buy them for school or for work. Some buy them as their primary computer because they don't have a lot of room at home and so they assume that they need a powerful processor in order to do the everyday tasks they bought the laptop to do. The fact is, 90% of what people do on computers hasn't really changed since the days of Windows 95. Hardware has advanced much faster than software has. I was browsing with netscape and internet exploder back when I had a Pentium-I. You can't tell me that office applications need much either. I was using WordPerfect with an original IBM PC! LOL

Myth #2 - Brand matters

This is one of my favourites because it REALLY shows just how ignorant human beings can be. As someone who sold these things for a living at one of the largest computer retailers in Canada (hell, in North America) I can tell you a few things about the marketing behind the laptops and help you cut through all the BS.

The only difference between one brand and another is appearance (and sometimes quirky features that few people, if any, ever use). Laptops are like people, under the skin we're all pretty much the same. No matter what brand the laptop is, whether it's Acer, HP, Dell, Gateway, Lenovo, Compaq, ASUS, eMachines, Alienware, MSI, Toshiba or Packard-Bell, they're all made with the same internals from Intel, AMD, VIA, ARM, nVidia, ATi, Seagate, Hitachi, Western Digital, Foxconn, etc. They're also ALL MADE IN CHINA which means that most likely that they didn't even design the thing to begin with, they just bought the rights to a Chinese design, threw their name on it and marketed the hell out of it in North America. Also keep in mind that Acer owns Gateway, eMachines and Packard-Bell while HP owns Compaq and Dell owns Alienware. If you think they don't try to keep as many common parts as possible to keep costs down and profits up, you really should give your head a shake. Specs such as Hard Drive Space, RAM, Operating System, WiFi type, Bluetooth Compatibility, LED vs. Fluorescent backlighting and display size are the specs you should be looking at. Battery life is also a consideration but be sure to check how much a replacement battery will cost because you will most likely be replacing the battery at least once in the lifetime of your laptop. A battery with double the life might cost 5x the price to replace. No battery lives forever. Typically, eBay is the best source for replacement batteries.

Myth #3 - School home/laptops should be expensive to make sure they don't become obsolete.

This is the biggest pile of crap I've ever heard. I attend university and I use an eMachines E620-5885. Here's the specs:

CPU: Athlon 64 2650e 1.6GHz Single-Core
RAM: 2GB DDR2
Hard Drive: 160GB SATA
Graphics: ATi Radeon X1200
WiFi: Wireless-G
OS: Originally Vista Home Basic (gasp!), downgraded to XP Professional (Thank god!)
Optical: Dual-Layer DVD-RW

This machine (which I am typing on as we speak), from a specs perspective is rather primitive. The question is, since it runs everything I want it to (including most online games), why do I need to worry? Word and Powerpoint both work perfectly and probably would on an old Pentium-1. Programs like that, along with Firefox and other browsers were originally designed for much older machines and so even a machine like mine will be perfect for the average user who surfs the net, plays light games and does schoolwork. Even my old Pentium-3 laptop does these things. (I upgraded because after 9 years, it was physically falling apart but I use it for my magic jack now.) Believe me, my ATi X1200 is one of the LOWEST-scoring GPUs in benchmark tests but it's still fine.

Myth #4 - You should periodically drain your laptop battery completely and charge it up again

Hell no, you don't want to do that. Lithium-Ion batteries are not like the old Nickel-Cadmium rechargeables. They do not develop a memory from unscheduled charging and do NOT respond well to deep-cycling (draining completely and then recharging). That will kill a Lithium-Ion cell almost as fast as too much heat. Ideally, you would keep it plugged in all the time and the battery would last forever (which would defeat the purpose of having a laptop) but as long as you never drain it completely it will last for years. There isn't a huge difference between running it down to 10% as opposed to charging it from 90% from a battery life standpoint but keeping it as fully charged as possible at all times will make the battery more or less immortal.

Myth #5 - Intel is better than AMD / AMD is better than Intel

Again, your application makes all the difference here. If you do actual heavy-duty computing like video encoding, etc. Then yes, Intel is the way to go. If, on the other hand, you want it for simple purposes or for gaming, then AMD is the way to go. Here's my explanation:

Intel's mobile CPUs are superior in processing power to AMD's in the same price range. That means that they are better for heavy multitasking (I mean a LOT of tasks because all CPUs can multitask reasonably well, even single-cores, remember the Pentium-4?) but they have a serious thorn in their side, namely, the Intel GMA series graphics processors. Intel offsets this with outstanding battery life by using their Centrino technology but not all Intel-based laptops have this feature. If all you do is simple tasks at home like banking, surfing the web, playing music and watching movies, well, we were doing those exact things back in the days of Windows 95 with our Pentium I's and 486DX4-100's! You don't need serious power for that. Hell, my OLD Dell Latitude C610 with an ORIGINAL Mobility Radeon having only 16MB of dedicated video RAM and 512MB of PC100 SDRAM plays NHL games streamed from cbc.ca FLAWLESSLY! Keep in mind that 2D graphics such as movies and photo editing are a snap for even the old ATi Rage and nVidia TNT2 series cards. Modern notebook GPUs are far more powerful than that. I'll compare two like-priced 15.6" laptops, one that is Intel-based, and one that is AMD-based, both at around the $500USD mark:

Lenovo G550 - $500
CPU: Intel Pentium Dual-Core T4400 2.2GHz
RAM: 4GB DDR3
Hard Drive: 250GB SATA
Graphics: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
WiFi: Wireless-G
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Optical: Dual-Layer DVD-RW

Acer Aspire AS5517-5358 - $500
CPU: AMD Athlon 64x2 TK-42 1.6GHz
RAM: 4GB DDR2
Hard Drive: 320GB SATA
Graphics: ATi Mobility Radeon HD 3200
WiFi: Wireless-G
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Optical: Dual-Layer DVD-RW

Now in this case, the T4400 is considerably more powerful than the TK-42 and DDR3 is superior to DDR2 so the processing speed advantage is clearly Lenovo's . On the other hand, the Acer has a 70GB advantage in hard drive space and the HD 3200 blows the GMA 4500MHD clear out of the water as far as graphics performance is concerned, which means faster gaming. According to notebookcheck.net, the T4400 has a front side bus of 1GHz while the TK-42 only has a front-side bus of 800MHz. Coupled with the fact that the T4400 alone is 72% faster than the TK-42, we can expect to see almost double the speed out of the Intel chip compared to the AMD chip. One would think that this would make it an easy decision, think again. The reason for this is that the HD 3200 GPU has almost triple the 3DMark06 score (1294) compared to the GMA 4500MHD(483). Couple that with the 62% frame rate advantage it enjoys in World of Warcraft and you immediately realise that if you want to do anything graphically-intensive (like gaming), the power of the GPU will make a much bigger difference, especially when you consider that some games do not run AT ALL with Intel graphics. ATi or nVidia graphics ensure game compatibility. While CPU speed is always nice, when a game won't run AT ALL because you have Intel graphics, it means it will NEVER run on that laptop until the software company makes a patch to support Intel graphics. Since laptops are a tiny percentage of computers used for gaming of any kind, the odds of the developer putting the time and/or money into developing said patch is remote at best. (They're probably never going to make one.)

Netbooks:

Netbooks are almost all essentially the same with the Intel Atom 1.6GHz CPU,1GB RAM, 160GB HD, XP Home and Intel graphics. The only way to distinguish one from the other is through battery life and warranty. In the same price category you can expect them all to have the same specs. If there's one you like the look of better than the rest, then go for it but don't expect a performance difference between them unless you're willing to cough up extra $$$ for an SSD or faster CPU. Make sure you know what battery you're getting because some manufacturers bundle a 3-cell Lithium-Ion battery and some bundle a 6-cell Lithium-Ion battery. As before, be sure to find out what the price is for a replacement. Again, eBay is the best source for that.

Laptops vs. Desktops:

If you're thinking of buying a super-powerful laptop, I implore you not to. Laptops cannot be upgraded and are therefore technological dead-ends. For the price of a super-powerful laptop, you could pick up a desktop that is equal to or more powerful than the super-powerful laptop you're looking at AND get a $500 laptop for the same price. If you just need the laptop for mobility, then this combo is the way to go.

I hope this helps you wade through the sea of marketing BS and expensive sparkly glitter. Remember, a laptop is NOT a fashion statement unless you have money to burn. I know I don't and you probably don't either, take care.

If you have any questions about Laptops (or desktops for that matter), you can send me a pvt message or laptop questions can go here.

SOURCES: notebookcheck.net, cpubenchmark.net

If you like what you read here, please post a reply so that this thread doesn't get buried. I'd like it to be stickied but nobody answers me.

 

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Hello everyone, I'm sorry I haven't been able to post here for awhile, for some reason, responses stopped reaching my email inbox and I thought that the thread had simply died. I intend to answer all non-answered posts and even though it's probably too late to be relevant, everyone deserves an answer.

 

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Great post. If buying a laptop for work (no gaming etc.) but I plan on connecting it to an external display w/ HDMI does it make a difference in clarity or resolution if it has an intergrated Intel HD graphics card or an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650? And if the laptop specs say 1366 x 768 is that all I'm gonna get on the external display as well?

If you have an HDMI connector (or DVI for that matter), then the graphics chipset will support 1920x1080p. No computer maker would waste the money on an HDMI connection if it wasn't capable of HD. There will be very little difference between Intel HD video and ATi HD video because even HD video is still 2D. The power of 2D graphics reached its pinnacle with the ATi Rage and nVidia TNT2 graphics cards about 10 years ago. The 2D processing still uses the same technology as those two old cards and therefore it is irrelevant what brand is used. Having said that, the ATi setup will use less CPU power for the decoding process (because the more powerful GPU will be able to handle more of it) and will be more conducive to multitasking while playing HD video.