Laptop amd a10-4600 or intel i7-3610QM with amd radeon hd 7670m

[KasugaMadoka]

As the title says.....

laptop:

Budget range -> 1000 USD

amd a10-4600
8gb ddr3 1600 ram
15.6" screen resolution
(approx 700-800 USD - enables for hard-drive/screen resolution etc upgrades, but personally not worth the difference since external hard-drives are purchase-able. I am more concerned about how well it is able to handle various workloads)

intel i7-3610QM
amd radeon hd 7670m with 2gb DDR3 1600 ram.
8gb ddr3 1600 ram (2x 4 gb)
15.6" screen resolution
(943.83 total cost, shipping included)


(and another with 1 gb radeon hd 7670, though with a 17.3" monitor)
intel i7-3610QM
amd radeon hd 7670m with 1gb DDR3 1600 ram.
8gb ddr3 1600 ram (2x 4 gb)
17.3" screen resolution
(approx 1100 USD)

I am basically purchasing a new laptop with intent for gaming, online gaming, recording games while gaming/online gaming, video editing/encoding, sound editing/encoding, live streaming videos while gaming/online gaming, 3D modeling and animation, watching streaming videos, listening to music.

also, doing all that with greater than 50 google chrome tabs open while researching various things.... while downloading streaming videos with firefox. There is more, though that should do for now.

After researching desktops and then laptops and checking various cpu and gpu benchmarks inbetween along with performance/price, I vote on the (943.83 total cost, shipping included) version of the laptop since I am going to attach a 1600x900 resolution monitor to the laptop and either use dual screen or only the 1600x900 monitor (desktop mode)

I chose the I7 due to 3rd generation Ivy bridge processing power and the radeon for gpu performance/price, if that makes sense. (slightly wondering about the temperatures, though could also invest in a laptop cooler).

I basically need the laptop to maintain high/play-able fps on various high/highest settings while recording while gaming and then be able to edit and encode videos efficiently while multi-tasking, etc.

There is more, though that should do for now..... what are your thoughts on the above mentioned laptops in regards to gaming, video editing, and multi-tasking?

I would like this laptop to last 7-10 years.... so perhaps a laptop cooler is going to be purchased anyways.....

 

[kenrivers]

What software are you going to use to record/edit/encode video?

 

[KasugaMadoka]

recording is via fraps/dxtory/adobe media encoder(upload streaming also?) or via in-game recorder. Editing is with adobe premier pro, aviutl, avidemux, etc. Also going to be using autodesk(alias) Maya 7.1/Maya 2009.

Another topic of interest is the drivers for the i7 radeon combination.... there seems to be some issue about driver compatibility and issues with gpu switching in i7 with radeon cards..... if the radeon is able to work with no switching enabled, then that will work fine.... if both cards are enabled with switching, then I am concerned about the driver compatibility. As long as the radeon is able to be the main graphics card, and updates then there is no issue, though I am a bit concerned with the i7 radeon combination..... anyone know of a solution for the drivers for i7 radeon combinations?

 

[KasugaMadoka]

well, for performance the laptops you mentioned work better... especially for future-proofing..... only thing is... their aesthetic design concept would end up pissing me off while using the laptop, so that is not an option..... design aspects and durability are also taken into consideration especially for a laptop.

speaking of which.... isn't the radeon 7670m a remove-able dedicated card?... or is it embedded in the motherboard?

 

[KasugaMadoka]

hmm... seems it is embedded in the motherboard.....

http/www.tomshardware.com/forum/367868-33-built-radeon-7670m-intel-4000

that topic concerns me....

honestly speaking I would go with a nvidia 630m, though the 7670 seems to hold higher fps (more or less)... and there are youtube videos of the i7 radeon combination working in games (I think).

 

[KasugaMadoka]

ok, well, perhaps I should set another alternative.....

1) http/www.toshibadirect.com/td/b2c/cdetland.to?poid=2000037607

899.99 -> 974.24 USD, full compatibility support, Nvidia, CUDA (does this gpu include CUDA?) slightly less fps.... open gl 4.1 instead of the radeon's 4.2?

First laptop ever was a business class intel-nvidia dell laptop, its plug power component failed and due to dell being proprietary, it was not worth the repair....

Second laptop was intel cpu with intel graphics (which I found out after purchasing it....) and thus it failed hard...

Third laptop, is now a modified desktop, basically removed faulty keyboard and now use it as a desktop, AMD based dual core 2.1 with an integrated amd radeon hd 3100 graphics card..... ran all games on lowest setting, games varied from playable in non-crowded areas to also non-play-able in heavily crowded areas.... 15-25-35 (more or less) fps in DMC4 pc version.

that being said... the tossup at the moment is a full intel system with nvidia (going back to basics again) which runs at slightly less fps in games, but includes CUDA (does it include Cuda) and optimus support, and openGL 4.1 and is slightly more expensive (approx. 20 dollars more than the other choice)

vs

an Intel i7 radeon hybrid with slightly higher fps, openGL 4.1, slightly less expensive.... though without the extra bonuses included in the full intel option.

so, I think I solved my own question.....

Full Intel Nvidia combination 1339.99 - 440.00 USD for a total of 974.24 USD. Seems like a nice deal that matches in aesthetics, design, hardware and software compatibility, power saving, hard-drive space, memory, etc. I say I found a winner.... at least for my needs.....

Satellite P850-BT2G22 Laptop wins this round.

for other people looking for a laptop...... here's another question... not that it needs to be asked.... -> Satellite S850-BT2G22 Laptop vs Satellite P850-BT2G22 Laptop, which would you choose/vote for?

*(edited for a difference in price correction)

 

[KasugaMadoka]

http/www.toshibadirect.com/td/b2c/cdetland.to?poid=2000037608

another contender enters the after-final round.....

(should just ask someone with credit card for assistance with 100 usd price difference for a massively expandable laptop (not that I am going to expand it for awhile, though the extra space for cooling and extra resolution would be nice... and for that price, it is worth it.... I think)

1389.99 - 440 = 1028.36 USD including tax

this maxes budget out....... though is barely afford-able for lasting usage and expand-ability.... need to figure out if the Nvidia gt 630m is remove-able.....

aside from that, this seems to be the final winner among the winners....

 

[KasugaMadoka]

experience with Lenovo laptops is that they are in fact extremely rugged and durable, though their aesthetic design does not appeal to me and thus, it is not worth it even though it is contains a better graphics card.

Sony is not an option, extremely over-priced and from local feedback, basically everyone I know/knew with a Sony laptop complained about it... among other things...

Asus is nice design though issues regarding quality and thermal cooling make that not worth the risk.

HP.... no clue, people seem 50/50 with hp, though from personal experience, they seem a bit "flimsy"....

MSI... no clue... not much information on msi.... aside from varied reviews.

Being an artist aesthetics is very important and thus everyone is free to their own opinions and choices, and thus free to their own personal preferences on brands as well...

anyways, as far as what Toshiba is offering for 1000 USD, that seems to be the best deal, unless you spend 300 USD more for a Qosmio....

 

[KasugaMadoka]

ugh... choosing a laptop/pc is hard.... after a slight re-though, I might invest in the Lenovo (as long as there is no "IBM" logo on it.... perhaps....). Reconsidering a few things, if I place the Lenovo behind the external screen and use it as a desktop most of the time, then perhaps it is worth it....

My reasoning for initially choosing the Toshiba is because of experience with it's durability and shock resistance, as well as aesthetic design.

I will look a bit more into the laptops you suggested again. How do the Lenovo's fare in cooling and heat dissipation?

 

[KasugaMadoka]

Well, you seem to win this round. I'll go with the IdeaPad.

Description
IdeaPad Y580 Laptop - 209943U - Dawn Gray
Processor: 3rd generation Intel Core i7-3610QM Processor( 2.30GHz 6MB)
Operating system: Windows 7 Home Premium 64
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX660M 2GB
Memory: 8.0GB PC3-12800 DDR3 SDRAM 1600 MHz
Display: 15.6" HD Glare with integrated camera 1366x768
Pointing device: Industry Standard Multi-touch 2 button touchpad
Hard Drive: 1TB 5400 rpm
Optical Drive: DVD Recordable (Dual Layer)
Battery: 6 Cell Li-Polymer
Network Card: Intel Centrino Wireless-N 2200BGN
Bluetooth: Bluetooth
Warranty: One year
Form Factor: Notebook
Camera: HD Camera
HDMI: HDMI (Out)

 

[KasugaMadoka]

Best answer selected by KasugaMadoka.