Laptop newbie question about choosing a 1.0ghz, 1.33ghz, or 1.8ghz machine

[Guest]

During what operations do most users notice a a 1.3ghz or 1.0ghz laptop is slower than a 1.8ghz laptop ?

Upgrading from very old equipment much slower than speeds 1.0ghz and higher , for spreadsheet calculations and cruising the internet does a 1.8ghz machine seem noticeably faster than a 1.3ghz or even a 1.0ghz machine ?

For instance if a spreadsheet calculation currently requires ten minutes on a Windows XP / 500mhz / 512kb ram / hard drive 15 GB , speed 5400 machine ,
approximately how many minutes would be the calculation on a Windows 7 machines with :
(1) 1.0ghz / 2 GB ram / hard drive 320 GB , speed 5400
(2) 1.8ghz / 4 GB ram / hard drive 320 GB , speed 7200

User reviews for laptops mention perceiving a noticeable difference between 1.8 and 1.3 , and wanting Intel i5 instead of AMD E-1800 , but would I notice any difference given my use of computing ?

Given the choice of a laptop with a 7200 or 5400 hard drive , I think back to the huge noticeable difference replacing the 5400 drive with a 7200 made on the 500 mhz machine described above.

Does a 7200 rpm hard drive still make as much difference in increasing a machine's performance compared to a 5400 rpm drive as in earlier years ?

Feeling like Rip Van Winkle ,

Bass301

 

[thently]

I would not myself get a "new" computer with less than 2.0 with a turbo above this. Yes even surfing the internet bellow 1.8 will be a noticeable lag. Although a big jump from your old system so you might not notice or mind.

 

[USAFRet]

If you're doing intensive calculation on a spreadsheet, then yes, you probably will notice the difference. But it is impossible to predict 'how fast' that same calculation would be on the newer machine. I'd say "significantly".

I'd go with the most powerful machine your budget can hold. And yes, get the 7200 rpm drive.

 

[hang-the-9]

Processor speeds are fairly irrelevant unless you are talking about the same family of CPUs. Just list your budget, what you want the laptop for, if you want a small, med or large form.

 

[Guest]

hang-the-9 ,

My usage requirements are

$ 300 to $500 computer , 11.6 inch matte display, mainly surfing the web and performing spreadsheets and word processing , no gaming.

 

[jaguarskx]

My Lenovo Y470 comes with a 5400RPM hard drive and I find the speed adequate for my needs. Two things to keep in mind:

1. A 7200RPM hard drive does use a bit more power so if you are constantly accessing the hard drive, then battery life would be a little shorter compared to using a a 5400RPM hard drive.

2. Hard drive tech has advanced over the years especially in data density. Meaning more data can be stored in a smaller amount of space than before. A modern day high capacity 5400RPM hard drive is faster than an older lower capacity 5400RPM hard drive because of the higher data density. Depending on how old your current laptop is you may see a performance increase even with a 5400RPM hard drive.

For example, say you have a old hard drive that may have a 160GB capacity compared to a modern day 320GB hard drive both being 5400RPM. A simple analogy can be an "easter egg hunt", the older hard drive would be like Path A where you find and picking up an easter egg every 10 feet, the newer hard drive would be like Path B where you find and picking up an easter egg every 5 feet. After walking 100 feet on which path with you gather more eggs?

 

[jaguarskx]

The closest thing I can find that would meet your requirements is the following Asus VivoBook X202E for $465. Unfortunately, it has a glossy screen.

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230706

Finding a laptop with a matte screen is fairly difficult since most come with glossy screens. Matte screens are more commonly found in business laptops.

 

[Bass301]

jaguarskx ,

Thanks for mentioning Asus VivoBook 202E .
I had been de-emphazing because of PCMag's review about the battery life : http/www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2414658,00.asp
Will re-evaluate.

I am beginning separate threads about 11.6" matte screen laptops and other questions unrelated to machine speed.

 

[hang-the-9]

For some reason I can't send a PM to you, but I just put a Lenovo x201 up for sale in the Deals section, it has a 12.1" matte screen and should match what you wanted. http/www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-1715214/wts-lenovo-x201-intel-ultraportable-screen-laptop-340-obo.html