Non-gaming Laptop: What proc?

[fantanel]

Hello, for some time I have been looking for a good price/performance match for what I think it is I need:

I require a newer laptop to replace the old and battered Toshiba satellite L300.
What would be a good proc, that will mainly have to handle win7, word, power point, and what amount of RAM should it have? The place where I would buy it if I will be able to find a match will be here: http/www.pcgarage.ro/

cpu - it`s score (passmark)

T5800(old) - 1143

B970 - 2310
i3 380M - 2334
i3 2310M - 2620

please argument your advice, thank you.

 

[echondo]

Well if it's strictly a non-gaming laptop then get a Intel CPU that has Intel HD 4000 graphics. It'll be perfect and be slim since there is no discrete GPU and also use less power. Also, it should be cheaper.

So you're going to want to look for a Notebook that has Intel graphics only or a Ultrabook.

Around 4GB or more of RAM would be ideal, I personally would do 8GB as MS Office/Libre Office can use a bit more RAM from my experiences.

I'm trying the best I can with the Romanian website so bear with me here

 

[fantanel]

thx alot for your time.

why would the Intel HD 4000 graphics help me? I failed to find which proc families incorporate the HD4000 on the intel web site, but I`ll keep looking.

 

[echondo]

thx alot for your time.

why would the Intel HD 4000 graphics help me? I failed to find which proc families incorporate the HD4000 on the intel web site, but I`ll keep looking.

Well the 4000 is for the Ivy Bridge series of Intel CPUs. There isn't any difference other than the 4000 is a bit better at gaming than the 3000 series.

If you aren't doing any gaming then you could go either way. I would go Ivy because it has faster stock clocks.

Here in the U.S. you can get a i3 Ivy Bridge with 6GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive for around $500, which converts to around 400 Euros or 1,768.65 RON.

I would look for a i5 quad core, 6GB of RAM and whatever hard drive you prefer. The display will most likely be 1366x768.

Here is a Fujitsu 15.6" with a i5 Sandy Bridge(so 3000 Intel), 4GB of RAM and a 500GB HD for 1.899,99 RON:
http/www.pcgarage.ro/notebook-laptop/fujitsu/lifebook-ah531-core-i5-2450m-25ghz-4gb-500gb-intel-hd-black/

And a Toshiba 15.6" with a i5 Ivy Bridge(4000 Intel), 6GB of RAM and a 500GB HD for 2.529,98 RON:
http/www.pcgarage.ro/notebook-laptop/toshiba/156-c855-1nj-ivy-bridge-core-i5-3210m-25ghz-6gb-500gb-hd-4000-white/

These are just examples, you could go with a i3 and a smaller screen etc. I don't know exactly what your budget it but I'm going to guess cheaper the better!

 

[fantanel]

yes, 15.6'' will do for the screen.
The i5 seams a little overkill since I will not be doing Any gaming on that machine.
I`ll dig more maybe I will find some better offers than Toshiba / Fujitsu.
Thank you.

 

[jaguarskx]

For what you want to do any current CPU released within the last 2 years should suffice since what you are doing is not very demanding.

Intel CPUs have more processing power per MHz than AMD CPUs, therefore it is best to go with Intel since the laptop's raw processing power means the laptop can last you longer before you decide it is no longer fast enough for you.

Of the three CPUs you listed, I would go with the Sandy Bridge Core i3-2310m. All Intel Sandy Bridge CPUs have the HD 3000 graphic core which is just fine for what you intend on doing. It has limited gaming capabilities, but you are not going to play games anyway.

Intel's Ivy Bridge CPUs are the latest generation of Core i3/i5/i7 CPUs and comes with the Intel HD 4000 graphics core. Assuming the same clock speed, Ivy Bridge CPUs are on average 5% faster than Sandy Bridge CPUs. The Intel HD 4000 is about 40% more powerful than the older Intel HD 3000 which makes it better for games, but for what you want to do the Intel HD 4000 is not really important. Additionally, the Ivy Bridge Core i3 CPU series have not been released yet; only the Core i5 and i7 Ivy Bridge CPUs are available. Lastly, because the Sandy Bridge Core i3 CPU is older, any laptop with it will cost less than a laptop with an Ivy Bridge Core i3 CPU (once it is released).

As for RAM, 4GB is typically more than enough for most people. If you work on large Photoshop files, or work with large databases, then 8GB+ can come in handy. Naturally you would need the 64-bit version of Win 7 to make use of more than 4GB.

 

[jaguarskx]

Correction:

Ivy Bridge Core i3 CPUs have been released; the i3-3110m is an example.

 

[fantanel]

yes, 15.6'' will do for the screen.
and the Sandy Bridge i3 seams to match what I need.

all is left now is to find them at a decent price (in EU we pay a 24% Tax on everything) and a configuraion that is equipped with win7, not 'Free DOS'...