Laptop CPU and Graphics comparisons ???

Macker1

Folks,

Is there much of a performance difference on the following CPU and Graphics options

2nd generation Intel® Core™ i5-2430M processor (2.40 GHz, 3M cache)

versus

2nd generation Intel® Core™ i3-2310M processor 2.10 GHz


Intel HD Graphics 3000

versus

1 GB nVidia GeForce GT 525M

Would be looking/hope to play modern games with the settings reduced to improve performance.

Any thoughts welcome

BMCD44

i5 is much better then i3

i5 has turbo boost and hyperthread

If you want to play games then make sure you get a dedicated graphips card, the GT525 is much better then the integrated Intel chip. Just to note that the Intel chip is integrated into the i5 so you will end up with 2 graphics cards. If it has Optimus then it will switch between the 2 depending on the demand. (ie Intel for web browsing etc, GT525 for games and phoptshop)

To be honest, if you afford it your better off getting the GT540 for modern games

Macker1

BMCD44 wrote: »

i5 is much better then i3

i5 has turbo boost and hyperthread

If you want to play games then make sure you get a dedicated graphips card, the GT525 is much better then the integrated Intel chip. Just to note that the Intel chip is integrated into the i5 so you will end up with 2 graphics cards. If it has Optimus then it will switch between the 2 depending on the demand. (ie Intel for web browsing etc, GT525 for games and phoptshop)

To be honest, if you afford it your better off getting the GT540 for modern games

Getting a laptop with the GT540 may not be an option due to funding. Would a laptop with an I3 cpu and GT525 perform well enough to play BF3 at reduced settings ????

Macker1

Macker1 wrote: »

Getting a laptop with the GT540 may not be an option due to funding. Would a laptop with an I3 cpu and GT525 perform well enough to play BF3 at reduced settings ????

Apologies..... for the bump

any thoughts on above???

BMCD44

Im not sure about BF3 but here is the spec and benchmark for GT525, including BF2

http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GT-525M.43889.0.html

Macker1

How does these models look???


http://www.komplett.ie/Komplett/product/ZKB_02PC/02_NOTEBOO/22_17/productdetails/80003374/Acer_17_3_7750G_2438G75MN_i5_2430M_8GB_750GB/LX_RCW02_069/default.aspx

or

http://www.komplett.ie/Komplett/product/ZKB_02PC/02_NOTEBOO/21_15/productdetails/80003373/Acer_15_6_5755G_2438G75MN_i5_2430M_8GB_750GB/LX_RPZ02_065/default.aspx


Graphics options are the difference AMD Radeon HD6650M - 2GB versus NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M - 2 GB which one is the better option from a games perspective

Opinions on Acer as a brand welcomed

Macker1

Bumps...... any comments

Fluffy88

Seems in benchmarks and games there isn't much difference in either of the cards.

As for Acer, personally I don't like them. They are cheap for a reason, the build quality isn't as good as other manufactures. Having said that though, if you do get one, most likely you won't have any problems with it.

Macker1

Fluffy88 wrote: »

Seems in benchmarks and games there isn't much difference in either of the cards.

As for Acer, personally I don't like them. They are cheap for a reason, the build quality isn't as good as other manufactures. Having said that though, if you do get one, most likely you won't have any problems with it.

Many thanks for coming back to me on this. Theres a lot of info there on both graphics options so I will sit down with the son and discuss. I never had any Acer products before but the specs on either option are quite decent given the price (<700 euros) which is within the budget but still a lot of money for us to spend on a Xmas present.

At this point my thinking is to go for the Acer 17.3" 7750G which has the AMD Radeon HD6650M as this is a larger screen size with better resolution. Before placing the order we will take a visit to a couple of shops (PC World / Harvey Norman) to see what is on offer with a similar spec. It will also give an opportunity to see some laptops in the flesh so that we can judge build quality.

Once again thanks....:)

Fluffy88

Is the main use for this laptop gaming?
If so those graphics cards are as low as you would want to go.
If gaming is the main use, would a desktop be an option?

You could get a much more powerful desktop for similar price, just have a look over at the PC Building & Upgrading forum.

And yeah, personally if I was to buy a laptop now I would go for a 17" screen.

partyatmygaff

Fluffy88 wrote: »

And yeah, personally if I was to buy a laptop now I would go for a 17" screen.

17" Laptops are a bit pointless if you ask me. They're neither portable nor particularly powerful. You'll compromise gaming performance and portability and pay more for the privelege. If I were the OP i'd get a desktop for gaming. It just makes far more sense.

Macker1

partyatmygaff wrote: »

17" Laptops are a bit pointless if you ask me. They're neither portable nor particularly powerful. You'll compromise gaming performance and portability and pay more for the privelege. If I were the OP i'd get a desktop for gaming. It just makes far more sense.

I do realise that a desktop would be a much better option for gaming. The key point of this is that the son wants a laptop instead of a desktop despite being offered a system that would blow the laptop out of the water. Its his call and it has been explained to him that I will not accept any complaints if he is disappointed.

Thanks for input

Fluffy88

Like I said in my last post, I agree, for gaming a desktop is a much better option.

But when a desktop is not an option, then for me a 17" screen makes sense.
You get a large screen that you could call a desktop replacement, and if a game doesn't run well at the native resolution just turn down the resolution to a playable one.

If portability is important, then no 17" isn't worth it, too big, too heavy.
But if it's not going to be moved around much then you get a lot more screen real-estate, which personally I find very useful.


I'm looking at getting a similar spec laptop myself atm, but I'm looking for a less powerful GPU with a more powerful CPU, as I'm not much of a gamer.
http://www.dell.ie/ has some good deals atm, XPS 17 (i5-2430M, GT-550M, 3GB RAM) for €722 using a 10% off voucher code you get when you view this page. (It's there just above the images of the laptops)

Macker1

Fluffy88 wrote: »

Is the main use for this laptop gaming? Yes
If so those graphics cards are as low as you would want to go. They seem to be the best available at the budget of €700 max
If gaming is the main use, would a desktop be an option? Son wants a laptop :rolleyes:

You could get a much more powerful desktop for similar price, just have a look over at the PC Building & Upgrading forum. I have configured a desktop option that would kill the laptop but he says no

And yeah, personally if I was to buy a laptop now I would go for a 17" screen.

See comments

Macker1

Fluffy88 wrote: »

Like I said in my last post, I agree, for gaming a desktop is a much better option.

But when a desktop is not an option, then for me a 17" screen makes sense.
You get a large screen that you could call a desktop replacement, and if a game doesn't run well at the native resolution just turn down the resolution to a playable one.

If portability is important, then no 17" isn't worth it, too big, too heavy.
But if it's not going to be moved around much then you get a lot more screen real-estate, which personally I find very useful.


I'm looking at getting a similar spec laptop myself atm, but I'm looking for a less powerful GPU with a more powerful CPU, as I'm not much of a gamer.
http://www.dell.ie/ has some good deals atm, XPS 17 (i5-2430M, GT-550M, 3GB RAM) for €722 using a 10% off voucher code you get when you view this page. (It's there just above the images of the laptops)

Would you recommend getting a Dell Laptop ahead of the Acer if the specs were similar ???

Fluffy88

Well I would be happier to buy a Dell rather than an Acer.

Review of the XPS I was talking about, although the one they review is slightly more powerful, just look at the build quality(case, keyboard, screen, trackpad) not the CPU or GPU.
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Dell-XPS-17-Notebook-i7-2630QM-GT-555M.51949.0.html

17" Acer, again more powerful CPU & GPU to the one your looking at, but look to the quality.
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Acer-Aspire-7750G-Notebook.45861.0.html

Can't find a review on that site of the 15" Acer, but I'm sure you will find one somewhere.
I haven't read either of those reviews so I don't know which one they actually rank as the best.


And the Dell XPS I was talking about is this one,
http://configure.euro.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=n00x7m01&c=ie&l=en&s=dhs&cs=iedhs1&model_id=xps-l702x
I just use this full list on the site and filter it down on what I want, e.g. i7, i5, 17" screen, etc ...

Macker1

Folks,

My head is minced looking for the right laptop with a decent spec and within budget. I may have come across a decent option but I would appreciate some feedback good or bad that can help me cement a decision either way.

http://www.komplett.ie/Komplett/product/ZKB_02PC/02_NOTEBOO/21_15/productdetails/80003562/Asus_15_6_K53SV_SX706V_i5_2430M_8GB_640GB/90N3GL185H2D37VL133Y/default.aspx

Thoughts on Laptop and comments on buying from Komplett. I have bought stuff in the past but I know that they have changed ownership and have heard some negative vibes. Would be planning to order this month and collect from Blanchardstown.

Thanks in advance :D:D

Jaafa

Macker1 wrote: »

Folks,

My head is minced looking for the right laptop with a decent spec and within budget. I may have come across a decent option but I would appreciate some feedback good or bad that can help me cement a decision either way.

http://www.komplett.ie/Komplett/product/ZKB_02PC/02_NOTEBOO/21_15/productdetails/80003562/Asus_15_6_K53SV_SX706V_i5_2430M_8GB_640GB/90N3GL185H2D37VL133Y/default.aspx

Thoughts on Laptop and comments on buying from Komplett. I have bought stuff in the past but I know that they have changed ownership and have heard some negative vibes. Would be planning to order this month and collect from Blanchardstown.

Thanks in advance :D:D

Very solid laptop, that'll run any game out there at the moment. Have no experience of Komplett though.