Morning Discussion
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prime8
replyIs a Core i7 overkill for a non-gaming laptop? Non-gaming meaning gaming won't be a priority but there may be occasional games if BFBC2 or CoD:MW2. Would a Core i5 430M handle those games well with 1gb video card?
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Don't you pay a premium for top of the line components? Wouldn't it make more sense to buy middle range computers and upgrade more often in order to ensure you always have decent hardware?
I get that you might want a high end computer if you run very intense applications, but seeing as he's buying a non-gaming laptop my thought would be to get a cheaper model and upgrade it in a year or a year and a half. I usually get the lowest specs 15" macbook pro and upgrade every two years, and I'm always happy with the computer I've got.-
That makes sense for GPUs but not for mobo/CPU/RAM. You don't want to invest in high high end GPUs because the speed upgrade per generation is insane, and routinely does a faster and quieter and cheaper model come out only a year or so later.
CPUs on the other hand, take a while to be completely supplanted. It's much better to get the fastest processor you can at the time instead of getting midrange and possibly having to deal with socket changes/incompatibilities with your current mobo/ram.
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Not always with a laptop since the fastest processor usually implies the most heat.
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[deleted]
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I disagree. I see bigger jumps in generations of chips, rather than a higher speed of the current generation. Also, you can always overclock.
Obviously, everyone upgrades in a different cycle, but I'd rather spend 200-300 on a chip, than 500-1000.
I tend to have the same philosphy about vid cards as well, although I did get a decent vid card this generation (5850). But it feels like vid cards can have a greater affect on your fps than the cpu. -
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It's pretty rare and will cost you a pretty penny if it does, the main reason is because that kind of horsepower isn't necessary to run those displays and the larger form factor gives the GPU & CPU more space to spread heat.
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You might be able to do that with an ITX board and the right components.
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Its not if you're a software developer
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what is the difference in power usage? I would assume the core i7 is overkill- despite people claiming it is going to last so much longer. imho, by the time a core i5 is no longer cutting it, your core i7 wouldn't be doing that well either. since it's a non gaming laptop, I'd be focusing on a sweet spot between good CPU and battery life. seeing as a core i5 is nothing to sneeze at, I'd hope you would get more juice out of the battery when you're away from an immediate power source. having said that, I don't have a lot of experience with the core architecture and as such, can't comment further.
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and speaking from a desktop users perspective, I run the wimpiest core I3 CPU with a 4890 1GB and those games are very responsive and pretty at 1920x1080.
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Well I'm not too concerned with power consumption since I won't be using it anywhere there isn't a power source available. It'll be either at my house or my parents' house.
I would think the quad core would have a longer shelf life than a dual core, no? So my logic is getting a quad core and make sure the ram is expandable to at least 8gb and down the road I'd be putting off having to buy another laptop for at least another year or so.-
oh well fuck it, if it's plugged into the mains all day long then spring for the most pimpin i7, fuckin fogetabout'it
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According to this the difference is pretty minor, especially during idle:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/intel-core-i5,2410-13.html
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Core I5 and the 430M are pretty good bedfellows. For a price point that is going to be affordable and will go the distance for you. Core I7 will ultimately be more expensive but depending on how much more, it might not really be worth whatever extra performance you will gain. To answer your question, those two games should run fine on that configuration.
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