Computer question...

[CrimsonMaiden]

Okay, so I am finally going to get to order my new laptop in a few days. Of course, Dell has now changed what is being offered, so the system I wanted is no longer available.

I will use this laptop for movies (watching, making, and burning), streaming video, gaming (think Sims 3), etc. It will be my main system. I want the Studio laptop, so I can put a design on it.

I have a choice of several processors... and two different graphic cards. So, I'm not sure which is best for what I need and what is overkill.

The basic difference between the two graphic cards are the memory. One is 512mb, the other is 1gb. They are both ATI cards. (4570 & 4650 I think are their #s).

For processors, I have a few to choose from...

For the 512 graphic card, these are the processors:
NEW 2010 Intel® Core™ i5-520M 2.40GHz (2.93Ghz Turbo Mode, 3M cache
NEW 2010 Intel® Core™ i5-430M 2.26GHz (2.53GHz Turbo Mode, 3M cache)
NEW 2010 Intel® Core™ i3-350M 2.26GHz (3M cache)
NEW 2010 Intel® Core™ i3-330M 2.13GHz (3M cache)


For the 1gb graphic card, there are two:
Intel® Core™ i7-720QM Quad Core Processor 1.6GHz (2.8GHz Turbo Mode, 6MB Cache)
Intel® Core™ i7-820QM Quad Core Processor 1.73GHz (3.06GHz Turbo Mode, 8MB Cache)

Obviously, I want the best performance for the best price. I don't want to pay for performance I don't need. All help will be greatly appreciated.

Also, is 4gb of memory enough to last for awhile (with what I need to do) or do I need more?

 

[Salvor-Hardon]

If you're gaming is heavy on 3D rendering ( Secondlife or WoW or evercrack) then go with the 1 GB graphics card, and the 820QM processor.

IF you weren't doing the gaming, you could do the 512 and never know the difference but once you start doing rendering and network interaction, offloading teh graphics to a better card makes a difference.

4 GB should be good, but I always say get as much as you can afford.

Congrats on the new system.

 

[CrimsonMaiden]

If you're gaming is heavy on 3D rendering ( Secondlife or WoW or evercrack) then go with the 1 GB graphics card, and the 820QM processor.

IF you weren't doing the gaming, you could do the 512 and never know the difference but once you start doing rendering and network interaction, offloading teh graphics to a better card makes a difference.

4 GB should be good, but I always say get as much as you can afford.

Congrats on the new system.

I'm not sure how heavy the rendering on the Sims 3 is. (My desktop has a Nvidia 8300GS, an Intel Core2 Duo E4500 @2.2ghz, and 3gigs of ram and it runs that game just fine.) With this is mind, would I still need the large graphic card and biggest processor? Sim type games are what I play. I don't do the mmrps or games like that.

 

[sadangel]

When I was with my last partner, she had 512 RAM and 1.5 GHZ processor. Sims hated her computer. Badly. Don't know if that helps ya or not. I say go with the most you can afford. Sims was worse on her computer than anything. WOW and EQ did okay most of the time.

 

[Handley_Page]

What operating system do you intend to put on it ?
There's no point in having a quad core CPU if two of the cores are bored, so you'll need a suitable Windows 64-bit something. Windows 7 has just had a rash of updates and corrections issued.

Good Luck!

 

[virtualmachine]

If this is a laptop for the sake of being a laptop, more "stuff" is going to eat batteries faster. Also going to keep you lap more warm.

Incremental performance of the CPUs is minimal. Almost nobody will notice the difference between them.

My current computer philosophy is by the cheapest you can find that works. Most everything new will run most anything normal users can throw at it. I haven't heard anyone say their new computer won't run something. Some high end gamers complain, but they have different desires (as opposed to needs). You will be better off buying a $499 computer every 2 years than a $999 computer every 4.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Oh! Whatever way you go your system will be obsolete in 4 years, like your car.

I always opt for quality, reliability, and ease of operation.

 

[CrimsonMaiden]

What operating system do you intend to put on it ?
There's no point in having a quad core CPU if two of the cores are bored, so you'll need a suitable Windows 64-bit something. Windows 7 has just had a rash of updates and corrections issued.

Good Luck!

All of their systems come with Windows 7.

If this is a laptop for the sake of being a laptop, more "stuff" is going to eat batteries faster. Also going to keep you lap more warm.

Incremental performance of the CPUs is minimal. Almost nobody will notice the difference between them.

My current computer philosophy is by the cheapest you can find that works. Most everything new will run most anything normal users can throw at it. I haven't heard anyone say their new computer won't run something. Some high end gamers complain, but they have different desires (as opposed to needs). You will be better off buying a $499 computer every 2 years than a $999 computer every 4.

For the sake of being a laptop? I need a laptop so I am not stuck in a very uncomfortable chair. Plus, I like laptops better than desktops and I won't have to share with the kids any longer. I have a lapdesk, so I'm not worried about warm (and I'm thinking about investing in one that has the cooler fans built into it.)

My last laptop would not run Sims 2 without serious lag. No way it would run the Sims 3 (and it had an ATI card... but the computer itself only had 512mb of memory). I *know* you have to get one with an actual graphics card. The Intel cards don't run crap.

I want a good, lasting system, but I don't want to break the bank to do it. Which is why I am asking this question. I need to know which of the above *will* work and run what I want it to run. I'm fine with the 512mb graphics card and not as powerful processor *if* it will run my game without lag and issues.

 

[OnlyByMoonlight]

I advise getting a Mac. Granted I was raised on them, so I'm a bit partial. They're good quality and they will last you. Macs are great for multi-media. my dad uses his to edit his films he does for fun.

 

[PoppingTom]

The 4650 is much faster (432 GFLOPS) than the 4570 (108 GFLOPS), but the 4570 is comparable to your Geforce 8300 and has lower power comsumption (15W to 25W of the 4650).

I would prefer the 4650, for any future things....

 

[virtualmachine]

Sims3 requirements:

Operating System Windows XP Service Pack 2 or Windows Vista Service Pack 1 or Windows 7

CPU Intel Pentium 4 or equivalent 2.0GHz (XP) 2.4GHz (Vista or 7) [If built-in graphics chipsets then 2.6 GHz Pentium D CPU, or 1.8 GHz Core 2 Duo, or equivalent.]

Memory 1 GB (XP) 1.5GB (Vista or 7) [If built-in graphics then add 0.5 GB additional RAM]

Hard Drive Space 6.1GB or more for extra content

Graphics Hardware DirectX 9.0c compatible card with 128 MB RAM (NVIDIA FX 5900/ATI 9500 or better) and support for Pixel Shader 2.0

Sound Hardware 100% DirectX 9.0c compatible card


So from that, even the most stripped down configuration you presented won't even break a sweat running it.

 

[CrimsonMaiden]

Okay, thanks everyone for all your help! Now watch, when I get ready to order it this weekend, the specs will have changed again! lol

 

[Salvor-Hardon]

Sims3 requirements:

Operating System Windows XP Service Pack 2 or Windows Vista Service Pack 1 or Windows 7

CPU Intel Pentium 4 or equivalent 2.0GHz (XP) 2.4GHz (Vista or 7) [If built-in graphics chipsets then 2.6 GHz Pentium D CPU, or 1.8 GHz Core 2 Duo, or equivalent.]

Memory 1 GB (XP) 1.5GB (Vista or 7) [If built-in graphics then add 0.5 GB additional RAM]

Hard Drive Space 6.1GB or more for extra content

Graphics Hardware DirectX 9.0c compatible card with 128 MB RAM (NVIDIA FX 5900/ATI 9500 or better) and support for Pixel Shader 2.0

Sound Hardware 100% DirectX 9.0c compatible card


So from that, even the most stripped down configuration you presented won't even break a sweat running it.

Is this the "requirements" or "recommended specifics"? Requirements usually mean "it'll run but barely" where as recommended is usually the lowest you want to go to have an enjoyable experience.

Software developers are sneaky bastards when it comes to marketing.

 

[CrimsonMaiden]

Is this the "requirements" or "recommended specifics"? Requirements usually mean "it'll run but barely" where as recommended is usually the lowest you want to go to have an enjoyable experience.

Software developers are sneaky bastards when it comes to marketing.

Those are requirements (before Maxis was taken over by EA, they listed required *and* recommended, now they only list required)... the card in the laptop is not listed in the supported card list. In fact, they don't list laptop cards at all, they simply say "Laptop versions of these chipsets may work, but may run comparatively slower."

 

[CrimsonMaiden]

720 vs 1080... how much difference is there?

Also, I think I've narrowed it down to 2 processors... the i5.430 or the i720... will there be a huge difference in speed between the two?

Unfortunately, as I guessed now that I am ready to order they have changed some of the options. You can only get the 1gig video card on the Studio 17. (Unless I'm missing something somewhere...)

 

[CrimsonMaiden]

I am posting this from my brand new laptop!! Ended up not getting a Dell. Went to Best Buy today and found something else that had the options I wanted.

It has the i720 processor, 500 gb HD, 6gb DDR3 memory, 1gb Nvidia GeForce GT 330M video card, full 1080p, full size backlight keyboard (which I love!!) and some other great features.