Laptop Spec - Is It Enough?

G

GingerApple

New Member
Hi,

I'm looking into getting a laptop. Will be running Windows 7 Home Premium and needs to be quite fast and good at multitasking. So, will this spec suffice?

*Intel Core i5 430M or 520M
*4GB RAM
*320GB HDD (Not really going to be storing videos/music/photos on it, already have 1TB external HDD)
*512MB Graphics Card

If you think I need more of anything, please let me know :)

Thanks in advance!
 
That's fairly powerful, but whether it's good enough for what you want to do depends on what you want to do. The processor is good, and so is the ram quantity. I would guess that the ram is DDR3, which should be fast. However, a "512MB Graphics Card" can be good enough for games or it might not be good at all. It depends on what model it is.

Also, there are other things to take into account with laptops: durability, the feel of the keyboard, battery life, screen size and quality, how long you plan on keeping it, and of course, price. It's very near impossible to choose (or give recommendations) on a laptop based on just the processor, ram, hard drive and graphics card.
 
WhiteTree said:
That's fairly powerful, but whether it's good enough for what you want to do depends on what you want to do. The processor is good, and so is the ram quantity. I would guess that the ram is DDR3, which should be fast. However, a "512MB Graphics Card" can be good enough for games or it might not be good at all. It depends on what model it is.

Also, there are other things to take into account with laptops: durability, the feel of the keyboard, battery life, screen size and quality, how long you plan on keeping it, and of course, price. It's very near impossible to choose (or give recommendations) on a laptop based on just the processor, ram, hard drive and graphics card.
Click to expand...

Thanks. Fair points there.

I'll be using it mainly for word processing, spreadsheets, internet, email, but I want it to do that fast. I won't be doing any serious gaming on it, I'll be using my desktop for that.

Graphics card is ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570/NVIDIA GeForce 310M (depending on which laptop I choose).

All RAM is DDR3, 1066MHz or 1333Mhz (again depending on which laptop).

The two models I'm currently looking at are Dell Studio 15" and Sony Vaio F Series.

Thanks :)
 
word processing, spreadsheets, internet, email
Click to expand...

Graphics Card
The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570/NVIDIA GeForce 310M are both mid to high end dedicated graphics cards for laptops. There are many cheaper dedicated mobile graphics cards available that are still decent. However, you really don't need dedicated graphics for the tasks you listed. It's overkill. It will cost more and give you poor battery life. It will not give you better performance for those tasks. It just isn't worth it unless you have some specific needs for it that you have not mentioned.

Processor
If I were you, I would trade off the price of the dedicated card and apply that towards the best processor I could afford. If speed is very important, then go for the i5 520M over the i5 430M or get something even better than the i5 520.

RAM
1066 DDR3 RAM is still very fast, probably good enough. I don't think you would really notice any difference in those ram speeds.

Inspection and Comparison
I can't stress enough the importance of actually trying out the keyboard in a store. In a picture most keyboards look alright, but when you try them out, some are just plain awful. Some keyboards flex and some keys don't push correctly. Also, some laptops have a slanted keyboard which you might find you like better.

Look at the layout of the ports. Sometimes usb ports are placed in nearly unusable positions - hard to believe, but true.

Check the screens out. See what is the most comfortable size compromise for viewing and carrying. Do you like glossy, bright, high color reflective screens or matte screens that won't reflect all the light fixtures?

Check the battery size out. The really long lasting batteries often protruded significantly out of the bottom of the laptop. Some people like this as it makes the keyboard more slanted, but it makes travel more difficult.

Optical drives vary too. Some people absolutely love slot loading drives; others complain that they don't work well or that they scratch discs. (I haven't heard a lot of complaints about slot loading CD drives in vehicles though...)

See if it feels solid and durable; lift it up, test the screen hinge, etc.

Compare your observations and the features of the various laptops on display.

As for the laptops you mentioned:

I've tried the Dell Studio 15"; it's not bad but wasn't that great either. I've seen some Sony Vaios before, but they were expensive for what you get and only moderately sturdy. I'm not familiar with the F Series. I never cared for Asus before I actually tried one out. The models I tried were very affordable and sturdy, but have more graphics power than you would need or want. You may very well find new brands that you like.

Walmart, Sam's club, Best Buy, etc. all have a decent selection of laptops on display that you can try out. I used to only like HP and Dell, but I found that some of the Asus and Lenovo laptops are very nice also. By the way, just because I recommend trying out a laptop in a store, doesn't mean I recommend buying it there.

Final Recommendation
Really, picking out a laptop is much more difficult than choosing a desktop. Personal preference plays a much greater role here. You may not be nearly as picky as I, but I would still heavily recommend that you try some out in a store (to see what brands you like). Also, unless you know you need it, drop the dedicated graphics requirement.
 
Thanks WhiteTree - I know what I'll be doing this weekend now!

Thanks for all your brilliant advice.

With regards to the graphics card, I can't actually downgrade it any lower than a 310M!
 
Many laptops that feature Intel's i5 series processors use the integrated Intel® HD Graphics. It's often true that a Dell Studio that starts with dedicated graphics can't be downgraded, but you can usually choose a version of it that doesn't have a dedicated card. Simply choose one of the options (not the far left or far right ones) on the Dell Studio 15 Page that doesn't have dedicated graphics and click the green "Personalize" button. Select "Processors" on the bottom tab and upgrade the processor. You will need to start with an option that already has an i3 or i5 processor though, or you will only have Core 2 Duo and Pentium options shown. Not all deals are equal though. You will need to try the different options and upgrade each of them to your specs to find the best deal. I imagine Sony and others have something similar.

You may also want to consider business laptops. Nearly all manufacturers have business lines. They tend to not feature dedicated graphics and usually have a good build quality. They are a little bit more expensive though. Here's link to Dell's business laptop page. (I couldn't find any i3 or i5 Dell Latitude laptops on that page, but I think they will probably be out soon.)
 
for my work load that is more than enough.
simple word processing and all time internet connection for me.

your specs will highly depend on the application you're planning to use.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top