Hi!
Sorry in advance for the wall-o-text and large number of questions, but I hope I can get some advice anyway. Even if you can just answer a few of my questions it would help a lot!
My laptop is on the verge of breaking down so I've started looking for a new one. It's a jungle out there however, and I would really appreciate some help on what to look for.
What I will use it for:
Except for the usual stuff (video, music, web browsing), I also need it for gaming, computations (simulations, mathematical computations, etc.) and some image/video processing. I want to be able to play new games (most notably diablo 3 later on), but I don't mind if the settings are low. It needs to be fairly mobile since I will carry it around a lot. I'm also sick of my current laptop's slow speed which leads to a lot of just waiting for things to load, so I want the system to run smoothly even if I have several programs running at once. It doesn't need to be entirely silent, but quite quiet.
Specifications:
* Weight: No more than 3kg (~6.6 pounds), preferably <2.5 kg (5.5 pounds)
* Screen size: ~14"-16"
* At least 1 USB 3 port
* Processor: Sandy Bridge, either i5 or i7
* Fairly good battery life, 4-5 hours(?) ( when browsing or using office while listening to music, or non-demanding games)
* HDMI, preferably card slot, network card and all the usual stuff
* Price tag: Around 1000$
As for the rest of the components, I'm a bit lost. I've taken a look at systems (mainly Acer, Asus and MSI) with different specs, but I find it hard to determine which parts to invest most in, i.e. what would bottleneck my system. Hence my questions:
1) Is my suggested price tag even realistic for a system that satisfies all my needs?
2) How much better would a low-grade i7 quad core perform vs a high-grade i5 dual-core?
Also, how notable are the effects of a 5200RPM HD vs 7200 RPM HD?
3) I have read somewhere that Sandy Bridge doesn't have built-in support for USB3, yet there are systems that claim to have both. Does that mean the problem has been fixed somehow, that it's a lighter/slower version of USB3, or that the compability is technically there but cannot be used with the included processor?
4) Which of the components Processor (Hz and #cores), GFX card, RPM speed, RAM is usually the strong point or bottleneck for the respective activities of Gaming, Video-editing, Multitasking, Heavy(/many) computations and Data transfer?
5) The noise levels generally aren't specified, so how do I know which laptops are quiet?
Are some particular brands quiter than others and are there any sites that makes comparisons (I tried google, but didn't find anything useful)?
What components are the biggest source of heat and/or noise and do these increase with performance?
6) When manufacturers and stores specifiy battery life, is it generally the maximum battery life (computer unnused), minimum battery life (while gaming) or general battery life (intermediate use)?
How much extra battery does playing games eat up compared to web browsing or similar?
Answers to any or all questions would be greatly appreciated!
Sorry in advance for the wall-o-text and large number of questions, but I hope I can get some advice anyway. Even if you can just answer a few of my questions it would help a lot!
My laptop is on the verge of breaking down so I've started looking for a new one. It's a jungle out there however, and I would really appreciate some help on what to look for.
What I will use it for:
Except for the usual stuff (video, music, web browsing), I also need it for gaming, computations (simulations, mathematical computations, etc.) and some image/video processing. I want to be able to play new games (most notably diablo 3 later on), but I don't mind if the settings are low. It needs to be fairly mobile since I will carry it around a lot. I'm also sick of my current laptop's slow speed which leads to a lot of just waiting for things to load, so I want the system to run smoothly even if I have several programs running at once. It doesn't need to be entirely silent, but quite quiet.
Specifications:
* Weight: No more than 3kg (~6.6 pounds), preferably <2.5 kg (5.5 pounds)
* Screen size: ~14"-16"
* At least 1 USB 3 port
* Processor: Sandy Bridge, either i5 or i7
* Fairly good battery life, 4-5 hours(?) ( when browsing or using office while listening to music, or non-demanding games)
* HDMI, preferably card slot, network card and all the usual stuff
* Price tag: Around 1000$
As for the rest of the components, I'm a bit lost. I've taken a look at systems (mainly Acer, Asus and MSI) with different specs, but I find it hard to determine which parts to invest most in, i.e. what would bottleneck my system. Hence my questions:
1) Is my suggested price tag even realistic for a system that satisfies all my needs?
2) How much better would a low-grade i7 quad core perform vs a high-grade i5 dual-core?
Also, how notable are the effects of a 5200RPM HD vs 7200 RPM HD?
3) I have read somewhere that Sandy Bridge doesn't have built-in support for USB3, yet there are systems that claim to have both. Does that mean the problem has been fixed somehow, that it's a lighter/slower version of USB3, or that the compability is technically there but cannot be used with the included processor?
4) Which of the components Processor (Hz and #cores), GFX card, RPM speed, RAM is usually the strong point or bottleneck for the respective activities of Gaming, Video-editing, Multitasking, Heavy(/many) computations and Data transfer?
5) The noise levels generally aren't specified, so how do I know which laptops are quiet?
Are some particular brands quiter than others and are there any sites that makes comparisons (I tried google, but didn't find anything useful)?
What components are the biggest source of heat and/or noise and do these increase with performance?
6) When manufacturers and stores specifiy battery life, is it generally the maximum battery life (computer unnused), minimum battery life (while gaming) or general battery life (intermediate use)?
How much extra battery does playing games eat up compared to web browsing or similar?
Answers to any or all questions would be greatly appreciated!
