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Laptop CPU question

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kostya:
I am looking to get a new laptop in the near future. I will be using it to take notes in class, watch anime, reading pdfs, and some moderate coding. I have a desktop for doing any gaming that I would want to do and the heavy coding. I figure that a mid-range CPU should be good for me. The issue is that I do not know the CPUs that are on the market now. Basically, I know that for Intel that is the Core 2 Duo, but what is a good speed for it? What about AMD? What are their mid-range chips?

Also, since I do plan to use it to play some HD videos, how good of a graphics card would I need? Should I pay attention and research what card I am getting, or will just about any on board graphics card on a new laptop be enough?

fohfoh:
It's nice to have a dedicated card, though integrated isn't too bad. However, I still opt for the dedicated card.

For what you want, DO NOT GET A 2.0GHz processor. That's basically the bottom line.

Look into the Centrino2 Ps. Ts are OLD and HOT. Not great for a laptop. Not to mention you'll get pretty good battery life for your Centrino 2 + decent power too.

Check the other laptop thread. There's a list of a few examples off newegg that are decent. (Not great, but decent)

kureshii:
For moderate coding and video playback, a mid-range CPU (2.0GHz and above) is actually decent enough, provided you have an onboard Nvidia GPU to offset decoding to.

I don't know what hardware decode options for ATi video chips are like (or if they even exist), but my Core Duo 1.86GHz (1st generation) can handle 1080p software decoding under CoreAVC, with some framedrop. By extension, any 2.0GHz dual-core (excluding the Atoms, I don't know about their performance in 1080p decoding) should easily suffice, especially if backed by an Nvidia mobile GPU (9300/9400 mGPU series seem to be common).

What you're looking for is probably anything in this category. For best performance you will likely want a processor with 6MB of L2 cache, although for budget reasons (and since you have a desktop to do the 'heavy lifting') you might want to consider the 3MB-L2 variants as an alternative.

You'll notice that the T-series below has similar specifications, but a generally slower FSB and higher TDP. That means the bus link between the CPU and bridge chip is slower (slower peak memory transfer rate), and the processor likely puts out more heat (TDP is an indicator of the amount of cooling power needed for the processor, although not a very reliable one since there is no standard way to measure this).

I'm afraid I don't know very much about the AMD Turions and their performance, general word out there is that clock-for-clock (at the same clock speed) against Intel Merom chips they are slightly slower and hotter. How much slower and how much hotter I don't know, you might want to look up some reviews.

fohfoh:
Well, the main reason I don't like the Ts are that they're sort of... not quite right.

T3400
T6400
T7200

all run at 2.0GHz. I swear there's an element of overclocking there, which is why it's so damn hot always.

Above T7200 run faster than 2.0Ghz but damn hot. Kills your mobo.

I hear the P series is cooler, but still warm. But not as hot as the T series.

SU and those are terrible. Don't bother. They're basically netbook level power but "ultraportable".

AMD aren't bad procs, but damn they run hot too.

kostya:

--- Quote from: fohfoh on November 20, 2009, 07:35:12 AM ---Check the other laptop thread. There's a list of a few examples off newegg that are decent. (Not great, but decent)
--- End quote ---
That is a good idea. I was going to purchase at Best Buy, but those laptops can give me an idea about specs.

Why purchase at Best Buy you ask? They sell service plans with accident coverage. A friend of mine spilled nail polish on her laptop (it took the paint right off the case) and then started having issues with the buttons on the touch pad. She brought it in to BB, they sent it off and replaced the mobo, case, and monitor. They probably just popped her hard drive out and put it in a new machine.
The only other company that I have heard of doing something that is that good is Dell. All the machines at my work had Dell Gold Coverage. I do not think that they cover accidents but they do not ask too many questions either. They overnight us the parts and include a shipping label to send back the old ones. I wonder if I can get that plan as a consumer?

EDIT: As for AMD chips, what ones are good? Athlon II is, supposedly, budget chips. Are Athlon X2 duos any good? What about Turion II? Turion x2? Is Turion just the mobile version of Athlon?

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