How to determine speed in laptop performance
Hi
I am not sure if this is the correct place to post this, but from what I have read in this topic, it seemed like the best place to begin.
I am looking to buy a new laptop. The thing is, that I don't know what I am looking for. I want a laptop that is fast and that I will be happy with for the next few years.
But, when I get out there I don't really understand what all the specs translate to:
I found an Acer Aspire AMD Duo (64 X 2 I think) Processer 1.6gh, 1G Ram.
It was loaded with every option I can think of , and more.
But, for the same price there is another Simlar model with 2G Ram, but not a dual processor . . . yet had 1.78 Gh (I believe)
Wich one would be faster? A dual processor with lower ghz? Or a single processor with higher ghz?
It is very confusing. I was impressed with the secohd, having 2G of Ram -but what good is Ram if you have a slow processor?
If someone could give a quick "Buying a laptop for Dummies" Rundown, I would greatly appreciate it.
Thanks!
I am not sure if this is the correct place to post this, but from what I have read in this topic, it seemed like the best place to begin.
I am looking to buy a new laptop. The thing is, that I don't know what I am looking for. I want a laptop that is fast and that I will be happy with for the next few years.
But, when I get out there I don't really understand what all the specs translate to:
I found an Acer Aspire AMD Duo (64 X 2 I think) Processer 1.6gh, 1G Ram.
It was loaded with every option I can think of , and more.
But, for the same price there is another Simlar model with 2G Ram, but not a dual processor . . . yet had 1.78 Gh (I believe)
Wich one would be faster? A dual processor with lower ghz? Or a single processor with higher ghz?
It is very confusing. I was impressed with the secohd, having 2G of Ram -but what good is Ram if you have a slow processor?
If someone could give a quick "Buying a laptop for Dummies" Rundown, I would greatly appreciate it.
Thanks!
0
Comments
2. Centrino/Core 2 Duo/Core Duo is faster than Turion.
3. 2GB of RAM is ideal in this day and age.
4. If you can choose between a 7200RPM hard drive, and a 5400 RPM hard drive, get the 7200.
Thanks for the information. I can at least shop around with my cheat sheet in hand !!
The question I have is do you have any graphical programs you would be running? If so what programs are they? Do you like to game? Questions like that spark in my mind as you didn't mention a GPU, which is the 3rd most important thing in a notebook.
The laptop I was looking at was at Staples. It is an Acer (I was not familiar with them, but have heard some decent things about their models with the duo proccessors) It comes with 1G ram, but can be expanded ( I don't recall if the max was 2G or 4G, but either way that should hold me for 3 years until I go out and get the latest thing again lol).
I am unsure what you mean by graphical programs - I do utilize software such as paint shop, flash, photo shop, fireworks, dreamweaver etc. (I do alot of web development). On my current computer (I refer to her as "the old hag") It simply crashes when I have more then one software app open at the same time. Or one software and AOL, for that matter. But, that is an old e-machine with only 256 ram. (Which, by the way - for what it is worth: stood the test of time. For a cheap computer it was a beast of a machine over the years, it is sad to put her down now.)
I currently do not game, however - I'd like to know that I could if I wanted to without problems.
I really don't know much abot GPU or even what it stands for. And because the Acer Aspire comes in sooo many models and even same models come different depending on where you buy - that I can't be sure I am even looking at the right one when I google it. I will have to go back to Staples to know for certain what all the specs are. What do you recommend for GPU?
BTW - i am looking to get the best bang for my buck, without breaking the bank. The Acer I was looking at was about $800, and appeared to be about the same as a $1,500 HP or Dell.
My budget is pretty much the $800.00
I have also done some reading where customers rate the products, and most have said they were impressed with the graphics system as well. Although, I am not sure what exactly they were talking about.
Interesting. Not sure what to make of it. I am not saying Acer is a good company. I do not know them except that their computers are stocked in all the major chains (Best Buy, Circuit City, etc).
I do realize that happy customers rarely speak up, and 3 dissatisfied customers normally make enough noise to give the illusion that the sky is falling. Not saying that's what happened here. I can't make that judgement without knowledge.
On the other hand, I also found a Sony laptop with similar specs for around the same price (although, it did not include all the tricks that came with the Acer.) When I googled the Sony model yesterday - I found tons of complaints.
My hope is that when I go to make a purchase - I can ask the sales person what their expereince has been with several makes and models, and hope for the best.
Can you recommend a good choice for my budget?
I spent hours looking into this (and other user comments) about Acer, as well as almost every other laptop brand I can find.
The end result: I can't make heads or tails out of any one brand or model. There are good and bad things to say about every single model. Sounds to me, that computers are a lot like cars. Even here on this forum, I read many bad things about, gateway, HP, dell, sony, etc. It's hard to know what is good anymore. In the end, I think there are good stories and bad stories for every brand and model. All purchases are a risk, no matter what make you select.
That being said, I put my needs and budget first. I have searched stores, and internet sales, high and low. Armed with the bit of knowlede I gained from this thread, I have narrowed it down to the following 2 (below). That is, unless someone can recommend another decent dual proceesor laptop for under $800.00
But, I still have some things I would like more information/opinions on before I buy: Any advice is greatly appreciated.
1) Acer Aspire: STATS - Dual Processor 1.6ghz, 1G Ram - Max 4G, 120G HD @4200 RPM, Level 2 Cache 512, Integrated Radeon Xpress 1100 3D Graphics, Integrated Web Cam and microphone, Burns DVDs. Price: $799
a) AMD Turion 64X2 TL-50 (User reviews say this is faster then the Centrio Duo T2300 and does not get hot - Is this true? and does it matter?)
Comes with Windows Media Center instead of XP, but is VISTA ready and Circuit City will give free VISTA upgrade. (Is there a disadvantage to having Media Center instead of XP?? Should I care?)
b) Seems to be many good things said about the built in wireless
c) Many users review rave about the Graphics and the Integrated Radeon Xpress 1100 3D. (What is this, should this mean anything to me?)
d) Biggest user complaint is that the 120G hard drive comes partitioned, and is formatted as FAT32. This can be overcome by reformatting and re-installing, but since Windows XP is not included, you have to buy it to do this procedure. I am thinking I would just wait until I had the vista cd from circuit city. (What is FAT32? Does it matter? Should I really care if the HD is partitioned?)
e) 120G HD is slow @ 4200 RPM. (How will that impact speed of applications running? What is the bottom line - what do I lose with a slower HD?)
2) Hewlett Packard: STATS - Intel Core Duo t2050 1.6ghz, 100G HD @5400 RPM, Wireless Remote, Level 2 Cache - 2mb, 1G Ram - Max 2G, Burns DVDs.
Price: $649
I spoke with a Circuit City employee who told me this was his computer at home. He said that overall it was just "OK", but he felt it did not deliver the bang for the buck.(Then again, he is obviously more of a techie then I am, and may be expecting more)
I am not a gamer at all (currently). I spend many hours on line, and I use programs such as Dreamweaver, Photoshop, and Flash. My biggest complaint currently is that my old Desktop computer can't handle Dreamweaver and AOL, and AIM all running at the same time, for very long. Things begin to lock up within an hour of this type of concurrent apps running. Other then that, I just want a nice computer that will get past this issue, and has some cool features as well. I want something that is relatively fast, in my budget and will make me happy for 2 years. I am not looking to spend over $800, as I know that I will buy new every 2.
Currently, I am leaning towards the Acer Aspire listed above - as I am fond of its look/design, and the advantage of being able to max out at 4G Ram. But, obviously I have concenrns with the partitioned HD, and FAT32 (whatever that is lol), as well as the 4200 RPM HD . . .
I need some help. I know that the decision is mine. But I don't understand fully what all these stats mean and what the impact of a slower partitioned drive means to me. For the type of useage I have on a computer - will this even effect me?
Looking at the overall specs, what appears to be the better computer?
Thanks so much for taking the time to help me out here.
~ Lost in CyberSpace
If you're not playing any games then it doesn't really matter what graphics card you get with modern laptops, integrated graphics will do just fine.
I can scratch the Acer off of my list. I just got off the phone with a Circuit City Tech, and he told me they are total garbage. 7 out of 10 Acer sales come back with defects and or similar problems.
He recommended HP or Compaq with similar specs . . . I will check out the link to powernotebooks.com as well.
thanks again!
I noticed you said you work in Photoshop, any program like that will hate you for running it on a 4200RPM drive. Find something in the 5400 or if your budget can afford it a 7200RPM drive. HP's will come stock with these much faster drives...
I know this Laptop is a bit out of range for you but this review speaks for the dv6000t and dv9000t aswell. Here is a review I did for a HP dv8000t
I am trying to get more information on other HP possibilties, as your budget seems much higher then mine
1.3 mpxl web cam integrated. I like it.
I have not found any prices on it just yet, but will look at that next. Only dowfall is it does not appear to have RW DVD.
I went to circuit city: They had a super nice HP (DV2120) T-52, 120G, NVIDIA geoforce, integrated webcam, and - this notebook looks good and is quite small. I love it (on the outside)
If I don't hear any major complaints from anyone here in the next 24 hours, I think that is the one. $849 after rebate and a free wireless router and $50.00 gift card from Circuit City
for you i would definately go for dual core if you are not gaming. the slower dual would be more preferable in your scenario. more ram the better. ONLY use a 5400rpm hard drive if you are concerned about battery life that is one thing you must keep in mind. Centrino is 32 bit, while core 2 duo and the like are 64 bit. All AMD Turions and dual cores TurionX2 are 64 bit.