Graphics Card/CPU question

Hello I was just wondering what cpu would work best with ATI HD4650 512MB PCI-Express DDR3 which is on the Sager NP2098. Thanks a lot.

 

For what? Generally speaking the faster CPU will serve you more, but the question is will you be able to notice any difference?

I would suggest the T9600.

 

In my experience of reading, an Ati 4650 with a weak cpu = significantly weaker performance. Maybe take something like a T9600, but not a P8400, for example.

 

Could you perhaps provide more information on what you would be using the machine for?

For example, if it's for gaming, then really any semi decent core 2 duo will do. If it's for anything meatier (or rather more cpu intensive), then you might want a faster CPU or alternatively a quad core. I'm afraid though with the information you've provided we can't give you an answer that will really mean much.

 

i need it mostly for gaming. for example would using a Intel® T6400 45nm Core™2 Duo 2.0GHz w/2MB L2 On-die cache - 800MHz FSB 35W with it make it useless? how much better would upgrading to ~Intel® P8700 45nm "Montevina" Core™2 Duo 2.53GHz w/3MB L2 On-die cache - 1066MHz FSB 25 watt be? Thank you.

 

i think it would be worth it to upgrade to a p8700 because the t6400 wont cut it for gaming

 

What games would you be playing? Some games use the CPU a lot more than others.

I'll just assume it's Crysis for the time being; in that case I would recommend upgrading to a P8600 / T8300 or higher.

 

thanks for your help...but how much better would it be? could you give me a comparison

 

mostly world of warcraft, counter strike source, and possibly the halo games. im just interested in having the possibility of playing newer games in case i want to. thanks

 

I personally haven't got time to put a different cpu in my laptop to tell you; but I have little doubt that this will have been benchmarked at some point. I'll have a search, see what I turn up.

 

my friend just gave me a good idea..he said just buy what you can afford now and upgrade your laptop's processor and/or graphics card when you can. is that possible to do or no? i do know that laptop internal space is limited but still...

 

OK, believe it or not but finding information on this is really proving quite tough. So instead I will explain the difference, and typically what each would be used for.

OK, now your CPU generally does one thing after the other. OK, with a core 2 duo it can do two things at the same time, but that's still not very much.

Now your GPU on the other hand does many many things at the same time, but at a lower clock speed.

Writing this sentence is pretty much how a cpu works. I have to type the letters one after the other. A GPU would be able to type them all in one go, but would take marginally longer to do it (in comparison to writing a single character, but for the whole sentence it would be much faster).

Now different parts of games can work better with a GPU (more things processing, but at a slower rate), and some things prefer the CPU. An example would be the physics involved in some games. A low end GPU or a high end GPU would not really impact the performance of figuring out where that barrel goes after you've shot it. It does however concern itself with how that barrel is rendered depending upon the lighting etc wherever the CPU places it.

Now in reality, gaming is largely done by your GPU, because there are many more things to render than there are things moving about. So your GPU is very important.

The importance of your CPU so far seems the most difficult to figure out from posts / reviews etc on the internet. I'm really suprised at this to be honest, and it even makes me want to switch out my CPU for another just to see what the real life differences actually are. Maybe next weekend if I have time.

To answer your original question, I can't really. Your new question about upgrading parts of your laptop. You will most likely be able to upgrade your CPU, most new laptops you can do this, and in fact most old laptops too. There are some netbooks and the such have things soldered into place, but even with netbooks, these are not all soldered into place.

Your GPU however is a different story. Depending on your laptop, you most likely will not be able to upgrade this.

A rule of thumb that is good to use:

Always spend the most you can, and only buy it when you absolutely need it.

I will continue to search, but it doesn't look likely I'll come up with anything. Best so far is a link back to some tests that were run back on Pentium 4s.....

 

thanks so much your response is actually very informative. so basically the best thing to do is get the laptop with the best video card that i can afford.

 

For the games that you are looking at, yes I would recommend that. None of those games hits the CPU that hard, and CPUs are easier to upgrade later on.

However, you might want to upgrade your CPU if you intend to play GTA IV for example. Mind you, that's a bad example as GTA IV is a terrible console port that is not very well optimised for the PC/laptop.

I'd still recommend spending the most you can afford when you buy the laptop. For a gaming rig you'd probably be looking at at least 2GB of RAM (more is not going to hurt, but certainly I'd say 4GB as a ceiling to keep cost down), a decent GPU (read 9600, 9800, 260, 280, 46xx, 48xx), and then a decent processor. You also need to consider the resolution of the display, but that's really down to personal preference.

I would still recommend a better CPU than the T6400, but you don't need to crazy here. A core 2 duo running at 2.4GHz and upwards should see you fine for a good while. Keep in mind though that some games coming out need core 2 duos running at 1.8GHz already (Prototype, GTA IV) and these are minimum requirements, meaning a slower processor is potentially going to limit your gameplay.

 

The point is that there are already games out there that require 1.86GHz core 2 duo as a minimum. That is now. Imagine a year from now.

For the games you want to play, a 2GHz core 2 duo will be fine. It may struggle on some of the newest games, like you might need to lower some of the physics type settings. Just that if you want to allow a little wriggle room so your machine can still play the latest game in a years time, I stand by my original recommendation.

 

i ended up purchasing a sager NP2098
these are the stats:
1x Sager NP2098 Custom Laptop (Built on the Compal KHLB2)
- Display: 15.6" HD 16:9 WXGA Super Clear U
- Arctic Silver: Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound
- Dead Pixel Policy: Standard Dead Pixel Policy
- Processor: ~Intel® P8700 45nm "Montevina" C
- Video Card: ATI HD4650 512MB PCI-Express DDR
- External Graphics Card: No External Graphics Card
- External Monitor Video Adapter: No Video Adapter
- Ram: ~ 4,096MB DDR3 1066MHz Dual Chan
- Intel® Robson Turbo Memory: None Standard--
- Exterior Finish: Standard Finish
- Optical Drive: ~Combo 8x8x6x4x Dual Layer DVD +
- Primary Hard Drive: ~ 320GB 7200RPM (Serial-ATA II 3
- External Hard Drive (Back Up): No Back Up Hard Drive
- Floppy Drive: No Floppy Drive
- Memory Card Reader: Internal 3-in-1 Card Reader (SD/
- Bluetooth: Internal Bluetooth + EDR
- Wireless Network: Built-in Intel® PRO/Wireless 510
- Wireless Network Accessories: No Network Accessory
- Camera: Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera
- TV Tuner: No TV Tuner
- Sound Card: Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audi
- Case: No Carrying Case
- Battery: Smart Li-ion Battery (6-Cell)
- Car Adapter: No Car Adapter
- Spare AC Adapter: None Standard*
- Port Replicator / Dock / Adapter: No Dock/Hub/Adapter
- Fingerprint Reader: Integrated Fingerprint Reader
- Mouse / Keyboard Accessories: No External Keyboard or Mouse
- Notebook Cooler: No Notebook Cooler
- Operating System: None Standard - Drivers & Utilit
- Microsoft Office Software (Media: No Office Software
- Software Bundle (Not Installed): No Software Bundle
- Warranty: 1 Year Parts & Labor, Lifetime S

Thanks for all your help!!!

 

Personally I would have preferred a higher resolution and might have opted for the 2096 around the same price band rather than the 2098. However, that's a personal choice, it is a nice machine and should serve you well.